19 Sep 2007

Peaceful Dove: A filthy nest

by | posted in: Parasites, Waste | 6

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KC Tsang was at Neo Tiew Lane on 2nd September 2007 when he came across the nest of the Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata) (above). There was an adult in the nest together with two chicks. But what he noticed was the filth of the nest periphery, so much so that he wrote, “…this nest made of shit, bird shit. And the best thing is that it is all orderly, and properly arranged.” Tongue-in-cheek he continued, “Now the question is, how long did it take to collect all these faecal matter to build a nest, is all the faecal matter from the same two adults, is it not very unhealthy for the chicks, but looks like it is not so. Has anyone else notice this use of faecal matter as nesting material in other species of birds…?”

The Peaceful Dove constructs a very simple nest, actually a more or less flat platform of twigs. The adults take turn incubating and brooding, remaining in the nest all the time until time to change shift. Even when they are ready to discharge wastes, they do not leave the nest. They just point their posterior away from the nest and shoot.

In most cases the birds leave some mess around the nest edge. But not the massive wastes seen in the nest above. As KC puts it, “Propulsion unit not strong enough?” or is it because of “First generation equipment?”

Faecal wastes attract harmful organisms, from mites to bacteria. And eventually, it is the chicks that get infected.

So what do most birds do? Many take great care to remove wastes from nesting chicks via faecal sacs, as seen with Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus), Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers (Dicaeum cruentatum) and Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis).

But not the Peaceful Dove!

I suppose unhygienic birds will produce weak chicks. And weak chicks may not breed. The net result will be the end of this line of unhygienic birds.

KC Tsang
Singapore
September 2007

17 Sep 2007

Hanging Parrot: Pollinating mistletoe flowers

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

The mistletoe Macrosolen cochinchinensis has flowers that only open when visited by birds. When a bird grasps the flower bud, the petals suddenly unfold to expose the stamens and style. At the same time pollen is probably discharged from the anthers on to the bird. The bird helps itself to the nectar and at the same time assists in the pollination of the flower.

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The image above (left) shows the elongated flower buds and the yellowish aborted ovaries that failed to be pollinated. One of the flowers was subjected to a slight squeeze (by me, not the parrot) on its swollen portion, resulting in the petals beginning to unfold to expose the stamens and style. The image on the right (above) shows two fruits and an aborted ovary.

Most of these mistletoes in my garden fail to form fruits, possibly because pollinating agents, mainly nectar-seeking birds, are absent.

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In early September 2007, I managed to see images by Chan Yoke Meng showing a female Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot (Loriculus galgulus) foraging amongst such a mistletoe plant. One of the images clearly shows the parrot with its bill clamped on to the swollen flower bud (above, top arrow). This of course will trigger the flower bud to open. The flower below the parrot (lower arrow) most probably opened as a result of such a treatment.

The images below show the acrobatic abilities of this hanging parrot, being able to harvest nectar the right way up as well as upside down. The enlarged image (bottom left) clearly shows the parrot’s tongue (arrow) as it takes in the nectar from the flower. The other enlarged image (bottom right) again shows the parrot’s bill at work on the flower bud.

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Obviously this parrot is one of this mistletoe’s pollinators. Sunbirds also visit these flowers, but whether they act similarly as this parrot, I have to wait for a photographer to provide the evidence.

According to Forshaw (1977), these hanging parrots feed on nectar, fruits, seeds, blossoms and possibly small insects. Wells (1999) states that they visit the flowers of coral trees (Erythrina spp.), “apparently for nectar but this has not been proven in the field.”

Earlier postings on mistletoes can be viewed here: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

YC Wee
Singapore
September 2007

(Images: top two by YC Wee; Others by Chan Yoke Meng)

References:
1. Forshaw, J. M. (1973). Parrots of the world. N.J.: T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
2. Ladley, J.J., Kelly, D. & Robertson, A.W. (1997). Explosive flowering, nectar production, breeding systems, and pollinators of New Zealand mistletoes (Loranthaceae). New Zealand J. Bot. 35:345-60.
3. Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London.

