During the months of February and March 2006 there were always a few Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis) perched on the fronds of my palms every morning. Most mornings I was awaken by the loud fluty whistles of these attractive yellow birds. The duetting lasted at least 10-15 minutes before the birds flew off to some other trees to continue with their singing. On and off one or more birds would return during the late morning, making loud sounds or singing. Sometimes a small flock of up to eight birds would frolic around, flying from tree to tree. Two to three birds would frolic together, chasing one another as they expertly maneuvered with wings outstretched, flying between trees, to end up on either the palms in my garden or the wayside trees along the road. At times when I was around observing their antics, they would fly close to me, making high pitch sounds as they pass close by. On and off, two of the flying birds would make contacts, either in fun or otherwise.

When not making their maneuvers, a pair would duet, one making a short call to have a reply.

Whether they are playing, doing their courtship things or two males confronting each other, I do not know.

According to our bird specialist R. Subaraj, this was still the migratory season and the birds could possibly be migrants.

Input and images by YC.

An abandoned tailorbird nest was found by Melinda Chan’s friend among the bushy simpoh air (Dillenia suffruticosa). The large leaf of the plant was folded and the edge neatly stitched together using spider webs that were threaded through holes made for the purpose. Within the resulting pouch was the oval nest, 12 cm long, 6.5 cm at the upper broader end and 4.5 cm at the narrower end. The nest opening was 5 x 4.5 cm and 6 cm deep. Nesting materials consisted of dried grasses, plant fibres and other plant materials. The white winged seeds of African tulip (Spathodea campanulata) figured prominently among the brown materials.

Inside the nest were two un-hatched eggs. The eggs were empty and had holes on the shell. A slug was seen inside the nest feasting on the damaged eggs.

Note: When smaller leaves are used to build the nest, more than one leaf may be involved. A commonly used material to line the nest is the fibres of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). These nests are usually built less than a metre from the ground. The stitched part of the leaf is usually facing downwards such that the nest is kept dry from the rain.

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan (except bottom image by YC).

At Punggol Park in late September 2006, some enthusiastic but misguided person has interfered with the nesting of a sunbird in order to get his or her perfect shot.

The nest was attached to a bulrush reed (Typha sp.) that was growing by the water’s edge. The photographer, obviously troubled by the constant swaying of the reed and nest, solved the problem by tying the stem where the nest was attached to the surrounding plants.

It was possible that the reed where the nest was attached was subsequently cut and firmly secured to a bunch of other reeds, again to ensure that there was minimum swaying of the nest with every breeze.

The nest was then still active as a female sunbird was seen flying back and forth from the nest. There must have been eggs inside, or else chicks.

A week later the nest appeared ‘loosened’ and abandoned.

The bottom portion of the nest was damaged, possibly by predators - whether two-legged or four legged cannot be established. The nest contents were probably gone.
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Now can we blame the birds for building their nest by the water’s edge where people are constantly moving around? Do we blame the guilty person for such unethical method to get perfect shots of the nesting birds?

One happy photographer has obtained his/her perfect shots. But one nesting effort has gone to waste. Pity!

The Oriental Scops-owl (Otus sunia), a smallish bird (16-20 cm) that is a winter visitor and passage migrant to Singapore, was sighted on 12th November 2006 at MacRitchie.

It roosts in holes or against tree trunks or even under dense foliage. When sighted, the owl was on a branch of a tembusu tree (Fagraea fragrans). When it realised that is was spotted, it remained quietly on the branch, eyeing suspiciously the birders around. Although its eyes were half-opened, it continuously kept track of the people around. When more people arrived, the bird remained unconcerned, or so it seemed. This could be because its perch was high enough to be well away from the birders below.

According to the literature, it assumes a “tall-thin” posture when spotted. This it does by stretching vertically, compressing its plumage and erecting its ear tufts. At the same time it keeps its eyes almost closed. Thus most of the images show this phase, the body slim, the plumage compressed and the ear tufts erect (above and below). However, a few images taken some time after most of the people drifted off showed the owl in a more relaxed mood. It’s body was puffed up but the ear tufts were still erect. Oriental Scops-owl takes a wide variety of prey, especially insects and spiders. It also eats moths, beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers and small rodents and birds. It generally hunts from a perch, swooping down to catch prey on the ground, in flight or from the forest canopy.

And according to KC Tsang, “…it was an adult Rufous Morph, but I am not sure if it is of the stictonotus race.”

Warning on owl pellets: Owl pellets may contain harmful and dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and hantavirus that can cause mild influenza to respiratory and kidney failure. Do not handle with the bare hands and wear a dust mask. Pellets should be wrapped in aluminum foil, heated in a conventional oven for 45-60 minutes at 300ºF (approx. 150ºC). Only then should you examine the contents, usually small bones. So birders, be warned! Source: “Owls: A wildlife handbook by Kim Long, Johnson Books, Boulders.”

Input by Melinda Chan, KC Tsang and YC. Images by Chan Yoke Meng.

Since the posting of the signting of the Oriental Scops-owl (Otus sunia) and the discussion on past records, R. Subaraj has responded with the following;

“With regards to the Oriental Scops-owl article posted in the blog, I have the following comments.

1. The latest record of sighting on 12th November is not the earliest date. I finally managed to dig up the details. The bird that crashed into a house at Jalan Belatok, off Upper Changi Rd (an additional location) did so on November 9th 2003 and was found by Chew Ping Ting. I retrieved it, fed it and then sent it to Sg Buloh Wetland Reserve, where they measured, weighed and ringed it before releasing it. This would therefore be the earliest date of arrival of the owl.

2. Prof Sodhi’s mist-netted bird was also from the mid-1990s and was captured near Upper Peirce (another additional location).

3. Old museum specimens, without specific sites but labeled “Singapore”, have always been suspicious as the actual location of collection may not have been Singapore, as in those days, specimens were often labeled as being from the country where they were processed or shipped, due to lack of more information.

4. Luan Keng’s opinion about races is that of an academic… definitely not that of a field person. Feld researchers/observers use all field identification markings available to determine facts, including the race of a bird. The race of a bird tells us quite a bit including where the bird is from and whether there are behavioural differences with other races. Through field studies, much information can be learnt. Determining true species should not be dependent on DNA alone but should include morphological studies as well. Many of the world’s top specialists are using a combination of both in their field research and to make decisions about species.

At the end of the day, the Oriental Scops-owl has helped highlight and confirm just how fragmented the local bird (and nature) community really is, as different factions have different ideas of just how many records of the species really exist for Singapore… and none are accurate and up-dated! Not everyone wants to share and combine their data or knowledge and we find ourselves truly lacking the accuracy that once was. Why? Different reasons really… elitism, ego, keeping secrets before publication… you name it. It all exists and is part of the ongoing saga of this soap opera!”

Comments by YC:
1. It may not be fair to say all colonial specimens labeled “Singapore” are suspect. Those who work in museums may be able to differentiate between the different collectors - some are more reliable than others. And we can reliably assume that W. Davison’s specimen was from Singapore.

2. Birders have always been individualistic, selfish, and what have you - just like any other groups. And they always will be. But we have to realise that unpublished private records remain useful only to the person/s keeping them. Until and unless they are published, these private records are not part of the public domain and cannot claim precedent if subsequent claims
appear in print. Thus unless you publish, you cannot make any claims, period!

3. We can always make this blog a medium for such records. After all, web publication is slowly being accepted as a valid medium and many scientific journals are now going online. Thus future sightings, etc could be sent to this blog for posting - it would appear faster by light years than any print media.

Image courtesy of Chan Yoke Meng.