Blow Through Panti

[Silverstreak]

May be Les need some photog support with his old browny box drown?

[Painted Jezebel]

You can fly direct to Samui from Singapore! Also, as the Island is only 21x25KM in size, there are no long car rides, just short bumpy ones ! Its particularly bad for me, I can't drive, so I have to go everywhere by motorbike. (Anyone wanting to visit will need to hire either a bike or a 4X4.)

If anyone can dare explain, what happened 'that fateful day'?

Les
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[Silverstreak]

Noticed that this particular Mottled Imigrant has a "double barrel" proboscis...

Is this a characteristics of this species?

[Commander]

Looks deformed somehow. But a typical butt's proboscis is formed from two tubes. You can search the internet for more details about how it works by capillary action and so on...

[Sky Blue]

read it some where, it formed from two tubes but can hold them together... haiz can't remember....

[Birdwing]

Quite intriguing though. In all my years of observing them in Malaysia, I've never come across a male Common Birdwing or any of the related species in the genus Troides puddling. (Maybe I haven't been going to the right places!)

Hi Khew,

This was shot by a fellow birder wkcheah from AWA, he spotted this (male?) RB apparently puddling near the observation tower which Sunny mentioned, this is about 200m into the Bunker Trail.

Image (c) Cheah Weng Kwong 2007

[Commander]

Good evidence of puddling of the ssp mollumar. At least we do know that the males do puddle. Must be a male, cos there haven't been any records of females of this genus puddling either (unless someone also has more shots showing a female puddling).

Even at Endau Rompin, where I suspect that where the line between the two subspecies cross, we have not yet seen any puddling RBBs.

The males of ssp mollumar and ssp albescens are quite similar looking with the green patches less extensive in ssp mollumar.

[Birdwing]

First male Rajah Brook was sighted barely 100 meters into the trail. Was thinking they puddle, so concentrated my scan on the river banks at 5th , 7th and 9th kilometer mark but no luck on puddlers.

The female Rajah Brook was shot on her second visit to the flowering vine near the 9th KM stream.

For the Common Ringlet, have to shoot him proning on some thick underbush near a stream .... and realised that in the process donated blood to two leaches of Panti a few hours later.

Sighted also are Tree Nymphs that descended to road level and there were multiple Clippers along the track.

Some construction were ongoing on a visitor center 200 meters from the main road with carpark and a lookout tower almost completed . On-going military training in the area, stopped by to chat with some troops and their officers along the way. A number of civilian and commercial vehicles including a Sing one was encountered along the way in my short drive.

Wlll find time to shoot Panti more in future

Hi Sunny,

I have been to Panti on a few occasions in the past couple of months and observed quite a lot of butt activity going on. In particular the RB birdwing has been spotted almost all occasions when I was there, some flying very low, locations where they are almost ground level is around the observation tower 200m into the Bunker Trail entrance, and one of the streams (I think the 7th km one where there is a clearing and a hut - spotted 1 x male puddling at the muddy soil near the stream).

BTW great pics, and wonderful catches. It is definitely an awesome experience when you see the RB birdwing in flight for the first time!

[Silverstreak]

Steven and Weng Kong ,

Thanks for the pic on the puddling RB.

Will concentate on those areas where they were found puddling on my next trip.... wish me luck!

[Commander]

Ah... now Sunny is globalising already... starting with more shots from Malaysia soon!