banded woodpecker cooling off @ bukit brown 15Jan2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.
“I spotted the first male Banded Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma miniaceus) just outside of a large hole in a tree [in the Bukit Brown Cemetary at 11.15am on 15th Janusry 2012]. This was just before the tomb with the red-turbaned guards. It flew to an adjacent palm tree whilst another male banded woodpecker (the subject of the video clip, above) flew in to use the hole in the tree.
“After the first male woodpecker had abandoned the tree hole, the second one flew up to the tree and inspected the large hole before reversing itself into the hole and disappearing into it. Judging from the splashes, it was having a bath in the water collected in the tree hole. The water could not have been very clean as the bird’s feathers looked grimy when it finally came out at about the 3.45 mark.
“At the 1.54 mark, you can hear the first male woodpecker chasing a third intruding male Banded Woodpecker away. The ‘rapid-fire cackling’ was really loud and the chaser bird did not seem bothered with passing close within a few feet of me. It must have been really focused on the intruding male banded woodpecker to have ignored me at such close proximity. It continued chasing the third bird some distance into the surrounding trees.
“The bathing woodpecker saw fit to momentarily stop its bath and looked around to see what the fuss was about. Then, rather nonchalantly, it resumed its bath. The entire bath took about 4 minutes.”
Andy Dinesh
Singapore
21st January 2012
