Green as a leaf, almost

 The Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis moluccensis) may have a Least Concern IUCN status but it's certainly not of least concern in the bukit as it's been seen to be a poacher's target.  And this is the only leafbird to grace this bukit.

Sighting this bird is like witness to magic, as it's so well camouflaged among the foliage if it's not moving, and then voila, to spot it!

It takes no guesses why this gorgeous bird is a target.

This one however was an immature male as its face mask has yet to turn fully black and its head and nape plummage not completely richly yellowish/mustard yet, nevertheless its presence I took to be a positive sign of active population.

Partners in abundance

 Nurture and sustain and wonders never cease.

Letting nature runs its course, rewards are ample.

Patience, heart!

Series VI

And the other beauty.

Partners in abundance

When a whole is divided into parts, what inhabit one will naturally show up in another, and all are partners in abundance.

Bukit Kiara is one of many, and shares the avian life that enriched the whole.

And so Series I record only but a few sighted todate.

And the other beauties too.

Weakness of the vile

 It's always with relief when I encountered the Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis cochinchinensis) in the bukit as it's testament that this species's still around.  It is one of the poacher's targets as cage with a bait has been spotted hung up high to lure this bird.

A stunning looking bird, it usually keeps to higher canopy but I guess even this male would not be able to resist the lure and call of female, and a fruit in sight.

Behind a fan of leaves, its beauty still cannot be under-rated.

Getting to the leafbird

 The Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis cochinchinensis) feeds on fruits and insects and does come down to low trees.  

And on this occasion it was noisy and it was hyperactive, and it was a challenge to capture an open image of it to do justice to its gorgeous colours, the vibrant blue down the sides of its wings and even tail, distinguishing it from other leafbirds.  And true to its name, it's easily 'lost' among the leaves but for its movements.

This is a male leafbird with its distinct black head and throat, yellow tinge at its head whilst the female will have greener head and blue throat.

Even a dry leaf was not overlooked.

A Leafbird 'appetiser', and butterfly

I guess most birders were looking forward to walk the parks and forest edges again after the MCO, hoping that that elusive bird has emerged when human beings disappear, and perhaps it's still about the places.
Sadly it was not to be with the taman so up the bukit I went.  Bird songs greeted me, and a little tip from the guard also spurred me on.  However it was just that - the bukit looked fresh and inviting and bird songs remained what they were.
I'm reminded of what I told myself during the MCO, be grateful the birds are still there, momentarily just not in sight.  
So I have to content with merely one notable sighting, the momentary appearance of the Blue-winged Leafbird, triumphant with an insect catch and a fruit harvest.  I'll have to treat this sighting as an appetiser then, hopefully there'll be future delectables!

Nevertheless I was rewarded too with gorgeous blooms like this, visited by an equally gorgeous swallowtail butterfly, the Papilio Polytes, or Common Mormon.

A Leafbird lesson

Archive image

The jungle is more than alive when one comes across young ones thriving.  A young Leafbird, that looks like a blue-winged leafbird,  sighting that the habitat is healthy and nurturing.

A not so common leafbird sighting

I was feeling rather unhappy when I got only a record shot of this bird which I guessed to be a Leafbird, a juvenile at that.

And then I was pleasantly surprised when walking on later I chanced upon the Blue-winged Leafbird, which in turn enabled me to ascertain the identity of the earlier juvenile.  This was good as it meant that there could be a growing population of this bird in the bukit.
Again unfortunately I could only manage less than satisfactory shots because of the distance, and these narrowed down eventually to the following decent four.

A cute shot though wasn't sure if this bird was trying to make me out from the distance!