On 16th November 2008, Vivian Choo “documented” an Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Vivian is the daughter of Choo Teik Ju, a regular contributor to the weblog. She is currently attending P2 of Nan Hua Primary School. And according to Teik Ju, “I normally bring her with me to nearby woods around Clementi Ave 4 and Sunset Way to show her birds and wildlife. When we walk along the woods, usually the abandoned old railway track, I explain to her the need to keep trees, both tall tree (for nesting and resting) and fig tree (for food). Sometimes, we pick seeds of fig tree to plant at the old railway track. She now knows bulbul, sunbird, myna, kingfisher and dollarbird. Her favorite bird is Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. She learns to respect nature and understanding it.”
Well, one is never too young to be exposed to nature.
This handsome dove is an uncommon resident seen in forested areas as well as forest edges. The first breeding record was made by Ng Bee Choo on 9th August 2005. She located an active nest in a tree at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The nest had an egg and a chick. Unfortunately, someone trimmed off certain branches around the nest for photography. The chick and egg subsequent disappeared from the nest, probably raided by a predator as a result of the nest becoming too visible.
This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.
