Category Archives: Wildlife

Escapees

In the parlance of birding, escapees are non-native birds that have ‘escaped’ from captivity and are now living independently in the wild. In Singapore there are quite a number of escapees birds as we do have a bird trade going on and of course there are many people who release captive birds for religious purposes on certain occasions.

On the whole, here and there we will have reports of sighting of 1 or 2 exotic birds either introduced or maybe a rare winter migrant that will trigger the call to action for many bird photographers. News indeed travel fast in this small island.

It is rarer to see a flock of exotic escapee birds though. I mean, it’s Singapore. Where do they hide from prying eyes for long? Do escapee birds of a feather somehow flock together? Do they breed and soon become a feral population?

Near where I stay, there is a small flat field that has been leveled and is probably slated for development, perhaps in anticipation of future demand for HDB flats. In the meantime, lalang and other grass species have sprouted in place of the bare ground. Mimosa bushes and acacia trees have grown as well. The place is wholly uninteresting to most people as there are many such plots of land nearby. To me however, it is a quiet, nearby training ground to learn bird photography.

I have noted for a long time the presence of a flock of Sooty-headed Bulbuls (Pycnonotus aurigaster) that have made this field their home. Well, just so happen this is a escapee species introduced here and have started breeding. They are considered a breeding feral population and just so happen, this plot of land is an excellent site to observe them.

Recently I made another discovery. Apparently there is another flock of birds that are also pretty exotic. When I first met them, I had trouble identifying them as the local bird guide book did not contain their description. With the help some bird ID experts, I found out that not only did I managed to find one species of bird, but actually two!

The first bird is the Yellow-fronted Canary (Serinus mozambicus), a native of Africa that is traded and prized as a song bird. Pictured below eating grass seeds.

The second bird is the White-rumped Seedeater (Serinus leucopygius), a relative of the Yellow-fronted Canary that is also an African song bird.

Racial Harmony Day

These two kind of birds somehow escaped from captivity, found each other in a tiny plot of land, and now live together peacefully.

There are currently 6 of them, three Yellow-fronted Canaries and three White-rumped Seedeaters scurrying around and foraging together in this grassland they call ‘home’. I hope they manage to survive and prosper.

Smooth-coated Otters Part 3

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Sometimes, just when you think you can regularly encounter something, Mother Nature has other plans. Since my last encounter with the otters back in September, I had made many trips to Sungei Buloh to try to observe them again. No luck whatsoever. Perhaps they have found a new home at a more inaccessible place away from the prying eyes of human beings. Or maybe they were all eaten up by water monitors and crocodiles. Who knows?

Last Sunday morning, instead of going to my usual place, I decided to have a short stroll in Pasir Ris Park. Somewhere nearby. My goal was to find the Red Junglefowl which I had photographed previously next to Sungei Tampines, which runs through the park. By the way, the Red Junglefowls are believed to be the ancestors of the domestic chickens.

Within minutes of walking along park, I heard the distinctive “cock-a-doodle-doos” of the male junglefowl. In fact I heard two different calls at two locations. They sounded like they were having a dueling competition of some sort. I managed to catch a glimpse of the closer male bird near the mangrove swamp, but I really wasn’t that motivated to trail it through. I thought, maybe I will see them again later.

I proceeded to one of the observation point that overlook Sungei Tampines. Back in July, I encountered Grey Herons that were starting to build their nests there. It has been some time and I heard that it is now a thriving heronry, with chicks growing up nicely. True enough, when I arrived, there were heron nests with adults and chicks at various stages of development.

What caught my eyes though was a figure quite far away that was bobbing in the waters of the river. It was either a monitor lizard or an otter. I took some shots and zoomed in on my camera LCD panel. It was an otter!

I monitored it as it came closer. I beckoned to some photographers there who were engrossed with the herons about the presence of the otters. Everyone switched focus. And the otter seemingly obliged by swimming to the river bank just opposite to our observation point. I took a few quick snaps.

It later moved on to another spot and I gave chase. By the time I arrived though, it decided it wanted to move to another place. Oh well, I suppose I will leave it alone, as I was pleased and pleasantly surprised to have encountered yet another otter at a different location!

Photos below. Nothing spectacular. No eating, no playing. Just a single otter.

Smooth-coated Otters Part 2

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About a week after my first encounter with the smooth-coated otters, I was eager to go see them again. It was a weekend and I headed to Sungei Buloh with anticipation.

Walk and walk I did, but the otters were nowhere in sight. For an hour and a half, I was looking at every nook and cranny. After completing the whole route, I decided to give it one last chance and went to the spot where I last caught sight of the otters. No luck, but I heard yelping on the other side of the mangrove bank at a short distance away. Could it be them?

I did not have a clear view, as the mangrove plants were really getting in the way, but through the leaves, I could see grey figures moving and yelping away incessantly. Quickly finding an opening, I found them. Again!

