“I had an opportunity today to watch Grey-breasted Spiderhunters (Arachnothera modesta modesta) collect nesting material. I had two extended observations, at the same site, of single birds each time.
“The bird(s) spent much time looking for and collecting the fluffy heads of seeds that are wind dispersed. These seeds have soft, fluffy cotton-like parachutes – silky hairs that arise directly from the top of the seed to help it be wind-blown far from the tree (above).
“These seeds often get caught in trees, (like the Bridella tomentosa above) or bushes and the bird(s) were harvesting them to line the nest; at times resorting to acrobatic skills to gain access.
“They also obtained these silky hairs from other seeds (above). I also saw spider webs being collected. I could not be sure if both partners were involved or only the same bird was doing the work.
Dato Dr Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Location: Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Primary forest
Date: 25th February 2021
Equipment: Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone
