Harassment of Black-shouldered Kites
The House Crow (Corvus splendens) is a rather aggressive bird (above). At slightly more than 40 cm from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, this bird is up to 30% larger than the Black-shouldered Kite … Continued
Breeding ecology of the Little Tern
The series on the Breeding Ecology of the Little Terns (1-6) have been incorporated into the publication below. As such, the individual posts have now been deleted. A PDF copy is available HERE. J. W. K. Cheah and A. Ng … Continued
Alexandra palm
The Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) is named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who later became the Queen of England when her husband ascended the throne as Edward VII. The generic name comes from the Greek words archon and … Continued
Dealing with bird poachers ‘my little way’
This is a short account of some of my personal experiences with bird trappers and how I dealt with them in exchange for freedom of the birds caught and perhaps saved some poachers from falling foul of the law. 1. … Continued
BESGroup’s Blog: Report for 2006
The Bird Ecology Study Group was formed in September 2005 to encourage local birders to observe birds rather than to just look at them. This weblog, highlighting various aspects of bird behaviour, was started with the aim of making such … Continued
Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 4: Feeding
The plumage of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) during the breeding season shows a prominent black cap on the head and a yellow bill tipped with black (above). The plumage of the juvenile is distinct from that of the adult … Continued
Migratory habits of Black Baza
Black Bazas (Aviceda leuphotes) were commonly seen in late November 2006 around Punggol, Sarimbun, Khatib Bongsu and Lake View Promenade (Chinese Garden, Jurong). These birds were of course winter visitors. On the 26th of that month Chan Yoke Meng encountered … Continued
Breeding ecology of the Little Tern 3: Life and death
Things are not always smooth sailing for the chicks of the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) once they hatch. There is no guarantee that they would develop normally to eventually fledge. In fact not all chicks survive the 20 odd days … Continued
Territorial Nightjars
“The Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus) is an uncommon but annual migrant to Singapore. It breeds from northern Thailand all the way up to Siberia. Like the Oriental Scops Owl (Otus sunia) it is a nocturnal bird that is usually silent … Continued
Moulting 1
On and off I have been picking up various types of feathers in my garden and along my driveway (above: Javan Myna contour feather, top left; down, top right; tail, middle; Black-naped Oriole tail feather, bottom). During the time when … Continued
