Deep in the forest, I woke at 4.30 in the morning to walk to our gibbon survey points under the cover of darkness, itself an exhilarating experience.
Arriving at the survey spot, I prepared for a morning of recording calling gibbons. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of bright colour in the first morning light and turned quickly to see what is always a wonderful forest sight: a pitta! In this case, the near-threatened Garnet Pitta. Pittas are elusive, rainbow-coloured birds of the forest floor. They flick over the leaf litter to search for snails and worms. If disturbed, they often hop away rather than flying.
To my surprise, another flash signalled the presence of second bird. As I watched them throughout the morning it became clear they were foraging for insects and returning to a fallen log not 6m from where I sat. A log that was chirping!
With the improving light I was privileged to see two young birds emerge who, after a few tentative steps, quickly paired up with a parent bird and hurriedly disappeared into the undergrowth.
A truly amazing wildlife moment!