Bird Ecology Study Group, Nature Society (Singapore)

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2007-01-28T19:44:00.001+08:00

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Thank you.

Sighting of Sooty-headed Bulbuls

2007-01-28T00:03:00.000+08:00

At about 4.00 pm on 12th December 2006, K.C. Tsang sighted a small flock of the birds at the Punggol grasslands just before the rain. As can be seen in the above image, the birds were caught in the rain, and trying to dry themselves.

Sooty-headed Bulbuls (Pycnonotus aurigasteris) is native to Myanmar, South China and discontinuously through Southeast Asia to Java. The first sighting of this exotic species was reported in the early 1920s. The bird was recorded on and off, albeit rarely, throughout the remaining part of the century. A small feral population appears to have established in Tampines since 2003. Obviously the bird is breeding successfully.

According to our bird specialist R. Subaraj, “Sooty-headed Bulbuls (both gold-vented and red-vented forms) have occurred as escapees for many years now due to their popularity in the bird trade.

“In the 1970s, a feral population established itself and the species was listed on the Singapore checklist but that population apparently died out and the bulbul was subsequently removed from the list.

“There now appears to be a feral population in the Punggol-Serangoon area and a breeding record seems to have been obtained. As a result, it was been reinstated on to the Singapore checklist as a feral species in October.”

Input and image by K.C. Tsang.

Jerdon's Baza: Fourth sighting

2007-01-27T14:15:00.000+08:00

“On 1st Jan, New Year Day, I was alone birding at Lim Chu Kang as the usual birding kaki were either overseas or suffering from hang-over from the previous year's indulgence.

“Just before 9.00 am, I caught sight of a raptor perched on a bare branch of an Albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria). Through the scope, the white tipped blackish crest was outstanding. I took a few shots but the bird had its back to me and the sun was not really favourable.

“Happy to have sighted the Jerdon Baza (Aviceda jerdoni), I took a loop trail hoping to get in front of it to have a better view but lost it. Shortly before 9.30 am I received a recall msg from home and had to turn back. On the way out, the raptor was back at the same perch. Perhaps another day.

“Viewing the not so sharp ID picture, there were doubts about the obvious shaded eye band of the bird - could it be a juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle (Hieraaetus kienerii)? The best way was go find it again! “The following morning Jia Sheng was with me at Lim Chu Kang. Moments after arrival, we spotted the raptor but it flew off (mid-canopy flight) in the opposite direction. Happy it was around, we continued with our birding routine hoping it would return. Around 11 am we decided to leave. On the way out, the raptor flew in and landed on a tree just behind me. Out of the tree another raptor flew off. There were two of them! The raptor which flew off landed on the same bare branch as previous but this time there was no eye band but again, its back was facing us. After a few shots it flew off.

“Following the flight, we spotted both raptors in a cluster of Albizia trees. They were behaving like what I've observed of parents and fledged juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). The juvenile raptor was trying to get close to the adult but every time it did, the adult would fly off, though never too far away.

“Later with the help of some experienced birders and sharper pictures taken by Jia Sheng, there was consensus about the raptors as an adult and a sub-adult. However, there was no frontal picture of the adult raptor. Hopefully someone could ID the sub-species.”

Happy Birding,
Danny Lau & Lau Jia Sheng.

This extremely rare passage migrant was spotted around the same area in early December 2006, the third time seen locally (see 1, 2 and 3). The current sighting by Danny Lau and his son Jia Sheng, less than a month later, would make it the fourth.

Our bird specialist, R. Subaraj has this to say: "Actually, the Jerdon's Baza was always considered a sendentary resident until the first one turned up as a roadkill a few years ago. As there are only 4 records (I have only seen 2 photographed records), it is too premature to determine the true status of this species. Thus, we should not say passage migrant as we are unable to confirm this yet. I would consider this bird a scarce visitor for now until we can formulate a better impression with more confirmed records."

Input and images by Danny Lau and his son Jia Sheng.

Oriental Pied Hornbill: Courtship at Changi

2007-01-26T00:03:00.000+08:00

“Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) (above), Tanimbar Corellas (Cacatua goffini) and Red-breasted Parakeets (Psittacula alexandri) making loud squawking and screeching sounds got me to abandon my figging at Turnhouse Road in Changi last week. “The birds all seemed to have a stake in the two Heritage trees (above); the parakeet flew in and then out. Eventually the corellas settled for the smaller cavity in the Gluta malayana while the bigger hornbills claimed the bigger hollow in the Shorea gibbosa tree. “The male hornbill waited outside while his female disappeared into the Shorea cavity (above, left). After a while he flew off and brought back a red fruit, possibly jumbu bol (Syzygium malaccense) which he fed to the female when she peered out from the tree-hole (above, right). It must be quite spacious in there because the male had to dip his head right into the hollow before she reappeared. They flew off after a while. An hour later they were back again for another short visit.

“I'm wondering if these activities in the hollow of the Shorea will harm the tree. Although there are only a few short branches high up there, clumps of fresh young leaves are growing at the ends. The Gluta seems to fare better with more foliage.

“Has the courtship ended? And then will the female be sealed in?”

Angie Ng
27th November 2006

Note: Oriental Pied Hornbills are getting common on mainland Singapore. There is an earlier account on the courtship behaviour of a pair at Changi, seen in October 2006.

Input and images by Angie Ng.

Retraction of the first record of Long-billed Plover for Singapore

2007-01-24T21:23:00.000+08:00

On 24th February 1990, Volker Konrad encountered and photographed a plover new to Singapore at Changi. He sent his observation, including a picture, to the Singapore Records Committee set up by the Bird Group of the Nature Society (Singapore). The committee identified the bird as a Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus). This was reported in the Singapore Avifauna 11(4) that appeared only seven years later.

Subsequently Konrad published his finding, based on the identification provided, in the Oriental Bird Club’s scientific journal, Forktail (2005).

In the December 2006 issue of the OBC’s bulletin, BirdingASIA, Paul J. Leader, a birder based in Hongkong, successfully challenged the identification of the bird. According to Leader, the bird seen in Singapore way back in 1990 was actually a Kentish Plover (C. alexandrnius), not a Long-billed.

Konrad, the birder who sighted the bird at Changi, has so far retracted his published record and according to Birding ASIA, “…the Singapore Records Committee (Nature Society Singapore) now agrees that this record concerns the Kentish Plover.”

Well and good. A mistake has been rectified. There were no ornithologists in the Singapore Records Committee then, only experienced recreational birders. Even if there were, the best of ornithologists do sometimes make mistakes in identification.

It may therefore be a good idea if in future, to avoid mistakes as much as possible, the photographs of rarities reported are sent for their opinions to leading ornithologists overseas who have long experience of birds in Asia.

According to our bird specialist, R. Subaraj, “To put everything in perspective, regardless of the status of local records, the only confirmed Malaysian record is of one at Tanjong Rhu, Pulau Langkawi, on 19th March 1968 (Wells, 1999).

“This far south, many vagrants occur in heavily moulted, winter or juvenile plumages and this emphasises the value of exercising great caution when considering such records. One must always seek advise from those with greater experience and knowledge of such birds!”

References
Konrad, V. (2005). First record of Long-billed Plover Charadris placidus in Singapore. Forktail 21:181-182.
Leader, P.J. (2006). Comments on the purported first record of Long-billed Plover for Singapore. BirdingASIA 6: 45-47.
Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London.

Romancing ‘Laura’ - the Yellow-vented Bulbul

2007-01-23T10:05:00.000+08:00

There are several species of birds in Malaysia that are often seen flying in pairs. Some pair for life, some for several seasons and some just a single season only. The Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pyconontus goiavier) is just about the most frequently seen paired resident species in my area and this particular pair catches my eye for some particular reason (below). They became frequent visitors and nesters in my private garden balcony the last few years that we decided to name them Laurie and Laura. The birds took up residence besides a family of White-rumped Munias (Lonchura striata). Every hanging fern species that thrives in the balcony carries a nesting history. Some of the nests were made over from previous season. Last year, no nesting was observed. While the environment remained peaceful and conducive to raising their brood, Laurie and Laura did not bring in any nesting materials. I began wondering why and soon found out.

Since last September 2006, tinkling sounds, ‘tink.-tink-tink’ were heard coming from the driveway. Initially I passed then off to be a dribbling garden tap with droplets of water hitting a hollow tin can. It continued intermittently during the daytime and for several consecutive days until the sounds got into my nerves’ edge and I simply had to investigate.

A fascinating and entertaining observation of endearing avian showmanship followed. It was Laurie, the male Yellow-vented Bulbul who flew into the driveway and became fascinated with the winged mirror of my parked vehicle (above). He perched and stared so hard onto the shiny chromed mirror as though to say, ‘I wish, I wish… mm… Am I the most handsome guy in town?’ Laurie was not alone. He flew in with Laura but she decided to take to a more discreet and observation perch on the Christmas tree, about 15 feet away. Laurie with his broad and black loral stripe, stared into the mirror and saw another competitor, a look alike and furiously began pecking vigorously at the chromed mirror. He was pecking at a brown feathery bird - his own reflection! Over the period of weeks, Laurie became extremely obsessed with the winged mirror – his competitor. He continued relentlessly to impress Laura and showed off his skills of showmanship by roll flying around the mirror, performing balancing tricks, tap dancing and doing the flamenco, ballet and butterfly stance to just name a few (above). He was working and trying very hard to be the hero. Occasionally, Laurie would pause to await and listen for the approval of ‘Bravo! Bravo!’ coming from Laura’s chirping calls (above). Laurie would courteously give a bow showing his broad striped dark crown and threw a deep side glance at his ‘competitor’ as if to say, ‘Hey! This is my territory and that’s my gal, so clear off! Laurie did not fail to soil the mirror to get the message over and would end his performance by shining his yellow vent at my scope to ensure I did not miss out his bright rear plumage (above).

Is this a kind of challenging courtship display or is Laurie a weirdo with an obsession? I wonder if Laura is tired of seeing Laurie’s repeated performances. He was unperturbed by the family’s pet dog who had seen them all and more often than I had witnessed. She would just lie in the garage, her right ear cocked up and eyes rolled to the rhythm of Laurie’s performances just 8 feet away. At times, I could hear her sighed aloud as if to say, ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake not again, bird!’

My camera certainly did not give up that easily but provided additional silhouette shots through my spotting scope to look like an evening performance of a Yellow-vented Bulbul, romancing his beau with a repertoire of courtship tap dancing! I found out these birds disliked my ornamental Chinese bronzed bells with red tassels hung in the balcony garden, beginning of last year. I had them removed recently. Soon enough, they both flew in to prospect a new nesting site.

It was ‘Home Sweet Home….’

SUBMITTED BY: DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA.
21st January 2007

Check out our earlier postings on how birds react when they see their reflections on a mirror: (1 and 2).

Starfruit tree

2007-01-22T09:04:00.000+08:00

The starfruit tree (Averrhoa carambola) grows wild in Java and possibly in Borneo and the Philippines. However, there are people who believe that it originated from tropical America. Whatever its origin, the tree has been in cultivation for centuries and it has been grown in Singapore for a very long time.

This bushy, 15 metres tall tree is grown for its fruits that may be sweet or sour, depending on the cultivar (left). The tree flowers and fruits regularly throughout the year. The lilac flowers are small and borne in loose bunches (below). The fruit has five deep wings along its length and in cross-section appears star-shaped, thus the common name. It ripens golden yellow.

I have the tree growing in my garden for years now. The ripe fruits have always been attacked by fruit flies, falling on the ground to rot. It was some years ago that I noticed green, unripe fruits littering the ground below, always partley eaten. And then I noticed the visits of the noisy, white Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini), an exotic species (below). These corella prefer the green, unripe fruits to the succulent ripe ones. They are wasteful eaters, pecking out pieces and leaving the many partly eaten fruits to rot below the tree. It would appear that this corella has exploited a food niche that other species of birds have been avoiding. It has similarly taking to eating the green pong pong fruits (Cerbera odollam) that no animals had previously been eating (see 1 and 2). The flowers of the starfruit tree attract ants, bees, moths and others (above), and these insects in turn attract birds. But I have so far failed to see many birds on this tree besides the corella. Except the smallish Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) that regularly visits the tree, quietly gleaning for insects. The bird in the photo below is a male in breeding plumage, with long central tail feather and blackish sides to the neck. Now who says exotic plants do not attract wildlife?

If any birders have observed other birds visiting this tree, please leave your input here. Thanks.

Input and images by YC.

Javan Myna

2007-01-21T00:38:00.000+08:00

“It is perhaps by some freak chance that I actually chose to figure out where the incessant kaeeu kaeeu kaeeu sounds were coming from, and that I had the patience to wait quietly, hidden, till the creature appeared. After a minute or so, I noticed some movement on the roof of a nearby house. It was a Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus). Soon after, two myna nestlings appeared from the small cavity under the "wavy" roof tile (below). I moved in closer to get a better view, rather conspicuously I might add, and consequently startled the wary adult. It fluttered and stood on the roof, and then took off to a nearby grass patch, its eyes fixed on me. "It was only then I realize what I had discovered - it was a myna's nest! Mynas, like many members of the Starling Family are hole-nesters. While some species may not be obligate hole-nesters, others often take advantage of such cavities, whether man-made or natural. This is reflected in the unmarked, blue eggs laid by Javan Mynas, which indicates the reduced need for camouflage for cavity nesters.

“This was a chance discovery, so I wasn't blessed with the opportunity to clarify incubation periods. Neither would the eggs be openly viewable, in any case. According to the literature, Javan Mynas lay a clutch of 2–5 eggs at a time and incubate for 13–14 days in captivity. It is also probable that Javan Mynas, like many species of Asian sturnids, both sexes participate in incubating, though males contribute for only a portion of the day. This is unconfirmed and almost impossible to determine, as both sexes look identical and the nest is concealed. “Juveniles, unlike the adults, are paler and browner, and has a white iris (as compared to the lemon yellow iris of adults). The bird on the right (above) seems to be older and more active. My personal observation is that there appears to be many more juveniles during these few months. It is thus tempting for me to assume that breeding season is in the later part of the year. Would any ornithologist like to clarify or correct this? “As and after the juveniles fledge, they continue to be fed by the adults (above). Such food, which includes seeds, fruits or insects, is given whole and not regurgitated (at least at this stage). Pleas for food (kaeeu kaeeu kaeeu) are accompanied by the youngster's half-flaps and wing "quivering". This parent totally ignores the youngster.”

Lim Jun Ying
3rd January 2007

Input and images by Lim Jun Ying except bottom image by YC.

Antics of the Pied Fantail

2007-01-19T00:05:00.000+08:00

The Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica) is a small bird that is never still. The bird is constantly moving around, at the same time turning from side to side in a jerky way, lowering its wings, cocking up its head and constantly fanning its tail - opening and closing. It moves alone or in pairs, disturbing insects among vegetation with its movements and the fanning of the tail, to sally forth once an insect is disturbed from its rest. Sometimes it perches on a branch, but never remaining in one place for long, to hawk for flies and other insects.

Its antics are always amusing to watch. So much so that the Malays call it merbok gila, gila meaning mad. It is also known as murai gila, meaning crazy songbird or thrush. K.C. Tsang wrote: “This bird, according to the books, is supposed to be found in most areas in Singapore, from mangrove swamps, to parks, to gardens etc. In reality I have found it in the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Sg. Buloh Wetland Reserve. Maybe it has been hiding from me in, say, MacRitchie and other reservoirs. Also, I have found that it shares the same kind of food as the Ashy Tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps), taking insects from under leaf cover.

“It is an extremely shy bird and rarely do you find it out from under the cover of dense vegetation.” Our bird specialist R. Subaraj replies: “It is primarily a mangrove species but is also found in smaller numbers in various parts of Singapore. They are commonest at places like Sungei Buloh, Pulau Ubin, Pasir Ris mangrove and other natural coastal areas. Inland sites include Singapore Botanic Gardens, Bukit Batok Nature Park and many of the areas that support old abandoned farmland, particularly where there is water.

“Although it is occasionally found on the edge, where old farmland exists, this species does not normally occur within our true forested areas and this includes most of the margins of the reservoirs within the Central Catchment, including MacRitchie.

“On the balance of things here, this is still a common and fairly widespread bird.”

Input by KC and YC; images by Chan Yoke Meng (top two) and Johnny Wee (bottom).

Changeable Hawk-eagle attacking colugo

2007-01-17T00:54:00.000+08:00

Colugo or flying lemur (Cynocephalus variegates) is a mammal that goes back to ancient times (above). Colugo is a better name as flying lemur can be misleading. Why? True lemurs are primates that are only found in the island of Madagascar. The images below show the Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta), a true lemur, basking in the sun (below, left) and huddling from the cold (below, right).

Colugo is also a mammal but it is neither a lemur nor a primate. It belongs to a separate order of its own, the Dermoptera (Greek derma = skin; ptera = wing). It does not fly but actually glides. This it does with the help of a special membrane that extends from the neck region to the fore feet and the hind feet and thence to the tip of the tail (below). In Singapore, Colugo is found in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Forest.

Hot from the press is a book on this fascinating animal, written by Norman Lim with Morten Strange as editor (left). The book is published by Draco Publishing and Distribution Pte. Ltd. in conjunction with Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. It is currently available at the Botanic Gardens Shop, Nature's Niche.

The diet of this animal is mainly leaves, young shoots and flowers of selected plants. During the day it rest high up in the tree, clinging to a tree trunk or hiding in a tree hole. Comes dusk, it becomes active, gliding from tree trunk to tree trunk. The young is carried clinging to the flight membrane.

Cited in the book is a report by Tan Choo Eng; “On Aug 6, 2006, I was at an uncompleted stretch of the new Baling Gerik highway on the Perak section in Peninsular Malaysia together with two other members of the Malaysian Nature Society. We witnessed a Changeable Hawk-eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus, pale morph) attack a Colugo.

“After the failed attack, the Colugo stayed motionless (11am) on an exposed mid section of a tree trunk for about 40 minutes, even after the threat was gone (11.40am). Then it scampered up the tree trunk and glided into some more leafy trees.”

The image on the left is that of a Changeable Hawk-eagle, pale morph.

Images from top, of Colugo clinging on to tree trunk and palm frond by Johnny Wee, Ring-tailed Lemur by YC; Colugo gliding by YC; book cover by Morten Strange; and Changeable Hawk-eagle by Johnny Wee.

Allobilling

2007-01-16T00:17:00.000+08:00

Allan Teo submitted the above two images of a pair of Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) coming together and gently grabbing each other's beak.

According to Marzluff & Angell (2005), the mutual mouthing between two birds is known as allobilling. This often escalate into sharp jabs and brief fighting. This is commonly seen in ravens and less common in crows.

The question now is, are the kingfishers allobilling? Unfortunately Allan is not able to provide information on what actually happened before and after the birds started mouthing each other.

Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) indulge in bill-touching, but this happens when the female is trying to coax the male to regurgitate food. And this is not allobilling. Again, the mutual transfer of food is not allobilling.

So, is the image captured by Chan Yoke Meng of a pair of White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) as seen below, allobilling? Maybe. Maybe not. Or are the birds indulging in allopreening? Obviously more observations need to be done on this phenomenon. Birders are urged to make detailed observations when birds touch bills and report back. Only then can we slowly understand this seldom reported phenomenon outside ravens and crows. And I am not sure whether anyone has actually reported this happening with the local crows.

Reference:
Marzluff, J. M. & Angell, T. (2005). In the company of crows and ravens. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. (p166)

Input by YC, images of kingfishers by Allan Teo and laughingthrush by Chan Yoke Meng.

Ruddy Kingfisher: A distinguishing feature

2007-01-15T00:58:00.000+08:00

The brief appearance of the Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda), an uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor to Singapore, towards the end of October 2006 caused quite a stir among local birders (1, 2). The bright rufous plumage and red bill make identification easy. However, there is another distinguishing feature that most birders miss as it is only seen in flight (above). This is the “back and rump silvery white to azure-blue” patch, according to Wells (1999). In the juvenile bird the patch is “wholly blue rather than silvery.” The image above shows the bird perching on a branch and eying a prey on the ground. Note the bright dark brown iris. In the image above, taken just before the bird dived down to catch a prey, the eye is covered with a translucent layer, the nictitating membrane. This has a protective function as the bird plunges among the vegetation.

The close-up views of the eyes above show the normal eye (left) and covered with the nictitating membrane (right).

Input by Melinda Chan, images by Chan Yoke Meng.

