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.

 

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….

 

 

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

 

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