​The following illustrations comprising the first post on Birds, have been resized from their originals to expedite quicker uploading for internet purposes. As such, there will be a drop in the picture or text quality. I hope that the posters will inspire or arouse the observer to reflect over matters that concern life and living.
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​The Picture Poster blog series have been separated into pictures with flowers, bees, birds, insects and others. Each blog post will contain about six to eight pictures in each series; and there will be more than a blog post for each section.

The male Olive-backed Sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis, feeding on Thalia flowers in my garden.
These are attractive small birds with the males having colourful plumage for sexual display. In particular, they have orange pectoral tufts that are displayed during courtship. Male has plain olive-green upperparts, iridescent blue-black forehead, throat and breast and yellow belly and vent. Female can be separated from other sunbirds by combination of obvious down-curved bill, all yellow underparts and extensive white on tail.

The Thalia is an emergent aquatic plant growing up to 1.7 m tall. It has bright green, lance-shaped leaves and dark reddish stems. It produces dense clusters of small, purple flowers. In addition to absorbing excess nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorous, it also accumulates permethrin which is used as an insecticide or insect repellant.

The olive-backed sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird. They are small songbirds, at most 12 cm (4.7 in) long. In most subspecies, the underparts of both male and female are bright yellow, the backs are a dull brown colour. The females have an olive-green plumage on their upperparts and completely yellow underparts. Juveniles are similar to the females in colour, the olive-green colouration of their upperparts offering camouflage during this vulnerable stage of their lives. Its call is a high-pitched metallic chirp, “cheep, cheep, wheet”, or a high-pitched rising “chee”.
Picture taken in my garden October 2nd 2018.

The scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia (Lonchura punctulata), known in the pet trade as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch, is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus Lonchura, it was formally described and named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Its name is based on the distinct scale-like feather markings on the breast and belly. The adult is brown above and has a dark conical bill.

The species has 11 subspecies across their range and differ slightly in size and colour.This munia eats mainly on grass seeds apart from berries and small insects. They forage in flocks and communicate with soft calls and whistles. The species is highly social and may sometimes roost with other species of munias. This species is found in tropical plains and grasslands. Breeding pairs construct dome-shaped nests using grass or bamboo leaves. Photo taken in my garden.

The black-naped oriole (Oriolus chinensis) is a passerine bird in the oriole family that is found in many parts of Asia. Unlike the Indian golden oriole which only has a short and narrow eye-stripe, the black-naped oriole has the stripe broadening and joining at the back of the neck. Males and females are very similar although the wing lining of the female is more greenish. The bill is pink and is stouter than in the golden oriole. Pictures taken in my garden. An infrequent, fleeting visitor. Does not stay long at all, just seconds!

Forty minutes at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Encountered several interesting subjects. This handsome White-throated Kingfisher is truly beautiful! A testimony to the greatness and wonder of the Creator. July 4th 2018.

The Javan myna, also known as the white-vented myna, is a species of myna. It is a member of the starling family. Wikipedia. Scientific name: Acridotheres javanicus. Picture taken at home.July 7th 2018. 

Shots of the White -throated Kingfisher at the SBG. August 21st 2018.
The white-throated kingfisher also known as the white-breasted kingfisher is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Asia from Turkey east through the Indian subcontinent to the Philippines. Wikipedia.

The Brown-throated Sunbird, Anthreptes malacensis, is the largest sunbird among the six species in Singapore. Female taking nectar from a Red Button Ginger / Scarlet Spiral Flag flower. Singapore Botanic Gardens August 14th 2018.