Pollination of Bottle Gourd flowers
The Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) belongs to the cucumber family Cucurbitaceae. It is a strong climber with large heart-shaped leaves (above). The plant bears male and female flowers on slender stalks. The female flowers are differentiated from the male by … Continued
Japanese Robin – Hokkaidō
“One of the darlings of the trip were the Japanese Robins (Larvivora akahige akahige). Given the opportunity I would like to spend many days learning about them. “The birds are not hard to find as the song is distinctive and … Continued
Jungle Babblers drying in the sun
“I was surprised to find there were no Jungle Babblers posted about on the Bird Ecology Study Group site. “In the video below, three Satbhais (Jungle Babbler, Turdoides striata) have had a bath and are drying themselves in the late … Continued
Bird Dropping Spider
Ong Ei Leen’s video clip of the Bird Dropping Spider (Cyrtarachne sp.) was documented in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve way back in March 2016. According to Ei Leen: “The image resembles bird dropping but interestingly on video the movements … Continued
Narcissus Flycatcher – songs
“Narcissus Flycatchers (Ficedula narcissina narcissina) are very vocal in their breeding grounds and are noted to have a very varied song. They are also noted to practise mimicry. We heard a variety of songs, often repeated every 4-5 seconds. Some … Continued
© Nesting Common Tailorbirds: One Full Circle Part 2
Part 1; Part 2: Nest building: “Nesting activity was first discovered on 15April, 2019, when foliage of potted sapling – Ficus benghalensis in my balcony was observed to have curled unusually (above). I suspected nest building began at most two … Continued
Black-thighed Falconet – dragonfly prey
“I had an extended opportunity to observe two first year Black-thighed Falconets (Microhierax fringillarius) – as seen from the significant residual rufous colouration on the white parts of the head). “They caught and fed mainly on dragonflies. One of the … Continued
Pair of Pink-necked Green-pigeon chicks fell from the nest…
A pair of Pink-necked Green-pigeons (Treron vernans) built their simple nest at the base of an old palm frond. As the frond turned older, it slowly bent downwards causing the chicks to be displaced from the nest (below). Mrs Kame … Continued
Return of the Lesser Whistling Ducks
The Lotus Pond at Gardens by the Bay is currently attracting hordes of nature photographers. The main attraction is a pair of Lesser Whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna javanica) accompanied by a raft of about 11 ducklings. No doubt the cuteness of the … Continued
White-backed Woodpecker – Hokkaidō
“We saw the White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos subcirris) a few times but less often than the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major japonicas) LINK. They are very similar as first glance. White-backed Woodpeckers in Hokkaido have more white in the plumage … Continued
