2 Dec 2007

Drongo taking insects on the wing

by BESG | posted in: Feeding strategy, Feeding-invertebrates | 3

On 13th November 2007, Kevin Lam of Nature Spies alerted me to the excellent images posted by Calvin Chang in ClubSnap. Through the good office of Kevin, I got in contact with Calvin who graciously gave me permission to post his images in Multiply.

It was evening at the summit of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and it had just stopped drizzling when Calvin Chang aka De’Switch was witness to a termite hatch. A hatch is when the reproductive termites emerge from their mounds to fill the air with their presence. The sexes will couple in the air to then land on the ground, shedding their wings and moving on to start a colony of their own.

During this hatch there would be an orgy of feasting by a mix collection of birds and later the ground will be covered with a carpet of discarded wings. No doubt, most of the termites will be food for birds but there would be many survivors to propagate the species.

As Calvin reported, there were numerous termites (it could be the tail end of a hatch) in the air and there were three Greater Racket-tailed Drongos (Dicrurus paradisus) partaking in the feast. The lighting was definitely not ideal for photography, not to mention the black birds against a darkening background. And there was an inconsiderate jogger who cared only for his jogging and care not that an exciting natural event was unfolding in front of his eyes. So the jogger simply jogged on despite a request to hold on, chasing the birds away as a result.

Despite all these setbacks, Calvin still managed to get a few excellent shots that I am showcasing here. And this is the first time I have seen images of drongos actually catching insects on the wing.

Input and images by Calvin Chang aka De’Switch; Kevin Lam of Nature Spies alerted BESG on the initial posting of the images.

1 Dec 2007

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo following woodpeckers

by BESG | posted in: Feeding strategy, Feeding-invertebrates | 1

Gloria Seow was walking along Rock Path at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on the morning of 11th November 2007 when she spotted two Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradisus). What attracted Gloria to the drongos was that they were behaving like woodpeckers and nuthatches – clinging onto a vertical trunk of a dipterocarp tree and nibbling at what she thought was greenish white growth on the trunk’s surface (below).

“Both drongos used their tail as an additional prop, similar to what woodpeckers would do, but they had trouble keeping up this unnatural yoga position for long and had to fly off frequently to a nearby branch to perch and rest before resuming their vertical balancing act. These drongos improvised too, clinging on sideways or even upside down at times. Has anybody ever witnessed such a curious act? And pray tell, what are they nibbling at?”

Haniman Boniran responded: “Yes I have witnessed this behavioural patterns in GRT Drongs before. A few times I was along Mandai Lake Road and along the roadside there are many trees that the drongos use as a feeding station. They would perch exactly how you described them and used the tail as additional support. There is a pair of resident along that stretch. I can’t identify the tree but its rather common along Mandai Lake Road. The birds would feed on exposed or rotting tree, boulders and ant/termite nests on the trees. So far I have spotted them feeding in this manner twice. Both times in the evening around 5-630 pm.

“This is also the location where the Changable Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus) snatched the Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans) I was releasing sometime back.”

KF Yap thinks that it is the lichens that the drongos were after, either as food or nesting materials.

Susan Wong of Malaysia similarly witnessed such behaviour in the drongo at the Penang Botanical Garden. She recalled seeing a pair clinging on the trunk of an old, big tree, moving up and down very fast. At times they they spread their wings using their tail to support them. “It was a very strange scene to me and until today I have yet to understand what are they trying to do. I do recall noticing their vertical perch with wing spread out on a tree trunk – they did it very clumsily because their toes are not like woodpecker’s.”

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (left) often follows foraging woodpeckers, malkoha and arboreal squirrels. The drongo benefits from the invertebrates that the woodpeckers flush out. The drongo in the above account may have been following a woodpecker or it may have been collecting lichens or even bark fragments for nesting materials.