Cat kill: Asian Paradise Flycatcher

2007-01-13T00:24:00.000+08:00

Domestic cats are excellent hunters, always stalking and in many cases catching garden birds. They may then present the caught bird to their owners, as if to repay them for the care and food. An earlier post details how a cat caught one of a pair of kingfisher. Mynas normally alert other birds whenever a cat is in my garden and we have also been told that cats are a definite no-no in Australia.

There are many cases of cats killing birds but there are just as many cases of the birds being rescued by the owners, to be nursed back to health and then released. This is a case where the bird ultimately found freedom when the owners intervened.
Teo Lee Wei has two cats in her house. Kitty the tortoise-shell cat and Meatball, the cat with the tuxedo suit and white socks (top). Well, in November 2006 Kitty (above) ran up very furtively to her bedroom with a strange bird in its mouth to be followed by Meatball.

Lee Wei’s husband Kais ran after the cats and managed to prise the bird from Kitty's jaw and took it away. The bird was in deep shock but did not appear to have any injuries (above). It was placed in a bird cage and both of them nursed it for a day (below). They then locked up their two cats before setting the bird free, giving it ample time to make a getaway before releasing the cats again. The strange bird was later identified as the Asian Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi).

Input and images by Teo Lee Wei.

Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 6: Addendum

2007-01-12T00:07:00.000+08:00

The breeding ecology of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) was posted as a five part series earlier - 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Jonathan Cheah and Ashley Ng were both involved in documenting the series during the entire nesting period of about five weeks. Two photographers were necessary in order to minimise disturbance to the nesting grounds.

The birds feed as a flock, leaving the nests unguarded during this period. It was then that each nest was marked with plastic pickets as otherwise it would be difficult to relocate them. Also, this would prevent accidental trampling of the nests. Even after hatching, there was the constant danger of stepping on the chicks as they remained camouflaged, lying low and still. As far as were possible, defined paths were used, especially when moving down the valleys, to further minimise accidents. A total of about 60 eggs were counted from the various nests, of which about 75% of the chicks that hatched survived. Those that did not survive died within a few hours of hatching. A number of chicks were victims of feral dogs that roamed the area. Some eggs remained unhatched, mostly from clutches of more than two.

Documenting the birds was not easy as the parent birds were constantly dive-bombing the intruders. There was also the loud screeching of the birds as well as the echoes of the cries from above bouncing off from the sand to contend with.

All these distractions were enough to confuse predator and allowed the chicks to get into the shadows or among the vegetation. But obviously not the photographers, who persisted in order to being back the images.

Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Koel, bulbul, myna and noni

2007-01-11T00:06:00.000+08:00

On 21st July 2006 at 3.30 pm, as I was entering my garden to do some weeding, I surprised a male Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) together with a family of Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) (two adult and a juvenile) that were on the ground below my noni tree (Morinda citrifolia). There were noni fruits on the ground and I suspected that the koel was feasting on a fruit when it was surprised by my sudden appearance. The koel flew to a nearby tree across the road and loitered there, quietly moving about on the branches as well as the boundary wall of the house in front.

Half an hour later the koel returned to the partially eaten noni fruit and continued it’s feasting. It was then that I was sure that it ate the fruit (above). A few minutes later after it had its full, it silently moved away.It was then that a pair of Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) came and continued with the feast (above). This was followed by the Javan Mynas after the bulbuls left the scene (below).Later, I found by my gate, a mess of Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) seeds together with bits and pieces of the whitish flesh of the noni fruit (below). The whitish pieces still had the distinctive smell of the noni fruit. The palm seeds were clean of their flesh but traces of red skin were pesent. This mess must have been regurgitated by the koel, as it has been established earlier that this bird regularly regurgitates palm seeds. I did not witness the regurgitation but circumstantial evidence suggested that the koel did it. After all, the only other birds present there then were the bulbul and the myna, both birds have not been reported to regurgitate seeds.

R. Subaraj has this to say: "Though koels do not normally go to ground, it is my believe that most birds do occasionally... especially when there is a good reason. In this case, the noni fruit must have been attractive. Many birds seldom come to ground as there are more dangers there.

"Koels regularly come to feed on the fruits of low roadside palms including Alexandra and MacArthur (Ptychosperma macarthurii)."

Input and images by YC.

Little Egret fishing

2007-01-10T00:40:00.000+08:00

K.C. Tsang was standing on the banks of the Sungei Punggol one morning in November 2006 watching all the Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) massing along the banks very near to the water’s edge. Suddenly one of them took off, hovered over the surface of the water and within a split second plunged it long bill into the water and grabbed a fish.

He noticed that the birds always had the sun shining from the front of them in the morning, when hovering and fishing. There would thus be no shadow cast to alert the fish.

And K.C. added, “I though that these fellows feed mostly on insects among the grass. This has been observed most of the time. This is something new to me. Maybe a person with a video cam would be able to capture the whole episode.”

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has this to say: “Little Egrets mainly feed by walking along the water's edge or in the shallows, catching fish by stabbing at them with it's long bill. The flying over the surface technique that you describe is therefore interesting and obviously an adaptation to take advantage of a situation. “The egrets feeding on grasshoppers in the fields around Singapore are usually Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) (above). This is their natural behaviour. Intermediate (Mesophoyx intermedia) and Little will also do that from time to time... but it is not their normal way of feeding.”

Input by K.C. Tsang; image of Little Egret by KC and Cattle Egret by John Lynn.

Large-tailed Nightjar mating

2007-01-09T00:38:00.000+08:00

Meng and Melinda Chan were out on the evening of 19th November 2006 hoping to take some romantic sunset scenes when they happened to witness a scene that few birders are privileged to see.

Just after dusk they heard the nightjars calling away. Then suddenly they saw one bird flying from a low perch towards the ground, to disappear in the undergrowth. Meng went forward to take a closer look. The nightjars were mating, with one mounting the other and then both wobbled away.

By the time he got his camera and flash ready, the nightjars had already finished their business. He only managed to get images of both birds quietly sitting side by side – after the event of course (above).

So it dawned on them that nightjars mate during the night.

I suppose they do mate during the night. As well as do everything else. After all, they are nocturnal birds.

As with all or most nocturnal birds, the breeding behaviour of nightjars remain little known. From whatever that have been reported, we know that these birds indulge in aerial courtship displays involving showing off their various white markings on the wings, making wing clapping sounds and sometimes even vocalisation. Copulation often follows a successful display. Our bird specialist R. Subaraj helped identify the birds in the images and reports: “Yes, they are Large-tailed Nightjars (Caprimulgus macrurus). I would say that the one on the right is a male (large white throat patch) but the one on the left is a bit more challenging... probably an adult female, based on the large but buffy throat patch. Other features, such as the size of the wing patch and the amount of white in the outer tail feathers, are not visible here."

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Juvenile birds begging for food

2007-01-08T00:05:00.000+08:00

Nestlings are continuously fed by the parent birds as they are unable to fend for themselves. They can be seen bills agape, excitedly making soft calls whenever their parents arrive. These nestlings start to beg for food whenever their parents are around, either hearing the latter’s calls or actually seeing the parent birds around the nest. Vibrations as a result of the parent birds landing nearby will also trigger begging. In cavity nesting birds, the darkening of the nest as the parent bird enters the cavity triggers begging. Among some swifts air currents as a result of the adults’ arrival will do the trick.

Among recently fledged birds, the parents continue to feed them for some time before the former are independent enough to forage for themselves. During this period, the juveniles will persistently and noisily beg for food. At the same time they will crouch open-billed and flutter their wings while begging. This behaviour is said provide visual and acoustic cues to the parent birds that stimulate feeding.

Such begging posture and begging call are more or less the same in most species of birds. This has led to the adult birds sometimes feeding the wrong species, be it birds or other animals. In fact there is a picture of a Northern Cardinal feeding goldfish for a few days at the edge of a garden pond (p. 8.107, Winkler, 2004). The bird was seen stuffing mouthfuls of worms into the gaping mouths of the goldfish, obviously mistaking the gaping mouths for those of its nestlings.Reference
Winkler, D.W. (2004). Nests, eggs, and young: Breeding biology of birds. In: Podulka, S., Rohrbaugh, R.W. Jr & Bonney, R. (eds.) Handbook of bird biology. Ithaca, New York: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, p 8.1-152.

Credit for images from top: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) nestling (YC), Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica) fledgling (Chan Yoke Meng), Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) fledgling and parent (YC) and Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea ) fledgling (YC).

Harassment of Black-shouldered Kites

2007-01-06T00:19:00.000+08:00

The House Crow (Corvus splendens) is a rather aggressive bird (above). At slightly more than 40 cm from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, this bird is up to 30% larger than the Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus). The crow moves in small flocks whereas the kite is usually found singly or in pairs during nesting periods. Only outside the breeding season does the kite feeds and roosts communally. Thus in any confrontation between these two birds, the kite invariably ends up the loser. This is especially so during nesting when the kite is vulnerable to attacks by crows.

Allan Teo is one photographer-birder who has noticed the aggressiveness of the crows. In November 2006 he wrote in saying: “I observed many times that the poor Black-shouldered Kite is always getting harassed by House Crows and many raptors.“ Allan observed a single House Crow harassing the three juvenile kites (above). When one of the kites flew above and hovered around the crow, baring its talons in the process, the latter simply ignored it. Allan also witnessed adult kites being harassed, possibly by Changable Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus) - that may well be juvenile Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) (above). Thankfully the attack was only a mock one that concluded with only nerves ruffled. There was another case of these kites being harassed by marsh harriers. He has also seen images of the Steppe Eagles (Aquila nipalensis) that appeared some months ago around the Changi reclaimed areas attacking the nest of the Black-shouldered Kites. In this case the kites managed to chase off the eagles.

Tang Hung Bun reported seeing House Crows harassing White-bellied Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) in Malacca in March 2006. He managed to capture the action on video with the sea eagles rolling their bodies in flight and occasionally managing to turn the table on the crows, chasing them off in the process (1 and 2).

Input by Allan Teo and Tang Hung Bun. Images by Allan except House Crow by Tang.

Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 5: Evasive tactics

2007-01-05T00:22:00.000+08:00

The various aspects of the breeding ecology of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) have already been posted earlier - 1, 2, 3 and 4. This, the fifth part, deals with the chicks' evasive tacticts in trying to stay undetected. From day two onwards, the chicks are actually mobile. However, they choose to stay on the nest mound for longer periods for feeding (above). Within hours they can move down the corners of the mound to the valleys or even hide among the vegetation (above). This is especially dangerous as photographers have earlier learnt to avoid the tops of mounds. Hence during hatching time, the valleys and vegetation need to be checked with much caution. When chicks spot predators, they usually disappear into the shadows whilst the adults call overhead and perform dive bombing. This allows the chicks time to move to cover and remain motionless. They are rather clumsy at times. As they grow larger, they will continue to use vegetation as cover (below). Parents get into dive bombing mode with shreaks and calls to drive predators like dogs and other birds away from the vicinity of the hiding chick (bottom left). The chick only opens its mouth for food and stay still. The rest of the adults wll sound the alarm for all the rest of the hiding chicks to remain motionless.
Once the threat is gone, the chick will slowly turn its head to locate the next hiding place. It will check two to three times to ensure that there is no more threat before making a quick dash for the next cover. When it senses that predators are approaching, it will remain stationary irregardless of whether it has reached a safe location or not (above). The aerial distractions are the main source of challenge that makes detection of the chicks hard.

Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Alexandra palm

2007-01-04T00:15:00.000+08:00

The Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) is named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who later became the Queen of England when her husband ascended the throne as Edward VII. The generic name comes from the Greek words archon and phoenix, meaning majestic and date palm. The palm is indeed majestic, with a slender upright stem ringed with the scars of the old fronds and topped with a crown of elegant fronds (above). This palm, considered one of the most graceful in cultivation, originated from the rainforest of Eastern Australia. It was introduced during the early 20th century and is now commonly grown in many urban gardens and along roadsides. It bears large bunches of red fruits throughout the year, attracting small flocks of Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) that descend on the fruiting branches (above). The fruit has a large seed and a thin covering of pulp, as shown in the cross-section above. The starlings are attractive in their all black plumage that appears glossy blackish-green or even slightly bluish-tinged under certain light conditions and of course their bright red eyes. The juveniles are less attractive (above). These birds swallow the fruits whole to later regurgitate the seeds. Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) (female, above) similarly eat the fruits, arriving stealthily to also swallow and regurgitate the seeds. Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) and Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) can also be seen, feeding singly or in pairs and pecking on the fruits (above). The stunningly beautiful but extremely shy Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) has also been seen around (above). And just recently three noisy Hill Mynas (Gracula religiosa) suddenly arrived to feast on the fruits. I have also observed Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnontus zeylanicus) on the palm.

Input and images by YC.

Dealing with bird poachers ‘my little way’

2007-01-03T00:07:00.000+08:00

This is a short account of some of my personal experiences with bird trappers and how I dealt with them in exchange for freedom of the birds caught and perhaps saved some poachers from falling foul of the law.

1. When to approach a poacher/trapper and when not to do so:
Each situation is unique. Usually a poacher or trapper is a male and if he is found in a somewhat deserted environment or he looks a rough, tough sort of guy and I happened to be birding alone, I would avoid eye contact and make for a quick exit as though he wasn’t there. I would be hiding in some bush or undercover and looked to photograph his identification. Such as, his mode of transport, his face profile, in the act of setting up traps or with the poached bird.

Photography is great as it shows the official time and date the image is taken. Confrontation with a poacher or trapper that compromises my safety is the last I want to be embroiled in.

2. My identification and who I represent:
When I bird alone, which I prefer to do a lot, I would usually adorn a prominent identification tag that shows my name and the society I belong to. This is so especially when I visit the villagers for it gives them the assurance that I, as a lady birder, am there to watch and study birds only and come with good intentions. The villagers usually reciprocated well with a warm welcome.

This identification tag no doubt small, says it all with no further explanation needed to justify oneself. It is also effective to ward off the guilty conscience, ill intended ones who fear to confront me at the sight of the tag, regardless of whether the poacher or trapper can read or not.

I make a point to wear the tag with confidence and uphold myself to be a good representation of who I belong – no different a feeling from school days when one puts on a Prefect’s badge, wears a Prefect tie and adorns a School Prefect’s blazer and lead by good examples.

This method saved two juvenile water birds from the cooking pot that I found in fishing net of a tractor driver, ploughing the fields. He saw a lady approaching him with a scope, binoculars and an identification tag round her neck. A friendly discussion issued. I took some opportunity identification shots. He meekly surrendered the Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) (above) and Slaty Breasted Rail (Gallirallus striatus) (bleow) and we gave the birds freedom.
3. Advise with visual aid - Copy of Wildlife Protection Laws:
Approaching any trapper or poacher is always done at own risk and I make a point to weigh it well that I am confident to approach the trapper in a friendly way and able to win him over with friendly advice for his sake. The use of a Copy of the Wildlife Protection Laws by flipping the pages, standing beside him to make sure he sees all those listed protected birds (above). Big words, penalty and jail sentences that confronts him is enough to shrink his pupils.

The result is promising with young trappers who on one occasion thanked me for briefing him and left never to be seen again. (A Copy of the Wildlife Protection Laws can be had in any state library of Malaysia for a small photostatting fee).

4. Report to relevant authorities with proof of photographs:
Photographing trappers and poachers are best done discreetly without their knowledge as the fear of them being reported to, drive poachers’ nuts and they will not hesitate to become verbally and physically abusive to defend themselves. (Their strategy of attack is best form of defence).

Having obtained all the evidence I required, the Branch Chairman of my Society is informed and all information required with photographs are posted to him to make a quick report to the Forestry Department.

The recent prompt action by Enforcement Officers in the Forestry Department to remove mist nettings found in the vicinity of the rare vagrant visitor, Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops) in Penang State is an example of good and effective co-ordination from prompt reporting, action and follow through.

It is a good feeling to know, the Common Hoopoe is saved from potentially flying into the net (below). The rare bird was seen again after the mist nettings were removed- two days after my reporting.

As I mentioned, it is only a personal account of what I do in small ways to save birds single-handedly. Others may do better in their different ways - their way. Some may say, I try to police others or impose others to think my way or whatever code of birding conduct I may drum up and call them ethics to dictate to others.

Say what they will, I am only answerable to the call of birds that continue to reward me with numerous rare sightings and fellow birders who truly love, respect and care for the avian of the wild have all my due respect.

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA,

BESGroup’s Blog: Report for 2006

2007-01-01T13:07:00.000+08:00

The Bird Ecology Study Group was formed in September 2005 to encourage local birders to observe birds rather than to just look at them. This weblog, highlighting various aspects of bird behaviour, was started with the aim of making such information available to everyone and anyone.

Postings initially came from a few supporters. Within a few months longstanding birders as well as newbies contributed their observations. Contributors included members of the Nature Society (Singapore) as well as non-members. Photographers were more than generous in allowing us to make use of their images, many being accidental students of bird behaviour.
The blog has so far proved successful beyond our wildest dream. We started off with one to two postings a week and getting around 30 hits a day. By the end of 2005 we had about 4,000 hits or an average of 1,000 a month. By 2006 birders around the region and the world became more aware of the blog (top). The chart above shows the global share of visitors accessing the blog.

Currently, we are experiencing up to 200 and above hits per day. Our postings have been increased to 5-7 a week. The total number of hits for 2006 is in excess of 35,000. The chart below shows the monthly hits or visits and the number of pages viewed for the year 2006. So far we have posted a total of 285 articles on bird behaviour – from nesting observations to interspecific relationship; and from feather maintenance to feeding strategies. Birders are now well aware that birds do get drunk, they use ants to remove parasites found on their feathers (anting), that many birds other than raptors cast pellets of indigestible matters from their food, and many more.

How has BESGroup influenced birders in general, you may ask? For starters, e-loop discussions nowadays do not always provide list after list of bird species sighted. On and off you may find these lists peppered with snippets of bird behaviour.

However, the best example of our success is the latest posting in the widlbird e-loop that gives an interesting account of the Oriental Honey-buzzard raiding a bees’ hive at Mount Faber (below). Although the loop discourages images, especially “pretty” images, Alan Owyong has thoughtfully directed viewers to a separate web album where viewers can see the exciting images.

Thank you Alan for taking this first step in sharing this sighting with other birders. BESGroup is gratified to know that there are more birders willing to share. After all, isn’t this the time of the year for sharing?

BESGroup wishes all out supporters (contributors, photographers, viewers, etc.) an interesting and successful birding in this new year. Thank you all.

Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 4: Feeding

2006-12-31T19:14:00.000+08:00

The plumage of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) during the breeding season shows a prominent black cap on the head and a yellow bill tipped with black (above). The plumage of the juvenile is distinct from that of the adult (below).
Normally all the birds would be facing the persistent wind direction, be it morning or evening. Hence, the adults always got into a bit of trouble positioning themselves for landing in the mornings. Fish was sometimes dropped as a result. Passing on the fish to the juvenile were mostly done without problems in the evenings. The juveniles were normally near-hysterical whenever the parent arrived with fish (above). They would wave their wings to attract the attention of the arriving parent. The other juveniles normally remained patient and waited their turns. The parent that was keeping an eye on the juveniles would then fly off to get food for the other chick. Should the other chick managed to snatch the fish, the rightful chick would normally chased it around until the fish was dropped and retrieved it. Originally the chicks were fed with bits and pieces of fish. As the chicks grew they were slowly fed the entire fish caught by the parents (above). The parent bird would hold the fish just behind the head and direct it into the gaping mouth of the juvenile, head first. This would prevent the sharp spines of the fins damaging the throat as the fish slithered down the throat into the stomach. With a larger fish it was not possible to place it inside the gape. The juvenile had to receive the fish, gripping it just below the head. It then had to manipulate the fish so that it was swallowed head-first (below). Courtship feeding, as described earlier (a, b) continued throughout this period when the parents were continuously feeding the juveniles.

Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Migratory habits of Black Baza

2006-12-30T07:00:00.000+08:00

Black Bazas (Aviceda leuphotes) were commonly seen in late November 2006 around Punggol, Sarimbun, Khatib Bongsu and Lake View Promenade (Chinese Garden, Jurong). These birds were of course winter visitors.

On the 26th of that month Chan Yoke Meng encountered a flock of ten Black Bazas. The birds were very skittish, hunting insects that they brought back to their favourite high perches to be consumed. And whenever these bazas were around, there was quietness all around. Only when they moved off did the bulbuls and pigeons reappeared and began calling and singing.

