“It is not very often that I would travel for the sake of watching and enjoying the companionship of wild birds but on December 2009 I made my first solo bird photography trip to HongKong. I was well received by my host Mr KK Hui, a retired chartered engineer turned accredited Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society (FRPS). As with those countless encounter out field when strangers just become friends linked by our common interests in birds, I got to know KK via another birding mate. While we have never met in person, that did not pose as a barrier to our communication.

[L: Greater Egret taking a mudskipper. R: Chasing Northern Shoveler with shellfish in beak]

“The place on our agenda was known as Nam Sang Wai (NSW), a stretch of river where hundreds of winter visitors feed yearly. According to KK, one can expect to observe a different species landing with each passing week towards late spring at close proximity (within meters), distances that are impossible to achieve locally without first flushing the avians. One possible explanation for their high tolerance of human presence could be attributed to the geographic location of the river bank and the river itself: the river bank is on higher ground at a meter about the river level, thereby creating an impression of alienation to the feeding birds in the river at low tide. Guided by a good tutor and an adolescent heart, we took a 45mins drive along the country side from the buzzing city centre the next morning after I landed.

[L: Endangered Black-faced Spoonbill. R: Pied Avocet pre-landing gears down]

“My senses were first assailed when we were greeted by a flock of great cormorants against the brightening morning sky by the left filter from the highway driving into NSW. They appeared as black triangles aligned in the typical arrow-head formation in flight overhead. To our left are some abandoned prawn rearing farms or otherwise known as ke wai, with the fertile river to our right. It took another 5mins drive-in before we arrived at the intersection of Shan Pui River and Kam Tin River, where we parked and unpacked for some nice bird-in-flight (BIF) images.

The feeling of watching hundreds of shore birds feasting on the river bed at close proximity under gusting chilling wind conditions is nothing short of amazing. A quick check on my guidebook revealed the following: 1. Northern Shoveler; 2. Common Pintail; 3. Crested Grebe; 4. Gull; 5. Great Egret; 6. White-napped Raven; 7. Osprey; 8. Peregrine Falcon; 9. White-bellied Sea Eagle; 10. Common Teal; 11. White Wagtail; 12. Common Sandpiper; 13. Great Cormorant; 14. Pied Avocet; 15. Black-wingged Stilts; 16. Black-faced Spoonbill; 17. Little Egret; 18. Grey Heron; 19. Javan Pond Heron; 20. Common Pochard; 21. Tufted Duck; 22. White-throated Kingfisher; 23. Starlings and 24. Black-headed Gull.

[L: Northern Shoveler performing a fly-pass with full wing-spread. R: Common Pintail stretching its wings early morning]

“Based on the photographs taken, it appearred these wintering birds are feeding off the river on shell-fish and mud-skippers among others. Interestingly, the ducks are curious as usual and would attempt to check out the row of photographers lining the shore by swimming within 5 metres proximity. Feeding may also occur at such distance, suggesting comfort behaviour even in the presence of humans. Tolerant as these birds are to humans, some events can easily trigger a mass take-off. They include a motor boat cruising pass and the raving engine of a rubbish truck.

[L: Great Cormorant flying over calm water. R: Starlings taking off in great numbers]

“Territorial dispute over food is rare and few in-between, normally observed to occur between pair of ducks and avocets. In particular, a Pied Avocet demonstrated aggressive behaviour when it consistently chased an incoming Avocet away by trying to pin its opponent down under. Each time, the lesser bird would cower and take flight for the opposite shore, only to return minutes later to try its luck again. This cyclic behaviour offered delightful moments for action shots.

[L: Black-wingged Stilt fly-pass. R: Common Teal Landing with a splash]

“While replenishing food supply is a top priority for these wintering birds, sex is also readily observed for some species of ducks. On two separate occasions spread over 2 days, a pair of pintail was observed to demonstrate some frolicking behaviour in the shallow water about 10 meters away, with one bird pinning the other bird under water, leading myself and other observers to conclude these actions to be ‘duck-rape’.

“On the opposite shore, a White-naped Raven easily double the size of a normal house crow was observed to harass some feeding shorebirds over 3 afternoons. Each time the Raven landed, the surrounding feeding shore birds would take flight, with only the grey herons staying put.

“Probably attributed to the winter season, most of the shore birds are in non-breeding plumages. For example, the pintail are lacking the diagnostic pin and gorgeous plumages and some Black-wingged Stilts showed partial black head-dress. Tis perhaps the draw of full breeding plumages that beckons that I shall return once again to this fertile river in Mar 2010. Probably this time round I’d spend more time at the Mai Po nature reserve to bring more interesting content to share.” [L: Black-headed Gull landing for a fish]

Text and images by Dr Jeff Lim.