A recent study by a pair of researchers at the Pasoh Forest Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia reported the frequent association among various species of woodpeckers and the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo in the lowland forest. When a woodpecker landed on a tree trunk, the drongo would perch on a nearby horizontal branch just below it. The drongo often sallies forth for a flushed arthropod. When the woodpecker moves to another tree, the drongo followed.

The drongo on the tree trunk reported by Gloria may be going for an insect flushed by a woodpecker. It may also be collecting nesting materials.

Gloria Seow, Haniman Boniran, KF Yap & Susan Wong
Singapore-Malaysia
December 2007
(Images: top by Gloria Chow and below by Chan Yoke Meng)

Reference:
Styring, A. & Ickes, K. (2001). Interactions between the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus and woodpeckers in a lowland Malaysian rainforest. Forktail 17:119-120.

30 Nov 2007

Flocking of Long-tailed Broadbill

by BESG | posted in: Feeding strategy, Miscellaneous | 1

During the last weekend of November 2007 at Peninsular Malaysia’s Fraser’s Hill, Pamela Lim was witness to an exciting phenomenon involving the flocking of “hundreds” of Long-tailed Broadbills (Psarisomus dalhousiae). The video posted in You Tube by Tee Lian Huat mentions about 60 birds in one tree. When queried, Pamela admitted that “the hundreds were my description in excitement as I saw flock upon flock flying up from the depths to one tree. The number 60 plus is just a conservative estimate. They flew to the next tree, and then flew away. The second wave had about 30. We don’t know if it’s the same flock or not.”

The image above shows a few of the flocking birds taking a rest on the leafless branches of a tree.

Long-tailed Broadbill is a distinctive bird with a yellow face, slender green body and long blue tail. It’s high-pitched call usually announces its presence, but whether you can spot it is another matter. It usually hides among the foliage of trees.

Many broadbills are gregarious and are often seen in small flocks. They even join mixed-species flocks when these bird waves pass through their foraging areas. The Long-tailed has been reported to form noisy foraging parties of about 15 birds during non-breeding periods. In the Indian Subcontinent, as many as 40 birds have been reportedly seen together. This observation of a pure Long-tailed Broadbill bird wave of probably more than a hundred birds in Fraser’s Hill may well be a record.

According to Wells (2007): “During at least a part of the year birds also form monospecific bands whose collective movements through foliage, climbing among creepers, etc., are likely to benefit surface-snatchers by the disturbance created.” However, no number is mentioned.

Pamela Lim
Malaysia
November 2007

References:
1. Bruce, M. D. (2003). Family Eurylaimidae (broadbills). Pp.54-93 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 8. Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.
2. Morten, S. (2004). Birds of Fraser’s Hill: An illustrated guide and checklist. Singapore: Nature’s Niche.
3. Wells, D.R. (2007). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. II, Passerines. Christopher Helm, London.

28 Nov 2007

Little Heron chick: 6. Reaction to threat

by BESG | posted in: Heron-Egret-Bittern, Rescue | 1

The Little Heron (Butorides striatus) chick rescued from the Bukit Timah campus, responded to handling by lunging at the perceived threat. The sudden lunge with its large and pointed bill, together with the loud keek-keek-keek was enough to intimidate any predator (left). And for some time I was intimidated. The few times it’s bill hit bull’s eye caused only a harmless poke.

As the chick grew older, it lunged with an even larger gape (below). The sudden

lunging of the wide open bill, now with a larger gape accompanied by a loud scolding was an even more effective deterrent – and I can vouch for that.

Initially I was intimidated by the ferocity of the chick’s reaction. Gradually, I realised that the peck was harmless but the action still had its effect. Together with the large, flapping wings, the chick gave the appearance of being larger than it actually was (right). This, of course, is how a harmless chick deals with potential predators.

About a week later, when the bill was better developed, the bird simply lunged without and scolding. And when the bill hit its target, it was only a slight pinch rather than a poke. The image above was taken on 26th November, with the bird puffing up, neck held back and ready to lunge.

