Feeding juvenile

 The nesting season for the bulbuls seemed to be over now, their chicks have grown healthily into juveniles.

The latest parent-juvenile pair to come my way was these Red-eyed Bulbuls that suddenly popped out as I walked by.

It was a quick dash away for the adult before it promptly returned with a feed, so speedy that I wasn't prepared for shots.

Lovely bulbul nevertheless

 Familiarity does many a times lead to disregard, indifference.  And I was guilty of this when I saw this Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus brunneus) flew up, until it flew down as if in reprimand!

And it's not just a Red-eyed as someone used to comment!  It's the whole package lah, those warm shades of brown and those distinct red eyes.  And it's not so common now, as one would think that it's a guaranteed sighting when one walks by the forest edge or steps into the forest.

It does take a conscious effort to re-appreciate so-called common birds but it would be worth the pause to do so.

Olive-winged, not streaked

 My frequent encounter with the Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumoses) has changed my stand that this species is next most common here in the bukit to the Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni).

I wonder what has happened to the Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus brunneus) which I used to think was more ubiquitous.

The Olive-winged Bulbul announces its presence with its sharper calls compared to the more throaty Strip-throated Bulbul and the whistle-like calls of the Red-eyed Bulbul.

And newer birders in their over-zealousness have tended to mistake the olive-winged bulbul for the streak-eared bulbul whose presence is restricted to the northern part of the country.

As I was passing by

Not just sitting pretty, for it soon did what it did best, forage.

 

As I was passing by

They came, one after another ...

Easy-peasy there - it came, picked, gulped, and rested.

Couldn't make out what this one was trying to do, flew down, called relentlessly, then off it went!

And this too, popped in, hopped about, and off it fled.

 

When bulbuls reign

 We know that birds are territorial, even among the same species.  When the resident Yellow-vented Bulbuls foraged in this tree, even the Red-eyed Bulbul that came infrequently to the taman made way, except for the Stripe-throated ones that are residents too.  Nevertheless it was delightful to see three species of bulbuls about the tree.

And these birds definitely chased off the smaller visitor yellow-rumped flycatchers that were also trying to forage there.

The Red-eyed was always a loner compared to the Yellow-vented that always came in a pair.

And of course the Stripe-throated bulbuls that nest across the river.

And of course, all disappeared when the Plantain Squirrel appeared.

The infrequent Bulbul visitor

It's an infrequent visitor to the taman although commonly sighted just kilometres away in Bukit Kiara.  So, it's special when I chanced upon it foraging in what many deemed the 'magic' tree of the taman, magic because it has attracted a diversity of birds, both local and migrant during certain times of the year.
But the Red-eyed Bulbul was the star bird of the morning.

It wasn't interested in the green fruits which are normally sought after by the pink-necked pigeons but in the flowers and these are few in the tree.

It looked deceptive that the bird was after a bite of the fruit.

'Foraging' at Bukit Kiara

I have been pretty reluctant to walk Bukit Kiara simply because it's usually only common sightings and most of all, the birds sighted were always pretty high up and so made for frustrating photography to say the least!  However, recent 'foragings' have revealed more than a few surprises so I guess I should make more effort to do the walk.
As I have said, the birds were there but kept to canopy level making for less than ideal images, still not to be ignored!
It was both a surprise and heartening to sight the Everett's White-eye and I sighted two, but as usual coupled with the backlight, it was shooting almost blindly only to identify the bird after playback on the camera.  Unfortunately too, a quickly draining battery did not allow me to stay on to try and seek out the bird again.

I believe that the following sightings were of a male and female Green-backed Flycatcher, even though I'm unable to get their back view.  

The female stayed longer, yet kept to the top too.  As usual birds are sharp, spotting me from high up, or perhaps the lens' reflection drew its attention.

 

Bird waves are pretty common in Bukit Kiara, and the two Bulbuls were sighted earlier, amongst the yellow-vented and the stripe-throated bulbuls.  The Black-crested Bulbul also kept to canopy level unlike the Red-eyed.

Feeding tree

Each time I walk in the taman, I am reminded of how brilliantly it was designed – the open spaces, the thickly shaded areas and the ponds of varying sizes, all contribute to the charming layout, notwithstanding that the taman was originally created as a nursery to supply trees to the now aborted National Botanical Gardens of KL which was to be located in Bukit Kiara.

    As a birding enthusiast I was struck by the numerous feeding trees found here for birds.  This may explain the abundance of bird life in the taman albeit common birds.  However, migrant or passage birds that found their way here do stay the entire duration of their migratory period, and why not, with the abundance of fruits here, as well as insects, and more.

    More than 40 years now since the taman was created, the trees, shrubs, bushes are generally matured.  Many provide perfect habitats for birds and bugs.  Mosquitoes and insects are a plenty, sustenance for various categories of birds.  Even the grasses are not just frolic ground but also feeding ground.

    Take this tree, favourite target for barbets, bulbuls, starlings, and more, resident and passage birds.

To de-stress

Fluffing

Stretching

Smoothing

Preening with style