The Sunbird Thief and the Denuded Stake

The Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarina jugularis) or Kelichap Bukit in Malay are very bold birds that freely build nests in my garden. One day while photographing some flowers I heard rustlings nearby. As I moved towards the source of the sound, I discovered the mystery of my denuded plastic stake used as a support for the Philodendron Imbe. The covering of coconut fibres was frayed.

 

A female sunbird was so absorbed at plucking the fibres that she was totally oblivious of my presence. In fact I was only about eight feet away from her. The upperpart is dull olive-green while the underpart is all yellow.

With flapping wings, it jerked some fibres out of the stake with ...

its long, slender, decurved bill.

It then flew off and

 
landed on another part of the stake.

to tug at more fibres.

After more inspection and pecking, it flew off.  I suspect that it would come back later to pick up the fibres that it dropped.

 These unstaked Philodendron Imbe simply just sprawled invasively all over the flower bed, killing off the competition from other flowering plants.

 
The male sunbird appeared contented to leave nest-building to the female [as in humans, always so good at multi-tasking ;)]. Here, it's perched on a Thunbergia Grandiflora vine to take in the garden view. 


Thunbergia Grandiflora

 

The forehead, throat and upper breast is metallic blue-black contrasting with bright yellow underparts. The upperpart is dull olive green just like the females. The feet are jet-black.

 
The male Olive-backed Sunbird is more colourful than the female which does not have the metallic blue colouring.

 
The orange-red semi-double Hibiscus rosa sinensis.

This clump of Cyrtostachys renda (Lipstick Palm) form the backdrop for many bird activities. it supports the vine and also provide palm fruits for the bird's consumption

The base of the clump of Lipstick Palm sustains the growth of many Davalia denticulata (Corsage ferns).

Pleasing Visits From The Jacintha Egg-fly

Of late, the Jacintha Egg-fly (Hypolimnas bolina jacintha) have descended on my garden and designated it as one of their playgrounds. They fluttered in and out, taking sweet 'tea breaks' on flowers and breathers on foliage and other assorted objects.

Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. ~ Anonymous

 

One of these lovely butterflies decided to be adventurous and fluttered onto the blades of a toy wind-mill.

Here it spread its wings, displaying its beautiful blue-fringed white markings, indicating that its a male. The bright yellow bells of Tecoma stans beckon in the background.

Yellow Tecoma stans with red Alpinia purpurata in the background.

The reticulated leaf of Pseuderanthemum reticulatum under full sunshine made an attractive landing pad

 for this male Hypolimnas bolina jacintha to chill out. With the wings folded up, it looked completely different; just brown and white colouring without the the bluish tinge.

Nearby, another male Jacintha Egg-fly settled on the leaves of a Hibiscus bush, H. rosa-sinensis 'snowflake'.

The male Great Egg Fly can easily be distinguished from the females by the circular markings on the upper side of its wings.

It is rather difficult to differentiate from the underside.

It then fluttered to the leaves of Bauhenia kockiana. The red buds of Ruellias elegans can be seen in the background.


An inflorescence of Bauhenia kockiana. 


 Another one of these butterflies landed on the leaf of Ochna Kirkii. Here it perched unperturbly and actually ignored my presence.

Ochna Kirkii aka Mickey Mouse plant.

When it got tired of verdant surroundings, it flew to a wooden post for a change of ambience.


This female Hypolimnas bolina is taking a breather on the leaves of ...


 Quisqualis indica aka Rangoon creeper.

 The egg-like markings are absent on the females.

 

Sometimes, when at rest, it slowly opens and closes its wings.

They tend to take a respite from the scorching sun by hanging upside down on the underside of leaves. A favourite hangout is the Baphia nitida which is a border or hedge plant in the garden.

The leaves of Baphia nitida have a light pandan plant () fragrance. However there is no discernible scent from the flower.


It even landed on the dustpan.


This must be a very curious female Jacintha Egg-fly!

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'snowflake' is a flower much favoured by butterflies.

 

Pink-necked Green Pigeons and Two Tall Trees

The Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron Vernans) is a fairly large bird that tends to perch high up in the tall trees in my compound. I have two very tall trees of about 40-60 feet high. 

This is one of the two trees that the Pink-necked Green Pigeons seek refuge from time to time.

 

A low hill is in the background, offering a perfect refuge for the birds at night, after their daytime forages to my garden.

 It is mostly green in colour, with yellowish-green down on the belly area and red feet. The primary wing feathers are black with greyish-green feathers covering them.

The males are colourful, with a pink neck and nape, 

and a vivid patch of orange just below the lower neck.


Much of its time is spent on preening itself.

And this tree seems to be the perfect place for its daily grooming


The tall tree with golden leaves is on the extreme left.


The other tree is a type of Casuarina which is nicely structured into a pyramidal shape. Birds of all denominations love to flock here at any one time. 

 Can you spot the dove?

 Its colourful hues make it easy to spot.

Calm and serene.

Beginning to get restless. 

The preening is a vital part of its grooming activities. 

So, its time for forty winks.



All alert after the power nap.



Poised to take flight at any moment.