Asian Koel Raids Pied Triller’s Nest.

Pied Triller’s nest raided by an Asian Koel.

I chanced upon the nest of a pair of Pied Trillers Lalage nigra on an Ordeal Tree Erythrophleum suavolens along one-north Crescent during my evening walk early this August . It was a cup shaped nest about 10 cm in diameter stuck between the fork of two thin branches near the canopy. The two chicks must have hatched a few days ago. Both parents were busy bringing back insects and caterpillars to the chicks.

I went there to check on their progress two days later and witnessed a heartbreaking incident. A male Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea flew in and went straight to the nest. It must have been watching this nesting for some time.

The Koel attacked and pecked at the chick which clung on to the nest. As the Koel pulled the chick out, the nest was came off the branch too. The Koel then shook the chick violently by its neck several times until it went limped. It dropped the chick and the nest to the ground instead of eating it. I think it was trying to take over the nest by getting rid of the chicks but destroyed the nest while doing so.

The parents came back after the attack and was totally confused to find the nest gone and the chicks nowhere in sight.  They went up and down the branches frantically searching for the chicks for some time, gave up and flew away.

The first chick had no chance. It was dead before it hit the ground.

But surprisingly the other chick survived the attack and fall with a few ruffled feathers.

I picked up the nest and wedged it by the trunk of the tree a few meters above the ground and left the chick there. At least it will be safe from feral predators. I stayed around for a while but the parents did not show up. Next morning I found it back on the ground. It must have fallen out of the nest during the night.

I decided to tied the nest on a low twig near the ground and put the chick back in. By now the chick had not been fed for more than 24 hours. It was chirping and calling for its parents. Luckily the parents heard the calls this time round and came back. I experienced the most wonderful moment when the daddy found the chick. They were so happy being reunited!

I was also happy to see the parents resumed feeding the chick.

The mummy was more concerned and hang around to make sure junior was safe. She did not want to lose another chick again.

The chick was strong enough to climb up the tree with the help of some flapping. It seemed to know that it had a better chance of surviving if it moved up to the safety of the dense foliage above.

Next morning I found the chick resting at the mid storey of the Tembusu and the parents still feeding it. Now I was sure that this chick would survive.

 

PS. The Asian Koel is an invader species to Singapore. There were no previous records of its destructive behaviour. In fact they were attributed for helping to control the crow’s population here by parasitizing their nesting. This may be the first time such an aggressive behaviour has been recorded. I would like to hear if there were other such attacks seen here or elsewhere.

Reference: Lim Kim Seng. The Avifauna of Singapore. 2009 Nature Society (Singapore). 

 

 

 

Singapore Bird Report – July 2018

Breeding activities continue to be reported in July, while the first migrants from the northern hemisphere began to arrive at our shores. In the meantime, reports of three charismatic species of birds – the Blue-eared Kingfisher, the Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher and the Blue-winged Pitta feature in this month’s report.

A Blue-eared Kingfisher photographed by Amin at Singapore Botanic Gardens on 31 July 2018.

Birdwatchers and photographers are familiar with the Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting which is quite regularly seen at Kranji Marsh (KM); one was spotted on 2 July 2018 by Amin. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to note reports of this rather skittish species at Venus Loop on 13 July 2018 by Terence Tan, the Lower Pierce Reservoir on 15 July 2018 (1 adult & 1 juvenile) by Adrian Silas Tay, and Singapore Botanic Gardens on 30 July 2018 & 31 July 2018 by Peter Hosner and Amin respectively. This kingfisher is known to live in mangroves, understoreys of forests, peat swamps, and forest streams. They may move out from forest edges into abutting streams, and only rarely visits rivers open enough to attract Common Kingfishers (Wells, 1999:523).  It is therefore encouraging to know that the dimunitive kingfisher is increasingly encountered outside the Kranji Marsh and Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

A Blue-winged Pitta photographed by visiting biologist from Canberra, Shoshana Rapley, at Pulau Ubin on 4 July 2018.

The charismatic Blue-winged Pitta Pitta moluccensis is more often encountered during the later part of the year. Two birds were reported – one on 4 July 2018 near Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin by visiting Australian biologist, Shoshana Rapley, and another on 8 July 2018 at Ama Keng, which is situated in the western end of Singapore by Martin Kennewell. Lambert & Woodcock (1996:166-167) suggested that this Pitta breeds from southern Yunnan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia through Thailand, to northern Peninsular Malaysia, and migrate southwards during the northern winter. The pitta’s breeding range has extended southwards since, reaching Taman Negara Kuala Tahan in 2005 and finally, Singapore in 2016.

A Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher at Singapore Botanic Gardens on 14 July 2018 photographed by Keita Sin.

The Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone affinis was spotted at Windsor Park on 5 July 2018 by Amin, and verified by Luke Milo Teo. Another was seen at the Singapore Botanic Garden’s Rainforest Broadwalk on 14 July 2018 by Keita Sin. This species of Paradise Flycatcher is one of the early migrants, with its close cousin the Amur Paradise Flycatcher probably coming through later.

Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR)

A number of residents were reported to be breeding in the CCNR and its environs.  A juvenile Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris was seen from Jelutong Tower on 1 July 2018 by Francis Yap, while a nesting Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus was spotted at Dairy Farm Nature Park (DFNP) on 11 July 2018 by Alan Owyong, and a juvenile Chestnut-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus sumatranus was seen within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (BTNR) on 13 July 2018 by John Marriott. Also spotted within the CCNR were twelve Blue-rumped Parrots Psittinus cyanurus, two of which were juveniles, at Old Upper Thomson Road on 22 July 2018 by Adrian Silas Tay.

A juvenile Drongo Cuckoo photographed from Jelutong Tower on 1 July 2018 by Francis Yap.

Resident species observed include a Black-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus atriceps at BTNR on 1 July 2018 by Natelia Cyluk, Chestnut-winged Babbler Stachyris erythroptera within CCNR on 6 July 2018 by Alan Owyong, a calling Red-legged Crake Rallina fasciata along Upper Thomson Road on 15 July 2018 by Swen Einhaus, Red-crowned Barbet Megalaima rafflesii at DFNP on 29 July 2018 by Martin Kennewell, and a Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus on 31 July 2018 at Singapore Quarry by Lim Kim Chuah.

A juvenile and adult Blue-rumped Parrot photographed by Adrian Silas Tay on 1 July 2018 inside the CCNR.

Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG)

Apart from the Blue-eared Kingfisher and Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher mentioned earlier, SBG yielded Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis, spotted on 24 July 2018 by Doug Armstrong, and an early Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis on 25 July 2018 by Shirley Ng at the Symphony Lake. The previous earliest arrival date for this kingfisher was 9 August.

Northern Singapore

On 14 July 2018, Jimmy Lee observed a juvenile Banded Bay Cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii being fed by a Common Iora Aegithina tiphia at Lorong Halus. Other residents spotted include an Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus torquatus tweeddale morph at Springleaf Park on 10 July 2018 by Veronica Foo, a Malaysian Plover Charadrius peronii on 29 July 2018 by Zacc, and a Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana on 30 July 2018 by Martin Kennewell, both at Seletar Dam.

Migratory species were also reported. Adrian Silas Tay reported a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus on the tiled floor of some Sembawang HDB flats on 17 July 2018, which is more than a month earlier than the known arrival dates – could  this individual be a true migrant or a released bird? Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus were seen on two days: 7 birds, some still in summer plumage, on 27 July 2018 and 31 birds on 29 July 2018, at Seletar Dam by Zacc. Two Common Sandpipers Actitis hypoleucos were reported by David Li on 23 July 2018 at SBWR. All three represented the first arrivals for the season.

Lesser Sand Plover at Seletar Dam photographed by Zacc HD on 27 July 2018.

Eastern Singapore

A Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus was spotted at Pasir Ris Park (PRP) on 3 July 2018 by Marc Ng, while a Mangrove Pitta Pitta megarhyncha was seen on Pulau Ubin on 4 July 2018 by William Mahoney. A Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus spotted at Changi Coastal Road on 25 July 2018 by Mike Smth was suspected to be of the resident ernesti race.

Migratory species included a Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea, which was spotted at Changi Business Park on 1 and 3 July 2018 by T. Ramesh, who also saw an Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia on 8 July 2018 at Pasir Ris Farmway 3. Two Oriental Honey Buzzards were seen: one juvenile at East Coast Park on 15 July 2018 by Zhang Licong, and a sub-adult male was spotted at Tampines Eco Green on 22 July 2018 by Pary Sivaraman.  Two Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos were spotted by Lim Kim Seng on 30 July 2018 on Pulau Ubin, and constitute the first record for the season.

Oriental Honey Buzzard at Tampines Eco-Green photographed by Pary Sivaraman on 22 July 2018.