And since the early scolding, I have yet to hear a squeak from the bird, except when it was handled for ringing and weighing. And I cannot help but wonder why?

YC Wee
Singapore
November 2007

26 Nov 2007

A feast of flowers: Bulbuls and starfruit

by BESG | posted in: Feeding-plants, Plants | 2

On the evening of 30th October 2007, I was alerted to the call of a Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) that regularly visit my garden. It continuously made a high pitch wit-ti-waet. Normally, they would perch on the fronds of my two tall ceram palms (Rhopaloblaste ceramica). This time the call came from another location. It was from my starfruit tree (Averrhoa carambola ) (above). Trying hard to locate it, I went under the tree and imitated the call until I located its position. The bird returned my call and continued perching where it was, even when it noticed me below, not more than a metre-and-a-half away.

About half an hour later the call was again heard. This time there was at least a pair of the Red-whiskered Bulbuls. Together with this pair were half a dozen or so Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier).

The birds were busy moving rapidly from one branch of the tree to another, pecking at something that I thought were ants. Looking at the birds through a pair of binoculars, I soon found out that they were actually plucking flowers and flower buds off the branches and swallowing them (above: Red-whiskered left, Yellow-vented right).

All this time the Yellow-vented were not making any calls and only the flapping of their wings was heard as they moved around the crown of the tree.

This was the first time I have seen either of the bulbuls in the tree, not to mention seeing them eating the flowers and the buds.

The next afternoon I again heard the call of the Red-whiskered. This time it was alone. Again I imitated its call until I located where it was. It was perching by a bunch of flowers and actively picking and swallowing flower buds. At times it moved along the branch, pecking around its feet, no doubt picking ants. Soon, its call attracted another bird, but I was not able to see whether it was a Yellow-vented or another Red-whiskered.

The Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) can often be seen gleaning insects. And the Tanimbar Corellas (Cacatua goffini) visit the tree when it bears young fruits.

Input and images by YC.

25 Nov 2007

Common Ravens at play

by BESG | posted in: Miscellaneous | 1

Corvids (crows, ravens, jays, nutcrackers and magpies) exhibit the most complex play behaviour.

The Common Ravens (Corvus corax), the largest of the corvids, exhibit play catching, flight play, bathing play, vocal play, hanging, games, allospecific interactions, sliding and snow-romping.

As with most behavioural traits in birds, these are all described from the west. So far, limited play observations have been described from Asia. Brazil (2002) reported raven play in Hokkaido, Japan in winter, indulging in sliding and rolling in snow or snow-romping.

In October 2007, Lin Yangchen observed the evening play of Common Ravens on a small hill overlooking a village (4,400m a.s.l.) on the Tibetan plateau.

These include one flying like “a stealth bomber (left top), another “about to jettison a sheep’s horn” to subsequently land near where it fell on the ground (left bottom). The bird approached the horn but the presence of tourists scared it off. The birds were also gliding “in the way children race down the street on bicycles” (left middle).

He also documented them hanging from the overhead wires with one or both feet, or even by the tips of their bills, then indulging in free falls. The birds could even execute a 360-degree sideways roll in aerial acrobatic (below left) or indulge in “levitation” as Yangcheng aptly describes it (below right).

Input and images by Lin Yangchen.

Reference:
Brazil, Mark (2002). Common Raven Corvus corax at play; records from Japan. Ornithol. Sci. 1:150-2.

23 Nov 2007

Little Heron chick: 5. The bird has been ringed

by BESG | posted in: Heron-Egret-Bittern, Rescue | 0

On 14th November 2007, our field ornithologist Wang Luan Keng (above right), came over to ring the chick of the Little Heron (Butorides striatus) (above left) 12 days after its rescue. The ring is inscribed “Sungei Buloh Nat Park F0028” (left).

The bird was weighed (175g) and measured (bill length 50.4mm; tarsus 42.1mm; wing length 145mm; and tail 38mm). It is to be noted that the wing and tail feathers are still coming in.

