Intense observation of nesting birds is really not my forte. Apart from being intensive and a time consuming hobby, it is treading thinly into the fragile realm of avian breeding cycles. It is not recommended for novice bird watchers/photographers or twitchers ill primed for scientific field work.
It is not because I dislike the idea of looking at naked chicks. To say I am not curious would be not telling the truth. However, it will not be easy for any birder to convince me to make a ‘Beep! Beep!’ road runner‘s dash to join the queue of elated nest chasers for hunting shots; go home feeling lucky-happy; and or, competitively comparing images with each other at the expense of stressing nesting birds.
In the interest of birds’ welfare, I choose to be recalcitrant in this aspect of not observing nesting birds at close range or be absent. And, if that decision I make is one less potential human predator to parenting birds, or compromise the breeding cycle of especially rare birds, that is fine by me.
Somehow, the power of the unseen has an uncanny way of rewarding me for my choice to stay convicted to my beliefs. It provides me the joys of sighting those rarities in the wild conveniently, without me having to chase or hunt them down; and showing me things of interests or situations to write and share my thoughts and joys with readers. Some may choose to call it birding luck.
Laura and Laurie, the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycononotus goiavier) may not be a rarity in Malaysia. But they are soon to show their appreciation of my noble intent, by supporting my cause as their avian ambassadress, in the advocacy of good, birding practice.
In the past several years, pairs of bulbuls have turned my balcony into an avian maternity home. They came and went with their new families. I was reluctant to get myself embroiled in observation right from the beginning as that would mean also, I had to follow through until fledging. Anyway, let’s zoom in to read and see what they have been acting up.

This time it was different. With Laurie’s moon walking stunts and sending me avian Morse Code with his tap dance repertoires, he finally got my attention (left). This hero is different and got style!
He was like telling me, “Hey Mam, we have decided on the nesting venue; we are Steven Spielberg’s nominated actor and actress and we have chosen you to roll the camera; and, we are ready!” How could one refuse such a privileged invitation when the stage is set and brought forth in front of one’s bedroom window, and the obligation of knowing your home is the chosen one? And so… this story began one day in January 2007.

Laura and Laurie were finally seen together perched in their favourite roost- a Christmas tree tucked at the side of the driveway (top right).
It has taken Laurie months to win Laura over. The tinkling sounds of tap-dancing finally came to a halt. The pair disappeared for their pre-nuptial honeymoon and appeared after an absence of 2 long months. Laura turned up one day perched on the balcony rail with nesting material. Laurie on sentry duties spotted me observing from my bedroom. Vigilant as always, he squawked a warning call to his mate, sending her fleeing into a nearby mango fruit tree.
‘This is not good’ I said to myself and decided to get my act together and did right by draping a camouflaged curtain in the balcony. Further observation revealed the nesting site to be at a corner of the side balcony, where I had used assorted artificial foliages to decorate a hanging macramé basket (bottom above)
A recycled, old bird cage picked up from a Masalama (Goodbye) sale once used as ornamental piece for decorating miniature indoor plants, found a new purpose with the hanging macramé basket.
Laura and Laurie’s parenting skills were excellent, well synchronised and exhibited outstanding team work.

The 3-point observation technique: ‘Look right, look front, look left’ for predators is always mustered before the nesting site is approached (above). Nest raiders like the Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) are commonly seen and they are never far away.
The speed at which the nest was built was astonishingly quick. By evening the same day, the nest was already taking shape (below). Materials used ranged from dried straws to foliages found nearby.

What was interesting and intelligently put to use was a polythene sheet, lined at the bottom to reinforce and waterproof the nest. Discerning housing contractors would also use a waterproof membrane to line the foundation at ground level before bricks and mortar get piled on top. I wonder who is learning from whom?
The images show a very neat, steady nest, piling tall, testifying the fine workmanship of Laura and Laurie. It is not shoddy and short changing like many houses being built these days.
It took three days to complete the nest. It looked like a nest built within a nest. Fourth day was rest day for Laura and Laurie.

The first egg with reddish-brown spots came on the fifth day. The balcony was sectioned off and I decided it was time to head off for a retreat, leaving the house to the pair to incubate their eggs with minimal disturbance (far left). A week later upon my return, a second egg was observed. Exactly fourteen days after the first egg was laid, Laura was seen with grub in her beak (above right, arrow).
It was time for another inspection. The eggs have hatched and two featherless chicks noted. I decided to take no photographs to show readers. Instead, to visualize what new born naked chicks would look like. Besides, they were nothing chic or pretty to look at this stage, similar to new born human babies.
It was a critical time. For chicks to thrive, feeding schedules had to be maintained and predators kept away. I had to exercise discretion and I kept my distance.

There are 39 species of bulbuls in SEA belonging to the Pycnonotidae family and they are mainly insectivorous and frugivorous. What did Laura and Laurie feed the chicks with? Let’s take a look at some images (left).
Four days into hatching, Laurie was observed bringing in the biggies! First a damsel fly and later in the week, a grasshopper!
There was a night and day of continuous rainfall and the heavens opened its’ ‘flood gates’ and deluged the whole residential area with flood waters.

Feeding continued. While there were no life creepy-crawlies to be had on bad days, Laura was seen soaking wet and bringing in a motionless looking stale, crumb of macaroni for the hungry chicks (far right). Well, hard times call for tough measures.
Parenting is a stressful and strenuous task as seen in the plumage of Laurie and Laura. Apart from having lost some weight, they have not been preening themselves to look neat and in good form like other birds did (top left).

A week into hatching, a quick, opportunity inspection was carried out when Laura was away for breakfast with Laurie. I soon learnt the familiar 7am- breakfast, whistle call by Laurie.
The chicks were looking spiky (top left). On the 9th day, transformation was amazing. They were looking downy (bottom left). On the 11th day, a commotion was heard in the balcony. I popped my head out of the doorway to investigate.
‘Oh, my goodness!’ I was taken by surprise.
A chick was perching stoically on the edge of the nest. The parents were frantically coaxing the chick to fly. I dashed downstairs for my camera and raced up again equally as excited as the parenting pair. Was the chick still there? Yes!

It was still waiting for me to provide a hand-held single, blurry shot. After which, the chick took flight with the parents (top right). The nest became empty. Suddenly… all went quiet (bottom right).
I was taken by surprise that fledging came so early. What happened to the other chick? Was it predated or fledged earlier?
Four days after fledging, it rained heavily. Like every parent with pangs of concern of a child’s safety just left home, I wondered how the chicks weathered the storm.
As Mother Nature is the best provider of survival instincts, one chick was seen perched under the canopy balcony for shelter while parents weathered the storm at the roost.
The Omega chapter has got to be the most rewarding to write. Here I am able to finally confirm the well being of two lovely and healthy chicks of Laura and Laurie on the 8th day of fledgling.
Readers, I present you: Laura-Laurie Juniors (below: right male, left female).

SUBMITTED BY DAISY O’NEILL (Avian Writer), PENANG, MALAYSIA.
(The bedroom was used as an observation point and hide. Some images were shot from the bedroom. No flash photography used in any of the images.)
kris
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hi, I am new to bird photography! Could anyone advise a good pair of binoculars to get for this hobby?
YC
Try this Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/groups/394479540610099/
I am sure there would be someone willing to advise.
Geam Liang
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Any images?
Emily Koh
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
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
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
One of best souce for the bird watcher’s enjoying knowledge about ornithology
Martin Nyffeler (PhD)
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
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