“During the inter monsoon season of this mid-June, dry spells and very little rain saw many rivers and streams dried up alongside Malaysian forests.
“A birding trip saw a deciduous, broad leaved tree, at the edge of secondary forest stood like scarecrow, overhung a stream that was reduced to a trickle.
“What caught my attention were spiky, pom-pom clustered-like flowers all gone grey that contrasted perfectly with the yellow withering of airy, broad leaves that caught the noon sunrays, making excellent subjects for natural photography and for any Monet wanabe artists to dive for their palettes.
“Soon… life appeared in the form of feathered birds -a pair of chirping Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds (Anthreptes singalensis) – a male in molt to harvest the seeded fruits from those small, burst pods of the spiky flowers; to complete a portrait image in action that speaks a thousand words.
“Prophetic Claude Monet once said, “I would like to paint as the bird sings.” (The late 19th century French impressionist painter is renowned for capturing every luminous effect, the very essence of light and air, wherein his most famous work, Les Nympheas (The waterlilies) became the hallmark of his fame.
Avian Writer Daisy O’Neill
Copyright article and copy images:
Courtesy of Daisy O’Neill Bird Conservation Fund