“Sunday morning, 13th December 2009, while asleep in my bed, I received an awakening call from a friend Rahul Kolekar, currently working on a research project in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, saying that he is forwarding my number to his friend Sameer Patel, who has a raptor with him, which he had rescued from his workplace Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Colaba, Mumbai.

“The raptor was attacked by crows some two days ago. I thought it must be just a Barn Owl, for which I had been receiving quite a number of rescue calls in the earlier two to three weeks, this being the prime time of the year when many juveniles are found attacked by crows…

“I soon received a call from Sameer. He said, it was a falcon and he thought it to be probably a juvenile Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug). …I rushed to his place to find that it was an Amur Falcon (F. amurensis) (above). On inspection it seemed to be in good condition, not injured; it flew well and was eating well too … and decided to release it as early as possible - as Sameer fed it meat (the only option) and it being not its natural diet, being largely insectivorous on migration, it could have affected it’s health…

“I decided to leave the bird with Sameer, asking him to give it water, to avoid any further discomfort to the bird as it had plenty of space to fly over there and a caring nature lover to look after, and returned home for the day as we had planned to release it on the next day.

“The very next day, I went to Sameer’s place. We provided water to the bird and then three of us, myself, Sameer and Sameer’s friend Yashoda Narvankar went to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai, to release the bird in the wild at around 1030 hrs. As we released it, it flew well and perched on a nearby tree (left). It preened itself for almost 10-15 minutes while we monitored the bird from some distance. And finally it took off its perch flying away with agility and probably also tried to hawk dragonflies once. We watched it for a minute or two before it finally disappeared after letting us enjoy some spectacular flight display leaving us with some memories of this magnificent bird and some questions in my mind about bird behaviour, instincts and their migration patterns.

“Thanks to Sameer and Yashoda for all the help while taking identification photographs.”

Saurabh Sawant
Mumbai, Maharshtra, India
14th December 2008

Note:
The rescued Amur Falcon is female, possibly a sub-adult bird, showing adult-like underparts, underwings, tail pattern, buff thighs and orangish legs and beak along with other most adult-like characters but still showing buff edges to upperwing coverts like juveniles. The bird is an autumn passage migrant to the Indian subcontinent

“I had the opportunity to travel from October to November this year, to Nagaland – one of the seven-sister states in North East India. The other states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura. They form part of the East Himalayan region, which extends from Sikkim eastwards and embraces the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal. The location of the region is strategically important as it has international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. The area is characterised by rich bio-diversity, heavy precipitation and high seismic activity. It is endowed with forest wealth and is ideally suited to produce a whole range of plantation crops, spices, fruits and vegetables and flowers and herbs. The rich natural beauty, serenity and exotic flora and fauna of the area are invaluable resources for the development of eco-tourism.

“Unfortunately, this story is about the indiscriminate killing of the Red-legged or Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis). It is one of the most elegant, beautiful, dignified-looking birds I have ever seen. According to Salim Ali’s Book of Indian Birds, the Amur Falcon is a passage migrant in North and North East India, appearing once a year from mid-October to mid-December, presumably on autumn passage to East and South Africa.

“The size is comparable to a pigeon. The male is slate-grey above, ash grey below but for rusty red-vent thighs and under-tail coverts (left, top); distinct orbital area, cere and legs. Females are entirely different: slaty grey barred with black; hindneck with whitish nuchal collar. Pale rusty white below, spotted with black on upper breast, bars on lower breast and flanks. I thought they were two different species of falcon. [The juvenile is as shown in left, bottom.]

“They are often recorded in immense numbers in flocks often milling around at sunset before roosting on trees. Salim Ali writes, “they are said to be eaten in Cachar and East Africa”. I found out first-hand that they are also eaten in Nagaland.

“I saw them flying in circles high above in the sky, and strung on high electrical cables in the Doyang Dam area in the Wokha district. The Doyang Hydroelectric project produces a significant amount of power to the central districts of Nagaland.

“The two specimens that I photographed were captive, awaiting their fate, kept in a traditional “machang” or viewing pavilion next to the village pastor’s house. I asked the local hosts about these birds, and was told that there were seasonal migratory birds. They would come by the tens of thousands every year, for a few months, and then disappear. However, during these months, the local people would catch them with nets after observing their flight paths. Some people I spoke to said that other people would give them live birds by the hundreds as gifts for food. One family said they tried letting the birds go free, but they would return to their cages for food. To avoid them being caught again, this family transported the birds to a remote area to be freed. In another home, I saw the distinctive white and black streaked feathers strewn on the ground near where food is prepared in the compound.

[Above left is a juvenile Amur Falcon all tied up to be subsequently eaten, same as with the squirrels on the right.]

