White-bellied Sea Eagle: Fishing
The White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) is a great fishing bird. It sits quietly on a high perch near water and patiently waits. The moment it spots a fish swimming near the surface of the water nearby, it immediately takes … Continued
Hunting technique of Black-shouldered Kite
Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) usually hunts from a perch. The bird spends long periods sitting on a branch of a tall tree in the early morning and late afternoon waiting for a prey. As it sits there, its tail is … Continued
Koel confrontation
At around 6.30 pm on 10th March 2007 I heard the calling of the Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea) coming from my garden. Going out to check, I located a pair of male birds perching on a branch of my terap … Continued
Oriental Honey-buzzard: 2. Nestlings
An earlier posting reported on the 10-year breeding cycle of a pair of the Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus torquatus) in Perak, Malaysia. The female was mainly involved in the incubation of the eggs, although the male occasionally helped. She sat … Continued
Oriental Honey-buzzard: 1. Nesting
The Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus torquatus) is an uncommon resident of Peninsular Malaysia. This subspecies has always been presumed to be breeding but there have been no records until only recently. A pair of this subspecies had apparently made their … Continued
Mating of Red-breasted Parakeets
In February 2007 when Meng and Melinda Chan were at Changi looking for the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) (1, 2, 3), they chanced upon a small group of Red-breasted Parakeets (Psittacula alexandri) perching on a branch of a large … Continued
The ubiquitous Lineated Barbet
While Laurie, the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pyconotus goiavier) romanced his lady bird with a repertoire of showmanship dancing; Johnny, the randy Coppersmith Barbet’s (Megalaima haemacephala) gambit of a third and free bonk that paid off; what has his bigger cousin, the … Continued
Hanging parrot, parakeets and oil palms
It was raining almost every evening, depriving Eileen and myself our usual walk in the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG). Then one evening sometime last week, the sky cleared. We had our walk but along the way we were distracted by … Continued
Hornbills at Changi: Sealing herself in
On 8th February 2007 the female Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) found the cavity in the Shorea gibbosa tree suitable and entered it. Then she began the slow process of sealing herself inside. We thought that she was then ready … Continued
Aerial display: White-bellied Sea Eagle
Birders are always fascinated as well as impressed by the acrobatic aerial displays they witness when observing raptors, especially the White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) (left). They always wonder exactly what the birds are up to. Are they fighting? Are … Continued