Details of the bird was also noted: primary feathers 10; secondary feathers 16; tail feathers 5 pairs; iris lemon yellow; outer eye ring black; tarsus and toes yellow-green; soles yellow; upper mandible pinkish blue, darker at the tip; lower mandible paler.

Ringing was done on the earlier suggestion of the Singapore Zoological Gardens’ Curator (Zoology), Douglas M Richardson that the chick should be rung above the “knee” and not around the “ankle” so that it may be identified later.

Wang Luan Keng
Singapore
November 2007
(Images by YC Wee)

22 Nov 2007

Durian, squirrel and White-crested Laughingthrush

by BESG | posted in: Feeding-plants | 3

Dr Ivan Polunin lives in Hillview, off Upper Bukit Timah Road. Fronting his house is an old and very tall durian tree (Durio zibethinus) (left). For the years he has been living in his current house, he claims that he has yet to taste the fruits.

Every fruiting season the tree gives forth many fruits. These invariable fall when ripe. All the fruits on the ground would have been damaged by the Common Red-bellied squirrel (Callosciurus.notatus), also known as Plantain Squirrel.

During the last flowering season there were numerous flowering buds that developed into flowers. The squirrels came regularly to feast on the fleshy petals. He filmed the flowers one night with the aid of infra-red lamps. The video was on for an hour but there was no sign of any bats visiting the flowers.

As there were no bats pollinating the flowers, Ivan concluded that the squirrels must have done the job. In the process of eating the petals, they must have invariably transferred pollen to the stigmas.

For the record, the literature reports pollination by bats and night-flying moths. Pollinating by squirrels may be something new.

The flowers eventually developed into fruits and when the ripening fruits were at the optimal ripeness (from the squirrels’ standpoint), the squirrels came and gnawed an opening on the spiky fruit wall of each and every fruit – to get at the succulent flesh (below left).

The squirrels had first priority of the flesh. Then the White-crested Laughingthrushes (Garrulax leucolophus) took over from the squirrels (above right).

So far, we have documented Orange Bellied Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum trigonostigma) and Plain-throated Sunbirds (Anthreptes malacensis) eating the durian flesh: see HERE. There is also a claim that the Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) was seen at the fruit. The Perak Bird Group of the Malaysian Nature Society has documented on video a Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) feasting on the fruit.

Dr Ivan Polunin
Singapore
November 2007
(Images of durian by YC and of squirrel-durian and laughingthrush by Johnny Wee)

21 Nov 2007

Monitor lizards at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

by BESG | posted in: Habitat | 1

The Malayan Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) has made Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve its home. Once relatively scarce, it is now common to see them along the main paths, in ponds and even around the entrance, so much so that the lizard is a minor attraction (above).

The lizard is an excellent swimmer, in fresh as well as saline waters. It can remain submerged in the water for up to half an hour. It can move with good speed relative to its size on land. It also climbs trees when the situation demands.

This is one of the larger lizard in the world and can grow to over 2 metres long. Shy by nature, it does not appear to be shy in the reserve. Most of the times it will back off when approached too near. However, visitors should leave the monitor lizard alone and not confront it, as larger ones can be dangerous and their bites can cause serious injuries.

It is a carnivore as well as a scavenger. Most of all, it is an opportunistic predator. It will eat almost everything that it can swallow. Its diet includes small mammals, snakes, lizards, young crocodiles, tortoises, birds and their eggs, fish, crabs and molluscs. However, it prefers carrion.

The lizard hunts by pursuing, rather than stalking or ambushing prey. And it regularly raids bird’s nests.

It has been brought to our attention that its presence in such numbers at the reserve can be detrimental to nesting waterbirds.

