Lockdown April

I will keep this unusual month’s blog to a few words but illustrate it with a number of images. A slideshow with these images can be seen here

You don’t value your freedom until it is suppressed. I have visions of what I see as freedom.

FREEDOM

April 2020 has seen a month like none other I have experienced. A large part of the world is locked-down because of the  the Covid-19 pandemic. We have been confined indoors and to the boundaries of the condominium estate. Fortunately, it has been a stroke of luck or superb timing that we located here with so much of the natural world on display....not to mention the lack of financial worries in a non-existent housing market.

 EAGLES AND KITES

Starting with the raptors; there are a pair of Brahminy Kites and a pair of White-bellied Sea Eagles nesting in the forest-clad hill behind us. The eagles greet the morning with a wake-up cackle. Junior is getting so big he possibly takes up too much nest space and gets a morning scolding. They also talk a lot to each other while flying.

The little guy flying with the eagle is a House Swift (pictured below)
....a hyperactive flyer with a white bottom

 

Brahminy Kite drying off.

RACKET-TAILED DRONGOS

I hear and see the Racket-tailed Drongos in the morning. This bird, that constantly has two bees chasing it, is a consummate mimic of other bird calls and knows the difference between distress calls and mating calls. If it sees another bird with food it will make the species distress call hoping it will take immediate flight and abandon the morsel. I note they almost always follow the Dusky Langurs through the forest feeding on the insects the langurs disturb as they throw themselves from tree to tree.

DUSKY LANGURS

The Dusky Langurs keep me amused as well. A major target was the little orange infants. The troop appears around the carpark or road through the estate perhaps 2-3 times each week. You can easily see where they are along the road by the collection of green leaves under the targetted feeding tree. I was amused at the juveniles in a huge flowering tree. They were deliberately jumping to see the shower of yellow flowers that resulted. You could almost hear them giggling with delight.

I was happy to get to photograph a crèche from the spare bedroom window and to get a shot of a baby-clinging jump. I hope to see more of them before they change colour.

COCO

It contravenes the current Movement Order to take your dog for a walk outside your residence boundaries. 22,000 Malaysian residents have been arrested for breaching this ruling. I walk down to the beach with Coco and do about 4 circuits before retreating. She enjoys the exploration and freedom and other bodily necessities. She misses the big boys.....one of which has had a fight with another dog, was bitten on the bum by two strays and further bitten by a python.

Because a little dog needs some later action the soccer-playing of puppy days has been restored.

Where did that crab go?

MOODS AND COLOURS

The ever changing vista around us is a source of awe as the colours and moods change.

 

ELECTRICAL STORMS

When. night falls nature takes on another form. We are ideally placed to watch lightening displays over the mainland. I have done a lot of reading about what lightening is and how storms are displayed, starting from a large cumulonimbus cloud and if you are lucky you will see red sprites, pixies, blue jets,  and elves along with spiders and anvil creepers.

 This last image is unusual in that the lightening is going upwards from the ground.

TRIBUTES

Helen attacks her daily exercises with great gusto and does the main run to the supermarket and provides tasty meals each day. We both wish you all health and safety and salute those working on the front-line.