Bazas look like mynas when flying but their flight pattern is distinctly different. Once you are familiar with the two flight patterns, it is easy to differentiate the two birds from afar. This baza encounter brought back memories of an exciting earlier encounter more than two years ago. On the morning of 31st October 2004, Tang Hung Bun was fortunate enough to witness the spectacular sight of a flock of more than 30 Black Bazas circling the sky above Sime Forest.

And a few weeks later, he had the opportunity of seeing a few Black Bazas foraging in the wooded areas behind his office. There were at least three of them. They hid themselves behind the branches and leaves. When they found something, they flew to it and landed in a rather awkward manner on a bunch of leaves to catch it. They would then fly to a branch to enjoy the meal. As Tang recounted, “The little green insect that you see in the black baza's beak in one of the photos (above) must be the black baza favourite food. I have seen the black bazas eating them quite a number of times.”

Tang’s earlier posting of his experience attracted the attention of R. Surachai who wrote to inform that Asian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (ARRCN) Thai volunteers counted thousands of these bazas flying south towards the Thai-Malaysia border towards the end of October of that year. This would mean that the birds were heading towards Peninsular Malaysia. The few birds that Tang encountered were obviously part of the large flocks that the Thais counted, birds that ended far south into Singapore.

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has this to add: “I have personally seen a single flock of 100 birds spiralling on a thermal over Mount Faber. They can be seen anywhere in Singapore, with the largest flocks recorded over southern and central parts of the island. Many are also seen along the east coast at places like Loyang and Ubin.

"Small wintering flocks have always over-wintered at sites like the Central Catchment, Pulau Ubin and Sungei Buloh, to name a few.”

Input by Chan Yoke Meng, R. Surachai, Tang Hung Bun and R. Subaraj; images (from top) by Yoke Meng, Johnny Wee and Tang (lower two).

Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 3: Life and death

2006-12-29T00:03:00.000+08:00

Things are not always smooth sailing for the chicks of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) once they hatch. There is no guarantee that they would develop normally to eventually fledge. In fact not all chicks survive the 20 odd days to fledging.

When Jonathan Cheah was documenting the breeding ecology of the Little Terns (1,, 2), he noticed a larger chick limping through the viewfinder of his camera. As he moved closer he noticed one leg bleeding as the chick hobbled over a sand mound. He went over and found it lying motionless, a usual reaction when a chick is approached. Lifting the chick off the ground, he noticed a foreign object lodged on the chick’s webbed foot. After removing the object he gently placed the chick on the sand and it scuttled off happily (below). And he also experienced death of chicks. As Jonathan recounts, “The first two days of hatching are very crucial to the survival of the chicks. Failed nests can occur by bad choice of nesting grounds, too many eggs, even stress of parent by predators. Once the chicks can move, the survival rate increases.“ Around the nesting grounds he observed chicks dying (above) but the parent birds do not normally accept the fact that the chicks were dead. In one instance the parent covered the chick's beak with a rock to prevent ants from entering the carcass. It even continued to sit on the remaining egg and dead chick, whilst being harassed by the sudden increase in flies and ants (below). Unfortunately the remaining egg did not hatch, most probably due to a super heated ground. Obviously a poor choice of nesting location.

Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Territorial Nightjars

2006-12-28T00:35:00.000+08:00

"The Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus) is an uncommon but annual migrant to Singapore. It breeds from northern Thailand all the way up to Siberia. Like the Oriental Scops Owl (Otus sunia) it is a nocturnal bird that is usually silent away from it's breeding grounds. In recent years, a few birds have been observed throughout the "winter" period (October - March) around the MacRitchie and Sime Forest areas of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, proving that the species winters here. One to two birds have wintered around the Treetop Walkway area for the past two years or so and have been seen and photographed, during the day, roosting on branches of adjacent trees.

"In all my years of local bird observation, I have only heard this nightjar calling twice... at Sentosa. Calling may be an indication that the bird is holding a winter territory.

"On November 16th, 2006, while conducting an evening bird survey at the Treetop Walkway (above), I was pleased to hear a Grey Nightjar calling loudly at dusk. The call was a quickly repeated "tuc" note in a series of several in a row. The call was coming from a large Terentang tree (Campnosperma auriculatum) where this species has been regularly seen roosting before. Along with Benjamin Lee and Janet Hong, who were with me at the time, we quickly moved closer. What followed was both unexpected and exciting.
"The calling Grey Nightjar was being harassed by a resident Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) (above). The latter may not have been pleased about this visitor calling loudly within what it considered it's territory. Instead of retreating and going silent, as expected, the Grey chased off it's larger cousin before returning to the tree to call loudly from a branch. This scene was replayed twice or thrice more, before the Grey chased the Large-tailed away. We could see the chase below us before they both disappeared into the darkness. Subsequently, the Grey was heard calling loudly again from a different tree.

"What can we make of this scene and the behaviour witnessed? Well, many migrants do not call because they are not at their breeding grounds defending their territory or seeking a mate. However, there are many others who call constantly while here. Why the difference? In many cases, this may be the difference between passage migrants and wintering visitors.
"A passage migrant simply passes through Singapore, on its way to further south... probably Indonesia. They may stop to feed for a few days or if the weather is unfavourable (as well as when there is a thick haze in the way) but they do not stake out a feeding territory for their short stint here, hence no need to call. Some, like the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia), may stopover for a bit longer and sets up a temporary territory by calling from selected perches. Others, like the Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis) (above) only call once or twice, at dawn or dusk... contact call to any of their kind that may be about? Who knows?
"A winter visitor actually spends the cold northern winter here in tropical Singapore, often staying a few months before returning to their breeding grounds in spring. As they are here for quite a while, they set up a territory in which they feed and sometimes drive away others of their kind, like the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (above) does. Throughout the "winter" months (this period varies from species to species), we are treated to the calls of Arctic Warblers (Phylloscopus borealis), Asian Brown Flycatchers (Muscicapa dauurica), Brown Shrikes (Lanius cristatus) (below), Siberian Blue Robins (Luscinia cyane) and many, many more northern visitors.
"So, the calling and aggression displayed by the Grey Nightjar on Thursday may simply be further proof that this species is now a winter visitor in Singapore."

Submitted by Subaraj Rajathurai, 18th November 2006

Images by YC (Treetop Walkway), Chan Yoke Meng (Blue-winged Pitta, Brown Shrike), KC Tsang (Common Kingfisher) and Tang Hung Bun (Large-tailed Nightjar).

Moulting 1

2006-12-27T00:08:00.000+08:00

On and off I have been picking up various types of feathers in my garden and along my driveway (above: Javan Myna contour feather, top left; down, top right; tail, middle; Black-naped Oriole tail feather, bottom). During the time when I was interested in plants (and not in birds), I considered these as discarded feathers, detached as a result of fights between birds. Now that I am a “sometime-birdwatcher”, I am slightly more enlightened.

I now know that these feathers have been discarded naturally as a result of moulting. Now why do birds discard their feathers?

Feathers are important to birds. They insulate them from the cold and enable them to fly. But feathers undergo wear and tear. They become brittle, frayed and sometimes get damaged by ectoparasites. Worn and damaged feathers cannot function well and this can prove fatal if the bird cannot fly properly.

As feathers are dead structures, they need to be replaced regularly. And this process is known as moulting. In moulting, the growth of the new feather pushes out the old from its follicle.

Moulting may be partial or complete. Partial moult occurs when only certain feathers or groups of feathers are replaced. Complete moult occurs when all the feathers are replaced. Thus when birds develop their winter plumage or change from juvenile to adult plumage, moulting was at work.

The image below is a moulted breast or more likely belly feathers of a Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu), picked up below the owl's roost by Melinda Chan. Our field ornithologist Wang Luan Keng has this to say: “Birds do have a season to moult, usually after their breeding season. In Singapore, most birds breed from Feb/March till July/Aug, maybe Sep. Many species here overlap moult and breeding slightly so they will start moulting in July/Aug and end by Oct/Nov when the NE monsoon starts. Many species, especially passerines, have straight forward sequential moult; others like cuckoos, hawks, herons, fruit doves etc have very complicated multiple moult series and yet some species like rails, grebes and probably bitterns moult all feathers at once and go flightless during that period. And mind you, we are only talking mainly about primary feather moult. We know even less about other flight feather moult and almost nothing about body feather moult.”

Input and images by YC; expert information by Wang Luan Keng and owl's feather provided by Melinda Chan.

Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 2: The first few days

2006-12-26T15:14:00.000+08:00

Most of the newly hatched chicks can be grouped into two main groups. They can be hatched helpless, with eyes closed, naked or sparsely covered with down, in which case they are altricial. On the other hand they can be hatched with their eyes open, covered with down and can soon walk or swim, then they are precocial. The chicks of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) are neither altricial nor precocial - they are semi-precocial. Although the chicks can move about within a few hours after hatching and are covered with down the next day, they are hatched with their eyes closed and partially covered with down (above). The advantage here is that the chicks do not need total parental care in a habitat that is exposed and dangers lurks at every corner. By the second day the chicks are fully covered with down (above). They lie motionlessly and await the calls of their parents. When the parents are nearby and no threat seems to be around, they pop out with gaping mouths, sometimes chirping (below). At any instance of danger, they remain motionless again. Otherwise they prop up and open their beak when they hear the calls of their approaching parents (above). The parents feed them non-stop, having no time to preen themselves after splashing in sea water to refresh. The chicks find comfort having the parent close by (below). The days of the adult involves warming the chicks, protecting the chicks from the environment and feeding the chicks. Feeding usually take the form of broken down fish parts since the chick cannot swallow. Feeding is rotational and also cycles between the chicks.

Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Food for the Yellow-vented Bulbuls' nestlings

2006-12-24T00:05:00.000+08:00

“Over a period of two weekends, this pair of Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) were observed to be feeding their young (from the noise made, probably two of them). Regular visits, at the peak times, were about 10-15 minute intervals. The parents' foraging grounds were all around the garden and a big piece of wasteland behind my house. It's quite amazing that they were able to find that much food so easily.

“I've attached a series of pictures of the parents, and also the Chiku tree (Manilkara zapota) where the nest was hidden (above). I don't have any pictures of the nestlings as I didn't want to disturb the nest. The Chiku tree was pruned at that point in time, and had just begun to sprout new growth - just enough to keep the nest out of sight from prying eyes.

“Both parent birds returned to the same perch, the sawn off branch, and held whatever prey that they had secured whilst perched there (above). They scanned the surroundings for a few seconds, as if making sure that there were no predators in the vicinity, before plunging into the nest to feed their young. As they did so, the chirps of the nestlings could be heard loudly, as presumably, they competed for the food. “The range of food items fed to the nestlings was quite impressive, varying from fruits, to spiders, caterpillars and even a cicada (top, above and below)!"

“All shots taken with a Nikon D2X and the 80-400mm VR lens mounted on a tripod, and shot from my 2nd storey balcony. This explains the almost eye-level shots.“
Note: Most of the food fed to the chicks consisted of various invertebrates, mainly insects except what looks like a fig (Ficus sp.) (above). Growing chicks need lots of proteins and thus the animal food.

Input and images Khew Sin Khoon.

Sun and dust bathing

2006-12-23T00:06:00.000+08:00

Keeping the feathers clean and in top condition is crucial to birds, if they are to function well and enable them to fly. Nearly all birds take a daily bath, if they have the opportunity. This is to rid the feathers of dust.

Bathing involves fluffing the feathers and vigorously beating the water. At the same time the head is dipped into the water regularly. The bird then shakes off the excess water and flies off to dry. The feathers need to be preened. Each feather, particularly the wing feathers need to be passed through the beak so that they are cleaned and the separate filaments put back in place. If water is not available, some birds like the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus), will take sand or dust bath (all three images above). They roll about the loose sand or dust and shake vigorously about. The sand or dust particles are believed to absorb excess preen oil as well as remove dry skin and ectoparasites. These include lice, mites, fleas, ticks and what have you that damage the feathers or even suck the blood of the birds. Evidence of dust bathing is the presence of bowl-shaped hollows on the dry ground. Sunbathing is another method indulged by birds. This is what the Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata) is doing in the above image. They lie down with their wings outstretched. The sun is thought to straighten the feathers and at the same time spread the preen oil throughout the feathers.

Top image of sparrow taking a dust bath courtesy of Fuhai Heng. Other images by YC.

Breeding ecology of Little Tern 1: Egg laying and hatching

2006-12-22T00:41:00.000+08:00

The Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) is a small, slender and streamlined bird with a pair of narrow, sharp-pointed wings and forked tail (above). These adapt it well to a swift and graceful flight as well as plunge-diving for fish from a height above the water. The white belly helps to reduce its conspicuousness to underwater prey when the bird is flying over the water foraging.

As with most terns, there is courtship feeding when the male brings fish to feed the female. The pair may also indulge in aerial displays.

Once the pair has bonded and copulation occurs, the eggs are laid on a bare depression in the sand. A full clutch is three but usually only two eggs are laid (below). Both parents help in incubation and brooding. Whenever a parent bird arrives at the nest it will inspect the eggs and position them carefully before settling down to incubate them (below). Incubation usually lasts from 21 to 30 days. When hatched, the chick has its eyes closed (below left). The skin is clearly pink as the down feathers have yet to burst out of their sheaths. Within a few hours the chick dries up and begins to move about and by the next day it is totally covered with down feathers (below right). They are thus semi-precocial. The eggs are cryptic as they are thickly spotted with dark brown and pale lavender. However, with hatching the whitish inner surfaces of these egg shells can easily compromise the camouflage and attract the attention of predators. Thus they are removed as soon as possible and dumped some distance away (below).
Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Where do birds go when it rains? And what do they do then?

2006-12-21T00:03:00.000+08:00

It has been raining on and off these few weeks and the birds have not been around. Have you ever wondered what happened to them when it rained? And what do you think they did at these times? Well, there is at least one perceptive birder around and he has the answer...
James Heng sent in this account of his encounter with Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) at the Bukit Batok Nature Park one rainy afternoon in December 2006 (above: male pigeon left, female right).

“The year end has always been amongst the wettest period of the year. While the rain may be an inconvenience for some birders, it is also a good opportunity to observe the birds’ behavior during the rain. “On the afternoon of 18th December 2006, it rained while I was bird watching at Bukit Batok Nature Park (above). That was when I came across a small flock of Pink-necked Green Pigeons. There were two males and three females in that flock. I sought shelter by a hut that happened to be just 10-15m from the trees that they were perched. “When it started to drizzle lightly, two of them snuggled together shoulder-to-shoulder on a Cassia tree (as shown above, but on the frond of a ceram palm). There was obviously insufficient cover so when the drizzle turned to a downpour, all of them flew over to a tall, large-leafed tree, the cabbage tree (Fagraea crenulate) (below).

“They tended to choose perches that were at the top third of the tree. Upon closer observation, each bird was seen to perch on a branch that was immediately below at least two large overlapping leaves (below, showing branches with leaves but no birds). By having such leaves above them, they would remain dry. Perhaps due to the scarcity of choice spots, all the birds were perched separately.

“At about 3pm, during the first five minutes of the downpour, all of these birds shook their body and fluffed out their feathers. It might be to aid the drying of the wet feathers or perhaps to trap their body’s heat. After that, they became relaxed and sat down on their respective branches. In the next five to seven minutes they began to yawn and their eyelids became very heavy. They fought very hard to keep their eyes open. Before 15 minutes was up, all five of them were soundly asleep. So birds do take siestas! All this occurred as it rained relentlessly.
“When the PNG pigeon sleeps, its long neck is relaxed and it appears to be drawn into the bird’s body. The neck appears almost non-existent as only half of its head appears to be above its body. In fact, the bottom of the bird’s eyes is just at shoulder level. Just imagine the silhouette of a large fat plum. The male PNG pigeon has grey, pinkish-purple and orange on its head and breast. When it is all “balled up” in that sleeping state, the colors make it look like a clown!

"You have got to see it to appreciate such adorable proportions.

“When the rain ended some 45 minutes later, the Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) and drongos were happily sunning themselves in the open again. Only one member of this flock of pigeons woke up to sun itself. The remainder of the four birds continued with their siesta.

“So after a thunderstorm, do search the horizontal branches of some of the tall broad-leafed trees. You might just be lucky enough to see those adorable “furry balls” in deep snooze.”

Input by James Heng, images by YC.

Black Bittern the hunter

2006-12-20T00:05:00.000+08:00

As mentioned in the previous post, the Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) is a rather uncommon winter visitor to Singapore. It foraged around an artificial lake in Jurong in November 2006, appearing extremely tame and allowing groups of birders and photographers to view and to record. The bird exhibited its skill in fishing with a sudden extension of its retracted long neck. The next moment it had a sea-bass fingerling (Lates calcarifer) firmly impaled in its upper mandible (above). In the image below the bird had caught a tilapia fry (Oreochromis mossambicus). Once the bird successfully caught a fish, it quickly retreated under cover of the vegetation to enjoy its meal. In the case of a biggish fish, it adjusted it so that the head was swallowed first. This is to ensure that the spines of the fins would not damage the throat. Within a minute or two the fish was completely swallowed (below). As with herons, the fish enters the gizzard where the flesh is stripped and passed on through the stomach while the bones and scales are compressed and finally ejected as a pellet.

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan, fish identification by Dr Khoo Hong Woo.

Black Bittern

2006-12-19T00:04:00.000+08:00

The Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) is a rather uncommon winter visitor to Singapore. Thus when it appeared in Jurong around early November 2006, birders as well as photographers were all there to witness and to record its presence.

The bird is reported to rarely appear by day except during rainy periods or when the sky is overcast. The images shown here were taken after a shower when the sky was overcast. But on other days the bird was always around – morning, noon and evening, and I assume, even at night. The area was well shaded by trees and thus even at the height of noon it was dimly lit. The bittern was seen foraging around the lake fringe (above), staying on the banks or flying low from one location to another. It stayed motionless for long periods at the water’s edge or in the shallow water, waiting for a fish to swim close by. Then it suddenly extended its long neck and either grabbed or speared the prey with its bill (below). The image below shows the bird with a catfish fry held firmly in its bill. The bird also moved into the shallow water, its body parallel to the water surface, its neck fully extended and its bill pointing straight ahead. Movement was extremely slow, one foot after the other. It always remained around the shallow water and with the sun always in front, so that it does not cast any shadow and alert the fish in the water.
The frustratingly slow pace of the bird tested the patience of birders and photographers alike, who were gathered to witness some action. But when the action came, it came fast and rapid...

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Jerdon’s Baza: Earlier sightings

2006-12-18T00:54:00.000+08:00

With the posting of the third sighting of the Jerdon's Baza (Aviceda jerdoni) and details of the bird feasting on a lizard, interests on the past two sightings have been generated. Thanks to Wang Luan Keng for the lead, we are posting here details of the 2002 and 2004 sightings – mainly because this passage migrant is so rare and rarely encountered in Singapore.
The first Jerdon’s Baza in Singapore was recorded on 6th December 2002 (Wang & Lim 2003). The bird probably crashed into a building and was picked up by a member of the public in Maju Camp, off Clementi Road. It died a few hours later. Upon autopsy, this bird was shown to have a bullet wound that subsequently healed. The specimen was a male (above and below). Two years later, on the morning of 23rd January 2004, Tang Hung Bun sighted another bird at Marine City Park. He was walking with his family along Marina Promenade just after a heavy downpour when he sighted the bird perching on a branch some 40 m away. Unfortunately he had a simple point-and-shoot digital camera with him then. He only managed two shots which are reproduced below. The bird was later confirmed to be a Jerdon’s Baza. And he was told that that was only the second time the bird was sighted in Singapore.

The global range of Jerdon's Baza as listed by Wells (1999) is SW India and Sri Lanka, the Himalayan foothills east from Darjeeling; SW Yunnan and Hainan; Southeast Asia to Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines; and Sulawesi to the Banggai and Sula islands. According to Robson (2005), it is also seen in Peninsular Malaysia, although rarely so.

References
Robson, C. (2005). Birds of South-east Asia. London: New Holland.
Wang, L.K. & Lim, K.S. (2003). First record of Jedon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni ) for Singapore. Singapore Avifauna 17(2):30-31 (mimeo.).
Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London.

Input by Wang Luan Keng and Tang Hung Bun; images by Luan (skins) and Tang (birds).

Antarctica 4: Piecing the last jigsaw of Antarctica

2006-12-17T00:07:00.000+08:00

The crossing of the 7-mile Lemaire Channel, widest at 1 mile across and half-a-mile at its narrowest was first navigated by De Gerlache in 1898. Expedition members on this journey made the journey again on Christmas Day, 107 years later - a very short period of time in terms of history.

