“The Ulu Dedap regions consist of extensive, large padi fields; as far as the eye can see. I saw a number of Zitting Cisticolas (Cisticola juncidis), some nesting other males with advertising calls.
“The above image shows a bird with nesting material. The image below shows the context – a tiny bird amidst a sea of padi fields (below).
“I was worried as the padi plants are about half a meter in height and already producing flowers. Can these birds produce fledglings before the harvest? I am sure birds here have, over the years, learnt the padi planting ‘life-cycle’.
“Reading up I get varying durations from the reproduction phase (flowers) to the ripening phase (harvesting) of rice plants. The period from the start of reproduction to ripening vary between 30-60 days. Shorter in sunnier regions, the tropics (~ 30 days). These birds take 20-25 days from hatching to fledging. Hope they make it in time.”
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
16th December 2015
Location: Ulu Dedap, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Extensive rice farming area with nearby rivers