Green Broadbill made my day
My first visit to Panti in Johor two months ago ended in failure - I heard the bird calls but saw none. Revisiting it with two fellow birders on Tuesday saw fortune and luck in reverse. The prize catch was a pair of the Green Broadbill (Calyptomena virisdis), said by some to be rather hard to see, and not just because its green feathers camouflage it so effectively.
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| The protective male |
The place we were at was said to be populated by Green Broadbills. We didn't see any for a while. But something green flashed by the corner of my right eye and without thinking I took a photograph of it. It was blurrish but was confirmed to be a female broadbill. We played its call and soon the male appeared. But we play bird calls sparingly as it may stress them. The male bird made very clear its stand to defend their territory. It responded by calling out loudly and fluffing its neck feathers. And that's when we were able to take these very clear, unobstructed photos.
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| The female may be less bright but it has this greenish glow |
It is a queer looking bird as feathers cover the top part of its beak. And the green feathers were luminously bright, a visual treat indeed it was.
End
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