Southern Singapore

Alan Owyong spotted a Pied Triller Lalage nigra nest with two chicks on 29 July 2018 at One-north Crescent; one of the chicks was killed by an Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus that raided the nest, but the other chick survived. On 15 July 2018, at Gardens by the Bay, an active Malaysian Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica nest with young chicks was discovered by Elena, and a Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata was building a nest (Khoo Meilin). A pair of Straw-headed Bulbul was spotted at Telok Blangah Hill on 19 July 2018 by Alan Owyong. Four Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana were seen at Marina Barrage on 27 July 2018 by William Mahoney, while a juvenile Drongo Cuckoo was found dead on the pavement next to Citilink Warehouse on 30 July 2018 by See Toh Yew Wai.

One of two Straw-headed Bulbul photographed by Alan Owyong at Telok Blangah Hill on 19 July 2018.

In terms of migratory species in the south, John Marriott saw a Pond Heron Ardeola sp. still in its indeterminate non-breeding/juvenile type plumage on Sentosa on 6 July 2018.

Two possible escapees were reported – a White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata was seen in a mixed flock of Javan and other munia at Telok Blangah Heights on 9 July 2018 by Dean Tan, while a Ruby-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus dispar was seen on 16 July 2018 at Kent Ridge Park by Alan Owyong.

Western Singapore

A juvenile Little Bronze Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus was being fed by a Common Iora Aegithina tiphia on 27 July 2018 at Jurong Central Park, reported Lee Kia Chong, while a Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus was seen on 8 July 2018 at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR) by Margaret Oorebeek.

Martin Kennewell spotted two firsts of the season – a Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica on 28 July 2018 at KM, and about four to five Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius on the same day at Kranji Golf Course; the birds were still in their summer plumage.

Little Ringed Plover at Kranji Golf Course photographed by Martin Kennewell on 28 July 2018.

Abbreviations:
BTNR: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
CCNR: Central Catchment Nature Reserve
DFNP: Dairy Farm Nature Park
JEG: Jurong Eco-Garden
SBG: Singapore Botanic Gardens
SBWR: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
TEG: Tampines Eco-Green

This report is compiled by Geoff Lim and Alan OwYong, edited by Tan Gim Cheong based on selected postings in various facebook birding pages, bird forums, individual reports and extracts from ebird. This compilation is not a complete list of birds recorded for the month and not all the records were verified. We wish to thank all the contributors for their records. Many thanks to Amin, Shoshana Rapley, Keita Sin, Francis Yap, Adrian Silas Tay,  Zacc HD, Alan Owyong, and Martin Kennewell for the use of their photos. 

References:
Lambert, F. & Woodcock, M. (1996) Pittas, Broadbills & Asites. London: Pica Press.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of Thai-Malay Peninsula. Vol. 1. Non-passerines. London: Academic Press.

List of Bird Sightings in report:

Family	Species	Date
Ciconidae	Lesser Adjutant	8-Jul
Ardeidae	Pond Heron	6-Jul
	Great-billed Heron	30-Jul
	Intermediate Egret	8-Jul
Accipitridae	Oriental Honey Buzzard	10-Jul
	Oriental Honey Buzzard	15-Jul
	Oriental Honey Buzzard	22-Jul
Rallidae	Red-legged Crake	15-Jul
Charadriidae	Little Ringed Plover	28-Jul
	Malaysian Plover	29-Jul
	Lesser Sand Plover	27-Jul
	Lesser Sand Plover	29-Jul
Scolopacidae	Common Sandpiper	30-Jul
Laridae	Black-naped Tern	27-Jul
Cuculidae	Chestnut-bellied Malkoha	13-Jul
	Chestnut-winged Cuckoo	17-Jul
	Violet Cuckoo	31-Jul
	Little Bronze Cuckoo	27-Jul
	Banded Bay Cuckoo	14-Jul
	Plaintive Cuckoo	3-Jul
	Drongo Cuckoo	1-Jul
	Drongo Cuckoo	30-Jul
Apodidae	Asian Palm Swift	24-Jul
Alcedinidae	Blue-eared Kingfisher	2-Jul
	Blue-eared Kingfisher	13-Jul
	Blue-eared Kingfisher	15-Jul
	Blue-eared Kingfisher	30-Jul
	Blue-eared Kingfisher	31-Jul
	Common Kingfisher	25-Jul
Megalaimidae	Red-crowned Barbet	29-Jul
Falconidae	Peregrine Falcon	25-Jul
	Peregrine Falcon	28-Jul
Psittacidae	Blue-rumped Parrot	22-Jul
Pittidae	Blue-winged Pitta	4-Jul
	Blue-winged Pitta	8-Jul
	Mangrove Pitta	4-Jul
Monarchidae	Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher	5-Jul
	Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher	14-Jul
Hirundinidae	Barn Swallow	28-Jul
Pycnonotidae	Straw-headed Bulbul	19-Jul
	Straw-headed Bulbul	11-Jul
	Black-headed Bulbul	1-Jul
	Ruby-throated Bulbul	16-Jul
Timaliidae	Chestnut-winged Babbler	6-Jul
Estrididae	White-rumped Munia	9-Jul
Motacillidae	Grey Wagtail	1-Jul

Black-crowned Night Herons – Stages of Growth.

