Jeremiah Loei’s video clip of the White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) was recorded at Singapore’s Fort Canning Park (above). The two chicks can be seen moving around the nest, either feeding or rearranging the twigs in the nest. They are also seen exercising their wings, a sign that they are about to fledge (below).
The nest is just a platform of sticks lined with leaves and grass, etc. and placed among the branches of trees. It is sometimes found on... Read More
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The Birds of Singapore – an online book
In May 1943, GC Madoc published “An Introduction to Malayan Birds.” He wrote his manuscript in Singapore’s Changi Prison where he was interned when the country fell into the...
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Videocam: A powerful tool for studying birds
1. Collecting birds: In the 19th century the equipment needed to study birds was the gun. Another skill necessary was a good stuffing technique in order to preserve the specimens....
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Documenting bird calls and songs
Many local birdwatchers are able to recognise the birds behind the songs. However, interest in most cases ends there except for a few who make basic recordings. Erik Mobrand...
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Should attempts be made to tame wild birds?
The first part of the series by aviculturist Lee Chiu San deals with whether birds can be tamed and whether they will remain tamed. The second part looks at whether it is...
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Postings your observations and images
Why should you post your observations and images? Southeast Asian birds are poorly studied in terms of behaviour and ecology. By posting your observations (and this include...
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Nature Society: The struggle for Singapore’s nature areas
The above paper has just been published. Nature in Singapore is a peer-reviewed, online journal that publishes articles on the flora and fauna (e.g., biology, botany, zoology,...
White-bellied Sea-eagle just before fledging
Jeremiah Loei’s video clip of the White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) was recorded at Singapore’s Fort Canning Park (above). The two chicks can be seen moving around the nest, either feeding or rearranging the twigs in the nest. They are also seen exercising their wings, a sign that they are about to fledge (below).
The nest is just a platform of sticks lined with leaves and grass, etc. and placed among the branches of trees. It is sometimes found on... Read More
Brahminy Kite mobbed by a House Crow
Humant Kumar from Andhra Pradesh, India shares his image of the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) being mobbed by a House Crow (Corvus splendens) while flying and not at all threatening to the latter. The smaller crow has the advantage as it has better maneuverability than the larger kite.
House Crows are fearless and aggressive, targeting raptors larger than themselves, even when the latter is not of any threat. They have been known to attack dogs, cats and even bats. When... Read More
The beauty of the beast: Crested Serpent-eagle
On 28th March 2013, Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS took time off from his busy schedule to visit one of his favourite spot, Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands. While trekking up a mountain road through the montane forest, he encountered a Crested Serpent-eagle (Spilornis cheela malayensis) at about 2,000m ASL (above).
As Amar related his encounter, “Saw this adult sitting quietly in the middle of primary montane forest (off the road) and was quite tolerant of my presence,... Read More
Birds feeding on rats in the rice fields of Ulu Dedap, Perak, Malaysia
Ulu Dedap in the Malaysian state of Perak is an extensive rice farming area about 90 minutes drive from where Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS lives.
“I have often seen birds use human activities to aid in their foraging. On three occasions this morning [24th January 2013] I saw larger groups of raptors, herons, egrets (once in excess of 200) forage around tractors that were clearing fields that had been harvested (above). The birds were after the many rats that were killed [or... Read More
House Crow’s novel way of mobbing Peregrine Falcon
The location was Singapore’s Chinese Garden. The date was 1st January 2013. Samson Tan and friend… LINK noticed a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) perching on a branch of a casuarina tree (Casuarina equisetifolia).
There were many crows in the garden and Samson expected them to mob the falcon, as is usually the case. True enough, after about 10 minutes, the mobbing started. One by one the House Crows (Corvus splendens) flew by, diving near to where the falcon was... Read More
Grey-headed Fish-eagle mobbed by Osprey
We received an account from Peter Teagle on the sighting of the Grey-headed Fish-eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) below:
“I have just got back from a trip to see family in Singapore where I encountered on two successive days (1st and 2nd Jan 2013) a Grey Headed Fish Eagle from the dam looking south across Lower Pierce Resevoir (top: image by Chan Yoke Meng). I have not lived in Singapore for some time, so I was not familiar with this eagle but the books say this is... Read More
Black Kite Reunion
William Ip sent in these images of the Black Kites (Milvus migrans) that he photographed at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong.
“There are about 1600 Black Kites resident in Hong Kong. Every winter, additional 2-3 thousands Black Kites migrate from the North to Hong Kong to join the resident birds,” wrote William. They scatter all over Hong Kong during day time, but group together in the evening around three places – the Stonecutter Island in Kowloon, Yeung Chau at... Read More
BLACK BAZA – PREENING and STRETCHING
“On the morning of 7th December 2012, a lone Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes) was perched atop a bare branch in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia (below).
“As the sun climbed above the horizon, it began to preen itself at a leisurely pace (below).
“In the midst of its preening session, there was a brief pause when it stretched its wings (below).
“The conclusion of its prolonged preening routine (lasting about 40 minutes) was punctuated by the stretching and... Read More
Crows harassing Black Kites
“From far, we saw a flock of black birds on a huge tree. From our earlier trekking trip near the Annapurna trails (Nepal), we saw crows gliding like raptors. So naturally, we thought they were crows. But we were wrong as we approached the tree. There were more birds at the river below the tree. This river called Bagmati River is one of the rivers that flow through Kathmandu. It was heavily polluted, smelly and not a living fish could be seen.
“As we came... Read More
Crested Serpent-eagle – thermal spirals
“I have a respect for raptors as elegant fliers and often take time off to watch them catch the thermal spirals late morning to hunt.
“Was watching these two Crested Serpent-eagles (Spilornis cheela) climb upwards, circling each other, when suddenly one crashed into the other (above). The bird that made the ‘mistake’ looked a bit different, having a slightly lighter plumage (top bird in left panel and bottom bird in right panel). Either an in... Read More
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