The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) (left top) has never been sighted in the reserve. Can its absence be due to the presence of the lizards? The Lesser Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica) used to breed in the area but no more. However, its absence, according to Wang Luan Keng, can be due to the presence of the snakehead (Channa sp.). Some years ago she saw a duckling being swallowed by the fish in a freshwater pond. The Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (left bottom) was sighted recently by KC Tsang but whether it is nesting in the reserve is another matter.

A pertinent question is, should the population be culled to a manageable level?

Input by KC Tsang and YC, images by KC (montage: top left, bottom right; Common Moorhen), Chan Yoke Meng (Little Grebe) and YC (the rest).

References:
1. http://www.cyclura.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=104
2.http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/
Varanus_salvator.html

19 Nov 2007

Heron chick: 4. Teach the bird to fish…

by BESG | posted in: Feeding chicks, Heron-Egret-Bittern, Rescue | 14

On 13th November 2007, the Little Heron (Butorides striatus) has been under care for 11 days. All this time it was fed pieces of fish fillet, later pieces of whole fish. The bird was offered the pieces at the end of a pair of tweezers. It lunged at the pieces and immediately swallowed them, taking two to three pieces one after the other, although sometimes it had difficulties getting them down its throat.

Then it was transferred to a large cage (left). The sides of the cage needed to be lined with newspapers as it kept on trying to squeeze through the wires. Here, its behaviour changed. Every time it was fed, it took the first piece offered, refusing subsequent pieces, until an interval of time.

On the 13th evening I tried a strategy suggested by Victor Lee: “…As to learning to forage, what I used to do at Jurong BirdPark was to put birds like these inside a paddock with a small pool, etc. Put in live fish, tadpole, frogs, etc. and get them to work it out themselves. When they are hungry enough, they will forage and learn to pick up the live food. Hope this helps.”

So I purchased a bag of mixed guppies and mollies sold by aquarium shops for feeding predatory fishes kept by hobbyists. Two dishes, each with nine fish were placed inside the cage. One was a shallow dish (right), the other deeper.

The bird, not fed for the last six hours, simply stared at the fish in one dish, not moving a step. When I dropped a piece of the usual fish inside the dish together with the swimming fish, it took the piece and swallowed it after about ten minutes.

One of the live fish jumped out of the dish and died. This dead fish was placed on a spoon and left inside the cage. It was subsequently eaten.

Three hours later when I looked inside the cage, the shallow dish was devoid of fish. The bird had eaten all the eight remaining fish, leaving the fish inside the deeper dish uneaten. Overnight, the nine live fish in the deeper dish were also eaten save for a dead one floating in the water. This was removed from the dish and offered to the bird who immediately took it.

The images above show the sequence of the bird taking the fish from the deeper dish the following day.

When the guppies and mollies were all eaten, I got small goldfishes that were slightly larger. When offered in a dish of water, the bird went straight for one but the fish slipped out of its grasp before its head could be positioned for swallowing (below). It had to try again a few times before it succeeded in swallowing it. Subsequent attempts also had to be repeated.

After eating more than 30 goldfishes, the bird became well versed in handling the fish. Just before posting, I fed the remaining five and it took every one of them head first and swallowed them on the first attempt.

So the experiment is a success, thanks to Victor Lee. The bird should have a reasonable chance of survival when released into the wild.

“Give the bird a fish and you feed it for a day. Teach the bird to fish and you feed it for a lifetime.”

Victor Lee & YC Wee
Singapore
November 2007
(Images by YC Wee)

26 Responses

kris

10th January 2011 | Reply

I just found a young dollarbird in the garden.. It seems to have left the nest too early and cannot fly yet. How am i to keep and feed it for a few days untill it can fly.???
Raja

17th March 2011 | Reply

March 20 is world sparrow day!