Black-crowned Night Herons – Stages of Growth by Seng Alvin.

Black-crowned Night Herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, as the name suggests are nocturnal birds. They rest in the day and hunt at dusk. As such they do not need bright plumages like other birds. Both sexes have the same grey and white plumage. None of the guidebooks and images in Oriental Bird Club have captioned the sexes and separate them.

I was lucky that a small colony of these herons took up residence at the mangroves at my backyard, Pasir Ris Park and nested. This allows me to photograph them at various stages of growth.

These are my observations and humble assumptions:

Juvenile birds have dull grey-brown plumage on their heads, wings, and backs, with numerous pale spots. Their underparts are paler and streaked with brown. The juvenile birds have orange eyes and duller yellowish-green legs (above). However, the eyes will begin to change to red before it grows into sub-adult stage ( below)

From the sub-adult stage onward, I noticed that there were differences in the color of the bills.

This is a sub-adult based on the duller greys and whites. It has a black upper mandible and a pale yellow lower mandible. Could this be a feature of a female?

This is another sub-adult but it has an all black bill. Could this be a male bird?

I found the same difference in bill color for the adults too. This one has a bi-colored bill.

And this adult has a totally black bill. Is this a male bird? My next project is to try to find out if and when do the color of the lower mandible change from greenish-yellow to black for both sexes or only the males.

During the breeding season, only the male Night Heron’s legs turns from greenish-yellow to pinky-orange (above). Their bills are all black.  It this part of color change during breeding or a feature to separate the sexes?  Your views and comments are most welcome.

 

2017 Year in Review – Residents and Non-breeding Visitors.

2017 Year in Review- Part 3. Residents and Non-breeding Visitors.

We had several important breeding records for 2017 but the most significant was the first documented record of the successful nesting of the Red-legged Crakes Rallina fasciata at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 3^rd November by Mike Smith. Prior to this, all we had were sightings of juveniles being fed by their parents.

Mike Smith’s timely photo of the hatching of the first Red-legged Crake chick at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The other notable breeding record was the sighting of a pair of Great-billed Herons Ardea sumatrana sitting on a nest inside a row of Mangroves at Pulau Ubin near Chek Java on 2^nd January by Daniel Ong. This was our first breeding record from the north of Singapore. On 30^th August, Chua Yen Kheng of Sungei Buloh proudly announced the sightings of a pair of chicks with the adult Black-backed Swamphens Porphyrio indicus at Kranji Marshes, a first since its opening and an indication of the success of the enhancement of the Marshes.

Pair of Black-backed Swamphens with youngs at Kranji Marshes. Photo: Bari Mohamed and NParks.

A juvenile Barred Eagle Owl Bubo sumatranus was photographed at Pulau Ubin by Serin Subaraj on 18^th September during an NParks survey. The adults were heard calling (Jonathan Tan of NParks). Breeding evidence of this rare owl at Ubin?

Juvenile Barred Eagle Owl photographed by Serin Subaraj at Pulau Ubin.

The nesting of the introduced Monk Parakeets Myiopsitta monachus at Pasir Ris Park was however a little worrying as these aggressive parakeets may impact negatively on our native parrots. (Lim Kim Keang on 24^th February)

Staying in Ubin, David Tan retrieved the carcass of a Black-and-Red Broadbill Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos on 24 August, after it crashed into a building at the Outward Bound School there. This was our third record. A female Black Hornbill Anthracoceros malayanus was reported at Ubin on 21^st September by Alan OwYong with another sighting by Martin Kennewell at Sentosa, sex unknown.

The female Black Hornbill was one of the latest addition to the Checklist. Taken at Ubin by Rob Arnold.

The nationally threatened Mangrove Blue Flycatcher Cyornis rufigastra was heard calling at the eastern end of the island by Lim Kim Keang and Low Choon How on 1^st September. Sharinder Singh also reported seeing one across Lorong Halus on 13^th May. Another rare resident seen at Pulau Ubin was the Mangrove Whistler Pachycephala cinerea, once on 1^st April by Lim Kim Keang and again on 16^th September by James Tann. Mike Hooper reported seeing another at Marina East on 30^th July. This is the only Whistler here.