As such, the crossing was met with much anticipation and excitement. Everyone on board was struck silent just listening to the ice-crushing barge cruising through ice precariously between the twin snowed peaks (below). It reminded me of the blockbuster movie, ‘Jason and the Argonauts’. It was simply awesome! The finale of the Antarctic expedition came when announcement bellowed through the loudspeaker to prepare for a ‘zodiac’ cruise among the icebergs. With the numerous landings we have had and rehearsed, dressing up for the outdoor became much easier and quicker. Soon, even the senior members were strapping on life jackets expertly, double layered socks inside our boots and were able to waddle smartly up and down staircases and onto awaiting zodiacs in a jiffy. In complying with strict regulations of the Environmental Protocol, on each returned trip to ship, we had to walk passed a trough of disinfectant solution. Leaned against the edge of the ship, front facing, we lifted our foot behind us, and had our boots water blasted under high pressure jet from a fireman’s hose (above).

Cruising around the ice, this was what we saw.

Ice came in various sizes and formations (above). Some white, some with many hues of blue; there was the green Jade ice, black ice with dimples like orange peel that has been floating in the sea for many, many years. Surfaces of ice carved by ocean currents came in different facets, designs, each unique in appearance and in form. On some icebergs, nature’s frozen platforms were created for crabeater and leopard seals to laze around (below). Encrusted on some cliff rocks were nesting colonies of the Antarctic Blue-eyed Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps), a species of cormorant with a more efficient swimming foot - with web connecting all four toes instead of 3 in most seabirds. They have no external nostril openings and their breeding grounds are often near or among penguin colonies. Another unique species of bird is found here - the ubiquitous Snowy Sheathbill (Chionis alba) – the flying ‘cleaning machine’ of Antarctica (above).

This pigeon-sized species while appearing white, quiet and innocent looking, is the most conspicuous scavenger of all. They are the flying cleaning machines that gobble up penguin ‘poo’ and thrive on anything organic from carcasses and afterbirths of animals to sucking eggs or even kill life chicks of penguins. With rounded wings, they can swim and when on land, would perch unperturbed, taking their place amongst the penguins in a compromised liaison of recycling.

How does one continue to keep the largest wilderness area on earth relatively pristine yet permitting tourists’ visitations to this ecosystem wonder of nearly 14 million square kilometres? The National Environmental Research Council recorded 10,000 visiting tourists in 1999 alone during the summer season.

Much of the stimuli for Antarctic exploration in the 18th and 19th century were of commercial interests, bringing the Antarctic fur seals to near extinction and an over exploitation of various whale species that ended up in numerous sushi bars.

In 1980, the Antarctic Treaty nations adopted the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, to correct and maintain the populations of all the species in the Southern Ocean marine ecosystem through its strict monitoring and effective fishery management.

Activities in the Antarctic are governed by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, signed by various nations designating Antarctica to be for peace and science. In 1991, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties adopted the Protocol on environmental protection designating Antarctica as a natural reserve. It sets principles, procedures and obligations for the comprehensive protection of the white continent and its wildlife within and oceans around.

The Environmental Protocol applies to tourism, governmental and non-governmental activities in the Antarctic Treaty Area ensuring that minimal impact on the Antarctic environments is made as possible.

Hence, the IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) was conceived and began the registration of tour operators to adopt a voluntary code of conduct for visitors to Antarctica. Today, tour operators adhere to strict guidelines and undertake the responsibility to ensure visitors to the continent abide by the set rules as delivered by the expedition cruise company.

It does not end here. Many works are still being done quietly behind scenes by scientists and researchers on their tour of duties to the continent (above). They claim no glory for themselves but for science. The British Antarctic Survey is one of them and aspires to become the leading international centre for Global Science in the Antarctic context by 2012.

Having visited this 7th continent, it is not hard to see who those people are and why they are drawn to this cold, isolated and inhospitable world. One needs either one or all - passion, aloneness and addiction to the wilderness to be able to stay on and want more of it!

To me, it has been an educational field exercise of environmental and soul searching expedition; an open university in evoking the awareness of the importance of environmental conservation in one’s own conscience; of which guarantees no participant failures. It fuels a challenge to put thoughts into practice… a lonely and uphill path to take and few would really succeed.

Global warming is real in Antarctica and every visitor to the continent is a witness to view dramatically, frozen iced cliffs breaking off. The whipping sound of cracked ice was like a gunshot fired across the bay and chunks of ice formed millions of years ago just collapsed and crashed into the sea, creating a tsunami-waves enough to stir and wake a sleepy ocean bay.

By encouraging fellow birding friends to follow one’s own environmental-conscious behaviour; advocating the protection and conservation of important habitats in the world we live in and love the birds that live within; will we hope to contribute, to ensure whatever that is left, remains pristine for the enjoyment of future generations.

Have humans learned from past mistakes or are we continuing to abuse, hack down natures’ wonders as though there is no tomorrow?

Will Antarctica… the final, frontier continent be next to be axed?

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA.

The Antarctica series is dedicated to the memory of my English foster parents - Bert and Phyllis Johnson and to my spouse, James O’Neill, without which this journey could not have been made nor be written.

The fig tree at Upper Seletar: Addendum

2006-12-16T00:27:00.000+08:00

Meng and Melinda Chan reported fondly on the Benjamin fig (Ficus benjamina) at Upper Seletar that eventually fell and was chopped down (left).

The tree was the focus point of many birds as well as long tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) whenever it figged. As it was sited in a less accessible site, unlike that at Bukit Timah (1, 2 and 3), it attracted few birders and thus was less known.

The posting attracted the attention of Prof Vilma D’Rozario, a Nature Society stalwart and Chairman of its Education Group, who wrote: “I remember this tree fondly and will miss it. My family and I, and Angie, stationed ourselves just by the tree in May when we were doing our Vesak Day duty of watching out for illegal animal release. We saw monkeys feasting on the figs of this tree - beautiful. But yes, it was hanging precariously over the water. I think Angie took a photo of me and my family, if I am not mistaken... did you Angie?” Well, Angie Ng did take the pictures and kindly sent them to me, one of which is shown above. Vilma is in the centre, posing with her sister-in-law Adrianne, and niece Jillian (12) and nephew Andrew (7) - all members of the Nature Society (Singapore). The photograph was taken on Vesak Day this year at Upper Seletar. The group had chosen to 'guard' the water by the tree as this was a favourite release ground! And sure enough, they stopped three men from releasing four turtles and a family of four from releasing two baby red-eared sliders into the reservoir at that spot.

This clearly shows that there are nature lovers who are aware of this particular fig tree and are missing it now that it is there no more. As Vilma adds, "To me, the loss of this lovely fig tree is very sad indeed. I have on many occasions sat right by it, and enjoyed the vista before me. On Vesak Day this year, it was figging and there were macaques feeding on the figs."
Any more people with fond memories of this tree shown above?

Input by Prof Vilma D'Rozario, images by Meng and Melinda Chan (top and bottom) and Angie Ng (centre).

Antarctica 3: Passage to Antarctic Peninsula

2006-12-15T00:03:00.000+08:00

On the wings of the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) will we imagine to fly, visit flightless birds that epitomize the Antarctic- the penguins (Sphenisciformes). We will visit 3 species-the Adelie (Pygoscelis adeliae), Chinstrap (Py. antarctica) (below right) and Gentoo Penguins (Py. papua) (below left) - a near threatened species.

Seventeen species of flightless penguins are identified in the southern hemisphere; while being the most aquatic of all sea birds, land only when moulting and in breeding mode. For the rest of the time, they live in the oceans, feeding on squids and krill (crustacean) - food of the whales that roam the Antarctic waters.

The first continental landing was made with the zodiacs (inflatable boats strapped with Yamaha engines). This is where we will alight from the boat craft systematically and wave ‘adios’ to the ‘Queen of the Southern Ocean’.

I soon found myself on an alien land, walking on black pebbly stones of the shoreline, fully clothed in all winter gears in a summer lit Antarctica. Strapped in by my life-jacket like a moon walker, I waddled like the Adelie Penguins and was greeted by loud and noisy honking calls (below). A colony of rabbit sized birds with reduced wings, flat and stiff were flapping happily to receive the expedition members. We received mandatory briefings on good bird ethics. ‘Strictly no less than 15 feet distance from any bird at anytime or at any distance that would startle a nesting bird’. That was the order of the day. In summer Antarctica, most of the penguin species are social, open nesters in colonies where most nests are lined with pebbles collected from the beach or stolen from nearby nests. Both parents share the incubation of eggs and feeding the young.

The sights, sounds and odour emitting from these penguin colonies were simply unforgettable. Bloodstained rocks were the result of duel fights that drew blood as seen in the picture, where lonely males approached partnered females too near for male competitor’s comfort.

There were times when eggs got predated by scavengering Brown Skuas (Stercorarius antarctica) in unattended nest sites (above).

While incubation usually lasts 5-6 weeks, fledging of chicks vary according to different species and may range from 7-14 weeks. The penguins have no problem surviving in the harsh climate of Antarctica with 80 % of insulative feather properties, 20% fat with a high internal body temperature of 38ºC (101ºF).

With bodies extremely streamlined, penguins developed a method of swimming- termed ‘porpoising’. While most penguins can submerge for 5-7 minutes, the largest species - Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) a breeding endemic, can submerge for up to 18 minutes and takes to dives of 630 meters with a swimming speed of about 24 kph. Unless one is involved in a specialized, winter scientific expedition, it is not likely to chance the sight of the Emperor Penguin as this species breeds only in winter, close to shore or near edge of pack ice where it is thickest.

The fascination of this species is that the male incubates the egg by huddling the egg in his feet covering it with a brood pouch and shuffles around for about 2 months bracing the harsh winter, while his mate it out at sea feeding. Luc Jacquet’s Oscar award latest winning documentary, ‘The March of the Penguins’ tells of this fascinating wild life of the enduring Emperor Penguin in search of a mate by walking miles upon miles in blizzards of the Antarctica, the courtship that followed, and to just lay an egg… only to see it taken. A ‘must see’ documentary film of endearing avian love that puts in question the inadequacies of Homo sapiens compared. The passage through the Antarctic Sound is paved by the ice-breaker cruising in between huge icebergs and crushing smaller floating ice along the way (above). The ‘Iceberg Alley’ as it is nicknamed, holds spectacular icebergs formation of various sizes. There were several landings made to interesting historical places and observation of whales, dolphins and several species of seals were also had. Apart from a polar plunge by some high spirited and adventurous expedition members, a walk up the snow mountain was simply breath-taking.

It was on this mountain that Christmas Day, I sat on the snow slopes and looked around, that it hit me - I was in a different world! A place beyond my humble dreams but a journey well taken, fulfilled to keep in memory. I felt grateful and so lucky. I would deeply have regretted if I had not taken this personal journey, had not the yearning to be with oceanic birds, wild life and nature beckoning me on.

It is a world with a horizon made by peaks of undulating snowed hills; a white world not even a tree stands with wood that can make a toothpick from or for a bird to perch on a branch; a world, with no neon lights or concrete jungles nor the aroma of fresh bread from a bakery for the city sleekers.

Can any human live in such an ecological wonder- a wilderness so barren, yet so serene, pristine yet soul searching and rich in avian and wild animal life?

Join me for the final fourth part series of this adventure to view the highlights of my travel. To view… the scenic Lemaire Channel and imagine King Poseidon- the mythological Greek god of the oceans, awesomely hold twin, snow-peaked mountain rocks apart with his outstretched muscled arms, his fish tail beckoning your arrival, whipping up a water rainbow shower splash and water falls like colourful sparkling confetti to welcome you!

Come, view…. the endemic bird that completes the avian portrait of Antarctica.

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA.

Jerdon's Baza feasting on a lizard

2006-12-14T00:58:00.000+08:00

An earlier posting reported the sighting of a pair of Jerdon's Bazas (Aviceda jerdoni) at Lim Chu Kang. This is a rare passage migrant, having been reported only twice before. The current posting reports on the birds catching and feasting on Changeable Lizards (Calotes versicolor).

Chan Yoke Meng just happened to be at the right place at the right time. But of the two feedings, he managed to document only the second when his view was not obstructed by vegetation. The bird flew into the crown of a tree from a nearby perch (above). It then moved on to the lizard nearby, doing a partial somersault in the process and caught it just below the head. Firmly clutched in its talons, it flew back to its original perch (below). Although unable to move, the lizard put up a spirited fight, opening its mouth wide and baring its teeth. But it was no match against the baza's deadly bill (below). A few powerful blows on the head was enough to render the lizard lifeless (below left; below right shows the close-up view).

The baza then had a meal of the lizard’s head after wrenching it off the body (below). It then began to dismember the rest of the headless lizard. As each piece was torn off it casually swallowed it. In the process it paused a little to defecate (above). After swallowing the last piece, the bird proceeded to clean its bill against the branch (below). The entire process was completed in 20 minutes. There was a sudden high pitch cry of “pee-ow” from the other bird nearby and the baza flew off to join its mate.

These birds feed mostly on large insects, also on lizards and frogs, and sometimes on small snakes. It hunts from a perch, sallying to the ground or into a tree once a prey is sighted.

Input and images by Chan Yoke Meng. Identification confirmation of the baza and identification of the lizard by R. Subaraj.

Antarctica 2: Birding, bracing the dreaded drake

2006-12-13T00:10:00.000+08:00

The journey of a thousand kilometres began late afternoon when it was time to walk up the ramp towards the welcoming expedition crew of the Yugoslavian made icebreaker, chartered to lead 104 passengers on a 10-day expedition to visit Antarctic Peninsula.

Passengers were invited to the stern deck to participate in a ceremonial last look at Ushuaia and the snowy Feugen mountains beyond. Many hands were waving. I wasn’t quite sure who was waving to whom but to the shorebirds of ‘The Land of Fire’ I did.

In my heart, I took on a mission to carry an unspoken message from the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) ‘King of the Andes’ to the ‘Queen of the Southern Ocean’- the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) that I can just about summarised in verse.

A gift of feathered-donut garter pure and white,
Seek her, ride her, tell her as she wanders wide.
Whisper, “I’ll always cherish you in my dreams,”
But my home is the Andean mountains of Fire,
My lover, the Southern Ocean of mans’ desire.

Garter her with all my love much can be,
To love her is to leave her and be set free.
She lives on krill and I a scavenger freak,
I say, I am ebony and she in gilded ivory,
Of a piano keyboard brushed in eternity.

And soon the time finally came to find myself on a huge floating, metal barge cruising the calm waters of the Beagle Channel. Ushuaia slowly disappeared into the horizon, chased by Patagonian winds eastwards towards the treacherous, famous Drake Passage.

This dreaded stretch of watery corridor was sailed by various explorers during the Golden Age of Exploration (15th Century) and after; and more recently by scientific explorers of the early 20th Century- Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton.

It was not until satellites were beamed from the sky that the outline of the continent what used to be known to the early Greeks as, ‘Terra Australis Incognita’ was revealed. It showed places and seas later named after famed explorers and scientists who contributed immensely to the upside world. Scientific explorers too, mapped out oceanic avians known to congregate in and beyond the Antarctic Convergence.

The Antarctic Convergence is a natural boundary like a ring of water around the continent of Antarctica. It is the meeting area of the warm Sub Antarctic Surface Water and the cold Antarctic Water where the latter dense water sinks beneath the warmer waters resulting in a drop in sea surface temperature. This zone of convergence of more than 20,000 kilometres of watery area around the continent is of distinctive importance as a biological phenomenon, influencing the distribution of fish, plankton and various species of birds.

I wasted no time in orientating myself to the ship for the best vantage point to view the oceanic birds from deck. Many hours were also spent at the ship’s library to research the varied interests of this journey, gulping cups of tea, coffee from a 24-hour, beverage-snack bar and treated to unending rounds of mouth watering pastries.

The Forward Lounge where mandatory briefings, lectures, recaps, cocktail parties, entertainment shows, documentaries and movies were held brought passengers of 17 different nationalities together like a big family.

A professional ornithologist with the expedition crew was also at hand to enlighten us with picture slides and talks on some of the 45 species of birds found in the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounds. Daily sightings of birds were ticked off on a bulletin board to update birders.

Leading to my own cabin, I noticed seasick bags hung along the winding, staircase railings ready for the ship to ‘Rock N Roll’ at the Drake Passage. My cabin was at sea level and through the porthole, I could see the waterline and the blue sky and had opportunities to view birds that would follow-fly with the cruise ship (above).

I wasted no time to taking my first prescription tablet when I noticed the first splash of sea water smacking the porthole.

Frequent important announcements were issued by the expedition leader, in keeping passengers alerted to climatic changes and to standby for any eventualities. There were two life jackets in my room and they soon became my best and closest companions for every ‘zodiac’ (landing craft) landings.

Despite the bitterly and freezing temperatures outdoor, I would make the effort to dress up on every opportunity that came whenever announcements were made of birds’ sightings. With 8x42 binoculars, field guide and a camera, I made a quick exit for the deck (above). I could however, tolerated only 5 minutes of viewing at a time before my bare fingers went numbed. With thick gloves on, it was extremely difficult to even feel the grip of my ‘point, zoom and shoot’ camera. What more to feel for the ‘click’ button!
The first flock of Cape Petrels (Daption capense -35cm) with striking black and white dorsal patterns were seen and soon there were more chasing the ship (above). Although the flocks were small in number, less than ten, they provided the thrill of seeing them ‘zoomed’ past like sorties of miniature fighter planes, along the starboard and port and suddenly disappeared as fast as they first appeared… from nowhere.

Social evenings went well and friendships made over sumptuous Austrian 5-star catering in the dining hall. When the sea became rough and the ship was tossed like a bobbling matchbox in a roaring ocean, only one-third of the passengers were seen trickling into the dinner room and brave enough to tuck in their dinners while struggling to keep their cutleries on the table. The rest remained in their cabins. I was staring at my sick bags and eventually surrendered my steak dinner in one of them. Eating came to a full stop.

Tall waves churned clockwise by sea currents were crashing on to the ship as it charged forward, splashing the decks, sending retreating waters only to be met with the next onslaught. Contents kept inside my bolted bedside table were rolling inside the drawer. I could hear the crashing of loose drawers and unlocked wardrobe doors swung opened and slammed shut in neighbouring cabins, in competition with mine.

I could do nothing right but lay in bed and stared at the porthole of continuous churning of water outside, followed the rhythm of the waves and drifted in and out of sleep. I felt as though I was inside a, ‘switched on’ washing machine and confined for two and a half days and night!

Eventually when the promazine tablets did kicked in, I was able to tolerate small amounts of dry bread and banana, which a kind soul of a new, found friend brought to my cabin. However, when I had to stagger around and had to cling on to side railings for support, I felt like I just wanted to be back to bed and die quietly. Had the Wandering Albatross (Dio. exulans) appeared to receive her garter, I wasn’t at home!

Finally when I found my ‘sea legs’, I was up and about and out onto the deck in no time to catch up with the birds. I was not disappointed as sightings of the Gray- headed Albatross (Dio. chrysostoma - WS:2M), Black-browed Albatross (Dio. melanophrys - WS: 2.2M) (above), Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata - WS: 2.10M) - Near Threatened were made.

Finally, I made visual contact with the ‘Queen of the Southern Ocean’- the Wandering Albatross (Dio. exulans - WS 3.2M) arriving almost in white with black winged tips and reminges. She was like wearing a white silky gown laced with black trimmings at the edge. She wore a long rosy bill with a horn coloured tip. Her eyelids -the colour of pink rose petals.

Sharing the ocean with the ‘big boys’ were the Antarctic Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus WS: 2.15M) -Vulnerable, Southern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides - WS: 1.10M), Antarctic Petrel (Thalassoica antarctica - WS: 1M)-Breeding Endemic and the small Antarctic Prion (Pachyptila desolata - 28cm).

Land was first sighted on the third day of my journey at Penguin Island but landing was impossible due to strong winds.

The official first landing on Antarctica came on the fourth day at Brown Bluff (above). I was left staring at a rust-coloured, giant, ice-capped rock from deck and white, pigeon sized Snow Petrels (Pagodroma nivea - 34cm) were gregariously flying around with quick erratic flight displays.

“Was that all to see in Antarctica?”

The sea that began yielding fragments of ice in the Antarctic Ocean; the ice that was swelling in size, shape and frequency soon were dominating everywhere as though the horizon has disappeared, leaving only hanging clouds in the sky and occasional ozone free rays of sun shining through - to warm my body amidst the bite of the wind (above).

