Taman Rimba Ampang - Revisited - July 2013

When the waist-line is expending sideways it was time to hit the birding trail. Since my free time is limited to the afternoons one of the nearby places which i could think off is Taman Rimba Ampang. This place used to have plenty of birds but the numbers have dwindled down significantly lately. Today is no exception but it could be due to my birding time which was late in the afternoon or could it be due to the road construction which was just behind the "loji" area? Nevertheless the resident birds can still be seen.

When i initially spotted this fellow from its back i thought it could just be a spiderhunter.

Purple-Naped Sunbird

Aha its a Purple-Naped Sunbird. It was probably the same one which i have spotted last year when it was still a juvenile. You could however spot the yellow gape at the base of its bill but take note of its orangey legs which was contrary to most field guides have depicted.

Grey Sailor?

Watching butterflies has added a new dimension to my birding adventures. When there are a few birds to see the butterflies make up the numbers. Watching butterflies are quite similar to birding. Some can be quite skittish and some just don't stop flying. One also need to spot the subtle features on its upper wings or under wings to differentiate between them. 

Note: Experts have confirmed that the above was a "Short-Banded Sailor".

Another butterfly species which resemble a dead leaf.

Note: experts confirmed that it was a Malayan Leaf Butterfly (Kallima Limborgii)

Grey-Bellied Bulbul

Pacific Swallow

Female Whiskered Treeswift

Spectacle Bulbul

Black-and-Yellow Broadbill

Always a nice bird to see but this time however it perched quite a distance away.

White-Throated Kingfisher

The only highlight of this trip was probably the sighting of the black-and-yellow broadbill. The rest of the birds were quite common at this place.

Yellow-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

Yellow-Vented Bulbul should be the most common bulbul which you can find in this region. Its bubbly song can be heard in the early mornings and its diet are mainly fruits. One of the best ways to photograph this bird is when they are enjoying their meals. Here are a series of photos depicting a sub-adult yellow-vented bulbul eating a ficus:

Not sure why is he eating a semi-ripe ficus as these fruits will usually be strawberry-red and then turned purple when they are fully ripe. 

Since the tree is fruiting, it has also attracted other yellow-vented bulbuls.

These birds could have been the sub-adult bird's parent as you can see the difference in the color of its vent which are more intense.