Dr Eric Tan a.k.a. MountainMan photographed the Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) at the Telok Brumbun, Bali Barat National Park, Bali, Indonesia on 23rd January 2010.

The Bali Starling is a critically endangered species endemic to Bali. When it was discovered in the 1900s, there were about 300-900 birds, probably much more. Illegal poaching as well as habitat loss reduced its population drastically to about 15 birds in 1990.

Conservation efforts in the form of the Bali Starling Recovery Plan followed by subsequent releases of captive-bred birds increased the population to around 50 in 2008. A second population on Nusa Penida island, again from released captive-bred birds, seems to have adapted to the area and are breeding. In 2008 there were 56 adults and 39 young present.

Outside of Indonesia, there are about a thousand birds in captivity.

The Bali Starling is listed as CITES I, meaning that it is the most endangered among the CITES-listed animals and plants. The bird cannot be traded internationally except for scientific research and related non-commercial purposes.

Reference:
BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Leucopsar rothschildi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 17/2/2010

For most of 2006 and after, a Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis) and a Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), both had somehow escaped from captivity, were seen regularly at a patch of secondary growth at Eng Neo (1 and 2). The pair was prospecting a tree cavity along the trunk of an old albezia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria), a normal courtship ritual in hornbills. Obviously there would be no breeding as the pair was of different species, besides both being females.

In early 2009, The Singapore Hornbill Project trapped the pair, caged the Great in the Jurong BirdPark and later released the Rhinoceros.

The plan was to re-introduce a male Rhinoceros Hornbill into the wild to provide a mate for the female Rhinoceros, now that its female Great companion was safely caged.

The caged male Rhinoceros was left at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to attract the free-flying female Rhinocrous, and hopefully the two would bond and take the “straight and narrow” path.

The female Rhinoceros did initially visit the caged male but subsequently left, never to return. However, a resident from nearby Johor in Malaysia reported seeing a Rhinoceros Hornbill flying around the Johor Baru padang in late 2009. This could possibly be the missing bird. As of today, the missing Rhinoceros Hornbill has yet to be located, despite the GPS tracking device attached to it, which by now would no longer be working.

Meanwhile the caged male escaped and was subsequently found by an amateur angler floating in the sea, probably as a result of exhaustion. The Jurong BirdPark was informed and the hornbill is now safely back in the park.

Hornbills apparently bond for life - I suppose regardless of whether they are of different species, in addition to being of the same sex. After all, don’t they mate “for better or for worse”?

This may well be wishful thinking, but now that we know the female Rhinoceros is not interested in a male bird of the same species, should not the female Great that is currently caged in the Jurong BirdPark be released? …in an effort to lure back the missing female Rhinoceros and allow both to fly free? After all, the escaped female Great had been enjoying her freedom for probably more than a decade, as sightings of Great Hornbills were reported as early as 1986.

Admittedly the Great Hornbill is not native to Singapore, and conventional wisdom believes that it should be caged, but Singapore is constantly seeing exotic birds flying freely. Recently two other exotic hornbill species were sighted - Narcondam Hornbill (Rhyticeros narcondami) that is confined to the Narcondam and Andaman Islands and Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), found in parts of Kenya, Burundi, Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. I wonder where these two species escaped from?

Anyone sighting a stray Rhinoceros Hornbill in Singapore or nearby Johor, please keep us informed. Marc Cremades, who is spearheading the Singapore Hornbill Project, is eager to locate the wayward bird. The bird can be recognised by the GPS pack attached to its back.

Image by YC Wee.

The above paper has just been published. Nature in Singapore is a peer-reviewed, online journal that publishes articles on the flora and fauna (e.g., biology, botany, zoology, ecology and conservation biology) of Singapore. A PDF copy of the paper can be obtained from the website of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore, by clicking HERE

Authored by two Nature Society’s insiders who were part of the early struggle for nature areas, the paper details how the society successfully persuaded government to develop a degraged mangrove area that has become the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore’s one and only ASEAN Heritage Park. The society also managed to dissuade government not to develop a golf course in a forested area within the Peirce Reservoir, a gazetted nature reserve.

To date, these are the only two successes of the society.

Coincidentally, the above publication is somewhat timed with the publication by Singapore’s ISEA of the book “Governance, Politics and the Environment: A Singapore Study” by Dr Maria Francesch-Huidobro of the University of Hongkong (click HERE). This book also looks into the Sungei Buloh success and the Peirce-golf course controversy.

Her article, “Statutory Bodies, Land Use Planning and Conservation in Singapore: Issues and Challenges for Governability” is mostly carried in her book (click HERE). Unfortunately, only an abstract is available in the link.

Maria’s book is based on her PhD research conducted in Singapore some years ago. Her thesis also details the intrigues within the Nature Society.

The image above (left) shows the immature Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) fitted with wing tag and satellite telemetry released on 10th May 2007 at Doi Lang, Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was photographed by Kanit Khanikul and made available to us through the good office of Dr Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua of Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Also released at the same time were four Himalayan Griffons (Gyps himalayensis).

It has since been reported by Dr Chaiyan, who oversaw the release, that the vulture was shot by a villager in Mynamar on July 2007.

The map above showing where vulture was released and where it was shot was provided by Allan Teo.

My garden has been planted by birds - not totally, but partly. The birds brought the seeds and dropped them haphazardly. In most instances I allowed the plants to develop to maturity if they are not in the way of things. I had a trumpet tree (Cecropia peltata) growing for some months (top left). It was a male tree, a New World species that has become a weed in this part of the world. It grew too tall and threatened to invade my neighbour’s air space. As it was not a spectacular bird tree, I chopped it down.

I still have the umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla), native to New Guinea and Australia (above centre). It twice flowered, but each time the trunk broke before the flowers could form fruits. So I have yet to be given an opportunity to document the birds that are attracted to the flowers and fruits, except the Banded Woodpecker (Picus miniaceus) that came for the ants.

The two noni trees (Morinda citrifolia) by the gate are constantly flowering and fruiting (above right). They are popular with sunbirds and flowerpeckers that visit for the nectar in the flowers. The mistletoes (Dendrophthoe pentandra, Macrosolen cochinchinensis) that grow from the branches attract these delightful birds when they are in flowers and fruits. At least three species of birds are attracted to the fruits.

The white-stemmed button vine (Cissus hastata), a prolific scrambler, is growing all over the trees and palms. It is fruiting profusely, providing food for birds (top left).

Seedlings of sendudok or melastome (Melastome malabathricum) (above centre) litter the ground and I have transplanted a few and they are fruiting, attracting Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum).

The colourful seedlings of mahang (Macaranga javanica) regularly appear (above right). Two have grown tall, taking over the space of the trumpet tree. I am hoping these will flower soon and look forward to observing the birds that are attracted to them. Then if they grow too tall, they also have to give way to others.

There are a few more plants brought in by the birds, but they have to wait their turn, as I do not have enough space for them all. The wild cinnamon (Cinnamomum iners) (top left) is waiting to fill the garden. Then there is the salam (Syzygium polyanthum) (top centre) and what looks like a wild brinjal (Solanum sp.) (top right). The first two are great bird trees, I am not sure of the third shrub.

A garden planted by birds is guaranteed to attract birds.