Termite hatch
“A termite hatch happens when a new generation, with wings, departs their old colony and disperse in search of a new area to begin a fresh colony. This happens when conditions are right and in the tropics it happens anytime … Continued
Angie’s nesting crows 3: Who dropped these eggs?
After last night’s series of attacks by the Asian Koels (Eudynamys scolopacea) (see 2; also 1), I went downstairs this morning to survey the grounds below the tree well before the sweepers arrived. There were egg shells lying around, bluish … Continued
Encounters with the Red Junglefowl
In the 1990s I was a frequent visitor to Pulau Ubin, cycling around the island almost every weekend. There I had my first glimpse of the Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus). Back then I had thought nothing more of it … Continued
Observations on a pair of Crows’ nest
According to Laurence Kilham’s “On watching Birds” he says “almost nothing was known of life of American Crow in spite of its being among the commonest of birds.” More so in Singapore, the House Crow (Corvus splendens) is considered to … Continued
Starlings and snails at Pasir Panjang Hill
The following is an account that I wrote up in the late 1980s, and came across recently when sorting out old papers. Working in my study in the late afternoon of June 1st 1988, a tap tapping noise brought me … Continued
Angie’s nesting crows 2: Attack by the koels
Last evening was the sixth day since the nest was built by a pair of House Crows (Corvus splendens) (see 1). A crow was seen hopping in and out of the nest every 5 minutes. Its mate was preening itself … Continued
Tang’s nesting crows 1: Whose eggs are these?
Around the time when Angie was monitoring a House Crows’ nest (Corvus splendens) from her apartment window, Hung Bun Tang was doing the same from his apartment balcony. With the aid of a pair of binoculars, he could clearly see … Continued
To swallow or to regurgitate seeds
. . . . . . . . I was watching an Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) perched on the ripened fruiting bunch of my Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) one morning when I noticed it regurgitating a seed. This it … Continued
BESGroup report for 2005
The year 2005 is coming to a close and 2006 is looming over the horizon. Let us take a few moments to review what we have done since the formation of the Bird Ecology Study Group. The Nature Society had … Continued
Folivores – birds that feed on leaves
Cheong Weng Chun sent me an image of a juvenile Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) with a bunch of young rain tree (Samanea saman) leaflets in its beak. And in his own words, the bird was: “chewing – no, can … Continued