A rare photo of the Mangrove Whistler taken at P. Ubin by James Tann in September

The Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster was reported at the Pekan Quarry on 22^nd March, 4^th June and 26^th December. The surprise find by Thio Hui Bing at the Singapore Quarry on the same day 26^th December could mean that there could be two darters around?  Seetoh Yew Wai and friends reported a skittish Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda at the southern mangrove area on 23^rd September. Could this be our resident minor sub species extending its territory from Pulau Tekong? Rounding up at Ubin, a total of 68 Straw-headed Bulbuls Pycnonotus zeylanicus were recorded during a census on 4^th June coordinated by Yong Ding Li. Pulau Ubin is the most important site for this globally threatened species.

Pulau Ubin is the most important site for this globally threatened species. Photo like this by Ted Ng will be difficult to get elsewhere.

Over at the resort island of Sentosa, Lim Kim Seng had our only record of the rare introduced Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea for the year on 30^th September. He also reported a White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata there on 18^th September. Two other records of the White-rumped Munias came from Chinese Gardens on 3^rd Aug and Kent Ridge Park Forest Walk on 16^th December. Their status and origin are not too clear as recent escapees cannot be fully ruled out.

Francis Yap had the only record of the rare Lesser Green Leafbird Chloropsis cyanopogon from our Central Forest for the year with a sighting at Jelutong Tower on 17^th May.

This is the only record and photo of the nationally threatened Lesser Green Leafbird taken by Francis Yap this year inside our Central Forest.

But the secretive King Quail Excalfactoria chinensis was more cooperative with multiple sightings from Kranji Marshes on 10^th February, 5^th November and Seletar end on 20^th February all by Martin Kennewell.

The large Lesser Adjutants Leptoptilos javanicus had been making rounds over the Kranji Marshes and Sungei Buloh areas during the last quarter of the year. Again Martin Kennewell and Con Foley were there to record the sightings on 30^th September, 8^th October where four birds were seen, and 4^th December.

The forest loving Blue-eared Kingfishers Alcedo meninting continued with their location expansion with records coming in from Hindhede, Bukit Batok and Dairy Farm Nature Parks between 15^th May and 24^th June. Good news for our nationally threatened kingfisher.

Gerals Chua’s photo of the spreading Blue-eared Kingfisher with its catch at Kranji Marshes.

This final part concludes the Bird Review for 2017. We want to thank all of you for your timely posts in the various facebook groups, e-forum and alerts. Let us look forward to another impressive year ahead with more lifers for all.

Compiled from the monthly Bird Reports for 2017 by Alan OwYong, edited by Tan Gim Cheong. Reference: Lim Kim Seng, The Avifauna of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore) 2009. Many thanks to Mike Smith, Bari Mohamed/NParks, Serin Subaraj, Rob Arnold, James Tann, Ted Ng, Francis Yap and Gerals Chua for the use of their photos. 

Nesting of Long-tailed Parakeets in Singapore – A 11 weeks Monitoring Report

11 Weeks Monitoring of the nesting Long-Tailed Parakeets in Singapore – by Mike Smith

Introduction

The Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda is a social bird found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sumatra, Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. It is globally near threatened.

In Singapore it a common parakeet, easily recognised by its long tail and loud screeching but have been photographed on numerous occasions but little was known of their nesting behaviour. This is the first full documentation of its successful nesting in Singapore.

A nest is spotted.

I heard from a friend that Liu Zhongren had discovered a Long-tailed Parakeet nest. It was off the beaten track in Hort Park and I decided to take a look. In the 11 weeks, I had visited the area on 29 days and spent over 90 hours monitoring and observing its nesting behaviour. This has increased the knowledge base of how a male parakeet and at least four females raise a healthy fledgling.

Information from Liu Zhongren and a photo on the internet from ebird.org suggest that a male and female parakeet cleaned up a lineated barbet nest hole 6 metres from the ground in a Rainbow Gum tree (left) and took it over during the last week of April 2018. After the first week of May the male disappeared and females incubated the nest.

Nest monitoring starts

My first visit was on 8th May 2018.  I was lucky to see a female because as I soon discovered, when she sits on the eggs she rarely makes an appearance and never left the nest during my normal viewing hours of 10 am – 4 pm. It just poked her head out of the nest a few times for a few minutes and occasionally hung out upside down. