Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Acrobatic Rufous Piculet

Bersia Dam, Gerik, Perak

I was walking along a track on the left bank of Bersia Dam when I noticed some movement among the vines hanging from a tree above me. Since it was very dark, I could not positively identify the creature with the naked eye, so I quickly setup my gear and took a shot and to my surprise, it was a tiny little bird with almost no tail, hanging onto the vines. He was pecking into the dead vine to get to whatever it was inside.

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Notice that his body is almost perpendicular to the foot , and he effortlessly moved around the vine in a complete circle!  Almost like a gymnast swinging on the high bar but this bird can stop in the middle of the swing! Simply amazing….

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I spotted the female on another branch in better light and I fired a couple of shots.

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The male decided to pose for me in better light and I managed to capture a couple more shots of this lovely little bird.

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3 comments:

  1. Perfect 10 for gymnastic bars routines

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  2. Wonderful set of photos again!
    I've only seen this colourful tiny woodpecker once.

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  3. Wow Ari, you must have some good gear to set up quickly and still take great pictures like those.

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