16 Sep 2007

A family of Common Tailorbirds

by | posted in: Feeding chicks | 0

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For a few weeks in July 2007 I was observing a single Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) visiting my starfruit tree (Averrhoa carambola). The bird would silently fly in during the late morning and flit from branch to branch gleaning insects, mainly ants. It would spend about five minutes in the tree before flying off.

The tailorbird had been absent for a few months since the failed nesting in my neighbour’s garden in March 2007. That nesting tragically ended when the adults abandoning the chicks (for whatever reason/s). As reported earlier, the chicks were found ‘mummified’ inside the nest about a month later.

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Then on the evening (4.05 pm) of 4th August, I heard the sound of a fledging begging for food in the starfruit tree. The chiup-chiup-chiup was loud and consistent. On investigating, I found a few tiny birds moving around the tree, easily recognised as a family of Common Tailorbirds. The adults were silent and went about rapidly and confidently gleaning insects. (The image on the left appears to be an adult female.) One even flew down and foraged on the ground. One of the birds was a fledgling, perching on a branch, making begging calls and at the same time vibrating its wings.

There were one or two young juveniles about (top panel), not as helpless as the fledgling but clumsily went about catching ants. These juveniles moved about, but not as rapidly as the adults.

The birds were around for about 30 minutes before the family moved off to another tree.

YC Wee
Singapore
September 2007

15 Sep 2007

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve: Bird population

by | posted in: Miscellaneous | 0

“Are there detrimental effects to the regulation of water levels in the three ponds? Over the years, we have found that leaving the ponds at low water level for periods of more than a week result in the drying out of the mud with consequent die off of the mud invertebrates. When two or three ponds are carefully operated with minimal drying out periods of four days or less, the benefits of water level regulation are evident.

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“The bottom line – Has the number of shorebirds in Sungei Buloh increased, decreased or remained stable over all these years?

“Analysis of the shorebird census data for Sungei Buloh has been made for the wetland’s seven most abundant shorebird species over a period of seven years (from 2000 to 2006). The trends discerned are as follows:

“Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Pacific Golden Plover and Whimbrel – Increasing numbers during both southward and northward migration

“Marsh Sandpiper – Stable numbers during both southward and northward migration

“Mongolian Plover – Steady recovery in numbers during the southward migration after a dramatic and steep decrease observed in 2002 and 2003. Avoidance of the wetland during the northward migration since the spring of 2003.

“Curlew Sandpiper – Erratic numbers during the southward migration. Avoidance of the wetland during the northward migration since the spring of 2001.

“In summary, the current water regime management at Sungei Buloh serves its purpose. Overall, the absolute number of shorebirds counted at Sungei Buloh is at its highest over the last seven (and even ten) years. More can be done to further improve the conservation management of the wetland’s biodiversity and in particular the shorebirds that make use of Sungei Buloh. We invite concerned and interested people to contribute to the improvement of Sungei Buloh as a wetland thriving with biodiversity. Opportunities are available for volunteers in areas as diverse as research, guiding, educational outreach, photography and documentation. Interested? Call 67941401 or email at info@sbwr.org.sg”

The above is extracted from the April 2007 issue of Wetlands, courtesy of the National Parks Board, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

13 Sep 2007

Milky x Painted Stork hybrid

by | posted in: Species | 3

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The Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea), whose population is globally VULNERABLE, has a restricted distribution in Southeast Asia (above). Its population worldwide is estimated at 5,500 birds, confined mainly to Indonesia, with smaller populations in Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, and possibly Vietnam. Through the years the population in Malaysia has seen a massive decline.

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On the other hand, the Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), although not globally threatened, is regionally threatened in Southeast Asia (above).

Both storks have been sighted during the last few years in Singapore, mainly in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Their status here is debatable – either vagrant or escapee.

KC Tsang has encountered quite a few specimens in Sungei Buloh that are possible hybrids of the two species. This has been confirmed by David Li, Waterbird Conservation Officer with Wetlands International. David believes that it is possible that these birds could be one of the free flying hybrid.

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In a Wetlands International study on the status of the Milky Stork population in Malaysia during 2004-2006, it was reported that hybridisation does occur between free-flying Milky and Painted Storks in the zoos/bird parks in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Wetlands International report can be seen HERE.