CHIRP FOR SPARROWS!
TWEET FOR SPARROWS!
TEXT FOR SPARROWS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?client=mv-google&hl=en-GB&v=MQiq8FHrG_0&gl=US&nomobile=1
Iwan

26th April 2012 | Reply

We have a small pond in our garden surrounded by trees and steep bedrock. The other day we saw a heron flying over and attempting to land – I guess to try to eat our small stock of fish. We managed to frighten it away before it landed, and have since installed trip wires around the pond in order to dissuade the bird. The amount of shelter around the pond means that a heron would have to land practically vertically. Does anyone know whether these birds have the agility to hover and land in this way, or do they always need a “glidepath” in order to land successfully?
Khng Eu Meng

1st November 2012 | Reply

Today, at the former Bidadari Cemetery, there was a buzz about a sighting of a Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus jotaka). I heard some birders say this nightjar isn’t commonly seen in Singapore. After some hunting, we spotted it asleep on a tree branch, some 15 m above ground. This was rather interesting as my previous encounters with nightjars have been on either terra firma or on low branches.

Is this perching so high up the tree normal or is it unusual? I have posted a photo of it on my Facebook Timeline: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151125012234135&set=a.108191464134.96538.617499134&type=1&theater
Jess

21st February 2013 | Reply

Bird Sanctuary At Former Bidadari Cementry

1)Which is the best spot in Bidadari cemetery for bird watch?

2)Where this bird usually resident at?

3)What are some of the rare bird species that can be found at Bidadari?

4)Where is the particular hot spot for the hornbills, eagles, kingfishers and some of the rare migratory bird?

5)Which part of Bidadari are richest in it wildlife?

6)Can you name me the 59 migratory bird species found?
YC

22nd February 2013 | Reply

Why not search the website using the word ‘Bidadari’ to obtain the information you need. There should be sufficient info in past postings to satisfy you.
Firdaus Razak

23rd March 2013 | Reply

Hai, I just want to ask did anybody had an experience bring bird from oversea via MasKargo? Did the bird will stress at high altitude?
Arjun

29th March 2013 | Reply

I heard this interesting bird call in a forest, and recorded it. Could anyone help me identify it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uubzo1wdbU&feature=youtu.be
Chung Wah

13th May 2014 | Reply

Hi, I am new to bird photography! Could anyone advise a good pair of binoculars to get for this hobby?
YC

14th May 2014 | Reply

Try this Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/groups/394479540610099/
I am sure there would be someone willing to advise.
Geam Liang

29th January 2015 | Reply

I ‘acquired’ a female Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 5 days ago – was in a public place when the bird flew overhead hit the wall and dropped right in front of me dazed. I picked it up, it appeared unhurt but could not sustain it’s flight. I have since constructed a fairly large ‘cage’ for it, about 4ft x 2fx x 2ft and placed it there last night. I temporarily placed her in a normal bird cage until I had completed the build.
From what I have read up, it’s a fruit, seed and insect feeder and also nectar, flower buds. It’s doing as well as it can on bananas, papaya, jack-fruit (didn’t touch the grape) and seeds (black and white sunflower and other smaller ones). It loves to bathe so I’ve gotten it a tray and from what I read it’s important to keep things clean as it easily succumbs to infection.
Does anyone else have any useful experience and sharing on it’s upkeep? I suspect this bird is an escapee – as far as I can read up, it’s not common, if at all, found in Georgetown, Penang where I am. I’m also not optimistic that it can survive if I were to set it free – assuming it can sustain it’s flight and not go crashing down and if there were dogs/cats around that would be the end of it.
I can attach some pictures but not sure how to do this…
thanks.
Lee Chiu San

29th January 2015 | Reply

The blue-crowned hanging parrot, even though very closely related to the lovebirds, is a nectar feeder. You would raise it the way you raise a lorikeet – which is a messy process. And because you are mixing batches of food for just one little bird, whereas I used to do it for about half a dozen pigeon-sized lorikeets each morning, I don’t know how you are going to get the portions down to manageable sizes. Anyway, here goes, with my recipe for feeding big lories. You can adjust the proportions down accordingly for your little bird.

