“Whether they [Oriental Magpie Robins (Copsychus saularis)] are escapees or their off shoots, I do not know. But these are frequently seen in my condo, sometimes alone, sometimes in a pair. Very often their presence is immediately known by their beautiful, melodious songs. I have seen them singing on trees, or foraging on the open ground.
“Attached [is one of] three images taken at different times in my condo. The most recent one was taken when the bird came to within ten feet of me. When I first saw it, I went close to a comfortable distance. Then I played a recorded Oriental Magpie Robin song from my camera and once a while looked away to make it feel at ease. Perhaps it worked because after sometime it came really close to me.
“Attached also is an audio recording, HERE, in stereo, made with my camera on 30 Apr this year. You should be able to hear two birds singing. However, as I did not keep still during the recording, the perceived positions of the birds may change. The female OMR shown in the picture of the same date was one of the performers for the recording. It was very peaceful at that moment, with crickets chirping in the background. The tennis players had finished their games and were leaving the court. There were no barking dogs and noisy vehicles to disturb the peace.”
Sun Chong Hong
Singapore
21st July 2010
Sun Chong Hong
A Youtube video of the Oriental Magpie Robin that came very close to me, feeding on earthworms on that day, is now available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6otyyciEhkM