Orange-backed Woodpecker

By nature, by season, man cannot have his wish by will.

By a little timeliness, perhaps luck, or will of Nature (?), this female Orange-backed Woodpecker was spotted in time due to a mere squeak.

 

Woodie siblings at play

 The continuous squeaks and squabbling spurred me to try some playback and immediately this sub-adult Orange-backed Woodpecker emerged close by, and freeze, alert to my presence.

Taking advantage when I decided to shift position, this young female fled.

Knowing that there was another one lurking in the background in the thicker foliage, patience paid off as both eventually appeared.

I deemed the young male as shyer and more self-conscious as it continued to keep to the background as its female sibling foraged over a wider area.

The attractiveness of the Orange-backed Woodpecker must surely lie in its distinct prehistoric, stone-age appearance, and I can already envisage both growing into handsome adults.

Woodpecker nostalgia relieved

 I've so missed coming across the Orange-backed Woodpeckers that when this female appeared, it did not matter that it was merely the female or that she refused to come close down despite waiting for her for a long while, I was simply delighted.  

However, going by its appearance and lone venture, a thought did arise if this could be the sub-adult female that's all grown-up now.

These woodpeckers may be residents in the bukit but I still consider it lucky to encounter them from time to time.  They seem to take their time to complete their rounds in the bukit as they would disappear for weeks, more often months before they reappear at the same spots.

Sometimes one does not share

 As I moved on from the mother and young together time, I was entertained again, as it looked like the female Orange-backed Woodpecker had preceded me to this spot.

A lesson in not disturbing your mate while she's busy and preoccupied, which also startled me as I didn't realise the female was inside the sawn off branch.

Then there was peace while both kept to their spot.

And he could proceed to check out the hollow after Madam had vacated it!

The beautiful Orange-backed Woodpecker family of Bukit Kiara.

Playtime for a young woodpecker

 While Mama Orange-backed Woodpecker was busy preening, guess what the young one was up to?

Annoying, taunting, intimidating the Banded Woodpecker in his home?!  Or simply being playful.  All the young one did was flew to the rotten trunk, started to drill behind the nest, flew off, could be heard calling close by, then returned to drill again.

However, at the last disturbance, the Banded Woodpecker did emerge from its hole and fly off, and that was it.  There was no more drilling and the young Orange-backed Woodpecker too disappeared.

One more woodpecker species

 Heard and seen, and I even imagined one flew right past me when I was on a trail hunting for a winter visitor, or did I?

So when I heard familiar cries and knockings that morning, the race was on, a frenzy to search for the Orange-backed Woodpeckers, a pair I knew had been teasing birders around that area.

And then the male was spotted first but relatively deep in but no matter, together with a few birders present, we rushed from one spot to the other to get the best shot, and me, my 'lifer' for the bukit!  Finally!

The Orange-backed Woodpecker (Reinwardtipicus validus) could be found in forest from  lowlands to hills and montane areas and is of Least Concern status, yet comparatively not so commonly sighted.  It's one of the bigger woodpeckers, an adult can grow to almost 30cm.

It looks like the bukit is slowly gaining a reputation as a woodpecker haunt in view of the increasing number of species sighted, this being the fifth, and the woodpecker population set to increase going by the current breeding activities.

It's no surprise why this woodpecker is called orange-backed!

Birders were indeed in for a treat this particular morning as the pair spent almost an hour in the area although they kept largely away from ideal open views.  But trust birders to attempt the best, so ascended the slope swiftly to approach the pair that did not seem too fazed about human movements metres away.

The male was down at a rotting trunk and was then joined by the female that was more sensed than seen at this point.

Scored with a big fat grub!

Throwing off a pretty large chunk of soft pulp with its powerful beak that could only have excavated that!

The female that was loitering behind the trunk finally emerged when the male moved to the other side, but unfortunately did not seem to make any catch, I supposed that portion already thoroughly covered by the male.

Another successful dug-out by the male!

This is indeed a handsome couple, with distinctly different colours, the male more outstanding with its reddish crest and orange breast.

The male displaying its tongue, ready to dig in again.

At a lower spot.

Hoping for better images of the female we decided to stake out at an anticipated spot, and patience paid off.

The female finally appeared to check out an existing hole, perhaps a future cavity nest?

Almost camouflaged if viewed from afar.

The female displays its distinct white back, nonetheless a stunning looking bird.

This bird is said to love forest with rather open under-storey which could explain why it has been seen to come down to ground, pecking at an exposed root.

And this female eventually descended to ground level momentarily, then going up this low tree stump.