Bali Hash House Harriers 2

Hash Trash During the Time of COVID

CHIFFCHAFF – SPIDERHUNTER AND SUNBIRD – BALI APRIL 1 2021

A sea-change in the weather. A transformation, not unexpected. The Little Spiderhunter’s call – hardly a song – two note endlessly repeated the livelong day. Chris Hails (whose wonderful Birds of Singapore which is illustrated by Frank Jarvis and which has just been reprinted – get it while you can) told me it reminded him of a speeded up Chiffchaff. Yes, I can see the resemblance, but it is to me more mechanical than melodious – that simple two note song so breezy-wheezy plaintive harbinger of spring; a Boreal spring I mean, and welcome visitor to an English garden, from mid-March to Autumn. And such a curious correlation in our contrasting season here – the Austral winter, now coming in.

An obvious shift in the wind these past few days, and stratocumulus now drifting north-westerly. Pause and scan the sky if you will. It is obvious isn’t it? And although there is still the odd heavy shower, the relative humidity is noticeably less. You can feel it.

It’s Chiffchaff weather here. And there is another little bird that puts me in mind of that Boreal warbler and whose presence in the garden is evermore betrayed by its pretty two-note song – so very

simple, but simple tunes are always the best

Wheet tiu wheet. tiu wheet. tiu – I hear it now, emanating from the nearest coconut palm – chiff chaff chiff chaff chiff chaff – so very familiar, yet so distinct. The book will tell you (if you don’t already know that this is the Brown- (or plain-) throated Sunbird of oriental arbours – such a prosaic name for a bird that radiates iridescently every colour in the spectrum. I even mentioned it as reminding me of the Chiffchaff in the little book I made, also with Frank – Birds of Bali – those many moons ago. Sorry, now out of print, and no likelihood of a further reprint. Try Amazon.com – and don’t forget that today is a day of dissemblance and dissimulation

…………chiff chaff chiff chaff chiff chaff…………