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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,...
Blue-rumped Parrot eats starfruit (Averrhoa carambola)
Ong Ei Leen was the first to post the Blue-rumped Parrot (Psittinus cyanurus) eating the starfruit (Averrhoa carambola) at Singapore’s Venus Loop by Lower Peirce Reservoir in mid-May 2013. This rare resident is a wasteful eater, scattering bits and pieces of the fruit on the ground below in his effort to get at the seeds. This male’s eating behaviour (above) is very much like that of the Tanimbar Corella (Cacatua goffini) LINK. While the Tanimbar Corella removes... Read More
AUSTRALASIAN GANNET COLONY
“On 11th January 2013, I visited the tip of Farewell Spit, South Island, New Zealand to admire a colony of Australasian Gannets (Morus serrator, Maori name: Takapu) established on a sandy and windy location (above).
“There was heavy air traffic at this site, as birds frequently landed and took off, just like a busy international airport (above).
“Within this colony, a number of bonded pairs were already prominent. Whenever one partner returns to reunite... Read More
RED-BILLED GULLS BATHING
“In January 2013, a flock of Red-billed Gulls (Larus novaehollandiae, Maori names: Tarapunga, Akiaki) was intently engaged in communal bathing at a freshwater inlet near the Estuary of Avon/Heathcote, South Island, New Zealand (above).
“Their typical bathing routine includes: (a) repeated plunging of the head into the water (above) and (b) vigorous flapping of wings on the water surface (below).
“These gulls appeared to be enjoying every moment of their... Read More
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
Breeding of Masked Lapwing in Singapore
This is a follow-up on the earlier post on the Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) that is native to Australia, where juveniles were seen LINK. Masked Lapwings are also known as Spur-winged Plovers for their conspicuous yellow wing-spurs that they use mostly for attacking intruders to their nesting areas.
The debate then was whether the species was feral. Nature consultant Subaraj Rajathurai was interested to know whether there were observations of nests or chicks. Sighting of... Read More
WHITE-FACED HERONS FEEDING
“In January 2013, I had opportunities to witness the feeding behaviour of White-faced Herons (Ardea novaehollandiae, Maori name: Matuku) while exploring South Island, New Zealand. On 9th January, a heron was foraging among a dense mat of aquatic vegetation along a tidal inlet at Picton (above). It would make occasional but accurate strikes at small crustaceans (shrimp and crabs) that would be appropriate for an appetizer.
“On 10th January, a hungry heron was... Read More
Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker foraging
Samson Tan’s video clip above shows a Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos moluccensis) foraging along a bamboo culm, pecking vigorously on it to locate insect grubs living inside LINK. The video was shot in Singapore sometime in April 2013.
The image above clearly shows the woodpecker extending its long tongue into the opening it made at around the node. The image below shows it extracting the white grub from its hiding place... Read More
Fledging Moments – Update on the Red Junglefowl Chicks
The earlier post on Fledging Moments can be seen HERE.
“The two surviving chicks has since been reduced to one. On 14th April (yesterday) I saw it foraging on its own, no longer following the mother hen closely. There were a few adult RJF nearby.
“After taking the above video of the chick, I saw some puzzling behaviour. A hen kept on chasing it round and round. The former also chased the male (father of the chick) and another two hens nearby. The chick tried to... Read More
Spotted Dove feeding on crepe ginger seeds
Lena Chow submitted a video and images of a Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) perching on top of the inflorescence of a ginger plant. In the absence of the large white flowers (left), she was unable to recognise the plant.
However, Jana SKORNICKOVA of the National Parks Board identified the plant as the crepe ginger (Cheilocostus speciosus, also known as Costus speciosus). We thank Chew Ping Ting, also of NParks, who was kind enough to pass around the images to various... Read More
Little Green Bee-eaters taking a sand bath
Jude Perera of Sri Lanka captured this video of a small flock of Little Green Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) taking a sand bath in the Wilpattu National Park. Each bee-eater makes a small depression on the sand as it fluffs about to allow the sand to get between the feathers. This is part of its regular feather maintenance that includes preening and water bath.
The Little Green Bee-eater is common almost everywhere in dry-zone low country in Sri Lanka.
Over in Singapore and... Read More
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