Minivet 4/4 - Scarlet Minivet (lifer 545)

 

I was checking on my minivet series for reference and found that my Scarlet posting had gone missing even from my archive of lifers. So after consultation with LeeFung of regular sighting of a family of post-nesting minivets in Taman TAR I was quick to go last weekend. The last I sighted the bird was in Sg Perdik and Sg Congkak Hulu Langat.  

The worn out male in its striking red and black coat. Its rump has a bald patch.

Scarlet Minivets are usually seen in lowland forest fringe and are familiar with human presence. They look similar to the Fiery which are more highland birds circa 500m (nearest to see is Awana). The Scarlet is the largest minivet you can find in Malaysia coming at 21cm /8 inches ie they have a longer tails.  Its red wing patch is clearly isolated ie its tertial and primary that what the book says but I don't see the difference le. 

Juvenile Female with its scaly grey crown

Thank you again the ambassadress of TAR for the guidance and Joe for the company to get some new collection of this bird so much nearer from my residence some more. In Borneo side you can get the rare Rosy and the other vagrant Swinhoe's minivet aka Brown-rumped.

These photos were shot with my EF 400mm f4  L DO lens mounted to my new Olympus OMD-1 Mark III with Viltrox adapter M2. Sorry to say the setup did not yield many useable photos. Of the 500 odd pictures taken; only less than 15 photos can be used. All the pictures need much post-sharpening even full-frame shots. Any capture of passerine birds high up in the canopy say50-60 feet aways were soft without details. Maybe the setup needs tuning Vitrox please help!!!!.

MINIVET 3/3 - Ashy Minivet

 

Ashy Minivet

A longish bird. The male is a bit darker headed with whitish forehead. the female here is a bit greyish and brown

Found in open jungle and mangrove area.........lowland upto 1200m

A winter visitor from the north. Saw a foursome. They are very suspicious and just do not let you to come close unlike the resident Grey Minivets.

White breasted. Male have a black head with a white forecrown as the obvious feature ..... about 20 cm in size.It is a bird of the lowland ....found at open or jungle fringes. Usually in a group.

 

MINIVET 2/3 - Fiery Minivet

 

Got lucky about noon at the Awana campsite. It suppose to be a low montane to lowland bird. It was a alone in a bird wave of cuckooshrike and shrike babbler. So we can say they do move around.

The Fiery Minivet like Scarlet is a canopy bird and seldom come down to lower storey. you need a good 800mm lens to get a good shot. They are not gregarious unlike the grey-chinned minivets.

Fiery Minivet

 

The Fiery Minivet like Scarlet is a canopy bird and seldom come down to lower storey. you need a good 800mm lens to get a good shot. It is threatened by habitat loss and this is quite worrisome. They are not gregarious unlike the grey-chinned minivets. We believe it do move around and there is why is it a uncommon bird to see.

One of the smallest species in the Campephagidae family; the fiery minivet was first recognized as a separate species in 1846 during an expedition to the Moluccas, a group of islands in Indonesia. They range in length from 6 to 6.5 inches (15 to 16.5 centimeters) and typically weigh between 0.5 to 0.6 ounces (14 to 16 grams). Males have black upperparts and throats, with vivid red breast, belly, rump, and outer tail feathers. Females are more subtly colored, with gray upperparts, yellow undersides, orange reddish rumps, and black tails. The bird has a distinct, rising call of "swee-eet."

Fiery minivets are Tropical Asiasn birds, occupying southern Myanmar, southern Thailand, and parts of Malaysia and Brunei, as well as the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo and the Palawan Province islands of the Philippines.

This species typically makes its home in the canopies of forests and along the forest edges, but it will also occupy pine plantations and casuarinas, evergreen, groves. Many of the birds may be found in lowlands, but it is also commonly be sighted in the sub-montane slopes and montane forests of Sumatra at altitudes up to 8,900 feet (2,700 meters). Another favored habitat is coastal mangrove swamps..... so it appears they are very adaptive.

Although little is known about the feeding habits of fiery minivets, ornithologists presume that the species, like birds in the rest of the family, eats primarily insects, particularly moths and caterpillars. They forage in the canopies of trees where they live.

Sociable and energetic, fiery minivets are frequent participants in what scientists call "mixed-species bird waves" groups that contain a number of bird species. They are believed to be monogamous, with mated pairs working together to build a cup-shaped nest of fine plant parts, spider webs, and lichens, fungus, that they place high in a tree. This species breeds in Palawan's dry season of December and in Malaysia's rainy season that starts in May. The female usually lays two eggs.

MINIVET 1/3 - Grey-chin Minivet

Grey-chinned Minivets

 

 

 

 

When the sifu says they come in droves he mean it. I encounter the same scene on 240906 along the stretch around the first corner downhill side 1 km deep in the Old Pumphouse road.Sadly the trail is now gated and only authorised personnel are allow in only. MNS must do something about it.

I tell you its exhilarating as you snap non stop for a good 5-10 mins or so as you fumble with the camera settings and discarding the monopod; turning off the OS when flashing; up the Iso amongst the shade and back..............and what do i get crap pictures and camera shake. amateurish ..........shit happens

 

 

 

 

The acceptable photos of the minivets out of tens taken are here. The other birds that tagged along the frenzy communal gathering were nuthatch, drongo and several others that I only got a glance which just flew pass into the hill side or to ravine side

This is my first time at the old pumphouse road and it will not be my last. Maybe a picnic with the family ...............