Crouching at an awkward angle, I did all I could to get some decent shots. It didn’t help that I was using a new lens that did not have image-stabilization. Luckily for me, there were some usable shots.

1. Hi there!

2. This time around, there are four of them!

3. Group huddle

4. Curiosity

5. Everyone gets fish for dinner

6. Serious eats

7. Ever vigilant

8. Watch it!

9. The dive

10. Enough eating, let’s play!

Smooth-coated Otters Part 1

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Smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) are medium sized otters that inhabit coastal areas such as estuaries and mangroves. Their range extends from South East Asia to India.

Although now listed as a vulnerable species, here in Singapore, there have been records of sightings of these otters in a few areas, namely in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Sungei Tampines and Pulau Ubin.

My first sighting of these creatures was at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 5 September 2010. It was a pair of feeding otters. The whole thing was rather unexpected as I was not specifically looking out for them. Here are the pictures (see my Flickr account for larger sizes).

10.

Twelve Piggies

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It was a public holiday yesterday and the rest of the family was holidaying somewhere else. I had a whole day for myself and I intended it to be a photography day.

However, it was coming towards the end of the day, and it turned out that it was not a very fruitful birding day despite my best attempts. I was headed towards the Lower Peirce Reservoir Park carpark when I decided to make a last minute detour to the garden just above the carpark. Maybe my luck may change and in birding, one can only be an optimist.

Strolling along, examining closely every tree for sign of birds, I suddenly saw a figure and it was staring at me…

Whoa, a wild boar in the garden!

I quickly backed out to keep a safer distance as I know how dangerous they can be. Imagine, a full view of a boar in an unexpected setting. Peering into my viewfinder again…

There’s more than one! A family with adult and piglets! I braced myself. Nothing more dangerous than a sow protecting its family. I quickly figured that the position I was standing at was favourable enough. I was far enough and I can safely dash downhill and my camera was handheld, not on a tripod. So instead of running off immediately, I stayed and continued scanning the area.

More pigs to the right!

In fact there are 11 pigs in the above picture! A quick count without the camera confirms the number. All just above the carpark, and everyone else there was oblivious to them. Amazing!

Moments later, a mad dash! I was startled initially, but they weren’t charging towards me, thankfully. More clickity-clicks then.. Apparently they were headed back to the forest clearing to my left. My presence was not welcomed by them.

This mother piggy is bringing the children home.

The next 3. Hoppity-hop.

The final 2. Observing me intently before leaving towards the dark forested area.

Wait it minute here, you may say. Whatabout your title? It says 12 Piggies. Kinda feel cheated of one little piggy!

OK, I understand. Well, this morning I was at Chek Jawa in Pulau Ubin…

And on my way out, I met this little piggy!

A closer look and a final picture.

Just for your info, the Eurasian Wild Pig (Sus scrofa) is the largest native terrrestrial mammal in Singapore. And it was only quite recently that it has made a reappearance in the main island. There are not many photos of them as they prefer to stay in the forested area and the wise photographer backs out instead of staying around and risk a mauling. Do have a further read here:
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2010/2010nis227-237.pdf

The squirrel and the jackfruit

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The Plaintain Squirrel is the most common squirrel species in Singapore. They are found in many parks, gardens, mangrove and forested area. In other words, a very versatile species. It is also unfortunately considered a pest by fruit farmers as they have a liking for fruits. Thankfully for them, Singapore does not have many fruit farms (no, there are no orchard in Orchard Road), so they are not hunted down.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is one of those ulu (far flung and isolated) areas that I like to frequent, as there is a wide variety of animals and birds that calls it home. It is mainly a mangrove area (hence the Wetland designation). In the past, it housed a series of prawn ponds and fish farms, but now it has been redeveloped into a park with ready made trails for those seeking a dose of nature.

I was covering one of the trails, which overlook Johor Bahru city, Malaysia from across the Johor Straits. In fact, I can probably see the hospital where I was born in from there. Which reminds me, I need to take a picture of it the next time I am there!

Anyway, back to the story. Along this trail there are a few jackfruit trees. I have seen the plantain squirrels guard the unripe fruits before. But on this trip, I was luckier.

What is interesting is the way the squirrel uses its hands. Looks very similar to that of humans, although I cannot be certain whether they actually do have opposable thumbs or not. Not that it matters, as the squirrel clearly had no trouble eating almost half the fruit anyway!

Colugos at Lower Peirce

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Two months ago, I was at the Lower Peirce reservoir looking for a Buffy Fish Owl that was mentioned by other bird photographers. Unfortunately, my timing was all wrong as owls normally come out in the late evenings and I was there in the mid afternoon!

