I had just returned from lunch when I heard this noisy bird just inside my garden. Looking up, I noticed a fledgling yellow-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus goiavier, standing in front of a ripe sweetsop, Annona squamosa. It hopped and flitted about on a bitter gourd vine, making a lot of noise while looking expectantly at the fruit. Mother bird soon appeared and pecked a hole through the fruit while balancing on the bitter gourd vine. Fledgling opened its beak wide while mother gave it mouthfuls of the sweet pulp. The fruit was completed devoured in half an hour.
The mother and fledgling pair continued to visit my garden over the following week. They competed with a resident plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) for the sweetsops. The fledgling made less noise and flew more gracefully with the passing of days, eventually not appearing at all.
Serangoon Gardens
25 April 2024
