Of termites and toads
Reading Subaraj’s posting on Termite Hatch reminds me that only about a week ago I was trying to explain the same phenomenon to my three year old daughter when we were at the carpark opposite Downtown East at sunset. A … Continued
Mistletoes 4: Observations of a sometime bird watcher
Nearly every evening in early January, from about 6.00 pm, a pair of male Olive-backed Sunbirds (Nectarinia jugularis) (top) would settle down on my neighbour’s bougainvillea bush and spend some free time preening. In between preening they would simply sit … Continued
Caterpillars and birds
Caterpillars are regularly eaten by birds. However, most birds avoid the noxious ones, especially those that are brightly coloured and hairy. Cuckoos (Cuculidae) specialise on caterpillars as these are their favourite food and they have no hesitation eating even the … Continued
Interspecific interaction of birds at Pasir Ris
The place: near the Pasir Ris MRT Station, Singapore. The time: around 8 am. The date: 22nd December 2005. I noticed this whole assemblage of different species of birds on the grass, some foraging, others just looking around. There were … Continued
Yellow-vented Bulbul does swallow some fruits but not others
In an earlier posting it was said that Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) does not swallow Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) fruits. It pecks on the outer pulp, leaving the fruit on the branch with patches exposing the seed. With the MacArthur … Continued
Forensic Birding 1. Introduction
We were introduced to forensic birding by Lin Yangchen when he wrote on 30th December 2005: “Birds are usually identified by sight or sound. It may also be possible to identify them from the tracks, feathers and droppings they leave … Continued
Angie’s nesting crows 5: Final chapter
After only three days trying to incubate their eggs, the House Crows (Corvus splendens) gave up on the morning of 28th December 2005 Thereafter, it was open house for the Asian Koels (Eudynamys scolopacea)! They were increasingly daring, stealing into … Continued
Cats in Australia
Cats are an absolute no-no in Australia, where essentially they are non-native and imported by thoughtless white settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries, who even more thoughtlessly let them go ‘feral’ in the wild (believe me, these seeming pussy-cats … Continued
To swallow and regurgitate? Not the Yellow-vented Bulbul!
My Alexandra palms (Archontophoenix alexandrae) are fruiting again. The large bunches of red fruits invariable attract Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) that are a delight to watch, what with their iridescent dark plumage and bright red eyes. I was pleasantly … Continued
Bald headed mynas
I am only a sometime-ornithologist and one that looks mainly at dead birds. I don’t know the real reason why mynas appear bald-headed at times. Our local myna expert, Dr Kang Nee, noted this phenomenon of botak (Malay for bald-headed) … Continued