Walking along the boardwalk, a fellow visitor noticed that I was carrying my long lens and mentioned to me that there was a flying lemur near the other part of the entrance. Carrying such a big contraption does have it’s benefits! I did not respond immediately as I was pre-occupied with photographing other stuff.

Later, I met another photographer who was there taking pictures of bulbuls (another kind of bird) bathing. He was an older gentleman who started chatting with me and later showed me around where the owl was suppose to be. As we walked along, he pointed to each location and what we may see along the way. Yet another visitor who had two kids tagging along again saw that we had long lens and mentioned that they just saw a flying lemur. One of the young kid, a boy offered to take us to that location.

Of course we tagged along. How can we disappoint a young kid?

At the location, hugging on one of the tree motionless was indeed a flying lemur or colugo. And it came with an extra head peeking out of it’s belly! A baby colugo. Apparently the colugo young spends the first 6 months of its life clinging on to its mother’s gliding membrane which folds up to a pouch.

A colugo (flying lemur) with a baby

A closer look at the adult

A closer look at the baby

Colugos are found in the tropical rainforest of South East Asia. They are nocturnal herbivorous creatures that spend the day resting. In this case, by hanging on to a tree. Their most distinctive feature is their ability to glide across treetops, using their outstretched gliding membrane. They are also known as Flying Lemurs although their are not lemurs and certainly cannot really fly.

In Singapore, they are found mainly in the Central Catchment area which encompass the Lower Peirce reservoir area. Since these photos were taken, there have been quite a number of sightings of these creatures, so I believe they are thriving for now.

A pair of Little Grebes

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Little Grebes are pretty common water birds in many parts of the world. In Singapore however, there are only a few pairs left due to habitat destruction.

As far as I know, the disused Singapore Quarry near Dairy Farm Road is the only place you can easily observe these small duck like creatures. I was there on a Saturday afternoon looking for them. For 15 minutes I stared at the pond and only found swallows flying around. Only upon closer look did I manage to see the grebes, as they were very far away, and I did not expect them to be so small!

A pair of Little Grebes sharing a photo with Pacific Swallows

A closer look (the pink bubble gum like packages are eggs of the apple snails)

Another shot

A walk at Japanese Garden

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On Friday, I took a bit of time off from work to have a stroll at Japanese Garden. It’s a park in Jurong that as the name implies have some Japanese influence in it’s landscaping. It’s also a favourite haunt for bird photographers as there is a wide variety of birds both resident and migrants that congregate there and the adjoining Chinese Garden. The reasons are simple. There are many trees and more importantly many ponds and even a lake there. Source of food and water. It also helps that it is pretty devoid of bird predators (except probably for some raptors which are also birds anyway).

So on this short trip, I saw hornbills, kingfishers, shrikes, flycatchers, sunbirds and herons. Nothing stands out, except for two things.

First, I had another encounter with yet another stork-billed kingfisher. Unlike my previous encounter at Hindhede Quarry, this time I was much nearer.

It’s an adult and it’s looking for food. Unfortunately, it’s not very adept at fishing. I was observing it hunting a few times unsuccesfully.

But not to worry, there are plenty of fishes at the pond and it has all the time to get it right. BTW on the same day, I received a promotional letter from Nespresso that came with a 50 cents stamp. Guess what, the picture on the stamp is that of the Stork-billed! Coincidence?

The other picture above is that of the Grey Heron. It is interesting just because of its pose, which reminded me of the shape of a heart. It’s actually the heron sunning itself, but makes for a somewhat unusual image.

Juvenile Stork-billed Kingfisher

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Somewhere in the middle of this tiny island lies a pond. A byproduct of a granite quarry long abandoned. Beside it, the highest peak in the entire island, with a name belying its past potential.

I was there for the hill hiking and hopefully some wildlife photography along the way. The pond was besides the point. But at the end of the hike I had nothing to show for my effort. So it was natural that I made my way to the pond, hoping for some change of luck.

The view was good, the water was calm. In the half and hour there, there were numerous birds passing by. Dollarbirds and bee-eaters were swooping through the water looking for food. Bulbuls were flying around. An eagle was soaring above. Quite a sight.

But the light wasn’t favourable and my photographic skill somewhat lacking, so the photos were mediocre at best.

Luckily for me, all was not lost. Calling loudly and incessantly at one side of the bush besides the pond was a juvenile Stork-billed Kingfisher. It was quite far away and tree branches obscured its view. But I managed to capture a few photos nonetheless. Technically imperfect, but it was a rare sighting and it’s a cute bird.

And below is the parent which I caught the next day (I just had to return to confirm their presence!). Notice the difference in the colour of the blue plumage and of the tip of the bill .

Stork-billed Kingfishers as the largest resident kingfishers in Singapore. They are not very common, but can be found where there is a large body of water. And they are solitary birds, but this pond is home to a family!