Namaste

Stories on NRW coming soon

Tiny Plant vs Tiny Bird

It is always a privilege for me to be contacted by botany researchers to take them out to look for certain plants for their studies. Such requests are once in a blue moon and it is always a golden opportunity for me to follow an expert to learn something new.  

As we were dragging ourselves up that steep path, I turned and looked behind to check on her. She raised her hands signally to stop. I turned around to see what she got.

It takes a pair of keen eyes of a botanist to spot this really tiny plant growing at the side of the trail. I walked past it! After trotting on this trail for uncountable times, I think this would be my first time looking at this plant. Or maybe I may have looked at it and not noticing it at all.

Burmannia coelestis

Burmannia coelestis is a common species

I did a search and found an interesting write-up on this tiny plant. To read this write-up, you can click here Burmannia coelestis

And there was another plant was shown to me.

Begonia sinuata with flowers

Begonia sinuata found abundantly along this path

Can you see the object she was photographing?

When we were about to descend, an Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa latirostris came and perched for awhile. I said to her while pointing at the direction of the bird, "Hey, look at that flycatcher." And she asked, "Where?"

Thank you for this short fun botany exploration.

Note: In due respect with her kind advise and permission, the name of researcher and the organisation will not be revealed.

Langkawi Birdwatching Tour: The Roosting of Chestnut-Headed Beeeaters

One can tell if they have returned on their migration period in Langkawi. For the past three years, I have personally observed them returning to roost together in the same area of Kuah town and on the same tree.

I had better photos of them coming to roost together on a casuarina tree at the start of their migration period this year.

A flock of Chestnut-Headed Beeeaters Meriops leschenaulti  will come in and those perched on the tree would fly off as if disturbed. Then they return to the tree and reclaimed their position. 

Strangely, they only wanted that particular casuarina tree. There is another casuarina tree standing alone next to this busy tree but none of this birds would want to perch on it. They would rather crammed together on that particular casuarina tree top. Safety in numbers, maybe?

As much as I can see, I would say all of them are the Chestnut-Headed Beeeaters. I counted more than 200 individuals on that evening.

At sunrise, they will head out in different directions. You will see some of them at open plantation areas, paddyfields and even on Gunung Raya. Then in the evenings, all back to their roosting tree...fighting for their sleeping spots again.

A big flock of Chestnut-Headed Beeeater fighting for a spot on top of this casuarina tree on October 8, 2015. Can you count them?

Zoomed in

A Chestnut-Headed Beeeater Meriops leschenaulti happy with its big insect