Mike Tan a.k.a. woof encountered a Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) excavating a roosting-nesting cavity in November-December 2009 (above left). The small cavity in the tree trunk was significantly enlarged within a fortnight as the barbet worked furiously at it (above right). Once the cavity was completed, the barbet returned nightly to roost in it (below left).

Ownership of a nesting hole does not last long in Singapore where there is a shortage of such cavities and competition for occupancy is intense. After all, very few birds are capable of creating a fresh nesting cavity. And natural cavities are few and far between, considering that old and rotting trees are constantly being removed in urban areas. In the forest such trees eventually collapse.

Before long the Coppersmith Barbet was evicted from the cavity it excavated by a pair of Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis). The starlings were seen cleaning up its newly acquired home (above right).

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

A pair of Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) built their nest behind a light fixture outside Steven Neo’s house recently (above left). According to Steven, “The nest was initially very badly built and part of it was falling off the gap between the light and the wall. I improvised a black box and blocked the gap while the bird was away…” It is a simple cup-shaped nest made from fibres, pliable stems, roots, etc.

The female laid four mottled eggs and incubated them, leaving only to look for food (above right, below). There was no sign of a male around.

Unfortunately the eggs failed to hatch, as they were most probably not fertilised. Steven believes that the absence of males around his housing estate, most probably caught and caged by residents, has led to the sad situation where the female lays unfertilised eggs.

“The nest is still intact at my house, minus the eggs as they were going bad,” adds Steven.

The two image at the top are photographs while the two at the bottom are video grabs, all by Steven Neo.

A pair of Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) nested in my Song of India (Dracaena reflexa) tree without my knowing it. Only when I half-sawed one of the four major upright stems and it collapsed did the chicks cried out and two adults suddenly appeared and scolded me.

Well, I managed to prop up the stem to allow the chicks to be brooded by the adults and things went on well for the next day or so. Then the nest was predated, possibly by a resident squirrel. Of the two chicks that were about a few days old, one disappeared, probably taken away by the predator. The other was on the ground below, dead.

The two adults were protective of this dead chick. They brought food regularly to feed it. An adult brought a fruit of the MacArthur palm (Ptychosperma macarthurii). When there was no response from the dead chick, it left the fruit by its side. They also brought insects, eating them when they failed feed the chick. The adults even prodded the body in an effort to get a response (above).

This went on the whole morning with the adults giving out soft cries, calling to the chick. At least one adult was around all the time.

A Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) approached the body and was vigorously chased away amidst loud cries by the adults. When a common treeshrew (Tupia glis) appeared and probed around the body, the two adults could only watch helplessly, scolding the animal until it left (above). According to R Subaraj, the treeshrew is a mainly insectivorous animal and was probably picking the ants on the body.

The full paper has just been published: Wee, Y. C., 2009. Observations on the behaviour of the yellow-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus goiavier (Scopoli) in two instances of failed nesting. Nature in Singapore 2: 347-352.

A PDF can be downloaded HERE [2009 #46]

The nest of a pair of Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) by a man-made cycling track had three eggs in June 2009. Two eggs subsequently disappeared. The remaining egg hatched and the chick, blind and covered with down, opened its eyes within hours (left). It remained in the nest and was brooded by an adult. By the next day it became energetic and left the nest to explore the surroundings. This is perceived as a critical trait towards securing its survival in an open area with predators and human activities.

The nest in such an open area is most vulnerable to every conceivable dangers.

The adults were protective of the chicks, dive bombing intruders, including the observer when he walked upright. Not so when he crouched.

Eight days after hatching the chick was found dead, of unknown cause.

If your are interested in the details of the chick’s first two days of life after hatching, check out the paper: Lim, J. C. W., 2009. First two days in the life of a little tern, Sterna albifrons (Aves: Sternidae). Nature in Singapore 2: 307-310. A PDF of the paper can be downloaded HERE (2009, No. 40).

Another account has been earlier posted.

Check out the earlier parts of the Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) saga: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Micky Lim a.k.a. limmick has been “baby sitting” these four chicks since their rescue. And it has been a stressful time as they demand to be fed constantly. The cage also needs cleaning and its occupants their regular dry-cleaning.

Although the chicks ate heartily and growing well as seen in the increase in size and feather development, there was always the worry of imprinting. Can the chicks survive when released into the wild? Would they be able to forage in the absence of handouts of mealworms? Will they be able to recognise predators and avoid them? Normally, the adults would be around to teach the chicks once they fledge and leave the safety of the nest. The adults would still feed them but slowly get them to forage on their own. In this case they would be on their own. A bleak future indeed.

As seen in the above image, their state of growth varies. The oldest (below) has its wing and tail feathers nearly fully developed, although its throat and head feathers have yet to be fully unsheathed. However, the younger chicks are covered with pine feathers that have yet to begin unsheathing. They have much growing up to do.

Long term documentation of birds can result in emotional attachment to the extent that the photographers feel for their safety. Thus the decision to rescue the chicks when their nests were in danger of being obliterated. This was not interfering with nature. Rather, it was interfering with human activities that interfered with nature. Unfortunately, due to the rapidity of developmental activities, there was no choice but to dig the nests up, although a reprieve of a week or so may just see more chicks fledging naturally. There will definitely be controversies well after the dust have settled. But one significant factor emerged - the unanimous decision of the photographers who were then documenting the nesting to go ahead with the rescue.

For decades citizen scientists have been involved in documenting birds in Singapore (also, see “Watching Birdwatchers Watching Birds”). Since the early 2000s, bird photographers have been at the forefront of bird sightings and the study of bird behaviour. And this is the first occasion where citizen scientists got involved in a mass rescue of chicks in Singapore. Previously, a few concerned citizens may pick up a displaced chick in the misguided notion that hand-rearing it would contribute in its survival. This may not be so - see HERE. But mass rescue in the face of human activities? This is a first! And it speaks well for bird photographers.

Images by Micky Lim.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.