“So, what’s behind the Bluff?”

Come, ride with me and see through the eyes of the Wandering Albatross and be taken on a royal tour of some breathtaking icebergs, see how many penguins and species of penguins you can help me count in my third part series.

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA.

Sighting of Jerdon's Baza

2006-12-12T00:07:00.000+08:00

On the morning of 10th December 2006 while Chan Yoke Meng was out photographing birds in Lim Chu Kang, he chanced upon a pair of Jerdon's Baza (Aviceda jerdoni) landing on a branch of a tree nearby. He managed to capture the image of the baza and subsequently confirmed its identity. This was further confirmed by our bird specialist R. Subaraj.

Jerdon's Baza is one of two bazas that can be seen in Singapore. The other is Black Baza (A. leuphotes). Both are winter visitors but Jerdon’s is an extremely rare passage migrant, with only two previous recorded sightings.

The global range of Jerdon's Baza as listed by Wells (1999) is SW India and Sri Lanka, the Himalayan foothills east from Darjeeling; SW Yunnan and Hainan; Southeast Asia to Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines; and Sulawesi to the Banggai and Sula islands. According to Robson (2005), it is also seen in Peninsular Malaysia, although rarely so.

As far as Singapore is concerned, the first-ever recorded sighting was on 6th December 2002 (Wang & Lim, 2003). The bird probably crashed into a building in Maju Camp where it was caught. Unfortunately it eventually died. A second sighting was on 23rd January 2004 by Tang Hung Bun in Marina City Park. This current sighting would make it the third time the bird is sighted in Singapore. According to del Hoyo et al.(1994), it is possible that some birds, probably juveniles from the northern range, dispersed from the main flock or migrate south into Thailand, where their movements had been recorded. From Thailand the birds or some of them moved south into Peninsular Malaysia, where the only records were during winter. The Singapore records must have come mostly from these movements.

The bird can be recognised by its short, stout legs and feet with well-developed talons, the lower tarsus being unfeathered; and the two or three black, white-tipped feathers on the nape, elongated as a crest. Another important character is the two tooth-like indentations along the edge of the upper mandible (Wells, 1999) (top, arrow).

References
del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J. eds. (1994). Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 2. New world vultures to guineafowls. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
Robson, C. (2005). Birds of South-east Asia. London: New Holland.
Wang, L.K. & Lim, K.S. (2003). First record of Jedon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni ) for Singapore. Singapore Avifauna 17(2):30-31 (mimeo.).
Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London.

Input and images by Chan Yoke Meng. Wang Luan Keng and R. Subaraj provided additional information.

Poaching of Straw-headed Bulbul

2006-12-11T00:50:00.000+08:00

The Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) is a popular cage bird valued for its “glorious bubbling song.” The 1994 Singapore Red Data book designated the bird as “vulnerable” as the birds were regularly trapped for the songbird trade. It was then known that small populations existed in a number of locations on the main island, with the largest concentration of an estimated 60 birds in Pulau Ubin.

Since then the population of this bulbul has increased, thanks to the success of the Singapore Government's Garden City Campaign. I have even seen them in my garden in the Bukit Timah area.

There was a study on the distribution of the bird in Singapore in the late 1990s by T.G. Tan who submitted the thesis to the University College London. This was followed by another study by Dr Ho Hua Chew on its distribution in Pulau Ubin.

On 16th November 2005 Dr Ho gave a talk on his study of the Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin. He reported that the bird was doing relatively well in the offshore island. A review by “Mr Budak” entitled “Living on the Edge: The Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin,” highlighted Dr Ho’s findings in the blog on 18th November as follows:

“…the Straw-headed Bulbul, which has found a safe haven in Singapore's wooded areas, in particular Pulau Ubin. Remarkably, there is no record of this species in Singapore prior to 1951, and even till to 1970s, the bulbul was not known to be common, even on Ubin. A bird survey in 1992 counted 50 birds on Ubin, which fell to 30 in 2000. However, the population rebounded to about 32 breeding pairs in 2001, whilst the mainland recorded an estimate of 76-93 birds.

“…The bulbul's rich, melodious song, described as liquid gold, is more often heard than the bird itself, and has led to the species' disappearance from of its former range. Once found throughout the Sunda Shelf from Burma to Borneo, the bulbul is now believed to be extinct in peninsular Thailand and Java and near extinction in Sumatra. …Habitat destruction… is one reason for this fate, but the widespread practice of trapping songbirds for the pet trade is thought to be a significant factor in the bird's rarity, a fate shared by the once common White-rumped Sharma (Copsychus malabaricus). The bulbul is now classified under the CITES Division 2, which allows for trapping and trade of the species under specified permits and quotas.”

The Straw-headed Bulbul has never been a popular cage-bird in Singapore. But this does not mean that poaching of this bulbul does not exist here, as seen in an earlier posting by an individual using decoy birds (above).

We all know that the Straw-headed Bulbul is now common in Singapore, especially in the island of Pulau Ubin. With its populations in Thailand and Indonesia drastically depleted due to poaching, poachers are now naturally targetting Peninsula Malaysia and Singapore. And due to such poaching activities, most birds at Mandai and Choa Chu Kang have disappeared, as with the birds in Pulau Ubin, where information on its distribution is commonly available.

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has recently unearthed a well-organised effort at poaching of this bulbul, coordinated purportedly by a prominent local bird dealer. And according to his source, many birds have already been poached and the birds already sent to waiting buyers in Sumatra.

Thus unless we do something to stop this activity, and stop it fast, the future of the Straw-headed Bulbul in Singapore looks bleak.

NOTE: Any member of the public who witnesses wildlife poaching in progress can contact the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) during office hours as follows :

AVA Wildlife Regulatory Branch:
Ms Lye Fong Keng - Tel : 6325 7349

Other contacts in the same branch include:
Mr Gerald Neo - Tel : 6325 7290
Ms Yvonne Low - Tel : 6325 7626

After hours or at weekend, we suggests you contact the Police directly. Inform the Police of the presence of 'suspicious characters', not mentioning poachers.

References
Ho, H. C. (2001). The Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin: its breeding population, distribution and species’ habitat requirements with recommendations for conservation. Msc dissertartion, University of East Anglia, UK.
Lin Yangchen & Ong Kiam Sian (2006). The Straw-headed Bulbul’s legendary song. Nature Watch 14(2) 8-10.
Ng, P. K. L. & Y. C. Wee (1994). The Singapore red data book - Threatened plants and animals of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore). 343 pp.
Madoc, G. C. (1956). An introduction to Malayan birds. Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. (revised ed.)
Tan, T. G. (2001). Population distribution of Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus in Singapore and strategies for conservation. MSc dissertation, University College London, UK.

Images of the bulbul by Chan Yoke Meng.

Antarctica 1: A prelude to avians of Antarctica

2006-12-10T00:16:00.000+08:00

It is quite difficult to begin writing an article about the white continent Antarctica, for there are so many topics that can be had and one just wouldn’t know where to begin.

From an ornithologist, marine biologist, botanist, geologist, surveyor, research scientist, environmentalist, naturalist, conservationist, photographer, artist, historian, travel journalist and tourist’s point of view, each has a marvellous contribution to impart… the mysteries of Antarctica to our disintegrating and restless world we live in.

I decided perhaps it is best to write and let readers visualise this seventh continent from a bird’s eye view (be like a bird) thus enabling me to share my experience a bit more than dwelling primarily on oceanic birds that roam the Southern Ocean; and do justice to this inhospitable… yet alluring place and where species of penguins spend breeding during their summer holidays. My journey began in Ushuaia pronounced ‘oo-shuay-yar’ - world’s southern most capital city (Lat 54S, Long 68S) of Tierra del Fuego, Patagonian state of S. America (above). This small, booming touristy city is gateway to all cruise ships embarking on a 1000km voyage - a journey crossing the coldest (-40º to -70ºC), windiest (72km/hr), driest (<5cm rainfall), densest water (freezing point -1.8ºC) on earth and >3000 m deep, the Antarctic Ocean.

With 24 hours to spare before embarkation, I took precious moments to bird watch along the seafront. Three species of gulls were identified with the help from my guide book companions - Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta, for after a while I was able tell the difference between a Kelp (Larus dominicanus) (below), Dolphin (Leucophaeus scoresbii) and Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis). Trotting along pebbled beach, covered with a carpet of slimy green looking algae was the only way to get close views of the Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus) and the Blackish Oystercatcher (H. ater) with 8x42 binoculars held over thick layer of gloves. I had to admit the raw, iodised odour emitting from those kelp washed ashore, reminded me of my first authentic bowl of Japanese miso soup. Yuk! The gusty Westerly winds sent my body to a shudder and teeth chattering. I had to dash for warmth under a disused shed in spite of several layers of clothing worn. How I envied the Rock Cormorant or Rock Shag (Phalacrocorax magellanicus) perched on an abandoned ship under a mid-December summer of mean annual temperature of 5.5ºC, while his cousin the Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax olivaceus) was skimming happily along the waterline of the Beagle Channel!

Just when those freezing winds decided to die, a loud rattle ‘ke-kekeke’ flew in and announced their identity to be that of a pair of migratory Ringed Kingfishers (Megaceryle torquata) from Mexico. Their heads and backs were a sky blue grey with contrasting white underwings and undertails. The rest of underparts were rufous with female having a broad band matching colour to the back and a white demarcation line across the lower chest. It was a heart warming sight to see this lifer pair of 40 cm and known to fly in twos, frolicking on the wooden gate displaying their erected grey crests.

Walking up further towards the airport road, I kept my eyes locked along the shoreline to view small flocks of White-rumped Sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis) and Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos). A flock of Magellanic Plovers (Pluvianellus socialis) feeding along the mudflats caught my attention with their reddish eyes and feet while terns, impossible to tell the difference, remained airborne with undulating flights of Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) diving for fish.

Finally, I headed towards a huge pond. I was rewarded with more lifers - Silver Teal (Anas versicolor) recognised from the Speckled Teal (Anas flavirostris) by its bluish bill with yellow base.

With 17 summer daylight hours and in a day where four seasons can possibly be seen, I could go on and on if only it wasn’t that chilling cold. Although I was almost mummified by my headscarf, I was rather pleased to chalk up a total of 23 lifers.

This self-learning and birding on the ‘go with backpack’ had to come to an end as my stomach was groaning for ‘Big Macs’ round the corner. A surprised bonus awaited me by my first sighting of a South America raptor - a Crested Caracara (Polyborus plancus). He was seen perched near the roadside, long enough to admire a demure, blackish plumaged bird with black barring on the back and breast and with ochraceous throat. Next morning, I joined a coach tour to visit Patagonian only coastal National Park - ‘Parque Nacional Tierra Del Fuego’ (63,000 ha) where the Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta) and Ashy-headed Goose (Chloephaga poliocephala) live and the hope, to catch a rare glimpse of the elusive, Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus). Instead, I was rewarded with exciting shouts from the bus driver, who sent his vehicle to a screeching halt and pointed to the sky, directing us to view the king of the Andes- a pair of Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus).

This is the largest American vulture species – standing 95cm tall with a 2-3 m wingspan that look like wings of Wright Brothers’ early jet planes. The ugliness beauty of this mountain living bird can be described as a baldy headed, black plumaged bird that wears a donut looking white feathered collar, round a naked neck. This ‘Prince of Carrion’ glides majestically in high altitudes with ease and nests on inaccessible high rocks along the Patagonian coastline. Imagine flying like the Andean Condor, how enchanting from a bird’s eye view to see snow-capped Andean mountains, with holiday skiers looking like moving dots on melting sundae cones. Sheep grazing on flat northern lands of Patagonia, and the rugged south of thick Andean-Patagonian forests and steppe areas that embrace over 500 species of flowering plants, 400 species of mosses and 30 species of ferns and be mesmerised by deciduous foliages that riot in autumn colours.

Fly through alternating deep valleys, rivers, peat bogs, spectacular coastlines of glaciers and lakes - haven to anglers admiring you from below and pay a visit to various species of birds, marine mammals, crustaceans, and colonies of Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) living along the rugged coastline and the list goes on…

Bringing one down to earth again would mean finding oneself in a touring coach, sticking one’s head out of coach windows to gaze one more time at the wonders of parasitic fungus – Pan del Indio (Indian bread) which grows on the beech trees and ‘Barba de Viejo’ (Old man’s beard) which attaches itself to trees. The coach left behind an enchanting world – an ideal world for the makings of a romantic poet as it rolled towards the pier. Greeted by rows of pink and purple lupins (Lupinus) (above), passengers alighted and headed towards the embarkation hall to begin another journey - a journey to cruise the Southern Ocean and visit Antarctica – the white continent.

SUBMITTED BY: DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA.

Purple Swamphen and its habitat

2006-12-09T00:05:00.000+08:00

Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a distinctive bird with its large size, blue plumage and prominently large red bill. It is commonly seen in wetlands, foraging a wide range of plant parts that proliferate in this watery environment. Though principally a vegetarian, it also eats invertebrates that include crustaceans and insects as well a vertebrates like lizards, frogs, snakes and birds. Its large bill comes in useful in digging and pulling plants and in manipulating prey, dismembering or crushing it before swallowing. Its large and prominently long toes are well adapted to its watery habitat. They are put to good use in gripping vegetation and transferring it to its mouth. Found mostly in the northern and north-western part of Singapore (above), the habitat of this large and beautiful bird is slowly but surely shrinking. Marshlands are being drained and many areas have been earmarked for development, as shown below.
Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Nesting of Barn Owl

2006-12-08T00:41:00.000+08:00

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the easiest owl to recognise as it has a heart-shaped facial disk (above). It is a natural cavity-nester but has become dependent on man-made structures like nooks and crannies of old buildings and below structures like overhead bridges and flyovers. Seldom does it nest in tree-holes. No nest is built and the eggs are laid on the bare surface littered with feathers, pellets and bone fragments (below).

A non-fussy eater, it takes insects, amphibians, reptiles, smaller birds, bats and other small mammals. The courtship is reported to be an elaborate aerial affair with the pair exchanging short bouts of “squeark” repeated about six times. Then comes copulation during which the male makes fast chattering sounds while the female makes hoarse screeches. Only then will the female lay 4-7 eggs. The eggs are plain, glossless, white and nearly spherical (above). They are laid at intervals of 2-3 days and incubated by the female as soon as the first egg is laid.

The chicks are altricial, that is, they are born blind, naked and totally dependent on the parent birds (above). They are soon covered with down feathers (below, left). Until the chicks are half-grown, the female leaves the nest only briefly. During this period the male is responsible for feeding the female and chicks. Only when the brood is large will both parents hunt to feed the chicks.

Copulation is reported to continue through the incubation period and well into the nestling phase. This may occur 7-8 times per night during egg-laying and later and whenever the male delivers food.

Nestlings give the defensive rasping hiss from week two but do not bill-snap until fully grown, in week seven.

It takes about 60 days or more for the chick to fledge (above, right) but remain dependent of the parents for food for up to three more weeks. During the day the chicks roost at or near the nest.

Input by YC, images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

The fig tree at Upper Seletar

2006-12-07T00:17:00.000+08:00

There was once an impressive fig tree growing by the water’s edge at Upper Seletar Reservoir (above). It was a Benjamin fig (Ficus benjamina), also known as waringin. It used to fig regularly but as far as I know, there was no pilgrimage by enthusiastic birdwatchers – as with the fig tree at Buklit Timah (1, 2 and 3).

Whenever the tree figged, there were the regular long tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and there were birds but they did not come in droves that were seen at Bukit Timah. And I am sure if a birdwatcher was to keep count, the number of species visiting the tree would be very much lower than at the tree in Bukit Timah.

Now why is this so? The tree at the summit of Bukit Timah is at the highest point in Singapore. It is visible to all the birds that fly around the vicinity. Obviously, when the tree figs, it will attract hundreds of birds from all around the area. And when these birds land to feast on the figs, the noise generated will in turn attract other birds.

On the other hand the tree by the edge of the reservoir at Upper Seletar is not at a vantage point. It was clearly visible only from the reservoir end. It definitely did not enjoy the excellent position of the Bukit Timah tree.

But this does not mean that bird species was low. What it means is that there were not many birdwatchers observing the tree at the right time. According to Meng and Melinda Chan who were there on the 7th October 2006 and who provided the images, the tree subsequently collapsed and has now been chopped down (left). Melinda has the last word: “Such a majestic tree overlooking the water… The last figging brought a lot of monkeys feeding. For once, it was fun watching them feeding on fruits growing on the tree, not handouts from people in cars.

“The birds were frightened away by the monkeys. Only saw the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier), Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) and Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) feeding on the figs. And yes, the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia) was there, but not for the figs.”

Input by YC and Melinda, images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Choo Beng Teong: Bird artist and photographer.

2006-12-06T00:01:00.000+08:00

The artist who has 16 years of experience in observing and photographing birds in the wild, has developed an insight into the beauty of birds in their natural habitat. And this obviously inspired him to paint.

He is gifted with rare talent, capable of transforming delicate movement and vibrant colours of birds into his paintings, creating masterpieces of “jewels” of the sky.

By just weaving a tapestry of colours on canvas with his fine, meticulous brush strokes, Choo evokes passion and sentiment in his art, giving life to birds and the environment of the rainforest. Every brush stroke adds details and texture to each feather of the birds, with finesse and clarity. He painstakingly creates and captures all the grace, the posture and vibrant colours of the feathers that makes his painting special about his subjects in their glory. Malaysian’s renowned bird artist presents to all nature and art lovers a world of “aviary wonders”- an extraordinary visual treat for everyone in his work of art.

Choo’s paintings are very inspirational for wildlife conservation, a grand tribute to Malaysian wildlife heritage.

Input and images obtained through K.C. Tsang. Images: Beng Teong (top), Chestnut-breasted Malkoha ( Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) (middle left), Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) (middle right), Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis) (bottom)

Great-billed Heron: Poaching

2006-12-05T00:01:00.000+08:00

The Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana), standing at 115 cm tall, has been claimed to be the tallest resident bird in Singapore (left). According to our bird specialist R. Subaraj, the Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus), is much taller at 122.5-129 cm. But then this stork is a non-breeding visitor to Singapore.

The Great-billed Heron is confined to rocky shores and mangroves, mainly on offshore islands and the west coast. It is also locally endangered with only about 20 plus birds left. Internationally, the bird is near-threatened.

You can imagine the concern and indignation among local nature buffs when they found that there is someone actively trying to catch this rare heron using a captive juvenile bird. The captive bird as well as the owner were photographed by Nick Baker’s neighbour at Queensway (see map, bottom). The tethered bird was seen in an open field (above) with the owner sitting nearby under the shade of a tree. Obviously he was waiting for his captive bird to lure another for capture (below). The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority was alerted but so far has not been able to meet with the person possessing the heron. Dr Lou Ek Hee, Head, Animal Welfare Regulations Branch, AVA, has written:

“My officers have gone down but did not see the individual or the bird. …In view of this, could I request that you contact my officers Mr Tan or Mr Lee should you see the individual with the bird again? Mr Tan's tel. is 6471 9996. Mr Lee's is 6471 7198. Thank you.”

Anyone seeing the man and his captive heron, please alert AVA. NOTE: Any member of the public who witnesses wildlife poaching in progress can contact the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) during office hours as follows :

AVA Wildlife Regulatory Branch:
Ms Lye Fong Keng - Tel : 6325 7349

Other contacts in the same branch include:
Mr Gerald Neo - Tel : 6325 7290
Ms Yvonne Low - Tel : 6325 7626

After hours or at weekend, we suggests you contact the Police directly. Inform the Police of the presence of 'suspicious characters', not mentioning poachers.

Input by Nick Baker and R. Subaraj, images obtained through Nick.

North Borneo’s best kept avian passage: Part 2

2006-12-04T00:21:00.000+08:00

This is the continuation of the earlier Part 1 account of North Borneo’s Best Kept Avian Passage. The image above of the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) in flight, viewed from below, is a prelude of the many avial delights to come. The group was floating down Sungai Kitabatangan towards its tributary with S. Menanggol when things got exciting. As Daisy continues with the story...

Then, hell broke loose and the jungle came to life with the howls of Bornean Gibbons (Hylobates muelleri).

This was followed by duetting of Black-and-yellow Broadbills (Eurylaimus ochromalus). Trogons, barbets and pittas joined in chorus with repeated chirps of White-chested Babblers (Trichastoma rostratum) that kept following us. Grey-headed Fish eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus), Wallace’s Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus nanus) (above) and the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) swooped passed our noses. The shy Black-and-red Broadbills (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos) simply would not oblige daytime shots.