KC Tsang
Singapore
September 2007

12 Sep 2007

House Crows and Cinnamon Bittern

by | posted in: Interspecific | 2

“So far we’ve been speaking of House Crows (Corvus splendens) going after smaller victims, but once I’ve seen them tackle a bittern in the air.

“It was a Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus), an unfortunate Glass Window Casualty (see 1, 2). It reportedly crashed into the classroom block of my secondary school, and together with a friend I took it in and ‘nursed’ it (left top). It was nothing much, just some grazes on the wing and it was in a bit of a shock. Well, after a few days it looked healthy (and certainly much more aggressive) enough, so we decided to release it. We placed him on a nearby open field, and he lifted off beautifully and with purpose. We watched it go into the distance… and then, to our horror, a flock of about six or seven House Crows took flight from a tree close by, and cawed after it (left bottom). They closed the gap and tried to claw at it, the poor bittern trying its best to evade. It was a gripping and shocking aerial chase, a one-sided battle. My memory’s hazy, so I can’t remember the specifics but it ended with the messy flurry of black and brown headed for the ground. They fell behind some buildings some distance away, so I did not manage to find out what then happened. I was never really fond of crows to begin with but from that day on I absolutely disliked them.

PS: “I find that the Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis) frequently chase after crows, particularly if the crows have something in their bills – food? Kudos to the orioles.”

Jacqueline Lau
Singapore
September 2007

(Images by of bittern by Tang Hung Bun; crow by YC Wee)

10 Sep 2007

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker eating Indian cherry

by | posted in: Feeding-plants | 2

Yes, how does an Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonestigma) tackles the fruits of the Indian cherry tree (Muntingia calabura)?

In an earlier post, KC Tsang gave an account of how this flowerpecker ate the fruits of the Indian cherry tree. The adult male pierced the partially ripe fruit with his lower mandible and with the help of the upper, compressed the fruit to get at the sweet pulp. A recent observation, complete with photographic evidence by Chan Yoke Meng, documents another method of feeding on the same fruit.

This was once a very common tree around the urban environment, spread far and wide by birds. Because birds flock to the fruiting tree, they leave a mess below that needs to be cleaned in a Singapore where labour was then becoming expensive. The tree is now not that common, found mostly in rural areas. The fruit is a small round berry of about 12 mm diameter, with numerous tiny seeds embedded in a soft, sweet pulp.

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The sequence of the bird handling the fruit is shown above. It first picked the fruit by pulling it from the stalk. Then on a nearby perch it started to squeeze it with the stalk end towards the mouth. Because of the tear at that end of the fruit, the content was easily squeezed into the bird‘s mouth.

It then turned the fruit around and squeezed it on one side, then on the other. It finally positioned the fruit so that the stalk end was directed towards its mouth. After swallowing what was left of the content, it discarded the empty fruit skin.

The entire process lasted about slightly more than a second.

Chan Yoke Meng
Singapore
September 2007

9 Sep 2007

Blue Lorikeet or Nunbird

by | posted in: Parrots | 1

Blue Lorikeet (Vini peruviana) is a cute bird usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes even in small groups (left). Extremely noisy, their high pitched, hissing screech, scheee-scheee scheee-scheee announce their presence even before they are seen. They are also excessively active, climbing the branches in search of flower nectar or flying around, even hovering as if suspended in the air.

The bird has another name that fits it well, Nunbird, as the blue-white plumage of the adult makes it appear like a nun’s habit.

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Ong Tun Pin recently visited Tahiti and had an exciting encounter with the Nunbird:

“This is the bird that brought us lots of fun. Simply searching for them with my wife among coconut palms (luckily not too tall) is itself a unique experience. There were probably two pairs of the globally threatened lorikeet feeding on coconut nectar on a small islet about half the size of a football field.

“Not too hard to locate them by listening to their sharp chi-chi-chi call, but hard to take photos as they flew from one coconut palm to another.

“This lorikeet looks black and white in the field. Don’t you think it looks like a nun?

“I had to run around on this small touristy island to chase after the lorikeets. Luckily, other tourists had just left and we had the whole islet to ourselves.

“Listening to these cute lorikeets and on an idyllic coconut grove islet beside a turquoise blue lagoon is the best a bird watcher can ask for.”

