Contributed by Seng Alvin. Photos Credit: Seng Alvin.
Pasir Ris Park at the north-eastern end of Singapore with its riverine mangroves and wooded parklands has long been a favourite place to bringing up babies, baby birds to be exact. Malaysian Pied Fantails, resident cuckoos, sunbirds and of course the star of Pasir Ris, the Spotted Wood Owls are some of the species that breed at the park. Raiding parties of Oriental Pied Hornbills from across Pulau Ubin made foraging sweeps now and then for nesting chicks to feed their young during the breeding season.
Long time rehab resident at PRP, our darling Buffy Fish Owl.
But the park may be turning into an infirmary and home for injured birds. Long time resident “one-eye Jack” our darling Buffy Fish Owl have been rehabilitating in the mangroves for some time now.
So is this Pacific Swallow with a skin injection around the eyes. It has been around since the middle of last year.
30th April. First photo of the one-legged Olive-winged Bulbul inside the Mangroves at PRP.
Early this year, on 30th April, I photographed an Olive-winged Bulbul, Pycnonoyus plumosus, inside the mangrove area but did not think much about the photo. Then a month later I came across another Olive-winged Bulbul at the mangroves and realised that it also had only one leg. Digging out the photo of the bulbul I shot in April, I realised that it was the same bulbul. Was it crippled at birth or did it suffered some mishap later on? I have no way to know but was happy to see that it was surviving.
29th May, second shot of this bulbul inside the mangroves.
I was out on the evening of August 2nd at the bridge waiting for the Stock-billed Kingfisher to start fishing for dinner. A bulbul distracted me and I fired a few shots ( with the wrong settings). Later as I was about to delete it I found something strange with it. Just to make sure I was not seeing things, I posted it on Bird Sightings FB Group and asked if anyone sees any thing different with this bulbul. Keen eyed Benny Lim responsed that it was one legged!
August 2nd shot near to the bridge while waiting for the Stork-billed Kingfisher. Can you see the missing leg?
Bingo, I now have a third photo of the same bulbul, which means that it has survived almost four months now. Wang Heng Mount proclaimed it as a winner and survivor. This guy is a mighty said Millie Cher and Jeffrey Long called it “a fighter”.
To me it is all the above and we should all be inspired by these survivors at Paris Ris and wish them a long and happy time at the park.
Singapore Bird Group 