The trilling signature calls of the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (below top) and the Blue-eared Kingfisher (A. meninting) (below bottom) taught us to play ‘hide and seek’ with them and Wong became such an expert at their games. They provided us some very exciting moments in bird photography at its best, thus could justify this river tributary to be nicknamed, ‘Kingfishers Avenue’.

Bird-photography from a moving boat in Sukau can be said for us, for now… to be most challenging. Where photographic skills, patience, maturity, self-disciplined and integrity of a bird-photographer are all severely tested and self-evaluated.

A good range of photo equipment were also put to tests. While my hand-held, miniature Coolpix P4 picked up decent scenery images on ‘Active VR’ mode in a moving boat, Nikon’s D200s were coming out with some very commendable shots, Cede’s D2XS had to be superlatively described!. The sitting position was well organised with Chien sitting in front for balance. Winston and Wong just behind and shared a bench. As a birder, I had the whole bench to myself, engaging in a 360 degrees x50 magnification view from my Meade telescope, with the added luxury of a backrest for a lady. Cede stood and sat behind with his 600mm ‘big gun’ and when raised showed the prowess of his lens and the pro-photographer’s silhouette caught in my Coolpix P4 (above).

At times, my 10x42 binoculars would scan for our feathered friends or followed flight paths of birds to alert the squad team.

When opportunities arose to photograph the birds, there were much seriousness and intense moments. Nobody breathed, everyone including the boatman stayed totally focused on the subject.

With Cede giving out camera specifications to the front 300mm ‘gunners’, Chien and Wong responded by, ‘click!click!click!click!’ Winston’s Minolta went, ‘click…click...click’. Behind my ears, the turret of Cede’s 600mm was explosively firing away, ‘Pap!pap!pap!pap!’

My Meade telescope went into silent scope mode when digiscoping a bird on the move was concerned. I had it temporary downgrade to disuse inventory as, ‘Step-mother’s Themos Flask.’

However with lots of persistence, patience from team mates, I had much enjoyment to challenge what the scope was not designed to do - focusing an image on a moving platform. I did however, manage an identifiable Black Hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus), photoshopped to death in silhouette! (left).

The Lodge has a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, with balcony views of the river and hill forest; a quaint patio area to read in quiet, write or simply sit and just reflect upon the past, soul search and perhaps… catch a glimpse of the future reflected from the waters?

Asian cuisine was specially catered to our palate. They were substantially provided and well received. Considering that fresh supplies had to be brought in on a regular basis, the catering far exceeded our expectations. The curried prawns were simply so fresh and delicious!

The Oxbow lakes added more bird and mammal species to our sightings. In addition to the various species of egrets, we finally caught up with the Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) at this final frontier (top left). They received us in various poses. Many more were seen perched high on forests’ stumps (below). We chanced a rare flighty glimpse of the endangered species - Storm’s Stork (Ciconia stormi) currently being scientifically researched (top right). Chien’s acute sense of smell trailed the presence of the endemic Proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), for their odour of urine was unmistakably musky, sweet-sour. There were packs of them and they were seen leaping from tree canopies and at river crossings. The patriarch of the harem with his endowed genital and huge pendulous nose was the favourite with photographers (below). I say, a Night Safari would be considered one of the highlights of the expedition; where Buffy-fish owls (Ketupa ketupu) were seen in abundance, including a rare observation of a courtship display of an inexperienced male (below). I wished and wished for another owl species, while laying on the bench, looking into the night sky of more than a million stars and enjoying the slumber drift of the boat, in the serene of the night. My wish was granted with the visual of a skittish Barred Eagle Owl (Bubo sumatrana).

Various species of daytime birds were seen resting or sleeping at night. We finally caught up with a pair of resting Black-and-red Broadbills. They were high on our wanted list and we allowed ourselves restricted shots only (below). My personal evaluation of a Bird Night Safari at S. Kitabatangan is that of a very specialized expedition, suitable for maturing bird-photographers only (below). It is a bird-photography expedition not to be taken lightly and done too frequently. It is a personal challenge, needing a great deal of self-discipline, integrity, righteous conscience, putting welfare of birds first and a healthy attitude towards wild life, environment and conservation would one really find and feel the true meaning and joy in this expedition. I am please and proud to say the team did well. As a birder first, photographer second, so was my duty to remind myself, the need to advocate respect for birds and led the conduct of good birding ethics.

Taking on a bird safari at S. Kitabatangan and not cast our eyes on other wildlife within this narrow corridor of the Bornean forest would be myopic indeed. For besides the presence of Red Leafed and Silver Leafed Monkeys, Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and Pig-tailed Macaques (Macaca remestrina), only in N. Borneo and Indonesia would one have a dwindling chance to observe Orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus) in the wild.

The dawn of the third day was spectacular without the mists. It was our last day together. By lunch time, I was seen to be missing. I had the urge to bird alone earlier in the village. My digiscope had picked up an accidental vagrant - Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) from Australia and unrecorded before in Sukau (above).

The Sacred Kingfisher turned up to be the star bird of the trip. It made all the difference to this so enjoyable, relaxing and exciting expedition and we believed it was God sent for many good things to come for all of us.

We parted ways at Sukau Tomanggong Riverside Lodge. We left knowing in our hearts, the call of the wild was simply intense and irresistibly beckoning. It wasn’t going to be ‘Goodbye’ but ‘See you again’ … next year!

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA.

Appreciation and thanks to contributors: CEDE PRUDENTE, CHOO TSE CHIEN, TS WONG, WINSTON TAI

North Borneo’s best kept avian passage: Part 1

2006-12-03T00:25:00.000+08:00

Having left a 45km stretch of paved highway and Sandakan airport distant from our minds, our bellies reminded us that dinner was in wanting.

The aroma of barbequed meat sent our driver to halt the 4-WD in a village town, where last minute sundry supplies could be had at the local supermarket. Delicious 5-piece chicken-looking fillets, char-broiled and skewed in satay sticks took our fancy and Chien, my birding pal, made no hesitation to order seven sticks. It did not take long to figure out that after having swallowed a couple of mouthfuls, we were swallowing buntits - Sabahans’ local delicacy. ‘Bishop Noses’ the farangs (red haired devils) would have called them.

The journey continued with me narrating a story about a tourist visiting a Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong, intrigued with the menu and ordered ‘pigeon tongues’. The plate arrived with the equivalent of 500 stir-fried pigeon tongues in sweet, black sauce. So did the bill that came to a hair raising US$500, to which the visitor balked. The Honkong restaurant owner chided the tourist, complained he had to kill 500 pigeons and uttered another 500 times of prayers of forgiveness to deliver him those damned tongues!

We were lucky. We did not pray nor pay the equivalent cost of 35 chooks for those buntits!

Soon, we took a turn-off at the T-junction for another one and half hours ride of 45km undulating, narrow, laterite road that disappeared into pit darkness of the tropical Bornean forest. Seen, were signs of development having edged into virgin jungle and replaced by oil palm estates - the surest and highest revenue of cash crop income, superseding dwindled logging activities.

The headlights of the 4-WD provided a prelude to an unscheduled wildlife night safari when the driver prompted us - three night prowling Leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis). We saw no night birds but enjoyed the comforts of a good running 4-WD. As 4-WD owners ourselves, we appreciated sympathetically the high costs of maintaining such vehicle of necessity, having to take the rough on such daily basis. We saw a few small saloon cars with broken suspensions abandoned and left to die and dust along the roadside.

It was like 10:30pm when we finally got to our destination at Kampong Tomanggong. Lighted signboard of ‘SUKAU TOMMANGONG RIVERSIDE LODGE’ received us as warmly (above), as well as our host and owner of the Lodge, Cede Prudente himself. We finally met up with our team mates, bird photographers Wong and Winston who arrived before us and took to an early start photographing the Bushy-crested hornbill (Anorhinus galeritus) (above). Lucky fellas!

An introductory briefing was held in preparation for our first predawn 5:30am expedition cruise, before retiring to our own chalets. They were clean, of decent size, twin bedded, set in terrace style and with the added luxury of an attached bathroom-shower and a sitting-toilet that works in each chalet! All these luxuries could be had in the wilderness of the Bornean jungle and not having to rough it out in the virgin jungle and be eaten by mosquitoes!
On two consecutive mornings, we were greeted by mists that permeated the surrounding thick forest, shrouding Sungai Kitabatangan flowing alongside the Lodge. The Father River as revered to by Sabahans was floating a motorised-electric boat at the Lodge’s mini jetty and awaiting us.
This 8-sitter boat was to become our faithful mode of transport three times a day for the next three days. To passenger five passionate nature and bird lovers with heavy-duty photographic equipments; to seek and unlock the avian secrets of the mighty river, its tributaries; to explore the meanderings of oxbow lakes and get soaked in by the souls of 26,000 hectares of the last remaining tropical rain forests – the Kitabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Currently, enjoying the status of a gazetted bird sanctuary).

Before the final lift of the mist, the honking calls of a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills (Buceros rhinoceros) descending onto a wild fruit tree alerted us. It was breakfast time for the big birds. The male was seen inspecting a football size spiky fruit of golden colour, suspended from a branch of the tall fruit tree. Having found a suitable perch, he proceeded to hack at the unripe fruit with his enormous casque in an attempt to prise open the outer segmented covering of the durian (Durio zibethinus) fruit (left). The female perched a little distant away, patiently observing her mate.

This ‘king of fruits’ or durian is a seasonal favourite amongst Asians. The fragrance that emits from this aggregate fruit is often described by Europeans to be repulsively ‘ponky’ sewage material; equivalent to a backwater Asian describing Stilton’s cheese to be ill forgotten, rotten maggoty milk left in bucket for a century!

We wished we had more time to observe the ingenuity of the hornbill getting at the flesh and seeds inside the durian fruit but we had to move on. One could only visualise how it was done as no preschool child could open even a ripe durian without strength, technique and proper equipment.

We did however follow up in a day or two, only to discover that the seeds had been taken, leaving behind prised segmented skins suspended and neatly folded in its original shape - the way it was found! The mist finally lifted to reveal the importance of S. Kitabatangan to the river people (above). For three to four months a year, when the monsoon rains descend onto North Borneo (renamed Sabah), the lower section of the river becomes a flood plain, raising the water level another 2m or so to flush out, to replenish and to revitalise all life in the river ecosystem.

In broad daylight the river reveals the colour of teh-tarik (dragged tea - a favourite beverage drink in Malaysian coffee shops. It is made of strong hot tea and condensed milk mixed frothy well by skilfully pouring the drink onto one mug and to another repeatedly and dragging the mixture in mid-air, aerating it in the process). As we proceeded down the river and headed towards a tributary, villagers were seen fishing, children frolicking at the river edge, oblivion to the dangers that lurked beneath those waters. Beasts with razor teeth and a snubbed nose would occasionally float and ‘smile’ knowingly that human flesh was soon to be had for dinner. We had several photographic opportunities of these…crocodiles (above).
The real action of bird-photography began at the T-junction corridor, where the main river met the tributary - S. Menanggol (above). It was here that we came for - to listen to the wilderness, to enter an avian time zone for which the density of birds far exceeds any other forests reserves in Peninsula Malaysia and to witness endemic wildlife species, nowhere seen in the world. The boatman expertly manoeuvred the boat avoiding floating water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) and switched gas engine into electrical mode, gliding the boat quietly into the tributary, unlocking to us the secrets of this watery passage (above).

We were literary struck quiet for a moment and could only but marveled at the wonders of creation. The peace, sereneness, the aura of the virgin forest emitted was very much alive and the atmospheric air, so pure and revitalizing to the soul. The passage way was so…so green.

Then, hell broke loose and the jungle came to life with the howls of Bornean Gibbons (Hylobates muelleri)...

The second part of the account will be posted the next day, with plenty of avian and other faunal delights. So stay tuned...

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL, PENANG, MALAYSIA

Appreciation and thanks to contributors: CEDE PRUDENTE, CHOO TSE CHIEN, TS WONG, WINSTON TAI

Pacific Swallow feeding fledgling

2006-12-02T00:09:00.000+08:00

The nest of the Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica) is a half-cup of mud lined with plant materials. This is stuck to the surface of tree stumps, culverts, bridges, verandahs, walls of buildings, etc. These nests are generally reused after repairs. The female incubates the eggs while both parents assist in the feeding of the chicks. The fledgling period is around 20 days with the fledglings returning to the nest at night for the initial few days.

The bird feeds on the wing, foraging for a wide variety of aerial insects in broad swooping flight. Its large mouth and small beak adapt it well to this. It feeds mostly in the late morning and at dusk.

Once the chicks fledge, the parents tend to get them to move away from the nest site where the parents continue to feed them. The fledglings are fed mainly insects. They stay on stable ground while the parent hovers around transferring food into their gaping beak while on the wing.
Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Tailless Black-headed Munias

2006-12-01T00:58:00.000+08:00

Johnny Wee sent in a pair of images of the Black-headed Munia (Lonchura malacca), an adult (above) and a juvenile (below), both without tail feathers. The birds were seen at Upper Peirce Reservoir around early May 2006. This was a few days before the 12th, which was Vesak Day.

The usual habitat of these birds include grassland, open field, parks and cultivated areas. Definitely not in the forested area where Johnny found them.

As the birds seemed out of place in a forested area, besides being tailless, Johnny was wondering whether someone had released them during Versak Day - after yanking out the tail feathers, for reasons best known to the devotee.

Can tail feathers be lost through natural moulting? Not according to ornithologist Wang Luan Keng: "Birds do not normally moult their complete set of tail feathers all at the same time. And these were not young birds…" Yes, in the tail, the central feathers are the first to be shed and as they grow back, successive feathers towards each side are moulted. Tail feathers function as a rudder, helping the bird to steer. They are also used in take-off and landing. When perching, these feathers help stabilise the bird in a wind. In the absence of tail feathers the bird can be disadvantaged in various ways, as when chased by a predator...

To release animals into a habitat that is alien to them does not help their survival. There have also been cases of marine animals being released into freshwater reservoirs and ponds. However, to yank out tail feathers from birds before releasing them is another matter. Comment by our bird specialist R. Subaraj: “Munias are regularly released, especially around our central reservoir areas where other munia species such as White-headed (Lonchura malacca) (above), Javan (Lonchura leucogastroides), White-rumped (Lonchura striata) and Scaly-breasted (Lonchura punctulata) (below) have also been noted. The loss of tail feathers is also a common sight and is probably due to their being housed in cramped, small cages with numerous other munias, as seen in various bird shops here. Buddhists are not likely to "yank" the feathers off during an act of kindness! Those who release animals into the wild mean well but are simply misguided, not realising the repercussions of their act."
Note: Vesak Day, also known as Buddha Day, is a major Buddhist festival usually celebrated in May, the month in which the Buddha was supposedly born, won enlightenment and passed into nirvana. During this period many Buddhists will release captive animals as an act of kindness, reflecting on the Buddha’s teaching of universal compassion.

Input by Johnny Wee; Images by Johnny (Black-headed), Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong (White-headed) and KC Tsang (Scaly-breasted).

Common Kingfisher: Hovering

2006-11-30T00:02:00.000+08:00

On the morning of 21st November 2006, KC Tsang was admiring a Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) quietly perching on a branch of a tree. He had his camera setup ready and so took a shot of the bird (above). Then suddenly it flew off and hovered above the ground, “like a helicopter” he wrote (below). The bird then swooped down on the grass below and caught an insect. As KC wrote: “According to my long-time birder friend… this must be a new behaviour.” Well, most kingfishers hunt from a high perch, splash-diving into the water or dropping onto the ground to catch a prey (below). These birds take insects and other invertebrates, crustaceans, fishes, frogs, geckos, snakes and sometimes even small birds. Several species use the technique of hovering to forage but only in the Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) has the technique been perfected. Lui Jianzhong was kind enough to share his images of a hovering Common Kingfisher taken in Hongkong some time ago. The bird was hovering over the mudflat looking for a potential meal like mudskippers, fishes or shrimps (above and below). Hovering is an energy-intensive activity, achieved by beating the wings more or less horizontally – to provide lift but not thrust. The ability to hover for long periods is advantageous when foraging in areas away from a nearby perch. This means that the bird can maximize its time for hunting, rather than returning to a nearby perch to scan the area.

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has this to say: "This is not new behaviour! The Common Kingfisher is well known for using this method in addition to fishing from a perch and has been observed and documented hovering on several occasions in Singapore and Malaysia."

Input by KC Tsang and Lui Jianzhong; images by KC (top three) and Jianzhong (bottom two).

Of marsh harriers and other exotic species

2006-11-29T00:13:00.000+08:00

In an earlier post on Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), it was mentioned that Western Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) and Steppe Eagles (Aquila nipalensis) were seen above the paddy fields in Malaysia where Allan Teo was observing and photographing the moorhens.

Yong Ding Li made a pertinent comment, “Take note on the point about Western Marsh Harrier... It is actually a very very rare migrant to South East Asia and more so for Singapore (I suspect only one recent record and even then it is probably mis-IDed many times). Instead here it is replaced by Eastern Marsh Harriers (Circus spilonotus). In the oriental region, western is only regular in the subcontinent, occuring in wetlands and plains of places like Rann of Kutch, Bharatpur where it can be rather common.

However, R. Subaraj has this to say: “To me, the birds in the photo (above) look like a young female Western Marsh Harrier (on left) and a juvenile Steppe Eagle.

“With regards to Ding Li's statement regarding the status of marsh harriers here, it is a little out-dated. Until 2005, he is right, as reflected in Robson's guide. It was common in Myanmar but rare or a vagrant to Thailand and Peninsula Malaysia... no confirmed Singapore records! At the end of 2005, both Western and Eastern Marsh Harriers were reported from Changi Reclaimed Land and in the weeks to follow, several birders had visited the site and confirmed the presence of both species... with as many as 3 Westerns.

“Being a skeptic myself, I visited the area a few times during that period and personally confirmed at least three Western Marsh Harriers, along with a few Eastern, with excellent views. Reliable collegues and visiting birders, with me or independently, concurred. Hence, the Western Marsh Harrier does occur in Singapore as a vagrant, at least. “It is worth monitoring our area for the next few months to see if they visit again and become a regular occurrence... or if the last season was just unusual. In the last two decades, unexpected raptors have kept turning up in Singapore. Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) (above) and Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) are two others that fall into a similar category as the Western Marsh Harrier... birds that formerly only occurred no nearer than India and Myanmar. Other unexpected raptors that have turned up include Oriental Hobby and Jerdon's Baza (Aviceda jerdoni)... normally sedentary species found no closer than the northern half of Malaysia, where they were considered rare.

“So what is going on! Why are these species suddenly turning up in Singapore? Perhaps it is the changing climate conditions? Or the continued deforestation and/or persecution of birds further north and south of us? Perhaps a bit of both!

“Other factors that certainly contribute are the superior optics available, the better field guides and identification books and the increased number of observers covering various parts of our nation. The digital photography age is also making a significant difference in confirming species.

“Finally, and equally significantly, the shrinking habitats available due to development means that birds have less choices if they turn up in Singapore and birders have a better chance of finding them!”

Input by Yong Ding Li and R. Subaraj; images by Allan Teo (top) and Wang Luan Keng (bottom).

Peregrine Falcon feasting on a Black-naped Oriole

2006-11-28T00:41:00.000+08:00

Cheong Weng Chun was going through some of his old bird images when he came across a composite image of a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) feasting on a Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) (left). The images were taken on 7th March 2004 in Port Dickson when he was just beginning to take an interest in digiscoping birds. He shared the images with like-minded birders then and showed the composite images in the BESG’s e-loop a few days ago.

Through the courtesy of Weng Chun, we are presenting his images highlighting the stages of the falcon's feast, first preparing its catch and then feasting on it…

Peregrine Falcon feeds exclusively on birds like doves, sparrows, waterfowls, feral pigeons and songbirds. It is fast and agile in the air, being the world’s swiftest bird, having the ability to reach a speed exceeding 300 km/h when pursuing a prey. It hunts birds in mid-air, first hitting the prey at great speed with its foot, then swooping back to catch it. The bird has a conspicuous tomial tooth, a sharp triangular-shaped downward pointing projection found at the outer edge of the upper mandible near the curved part of the beak (see above). This sharp “tooth” is thought to serve mainly in the killing of prey by breaking the victim’s neck. In the above image the prey was brought back to its favourite perch to be eaten. The dead bird was first decapitated and then carefully plucked of its feathers (below). With the help of its tomial tooth and powerful bill, the falcon tore through the featherless prey and began its feast (below).

