“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
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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,...
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
Migratory birds, Bidadari and the threat to MacRitchie forest…
“Migratory birds do not choose Bidadari over the Central Catchment and other patches of trees. Migratory birds simply turn up everywhere. There are thousands upon thousands of migratory birds that move through Singapore during the migratory months, mainly during the autumn passage (latter months of the year). Most passerines move during the night and will put down at the nearest green patch at dawn or when the weather becomes unfavourable (eg. heavy rain). They also become... 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
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
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
Jungle Mynas eating oil palm fruits
An earlier post of a Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) eating an oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruit LINK reminded Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS that he had documented Jungle Mynas (Acridotheres fuscus torquatus) eating the same fruit. This was documented at Tanjung Rambutan Interior in Perak, Malaysia on 20th September 2009. So he sent in his images of a juvenile to share with others (below).
“A flock of adults and juvenile Jungle Myna were feeding on Oil Palm... Read More
BESG to expand its coverage beyond birds…
The Nature Society’s Bird Group started with the aim of attracting locals to birdwatching so that they can become citizen scientists and contribute to ornithology LINK. Unfortunately when locals took over the leadership, activities became totally recreational. As a result the Bird Ecology Study Group entered the scene to encourage birdwatchers to focus back on bird behaviour. So far we have succeeded as seen in the many contributions by photographers and independent... 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
Asian Fairy-bluebird’s whistle
The above video clip of the Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella) whistling its typical whee-eet, whee-eet, whee-eet call was documented by Jeremiah Loei at Singapore’s Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in September 2012.
BESG has compiled a catalogue of bird calls and songs of Singapore and Malaysian birds that can be accessed HERE. The catalogue is open ended and new recordings added regularly.... 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
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