The staple diet would be a couple of slices of soft fruit (papaya, apple, grapes, even though I am surprised that you said the bird would not eat any) and a mixture of cooked rice sweetened with nectar mix.

How to make nectar mix? Go to a pharmacy and get a can of food for invalids or infants. I use Complan, but I am sure any good baby formula would do. I usually make up enough to fill a beer mug, but there is no way you need that amount for a day’s feeding. If in doubt, make the mixture thinner, not thicker. Birds cannot digest baby formula that is too thick. If it is too thin, they simply have to consume more to get the required amount of energy. Then to this mug, add half a teaspoonful of rose syrup. Also stir in about a cup of cooked rice, well mashed up.

In the case of your bird, I suggest that you pour this lot into an ice-cube tray, freeze the mixture, and defrost one cube to feed it each day.

Now, you said that this bird eats sunflower seeds. This is most unusual for a blue-crowned hanging parrot. Are you sure that this is actually the species you have? Could it be possible that you have actually got a pet lovebird that escaped? There are so many different artificially-created breeds of lovebirds in so many colours that you might have been mistaken.

If you actually have a lovebird, feeding is much simpler. Just go to the nearest pet shop, buy a packet of budgerigar or cockatiel seed of a reputable international brand, and offer it to the bird. You can supplement this with a couple of slices of fruit each day, and that will be all. Plus of course fresh water and a piece of cuttlefish bone to nibble on.
Lee Chiu San

29th January 2015 | Reply

About nectar feeding birds. I forgot to add that feeding nectar is messy, and it goes rancid very quickly in our tropical weather. Feeding containers have to be removed and thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day. The birds also splatter the mixture and wipe their beaks on perches and the bars of the cage. All my lories and lorikeets used to be housed in outdoor aviaries which were hosed down daily.

If Geam Liang does not think the bird will survive if released, I really hope that it is a case of mistaken identity, and that you have a lovebird, rather than a blue-crowned hanging parrot. In our part of the world, all available lovebirds are domestically bred, take to captivity readily, and are easy to feed with commercially available seed mixtures. Yes, and being domestic pets, they would not survive if released.
Geam Liang

30th January 2015 | Reply

Thank you Chiu San for your inputs. Thus far, bananas and papayas work well. I’m not sure why it did not take to grapes – will try again. Am I supposed to peel it? I didn’t the last time, basically skewered a couple of grapes to a satay stick and positioned it as I did for the sliced and skinned papaya and peeled bananas.
I have yet to try rice and certainly not nectar but will try out your concoction – have half a mind to go to a pet shop to see if they carry nectar for birds. The ice-cube freeze method is a good one, will try that. I might be mistaken on the sunflower seeds… not touched but it did eat the much smaller roundish, mixed colored seeds. Will remove the sunflower seeds.
I’m sure it’s a female blue crowned hanging parrot.. it sleeps like a bat every night.
Lee Chiu San

30th January 2015 | Reply

When feeding local birds which are unfamiliar with imported fruits such as grapes, it helps to split the fruits to expose the edible parts. As to your remark that the bird sleeps hanging upside down like a bat, yes, that is the way blue-crowned hanging parrots sleep.
Geam Liang

30th January 2015 | Reply

Thanks… I need to think like a bird – yup. She has probably not seen a grape much less know that it’s edible, unless the previous owner has fed her with grapes… even then… Today she’s done pretty well making the most of the banana and all of the papaya plus quite a bit of seeds. Will try the baby food + mashed rise + rose syrup.
Will regular honey do instead of rose syrup?
Thanks.
Lee Chiu San

31st January 2015 | Reply

About making nectar to feed birds. Most aviculturalists do not use honey for two reasons: 1. It is expensive and does not seem to give any added benefits. 2. Honey is made by bees, and the composition varies wildly. Some honeys are also known to cause fungal infection in birds.

If you do not want to buy a huge bottle of rose syrup just for one tiny bird, there are cheaper alternatives. The first is plain table sugar, though most don’t seem to like it very much.