In about 30 minutes or so all the flesh had disappeared from the dead bird and the falcon began to pick at the bones (below). Soon even the bones were picked clean...

...leaving only a satiated falcon (below).
Input and images courtesy of Cheong Weng Chun

Oriental Pied Hornbill courtship

2006-11-27T00:19:00.000+08:00

A pair of Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) was seen at Changi Village around 5.45 pm in early October 2006 in a courtship ritual. The pair was perching on the branch of one of the old angsana trees (Pterocarpus indicus) lining the main road. The male had just caught a gecko, which, in its struggle to get free, lost its tail (above). The bird approached his mate and offered the gecko to her. The mate appeared to accept, opening her bill, but apparently he was just teasing her (above and below).The male bird trotted off along the branch, soon followed by the female. He then flew off to a nearby tree trunk with a cavity that developed as a result of faulty pruning of a branch. There he waited for some time with the gecko still in his bill. He then went through the motion of placing the gecko inside the cavity a few times without getting the female to fly over (below). After some time trying to entice her to come over to check on the cavity, as is usual with hornbills, he flew off to a nearby branch to eat the morsel himself. See also the courtship between a Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis) and a Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. rhinoceros) here.

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Why do birds yawn?

2006-11-26T02:06:00.000+08:00

James Heng brought back this account from his birding trip to Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam earlier this year:

“The ranger informed me about this pair of Brown Fish Owls (Ketupa zeylonensis), a cousin of our Buffy Fish Owl ( Ketupa ketupu) (left), that has been nesting at the same pillar at the gates of the park for several years.

“The pillar is about 4 m high, and is beside the road leading up to the summit. A small number of people use the road so the owls tend to hide amongst the large leaves of the trees to avoid detection. I've not seen them yawn even once when they are wary of people at that spot.

“But by mid-morning though, one would fly to a nearby branch about 3 storeys high where it feels safe. On that perch, it's eyelids will tend to droop and it begins a whole series of yawns before dozing off.

“After watching it yawn several times, I began to yawn too! It was really amusing.

“Hmm, wonder if the reverse it true - if we yawn repeatedly at them, would they yawn too?”

Now why do birds yawn?

Yawning may sooth an itchy throat. Maybe they yawn for the same reason we do, because they are sleepy. Or there is a need for oxygen intake. The yawning is most often triggered when one is tired. Yawning is common at night as our bodies prepare for sleep. The presence of foreign materials in the throat may induce yawn-like actions.

There are those who believe that yawning in birds help remove excess heat.

Very little has been studied on the sleeping habits of birds. We generally assume that, like people and other warm-blooded animals, they sleep when they are tired and full of food. And when they wake up, they yawn and stretch before flying off to forage.

Now, is the Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis) on the left yawning? Most probably not. Maybe it is casting a pellet?

If you need to see a Buffy Fish Owl yawning, go to our earlier posting.

Input by James Heng; top image by YC, bottom image by Johnny Wee.

Do birds sleep?

2006-11-25T12:02:00.000+08:00

Yes, birds do sleep. Like all warm-blooded animals, they sleep when they are tired and full of food. After all, most birds cannot see well at night. Only a few, like the owls, have large eyes specially adapted for night vision. When they sleep their toes automatically lock tight, thus preventing them from falling while asleep. The above image of the Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) snug in its nest, was taken by Cheong Weng Chun at night. Although it shows the back view, I am sure the bird was fast asleep. Many species like mynas, crows, starlings, Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica) and Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) (above) come together in the evening before dusk to roost on the branches of certain trees. During this period they generate much noise as they squabble over their favourite perch before settling down for the night. Although asleep, these birds are alert and will suddenly move off amidst much noise if disturbed. Early next morning, just before dawn, they wake up, yawn, stretch, refreshed but hungry. Then off they fly to forage.

Hole nesters like woodpeckers usually sleep in tree cavities. Ground nesters sleep on or near the ground.

Obviously nocturnal birds like owls and nightjars sleep during the day.

And many birds "talk" in their sleep and some even sing on moonlit nights.

Input by YC, image above by Cheong Weng Chun, below by YC.

Black-naped Oriole manipulating a cocoon

2006-11-24T00:07:00.000+08:00

In October 2006 Meng and Melinda Chan chanced upon a Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) snatching a whitish cocoon from the branch of a tree (above). The thick, tough silken covering that made up the cocoon was a challenge to the bird (below). Gripping the cocoon in its bill, the bird furiously rubbed it against a branch in an effort to remove the silk covering (below). In less than three minutes it succeeded in removing most of the cocoon silk to get at the succulent pupa inside (bleow). In a flash it swallowed the defenceless pupa. Satisfied with its meal, the bird gave a short call (below). Many moths and a few butterflies weave a cocoon of silk, inside which the caterpillar pupates. These cocoons are thick and tough or they can consist of a few strands of silk that keep the pupa from falling, or hold materials together to form a shelter.

Cocoons may be formed from substrate materials held together by silk. Some are so tough that they need a special escape lid woven to the end for the emergence of the adult, like the silkworm. The cocoon of the Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) (above) is a good example of how tough the silken cover is. The image below shows the longi-section of the cocoon with the remains of the pupa after the moth had emerged.
Khew Sin Khoon, who operates the website Butterflies of Singapore (http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/2382/index.html), agrees that the cocoon is most probably that of a lepidoptera. He believes that it is probably that of a moth rather than that of a butterfly. Why? Because there is too much silk and “the fuzzy stuff” to be that of a butterfly.

Input by Melinda Chan, images of oriole by Chan Yoke Meng and those of the Atlas Moth cocoon by YC.

Laughing Kookaburra

2006-11-23T00:01:00.000+08:00

The kookaburras are the largest members of the kingfisher family and they are heard as much as they are seen. The Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is well known for its loud crackling laugh, usually heard at dawn and dusk. At other times during the day, sudden outbursts may occur when the bird succeeds in capturing a prey.

The bird that Gloria Seow saw in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia in September 2005 did just that. Despite having a field mouse clamped tightly between the mandibles, the bird was making its infamous laugh.
The bird usually perches for long periods on a branch or tree stump keeping both eyes open for any possible prey. Once it spots one, it pounces on it to take it in its bill. Small items are swallowed whole while large prey are beaten against the ground or taken back to the perch where it is first bashed against a branch before swallowing. It takes frogs, lizards, snakes, insects, snails and even small birds and their eggs.

Generally these birds are tame and allow one to come quite near. Thus Gloria was able to come pretty close to take the picture above using a x6 zoom camera.

The bird was perching on an eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus sp.), also known as a gum tree. Thus Gloria actually saw the kookaburra “sitting on an old gum tree” alright. And heard it laughing.

Input and image by Gloria Seow.

Common Moorhen

2006-11-22T00:48:00.000+08:00

The Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) is a bird of wetlands. It is easily recognised from its red bill and prominent shield against a blackish plumage (above). The juvenile is dark brown and pale below, with an olive bill and without the prominent shield (below). Allan Teo recently spent over three hours in a rice field in Malaysia observing a family of Common Moorhens. Enclosed within his cameo sheet hide and comfortably seated on his field chair, he set up his equipment and waited patiently for the family to reappear. His camera was directed at the exact spot where the birds were earlier foraging, but went into hiding among the rice plants when he appeared. The birds benefitted from the limited shelter provided by the rice plants but the shelter was not dense to totally cover them up. The birds were shy and skittish, moving between the narrow spaces where the plants were sparse and swimming in small pools where the plants were absent or trampled (above).

The parents were always on the lookout for danger, especially from the many raptors that roamed the sky above. Besides, there were also other predators among the paddy.

As Allan recounts, “It took about 20 minutes from my arrival and installation of the hide before the parent birds reappeared. They cautiously emerged from between the rice plants. They swam around in the pool of water for 5-10 minutes before they called for the chicks to come out from among the rice plants.”
All the time the chicks stayed hidden among the tall rice plants, staying very still. They were not visible at all. Cautiously, they emerged, entering the water only when the parents coaxed them (above). Every 10-15 minutes the chicks would touch beaks with the parents, probably for re-assurance. Then suddenly from above, there appeared a black kite with its head looking downwards at its flight path (above). It must have spotted the moorhens. Immediately the family scrambled for cover and disappeared form sight. Large migratory raptors like Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) and Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) can easily take an adult moorhen. In the above image, the former is clutching a bird in its talons with the latter trying to snatch it or to make it drop its prey. There were also White-bellied Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) above, patrolling the area over the rice fields the year round. These birds have sharp eyes and can easily spot the moorhens.

When the coast was clear, the cycle repeated itself - the parents came out alone, tested the waters after which they called the chicks out to the water and performed the re-assurance ritual of touching beaks.
Moorhen chicks are precocial, meaning that they hatch in a relatively developed state, with the body covered with down and the eyes open (above). They leave the nest soon after hatching, usually after one to two days, swimming by the third and diving by the eighth. Both parents feed and care for the chicks. Immature birds of the previous brood as well as adults of the group may also chip in. Brooding may continue until about 14 days. The chicks can feed by themselves around 21-25 days but continue to be fed for up to 45 days. They fledge at 45-50 days.

The chick above is one of four from a family of the moorhen Allan spotted. There were at least three families in all.

Around the end of October 2006 Cheong Weng Chun also encountered Common Moorhens in the paddy fields of Malacca, Malaysia (below). The parent birds were feeding the chicks with apple snails that were collected from the shallow areas. Only small snails were selected, the larger ones were not taken. Weng Chun thinks that the shell of the smaller snails is probably softer than that of the bigger ones.

Input by Allan Teo and Cheong Weng Chun. Images by Weng Chun (top two and bottom) and Allan (the rest).

Nesting of Dollarbirds

2006-11-21T00:24:00.000+08:00

Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis) are hole nesters. They do not excavate their own nests but make use of old nests made by woodpeckers and barbets. The nests can be in a dead tree or tree trunk or in living trees but the nest seen by Jonathan Cheah in late April and early May 2006 was the rotting top of a palm stem, probably a nibong (Oncosperma sp.). The nest is usually unlined and the bird lays a clutch of two white eggs, although in this case only one chick developed. Both parent birds helped in the feeding of the chick. What they brought were mainly insects, high protein food.

As rollers generally eject pellets of the undigested insects that they ate earlier, it would be interesting for future observers to note whether the chicks also cast pellets.

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has added that Dollarbirds commonly nest at the top of rotting coconut trunks.

Input and images by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong.

Frolicking Black-naped Orioles

2006-11-20T12:02:00.000+08:00

During the months of February and March 2006 there were always a few Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis) perched on the fronds of my palms every morning. Most mornings I was awaken by the loud fluty whistles of these attractive yellow birds. The duetting lasted at least 10-15 minutes before the birds flew off to some other trees to continue with their singing. On and off one or more birds would return during the late morning, making loud sounds or singing. Sometimes a small flock of up to eight birds would frolic around, flying from tree to tree. Two to three birds would frolic together, chasing one another as they expertly maneuvered with wings outstretched, flying between trees, to end up on either the palms in my garden or the wayside trees along the road. At times when I was around observing their antics, they would fly close to me, making high pitch sounds as they pass close by. On and off, two of the flying birds would make contacts, either in fun or otherwise.

When not making their maneuvers, a pair would duet, one making a short call to have a reply.

Whether they are playing, doing their courtship things or two males confronting each other, I do not know.

According to our bird specialist R. Subaraj, this was still the migratory season and the birds could possibly be migrants.

Input and images by YC.

Nest of the tailorbird

2006-11-19T00:38:00.000+08:00

An abandoned tailorbird nest was found by Melinda Chan's friend among the bushy simpoh air (Dillenia suffruticosa). The large leaf of the plant was folded and the edge neatly stitched together using spider webs that were threaded through holes made for the purpose. Within the resulting pouch was the oval nest, 12 cm long, 6.5 cm at the upper broader end and 4.5 cm at the narrower end. The nest opening was 5 x 4.5 cm and 6 cm deep. Nesting materials consisted of dried grasses, plant fibres and other plant materials. The white winged seeds of African tulip (Spathodea campanulata) figured prominently among the brown materials.

Inside the nest were two un-hatched eggs. The eggs were empty and had holes on the shell. A slug was seen inside the nest feasting on the damaged eggs.

Note: When smaller leaves are used to build the nest, more than one leaf may be involved. A commonly used material to line the nest is the fibres of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). These nests are usually built less than a metre from the ground. The stitched part of the leaf is usually facing downwards such that the nest is kept dry from the rain.

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan (except bottom image by YC).

Tricks of the trade: 1. A photographer’s questionable method

2006-11-18T12:38:00.000+08:00

At Punggol Park in late September 2006, some enthusiastic but misguided person has interfered with the nesting of a sunbird in order to get his or her perfect shot.

The nest was attached to a bulrush reed (Typha sp.) that was growing by the water’s edge. The photographer, obviously troubled by the constant swaying of the reed and nest, solved the problem by tying the stem where the nest was attached to the surrounding plants.

It was possible that the reed where the nest was attached was subsequently cut and firmly secured to a bunch of other reeds, again to ensure that there was minimum swaying of the nest with every breeze.

The nest was then still active as a female sunbird was seen flying back and forth from the nest. There must have been eggs inside, or else chicks.

A week later the nest appeared 'loosened' and abandoned.

The bottom portion of the nest was damaged, possibly by predators - whether two-legged or four legged cannot be established. The nest contents were probably gone. Now can we blame the birds for building their nest by the water’s edge where people are constantly moving around? Do we blame the guilty person for such unethical method to get perfect shots of the nesting birds?

One happy photographer has obtained his/her perfect shots. But one nesting effort has gone to waste. Pity!

Oriental Scops-owl: The bird

2006-11-17T00:49:00.000+08:00

The Oriental Scops-owl (Otus sunia), a smallish bird (16-20 cm) that is a winter visitor and passage migrant to Singapore, was sighted on 12th November 2006 at MacRitchie.

It roosts in holes or against tree trunks or even under dense foliage. When sighted, the owl was on a branch of a tembusu tree (Fagraea fragrans). When it realised that is was spotted, it remained quietly on the branch, eyeing suspiciously the birders around. Although its eyes were half-opened, it continuously kept track of the people around. When more people arrived, the bird remained unconcerned, or so it seemed. This could be because its perch was high enough to be well away from the birders below.

According to the literature, it assumes a “tall-thin” posture when spotted. This it does by stretching vertically, compressing its plumage and erecting its ear tufts. At the same time it keeps its eyes almost closed. Thus most of the images show this phase, the body slim, the plumage compressed and the ear tufts erect (above and below). However, a few images taken some time after most of the people drifted off showed the owl in a more relaxed mood. It’s body was puffed up but the ear tufts were still erect. Oriental Scops-owl takes a wide variety of prey, especially insects and spiders. It also eats moths, beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers and small rodents and birds. It generally hunts from a perch, swooping down to catch prey on the ground, in flight or from the forest canopy.

And according to KC Tsang, “…it was an adult Rufous Morph, but I am not sure if it is of the stictonotus race.”

Warning on owl pellets: Owl pellets may contain harmful and dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and hantavirus that can cause mild influenza to respiratory and kidney failure. Do not handle with the bare hands and wear a dust mask. Pellets should be wrapped in aluminum foil, heated in a conventional oven for 45-60 minutes at 300ºF (approx. 150ºC). Only then should you examine the contents, usually small bones. So birders, be warned! Source: "Owls: A wildlife handbook by Kim Long, Johnson Books, Boulders."

Input by Melinda Chan, KC Tsang and YC. Images by Chan Yoke Meng.

Oriental Scops-owl: Addendum

2006-11-16T00:28:00.000+08:00

Since the posting of the signting of the Oriental Scops-owl (Otus sunia) and the discussion on past records, R. Subaraj has responded with the following;

“With regards to the Oriental Scops-owl article posted in the blog, I have the following comments.

1. The latest record of sighting on 12th November is not the earliest date. I finally managed to dig up the details. The bird that crashed into a house at Jalan Belatok, off Upper Changi Rd (an additional location) did so on November 9th 2003 and was found by Chew Ping Ting. I retrieved it, fed it and then sent it to Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve, where they measured, weighed and ringed it before releasing it. This would therefore be the earliest date of arrival of the owl.

2. Prof Sodhi's mist-netted bird was also from the mid-1990s and was captured near Upper Peirce (another additional location).

3. Old museum specimens, without specific sites but labeled "Singapore", have always been suspicious as the actual location of collection may not have been Singapore, as in those days, specimens were often labeled as being from the country where they were processed or shipped, due to lack of more information.

4. Luan Keng's opinion about races is that of an academic... definitely not that of a field person. Feld researchers/observers use all field identification markings available to determine facts, including the race of a bird. The race of a bird tells us quite a bit including where the bird is from and whether there are behavioural differences with other races. Through field studies, much information can be learnt. Determining true species should not be dependent on DNA alone but should include morphological studies as well. Many of the world's top specialists are using a combination of both in their field research and to make decisions about species.

At the end of the day, the Oriental Scops-owl has helped highlight and confirm just how fragmented the local bird (and nature) community really is, as different factions have different ideas of just how many records of the species really exist for Singapore... and none are accurate and up-dated! Not everyone wants to share and combine their data or knowledge and we find ourselves truly lacking the accuracy that once was. Why? Different reasons really... elitism, ego, keeping secrets before publication... you name it. It all exists and is part of the ongoing saga of this soap opera!"

Comments by YC:
1. It may not be fair to say all colonial specimens labeled "Singapore" are suspect. Those who work in museums may be able to differentiate between the different collectors - some are more reliable than others. And we can reliably assume that W. Davison's specimen was from Singapore.

2. Birders have always been individualistic, selfish, and what have you - just like any other groups. And they always will be. But we have to realise that unpublished private records remain useful only to the person/s keeping them. Until and unless they are published, these private records are not part of the public domain and cannot claim precedent if subsequent claims
appear in print. Thus unless you publish, you cannot make any claims, period!

3. We can always make this blog a medium for such records. After all, web publication is slowly being accepted as a valid medium and many scientific journals are now going online. Thus future sightings, etc could be sent to this blog for posting - it would appear faster by light years than any print media.

Image courtesy of Chan Yoke Meng.

Courtship feeding of a Red-bearded Bee-eater

2006-11-15T00:12:00.000+08:00

Ashley Ng shared an image of a male Red-bearded Bee-Eater (Nyctyornis amictus) with a cicada in its bill trying to attract a potential mate. Bee-eaters do indulge in courtship feeding and this may be a rare image of the ritual. This species does not occur in Singapore but can be seen in Peninsula Malaysia.

As with bee-eaters, it hunts from a high perch keeping close watch on the airspace around. Once an insect is seen, it dashes off to capture it. The bird has been recorded to take carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.), cicadas, beetles, crickets, termites and ants.

As with many insectivorous birds, bee-eaters cast pellets of indigestible insect parts regularly. This is also the case with most carnivore species such as raptors, owls and shrikes.

Input and image by Ashley Ng.

Oriental Scops-owl: Sighting

2006-11-14T00:08:00.001+08:00

The Oriental Scops-owl (Otus sunia) is a rare winter visitor and passage migrant to Singapore. So when a bird was spotted during the early morning of 12th November 2006, birdwatchers of every genre were out in force to view it.

It all started when R. Subaraj was conducting a bird-tour of the MacRitchie area. While scanning the trees with his binoculars, he was pleasantly surprised to see an Oriental Scops-owl roosting in a tembusu tree (Fagraea fragrans). As most birders have not seen the owl before, he immediately phoned a few close contacts, giving the location. Within a few hours, a few birders and photographers were at the scene. And by afternoon, more came. Why the excitement? According to DR Wells (1999), Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, “There have been no recent records from well-monitored Singapore island.”

One of the first to arrive at the scene, KC Tsang managed to take a few pictures of the owl. And according to KC, “…I was informed that this bird was sighted, and recorded some four times only in Singapore, and is considered a vagrant by C. Robson.”

Whoever passed on this information to KC is obviously wrong. Subaraj was the first to disagree. He believes that there were more sightings than that. According to him there were at least six other sightings, and he referred me to the cover photograph of the Iora, the so-called Journal of the Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group. The issue was the inaugural and only issue, published in 1994 (below).

The image of the Oriental Scops-owl that graced the “journal” was taken in Mount Faber by Goo Chuen Hang on 13th November 1994. In an article by Lim Kim Seng entitled “Singapore Bird Report” it was reported that this was the second report for Singapore (p 49).

Apparently this is again incorrect. The Mount Faber sighting was the fourth.

