“I had an opportunity to watch a pair of Little Spiderhunters (Arachnothera longirostra cinireicollis) look for a nesting site.
“I was alerted to their presence when I saw active fluttering behaviour about 16-18 meters across a mining pool against the primary growth of the limestone. They were checking out one small bush as a potential nesting site. They were very good at fluttering in mid-air while they looked under almost every leaf.
“The image here is a composite of 5 such events to give you an idea of this activity.
“A number of times a bird disappeared under a leaf for 30-45 seconds, possibly clinging to the under surface. One such event can be seen on the 2nd leaf from the top on the right where the tail is just jutting out from under the leaf.
“It is not possible to reach this site by walking and I think the birds were comfortable with my distance. I considered foraging for insects as an alternative explanation but the behaviour suggested nesting.”
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
5th April 2015
Location: Tambun Interior, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Secondary growth near limestone hills, vegetable and fish farms
