Hole-nesters and colourful birds
Birds that nest in the open are generally dull looking as they need to blend in with the surroundings, least they become easy prey to predators. The female especially are thus brown and streaky in appearance. On the other hand … Continued
Forensic birding: Cinnamomum iners
In February and March 2006 I found many seeds scattered along my driveway (left top). The ones I recognised were palm seeds – MacArthur (Ptychosperma macarthurii) and Alexandra (Archontophoenix alexandrae). The seeds were clean and devoid of their outer fleshy … Continued
White-bellied Sea Eagle sunbathing
Johnny Wee came across a couple of White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) sunbathing at 11 am on 19th June 2007. The birds just sat quietly on the branch of a dead tree, spread their wings and soaked up the sun … Continued
Birds and centipedes
Terrestrial or land invertebrates (animals without backbones) are favourite food for many birds. Insects and spiders are regularly taken, as well as molluscs. Centipedes are also food for birds, especially the smaller species. Larger tropical centipedes are another matter (above). … Continued
Black-naped Oriole attacking sunbirds’ nest
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) is an attractive bird with its golden-yellow plumage and prominent black band across the eyes (left). But how many people are aware that this beautiful bird has an aggressive nature, especially in its habit of destroying … Continued
White-bellied Sea Eagle: First flight
On 15th June 2007 Johnny Wee had the good fortune to observe and document on memory card the first flight of a young White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). The nest was a huge pile of sticks firmly wedged between the … Continued
BESG weblog logs 100,000 visitors
The Bird Ecology Study Group weblog logs 100,000 hits today. We started blogging exactly two years ago. The growth in readership during the first year was slow but steady. It was during the latter part of the second year that … Continued
Pacific Swallow: Nesting
In the Urban Forest blog, Siyang relates his encounter with a Pacific Swallow’s (Hirundo tahitica) nest complete with three chicks. The nest was plastered to a wall in a lonely corner of the National University of Singapore’s Kent Ridge campus … Continued
Purple-bearded Bee-eaters in love
“There it was, sitting pretty on a bare branch, wagging its tail in as carefree a manner as you would expect of a wild bird in love. When it swished its head left and right to survey its environs for … Continued
Swallows, a dead snake and a horde of flies
As Paul Chan was driving along Choa Chu Kang on the morning of 27th June 2007, he came across a decomposing snake lying across the road (above). It was obviously killed some time ago as it tried to slither across … Continued