Our sometime field ornithologist, Wang Luan Keng, who is attached to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NUS, has this to say: “I have a total of 13 past records. Most people missed out the museum specimens, which are important sources of records.”

The 13 previous records of Oriental Scops-owl encounters are:
1. An undated specimen collected in Singapore in the late 19th century by W. Davison (Hume Coll.)
2. A bird collected on 22 Dec 1916, Fort Canning (RMBR collection).
3. One bird collected in Singapore, 16 Nov 1938 (RMBR collection).
4. One bird photographed at Mt Faber, 13 Nov 1994 (Iora 1).
5. One bird seen at Mt Faber, 19 Feb 1995, most probably the same bird spotted on 13 Nov 1994 (SINAV 9).
6. One bird ringed at Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve, Jan 1996.
7. Another bird ringed at Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve in 2000.
8. One bird found dead, 13 Nov 2000 (donated to JBP).
9. One bird salvaged in Singapore in 2001 (donated to JBP).
10. Another salvaged, 26 Feb 2002 (donated to JBP).
11. One bird found dead in 2003 (no other information, donated to JBP).
12. One bird was found unable to fly at Lower Kent Ridge, 14 Nov 2003 (Kelvin Lim, pers comm..).
13. One grey morph seen in MacRitchie, 18h Dec 2005 (C. Moores, in litt.)

In addition, Subaraj reports that a bird was mist-netted by Prof NS Sodhi of NUS when he was undertaking a survey of the nature reserves. Also, one crashed into a home in Changi, cared for by Subaraj to be later ringed and released in Sg Buloh.
As Luan summarises, “You can certainly say that the bird is probably more common than recorded, judging from the museum specimens that everyone excluded. Most people dismiss museum specimens as useless but surely dead birds were once alive and should be counted as records too and not just what the birders can see?

“I don't know why people are so obsessed with races. Races of birds are not very meaningful at all. If they are distinct enough and their genetic makeup proves so, they should be treated as distinct species. Until then, you can only call them populations. And most of the time you can only tell them apart if you have the bird in the hand.”

Birders seldom sight the Oriental Scops-owl not because it is not there. Birders tend not to be aware of its presence, considering that the bird tend to remain silent during its wintering period here. So birders are not alerted to its presence, as in the case of other owls.

It is to be noted that the previous early arrivals of this owl were 13th November while this time the bird arrived on 12th November, one day earlier.

Important Notes:
Range: Breeds in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Pacific Russia, Japan, Korea, China, and Indochina; migrates through the Indian subcontinent, S. China to Malay Peninsula, Singapore, N. Sumatra.
Locality: Fort Canning Park, Lower Kranji Reserve, Mount Faber, MacRitchie, Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Habitat: Wooded areas, parks.
Early and late dates: (12)13 Nov - 26 Feb
Materials examined: BM 1 (1 AA), RMBR 3 (3 FF), UWBM 4 (3 FF, 1 MM).

Input by R. Subaraj, Wang Luan Keng, KC Tsang and YC. Images of the owl by KC. And thanks to Subaraj who generously shared his sighting, many birders got to see this rare owl.

A Peregrine Falcon at lunch

2006-11-13T00:22:00.000+08:00

James Heng chanced upon an exciting avian event between 12.50-2.00 pm on 30th October 2006. He was going to have his lunch around a transmission tower beside the Woodlands Fire Station when he noticed the presence of a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).

The bird was on the fifth platform of the larger transmission tower and was having its lunch. It had a black bird in its talons, limp and obviously dead. James narrowed it down to a possible Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis), or even a myna.

The falcon was perched on the railing of the tower, with the prey held tightly in its talons. It was furiously tearing away bits of feathers and skin from the belly of the dead bird. Within minutes it got to the meat and was feeding off bits and pieces.

Then it started to rain. As the rain became heavier, the falcon stopped eating and looked around. James wondered: “…if it was because it needed rest, to let the food digest or to cover the prey's innards to prevent the cavity from being flooded over by the heavy rain?”

When the rain got lighter the bird resumed feeding on the carcass. This time it was feeding at a leisurely pace.

In about an hour the bird had completed eating the prey, including the innards. The empty shell of the prey was discarded, and got lodged on the railing one floor below.

Satiated, the falcon began to casually preen itself, looking around as it did so. The rain had by then stopped.

James had only a pair of binoculars with him. No camera, so he missed the chance of recording the action. He did not have his scope with him, thus by the end of the hour his neck, shoulders and forearms were aching.

Tired, aching but exhilarated by the event, he realised that although the falcon finished its lunch, he still had not started on his.

“Like us, this bird takes around an hour for his lunch break. I wonder if it does a siesta?” wondered James.

PS: Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has this to say: "Peregrine Falcons are mainly migrants that turn up during the winter months, sometimes wintering at a site. We also get a few records during the non-migratory season and based on colouration and size, these birds are believed to be visitors of the resident race from some place nearby, like Malaysia. These falcons are often found on transmitter towers, including Bukit Batok, Sentosa, Ubin and even Fort Canning. These structures offer a good vantage point, feeding and roosting perch."

Input by James Heng, images by Chan Yoke Meng.

Do birds recycle their nests?

2006-11-12T00:22:00.000+08:00

Most birds that build cup-nests do not reuse them. They rebuild a new nest each year and sometimes recycle the nesting material. One reason for this is that the nest, after one cycle of breeding, often has outlived its usefulness. The dried soft plant materials would have begun to rot. Another reason is that there would be the typical odour left by the birds and their nestlings after the latter have fledged. Such odour can attract predators. A third reason is that old nests often contain a large number of ectoparasites that are potentially harmful to the developing young. Among birds that build large platform nests of twigs that are more lasting, recycling of the nests may be common. These include large nests of ospreys, eagles, storks, hawks and kites (above).

Hole nesters, especially birds that are not able to excavate cavities for themselves, need to reuse nests previously occupied by other species. Sometimes they evict the current occupants in order to make use of the cavities for themselves. The case of the Long-tailed parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) trying to take over the nest cavity of a pair of Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis) is a good example. Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) sometimes build over an old nest or partially completed nest (above). However, Lena Chow reported that the birds in her garden did use the same nest a few times, although she was not sure whether it was the same pair of birds or different pairs. But she observed recycling of nesting material year in and year out. Similarly, sunbirds rarely, if at all, reuse old nests (above). House Crow (Corvus splendens) does not reuse last season’s nest but recycle the nest material if the old nest is nearby (below). Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) on the other hand sometimes repair an old nest as can be seen by the green material weaved over the older brown material.
Input by Lena Chow, YC; images by YC except top by Chan Yoke Meng.

Tiger Shrike: Postscript

2006-11-11T00:32:00.000+08:00

Gloria Seow was holidaying in Japan in October 2006 where she scored 77 lifers even though it was off-season for birds then. But that would be another story. What she e-mailed me was an interesting image of a dried-out field mouse. It was impaled upon a low bush growing in an open grassland bordering a marshy area in Hokkaido (below). According to the Japanese birders who accompanied her, it was possibly the work of a Bull-headed Shrike (Lanius bucephalus).
We have three species of shrikes. Tiger (Lanius tigrinus) and Brown (Lanius cristatus) are winter visitors as well as passage migrants while Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach) is a common resident. But according to our bird specialist R. Subaraj, "Long-tailed Shrikes are actually very uncommon residents with some movements that are not fully understood. That is why they tend to be at known sites at only certain times of the year. Additionally, there is sometimes an influx of this species.....migrants?"

Shrikes have the reputation of impaling their preys on sharp thorns. They are thus known as “butcher birds. We have an earlier posting on a Tiger Shrike dismembering a large scarab beetle and another on the bird swallowing a lizard.
R. Subaraj reported seeing the headless corpse of a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (Ficedula zanthopygia), impaled on a thorn of a short tree that he suspected was the work of a Long-tailed Shrike. And in Malaysia he once came across the "larder" of a wintering Brown Shrike consisting of impaled insects along a stretch of barb wire.

What we did not have is an image of a vertebrate impaled by a shrike. Now we have, thanks to Gloria, although it is not local but from Hokkaido.

Now here is a challenge to birder-photographers. Look out for a shrike-impaled prey and bring back an image!

Input and images by Gloria Seow.

Where do Yellow-vented Bulbuls build their nests?

2006-11-10T00:02:00.000+08:00

Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) nowadays build their nests around people. Their nest are tucked between the branching forks of shrubs, potted plants and even artificial plants. They are so comfortable around humans that they construct their nests in urban gardens, in garages, along verandahs of high-rise buildings as well as around offices.
Lena Chow sent in a report on a pair nesting in her artificial plants that she placed in a pot located in her garage. “By way of update, only one egg of two hatched successfully in the nest in my artificial plant… Perhaps it is a case of dud plant, dud egg, ha ha. I am leaving the unhatched egg in the nest to see what the birds will do with it next year. These bulbuls have been coming to nest in my garden/garage every year for the past 3 years, and I fully expect the nest to be re-used next year.” In June 2006, over at Alexandra Hospital, a number of nests were seen among potted plants near to offices and hospital areas. Most of these nests resulted in successful hatching and fledging of the young. However, there were a few that the eggs did not hatch, probably because the parent birds abandoned them due to constant disturbances by passersby as these nests were along busy thoroughfares (top).

The nesting stages of the Yellow-vented Bulbuls shown above are by staff of the Alexandra Hospital, Singapore, obtained through the courtesy of Rosalind Tan. The birds also built their nest in a potted lady palm (Raphis excelsa) placed just outside the Business Office of the hospital (left).

Yellow-vented Bulbul: Food for the nestlings

2006-11-09T00:00:00.000+08:00

The Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) is one of the more successful urban birds in Singapore. Part of this success is its ability to adapt to its food source. It is omnivorous, that is, it will eat insects as well as a range of fruits. At the same time it also scavenge on scraps of discarded food. Newly hatched nestlings are fed with insects and other invertebrates. The growing nestlings require a constant supply of protein. This keeps the parents busy bringing such food constantly.

Almost every garden in Singapore will have at least a pair of Yellow-vented Bulbuls. On certain months of the year the loud and somewhat pleasant bubbling songs in the early morning and later evening are music to the ear.

These birds are so used to humans that they will build their nests among ornamental plants grown in gardens or in potted plants placed in balconies or even along the verandahs of high-rise apartment buildings. The nests are deep cups made from grass, dry leaves, etc. Looking untidy from the outside, it is neatly lined inside.

Lena Chow recently sent an image of a pair nesting among her artificial plants (below). Talk about getting used to urban living…

Images of bulbul by Tang Hung Bun; nesting among artificial plant by Lena Chow; input by YC.

Ruddy Kingfisher and pellet casting: Postscript

2006-11-08T00:02:00.000+08:00

The earlier post on the Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) coughing out a pellet about an hour after it ate a snail noted that the photographer missed getting an image of the pellet coming out of the bird (above, top). Well, Meng pointed out that I should examine closely the throat of the bird in the first two images. I did as suggested and also adjusted the contrast of the images, and there in the throat is a dark object - the pellet (above, bottom; below). The first two images of the earlier posting showing the initial stages of the coughing thus clearly show the dark pellet about to be ejected. The third image where the bird is crouched low shows a clear throat, indicating that the pellet has already been coughed out (below).
Most kingfisher pellets are white, reflecting on the food they eat - fish. The composition of these pellets are mainly fish bones. These bones are collected in the gizzard and compacted into pellets to be subsequently coughed out. Should these bones be allowed to pass on to the stomach, imagine the damage they could cause to the bird.

In the above case the pellet is black as the bird earlier ate a snail. Obvioulsy it did not completely remove all the shell fragments.

Thanks to Chan Yoke Meng for the use of the images. It is his keen eyes that spotted the pellet in the throat of the bird in his images.

Ruddy Kingfisher: Eating a snail, then casting a pellet

2006-11-07T06:28:00.000+08:00

The Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda), an uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor to Singapore, made a brief appearance of a few days towards the end of October 2006. Once news got around, birders and photographers congregated at Jurong, near the Chinese Garden, to get a glimpse and/or to take a picture of this rare bird.
Allan Teo was among the fortunate few who witnessed the bird manipulating a snail. After it got a firm hold of the mollusc in its bill, it expertly removed the shell by smashing it against the perch, first against one side, then against the other (above). It then used the horizontal force of its head swing that resulted in the smashed shell pieces flying apart, leaving only the meat. Happy with the shell-less snail, the kingfisher swallowed its prize catch (above: note damp patches on either side of the bird's perch where the snail was whacked).

After having their fill with the kingfisher, most of the people moved off to look for other rare birds. The few who patiently remained witnessed an usual event, the casting of a pellet. This came more than an hour after the kingfisher consumed the snail. The bird first made some sort of retching action, giving the appearance as if it was about to vomit. Then the bill widened substantially to show the large gape and equally large opening into the throat (above). At the same time the body bent forward - and suddenly out popped the pellet (above). Unfortunately the actual moment when the pellet appeared was not caught on film.

The pellet ended in the undergrowth below the tree and it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack to try retrieve it.

Input from Allan Teo, images by Allan (top three) and Chan Yoke Meng (bottom three).

Cats, dogs, squirrels and Javan Mynas

2006-11-06T14:10:00.000+08:00

My neighbour’s cat has been roaming my garden for some weeks now, typical with most cats. It is rather tame and allows me to carry it. Many times the cat lies quietly in wait for some unsuspecting bird. I have even saw it stalking a myna on the ground. But so far the cat has not managed to catch any birds, or so it seems. I have yet to find the remains of any bird on the ground.

The Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) are trying their best to outwit the cat. They have ganged up to sound the alarm of harsh and loud calls whenever the cat is around. The birds will hover around just within harm’s way, following the cat, making their alarm calls all along until the latter is gone. Recently I was alerted to the loud calls of the plantain squirrel or common red-bellied squirrel (Callosciurus notatus singapurensis) sitting on a branch of my artocarpus tree. Each time it called, its long bushy tail was flicked upwards. This went on for about five minutes. Then I noticed the presence of the cat in the garden. Apparently squirrels also make alarm calls when they spot a cat prowling around. I wonder whether they make such calls when a dog is around.

Over at my neighbour’s house in front of mine, the little dog there has been harassed by these same mynas on and off. A group of mynas will take turns diving at the dog, always missing by centimeters. Intentionally? Anyway this scares the dog that usually scamper to safety every time. This can go on for about half an hour. I am not sure whether the birds are doing this for fun or can it be that a pair of birds is nesting nearby?

Dr Chang Li Lian told me that her dog is so scared of these mynas that flock to the latter's feeding bowl that it moves under the cover of the garden plants to reach its food.

Input and images by YC.

Nesting ecology of Black-necked Tern

2006-11-05T00:26:00.000+08:00

The Black-naped Tern (Sterna sumatrana) is a medium-sized white bird that is easily recognised by the black band encircling the sides and back of the crown, ending just in front of the eye. Its streamlined body, long and narrow wings and forked tail adapt it well to life on the wing. It exhibits a powerful and graceful flight These terns are essentially offshore birds, feeding on fish that they catch from the coastal shallow waters by diving from a height (above). They also feed on crustaceans and insects. Insects are taken from vegetation or water surface. They may even hawk for insects in the air when the latter emerge in large numbers. The birds nest on rocky islets, making use of shallow depressions as nests. Seldom do they line their nests with plant or other materials. Prior to copulation, there is the normal courtship ritual where the pair may indulge in elaborate aerial displays (above). The male usually feeds the female with fish, who may either swallow it immediately or keep it in her bill during the display (below). During courtship feeding other males will always be around, trying to grab the fish (below two). Once a pair has bonded this courtship feeding may intensify. The male will be working hard bringing back fish for his female the whole day. This behaviour is believed to help the female judge the quality of her mate. Should the male slack, she may dump him for another. Copulation involves the male mounting the female, which may follow a short period of courtship dance (above two). Once cloacal contact is made the male dismounts. Mating may go on many times a day prior to egg laying. Usually two eggs are laid on the bare rock (above two). Both birds help in incubation, one sitting in the nest while the other out foraging. The incubation period is 21-28 days and the chicks on hatching are semi-precocial. This means that their eyes are open and they are covered with downy feathers on hatching. Also, they can walk soon after but they still rely on the adults for food (below).
The chicks are well camouflaged in their grayish and white downs spotted with black (below). Input by YC and images by Chan Yoke Meng.

Feeding habits of kingfishers

2006-11-04T12:07:00.000+08:00

A kingfishers generally hunts by sitting quietly on a high perch and keeping a close lookout of the surrounding for potential prey. Once it spots a prey, it swoops down and seizes it in its bill to return to the same perch or another perch. Alternatively, the bird may snatch a prey while in flight or hover in front of a branch to catch the caterpillar of the privet hawk moth. Now not all kingfishers eat fish. Certainly fish is the food of many kingfishers but most of these birds eat a wide range of foods. These may include invertebrates like worms, centipedes (above), insects (below), molluscs and crustaceans. They also eat vertebrates like amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Plants are seldom eaten but there are reports of the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) eating the stems of reeds. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) has been known to eat berries occasionally while the Blue-breasted Kingfisher of Africa feeds on oil palm fruits (Elaeis guineensis).

The Stork-billed Kingfisher (Halcyon capensis), with its large bill in relation to it body size is well adapted to dealing with crabs. And large fish also. Daisy O’Neill wrote an account of how one such kingfisher dealt with a fish larger than its head, whacking it to death before swallowing it. Now Allan Teo has sent in images of another Stork-billed Kingfisher that caught a fish, gripped it tightly in its large bill and smashed it against its wooden perch. The bird then casually tossed the dead fish into the air to reposition it for swallowing head first. The image is so clear that the bruises on the fish’s head are clearly visible.

The beating, besides stunning or even killing the fish, also breaks up its spines that might otherwise cause harm to the bird when swallowing it. It is interesting to note that there have been cases of kingfishers dying as a result of these spines becoming lodged in the bird’s digestive tract.

Top two images of the Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) are by Chan Yoke Meng; bottom two of the Stork-billed Kingfisher are by Allan Teo.

Corella, parakeet and hornbill at Changi Village

2006-11-03T00:29:00.000+08:00

Changi Village, with its row of large and old angsana trees (Pterocarpus indicus), has been the meeting place of a number of Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) that were seen looking for nesting cavities (left). These trees are also a favourite with the Tanimba corella (Cacatua goffini) and Red-breasted Parakeets (Psittacula alexandri). The latter two species are also tree hole nesters and have been coexisting rather peacefully in these trees. The hornbills had been checking the tree where no corellas and parakeets were congregating. However, of late they apparently moved to those trees where these other birds were present (above). What happened next was that conflicts occurred, with the corellas shrieking whenever the hornbills appeared.

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj reported in July 2006 that he saw the hornbills arriving regularly at around 5 pm, always causing the corellas to panic, shrieking loudly. At times the hornbills were seen perching in front of the cavity as if blocking the entrance.

Meng and Melinda Chan were at Changi Village on 31st July 2006 and witnessed the arrival of the hornbills at 4.30 pm. Unfortunately the corellas and parakeets were not around the nesting holes. So there was no excitement. The parakeets only appeared at around 6 pm by which time the hornbills had left. Certain nesting holes were sometimes occupied by corella and sometimes by parakeet (above). As these birds were used to living in close proximity with each other, there was no conflict when one found the other inside the cavity. But this was not always the case. On 6th August a pair of corellas arrived at a tree with two cavities, one on either side of the trunk. The left cavity was apparently empty as the corellas took turns checking it out, one even entering the cavity for a short while (above, top). The right cavity was occupied by a parakeet. The corellas again took turns checking this right cavity, to occasionally meet with protests from the parakeet inside. Every now and then the parakeet would poke its head out, scolding the intruder (above, bottom). This would frighten off the corella who would then jump back with wings flapping. This went on for some time. Unable to expel the parakeet from the cavity, the corellas eventually left the scene.

Peace returned to Changi Village - until the next confrontation!

Input by Subaraj, Meng and Melinda. All images by Meng and Melinda.

Changeable Hawk Eagle and the long-tailed macaque

2006-11-02T00:02:00.000+08:00

In August 2006 Johnny Wee was at Venus Drive Link seeking out subjects to photograph. There he noticed a Changeable Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus) perched on a branch high up a tree. The eagle was quietly scanning the area below for about 10 minutes before it suddenly dived down. It must have been eyeing a young long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) as there was a sudden distress call by the latter as the eagle dived.
Unfortunately the trees blocked his view and he was not able to confirm whether the bird succeeded in catching the monkey. Did the macaque escape?

Input and top image by Johnny Wee, bottom image by YC.