“There is no shortage of food in Nagaland – they are farmers by tradition, growing padi, potatoes, yam, fruit and vegetables on the hilly slopes, and rearing domesticated animals for meat. It seems that the tribal tradition of capturing wildlife for food remains an active past-time among some segments of the population up till today. I fear for the survival of the Amur Falcon and other wildlife, if they are still being hunted down indiscriminately for sport and recreation. I have spoken to Naga people who are my friends about conservation and wildlife protection. I pleaded with the youngster who had captured the two birds in these photos, to let them go. He politely gave me his word that he would do so. However, I fear that not enough is being done to change the traditional forms of “enjoying” wildlife in these parts. There is one unmistakable observation in Nagaland – in the rural parts that I visited: the absence of any bird life. The flowering plants and trees are there, the forest edge is usually not far away, yet early mornings and evenings are not filled with birdsong and colors. When I do see them, I fear for their safety and freedom.”

Joyce S Y Tan
23rd November 2009

The mating and nesting rituals of a pair of Black-thighed Falconet (Microhierax fringillarius) have already been posted earlier by Connie Khoo: see HERE. The current post, also by Connie, involves the strange hunting behaviour of this pair of falconets during their nesting period as observed in early February 2007.

The pair of nesting Black-thighed Falconet had already established an eyrie or nest on the limestone cliff. So it appeared strange that they were observed collecting pieces of long dried grass. Also, these falconets are not known to make use of any nesting materials to line their nest. Through further observations, they were seen bringing these grass pieces to another site nearby, a sort of “false eyrie” (above right). A male falconet was later seen in the false eyrie with one eye closed and the other keeping watch on the ground below (above left). He would dive down the moment he spotted a foraging Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) on the ground below and returned to his eyrie to feed the chicks. These falconets are also adept at catching House Swifts (Apus affinis) on the wing.

A pair of these Eurasian Tree Sparrow was at the same time building their nest about 3 m below the false eyrie (left). Whenever a falconet brought back the dried grass, the sparrows would watch from inside their own nest or from somewhere nearby. Once the falconet flew off, one sparrows, usually the one outside the nest, would give a call and fly to the false eyrie, steal a piece of dried grass and returned to its nest. Sometimes both sparrows would be around the false eyrie looking for nesting materials when the falconets were not around. As soon as the falconet was sighted, the sparrows would fly off.

Now why did the falconets collect the dried grass and brought them to the false eyrie? Was the materials used to lure the sparrows? If so, why did they not pounce on the sparrows when the latter were stealing the grass pieces? Was it to build up the ‘trust’ of the sparrows before preying on them? And why did the falconets target the sparrows foraging on the ground below and not when they were stealing from the false eyrie? We need answers to these questions!

Note: Black-thighed Falconets usually make use of abandoned nest holes of barbets and woodpeckers. Occasionally they nest in holes under eves of buildings. No materials are used. Where they nest in tree holes, wood chips can be found but no other nesting materials are added. In other nesting holes, insect remains can be found. On limestone cliffs, these falconets seek out the many natural cavities on the limestone face.

All image by Connie Khoo.

“The sight of common house crows perching on TV antennae of high rise apartments in Singapore is familiar to all. How about that of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)?” ask Sun Chong Hong.

“On 24 Feb 09 at about 6.30 pm, I saw a bird flying towards a 25 storey HDB block in Bishan near to the Bishan Park. At first I thought it was a house crow. After a short while, I realised I was mistaken because the way the bird flapped its wings was different from that of the crow. While crows flap their wings more gracefully and look more flexible, the movement of this bird’s wings appeared to be stiff. It landed and perched on the antennae and started to preen itself.

“For the next 7 days or so, the bird would come and land on its perch between 6.30 pm and 7 pm. However, since yesterday (4 Mar) the bird was no longer seen.”

According to Tudge (2008), “Peregrines are taking to city life worldwide. For them, the towers are cliffs – just right for nesting; and there are pigeons aplenty to feed on.”

It seems that in Singapore, they are getting common, especially during the winter migratory months, although a few are also seen during the non-migratory season as well. According to our bird specialist R Subaraj, “based on colouration and size, these birds are believed to be visitors of the resident race from some place nearby, like Malaysia. These falcons are often found on transmitter towers, including Bukit Batok, Sentosa, Ubin and even Fort Canning. These structures offer a good vantage point, feeding and roosting perch.”

There are always plentiful mynas and starlings to provide food for these raptors in urban and rural areas. See also below.

Image by Kwek Swee Meng.

Reference:
Tudge, C., 2008. Consider the birds. Who they are and what they want. Allen Lane, London. 480 pp.