“Discovered by chance an active Little (Striated) Heron (Butorides striata) nest (below).
“I had the impression that herons and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) encountered in Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park were winter visitors. In view of the recent request for volunteers from Luan Keng on behalf of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to take part in the heron survey, I decided to pay more attention to see if I could sight herons at this time of the year, even as I was unable to participate in the survey.
“I was at the Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park this morning when I saw a flying bird overhead in the shape of a flying heron. It landed right in the tree where I was standing under. I started looking for it without success.
“After a while, I noticed a bird that appeared black flying from this tree to another one nearby. Soon I found a nest that resembled an old crow nest at the other tree. However the twigs that formed the nest seemed to be thicker than the usual ones used by crows. From the view finder of my camera, I could see movements coming from the nest but without sufficient details to identify the bird.
“After the bird settled down in the nest, I moved around to look for a better spot. This was found with a good frontal view of the bird which confirmed that it is a nesting Striated Heron.
“The edited video above shows the heron taking sometime to tidy up the nest before settling down to brood. The ending part gives a good frontal view of the brooding bird.”
Sun Chong Hong
Singapore
13th July 2013
Note: According to field ornithologist Wang Luan Keng, “There are two populations of Little Herons in Singapore – mostly residents which breed in Singapore and a much rarer migratory population. We’ve got sparse records of the nesting of Little Herons, so your record is a really good one.”
One Response
The nesting failed. Following the discovery of the nest, I went to check the status every few days, discreetly remaining in my car while doing so. To my dismay, the heron was no longer seen after 25 Jul.
The nest is right at the car park for visitors. It is also a short cut between Ang Mo Kio and Bishan for people. Many would walk past below the nest without being aware of its existence.