What many birds will accept quite readily as a sweetener is condensed milk – the type with sugar that coffee shop owners use.

Many, many birds have a sweet tooth (or should I say sweet beak?) Besides the usual suspects of lories, lorikeets, sunbirds and hummingbirds, for whom it is an essential part of the diet, nectar mixture is readily consumed by mynahs, leafbirds, fairy bluebirds, barbets, doves, parrots of all kinds, and a whole host of other species.
Geam Liang

2nd February 2015 | Reply

I tried the condensed mild, placed in in a small bottle cap.. only the ants showed interest. Am I supposed to dilute it? I didn’t =( I took you advice and refrained from honey. Have yet to find Rose Syrup from the shelves of TESCO… will try to mix the baby food + mashed rise + rose syrup/sugar syrup this week…
David Thackray

29th March 2015 | Reply

Can anyone help me identify a bird I saw in Singapore last week. Size of a smakll dove or thrush. Dark metallic back. Grey breast with red throat, chest.
BESG

29th March 2015 | Reply

Any images?
Emily Koh

21st June 2015 | Reply

Lately I bought a bird feeder which I fill with 4parts water n 1 part white sugar. Sunbirds come regularly to drink and they are really lovely to watch. May I know if it is bad for them to feed on this? Previously they would sometimes pierce and drink from my potted flowers
Emily Koh

21st June 2015 | Reply

Lately I bought a bird feeder which I fill with 4parts water n 1 part white sugar. Sunbirds come regularly to drink and they are really lovely to watch. May I know if it is bad for them to feed on this? Previously they would sometimes pierce and drink from my potted flowers.
Ken Sng

12th September 2015 | Reply

Hi Friends,

I need help in identifying these 13 birds which i’ve published in a public album on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/81819728@N00/y8ws5B

They are numbered 1-13 so if you know what they are please reply with number and name .

I’m doing a personal project to shoot 100 different birds in SG.

Thanks very Much !
Mahadevi Bhuti

19th October 2015 | Reply

One of best souce for the bird watcher’s enjoying knowledge about ornithology
Martin Nyffeler (PhD)

20th June 2018 | Reply

Dear Sir / Dear Madame,

I am a Senior Lecturer in Zoology at a University in Switzerland and I urgently need to get in touch with photographer Chan Yoke Meng, who takes beautiful photographs of birds near Singapore. Would you please mail me the email address of this photographer!

Thanks,
Martin
Wee Ming

17th September 2021 | Reply

Hello Besgroup,

Trust this email finds you well. We chance upon your photograph on your website and found the amazing image of the Laced Woodpecker and durians. We would like to explore the possibility of getting permission to use them for a new Bird Park in Singapore.

Spacelogic is a company based in Singapore and we have been contracted by Mandai Park Development to carry out design and build works relating to the exhibition interpretive displays in this new Bird Park.

Some background of the new Mandai Bird Park project; it will build upon the legacy of the Jurong Bird Park – https://www.wrs.com.sg/en/jurong-bird-park.html by retaining and building upon a world-reference bird collection and creating a place of colour and joy for all visitors. The new Bird Park will have a world-reference ornithological collection displayed in a highly immersive way with large walk-through habitats. To enhance visitors’ experience with storyline and narrative of the bird park, transition spaces are added to display exhibits that provide a varied type of fun, intuitive, interactive and educational experiences for all visitors. One of the habitats features the Laced Woodpecker on a flora panel It is in this flora panel that we are seeking your permission to feature the Laced Woodpecker. We are looking to use the first image on the link here.
Link can be found here: https://besgroup.org/2012/06/28/laced-woodpecker-and-durians/

We would like to ask if this is something that we can explore further and if yes, how can we go about with putting through a formal permission request. Thank you so much for considering our request and we look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest Regards,
Wee Ming
SPACElogic Pte Ltd

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