The bird is confined to Cook Islands, Society Islands and the westernmost of the Tuamotu Islands. Although also named as Tahitian Lory, it appears to be extinct from Tahiti, although there has been a report of an attempt to reintroduce it in the 1940s. The bird is designated internationally VULNERABLE, the threat coming from rat (Rattus rasttus) and feral cats on the islands these bird are found in. The nest is a hole in a tree or a rotting coconut that is still attached to the palm.

Ong Tun Pin
September 2007

References:
1. Forshaw, J. M. (1973). Parrots of the world. N.J.: T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
2. Forshaw, J. M. (2006). Parrots of the world: An identification guide. Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press.

7 Sep 2007

African Tulip: Bulbul collecting nectar

by | posted in: Plants | 4

The African tulip (Spathodea campanulata) is a native of tropical West African. It is commonly found growing in this region. Once popular in Singapore for its attractive and colourful flowers, tall trees are now not tolerated along the wayside where falling branches may endanger life and limbs. They can still be seen in wastelands where their large, orange-red flowers top the crown.

The flower buds are filled with a sweetish liquid and during the days when they were growing all over the island, children used them as instant ‘water pistols’ to squirt each other’s eyes with the liquid. The buds are held erect and as they develop and split open, their copious nectar inside the calyx cup attracts numerous birds.

According to Corner (1988), the flowers remain on the tree for three days and attract sunbirds that suck the nectar from the base of the corolla by pecking a hole at the base. In this way the birds do not help in pollination, which is most likely done by night-flying bats.

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Recently Johnny Wee sent an image of a Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) robbing the nectar by puncturing a hole at the base of the flower (above). I am sure there are many other birds similarly taking advantage of the copious nectar.

Unfortunately, we have limited information on the birds that are attracted to the attractive flowers of the African Tulip. Can it be because the flowers are high up on the tree and birders find it tedious to observe? Or are birders not sharing their observations?

Richard Hale has sent in the following: “…when I first came back to Singapore in the late eighties I was puzzled by some apparent Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) which had yellow breasts. It took some time before I caught some with their heads inside the tulip tree flowers and realised that the yellow was in fact pollen.”

So apparently some birds collect the nectar in the conventional way while the bulbul above has “cuckold” the tree?

YC Wee & Richard Hale
Singapore
September 2007

(Image by Johnny Wee)

References:
1. Barwick, Margaret (2004). Tropical and subtropical trees. A worldwide encyclopaedic guide. London: Thames & Hudson.
2. Corner, E. J. H. (1988). Waysides trees of Malaya. Vol. 1-2. Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
3. Wee, Y. C. (2003). Tropical trees and shrubs – A selection for urban plantings. Sun Tree Pub., Singapore.

5 Sep 2007

Birds and their reflections

by | posted in: Collision-Reflection | 6

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Johnny Wee returned from Perth, Australia recently and sent in these images of a crow acting aggressively when confronted by its image in the car’s side mirror. Yes, all over the world birds react the same when they see their image on a shiny surface.

While on this subject, I am also posting two other images sent in earlier – one on the Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach) by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong (below left) and the other on the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) by Allan Teo (below right).

Readers are referred to a number of earlier posts on other species of birds and their reactions to their own reflections 1, 2.

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Johnny Wee
Singapore
September 2007

Images by Johnny (crow); Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong (shrike) and Allan Teo (hornbill).

26 Responses

  1. kris
    | 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.???

  3. Iwan
    | 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?

  4. Khng Eu Meng
    | 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

  5. Jess
    | 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?

  6. YC
    | 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.

  7. Firdaus Razak
    | 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?

  9. Chung Wah
    | Reply

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

  11. Geam Liang
    | 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.

  12. Lee Chiu San
    | 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.

  13. Lee Chiu San
    | 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.

  14. Geam Liang
    | 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.

  15. Lee Chiu San
    | 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.

  16. Geam Liang
    | 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.

  17. Lee Chiu San
    | 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.

  18. Geam Liang
    | 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…

  19. David Thackray
    | 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.

  21. Emily Koh
    | 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

  22. Emily Koh
    | 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.

  24. Mahadevi Bhuti
    | Reply

    One of best souce for the bird watcher’s enjoying knowledge about ornithology

  25. Martin Nyffeler (PhD)
    | 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

  26. Wee Ming
    | 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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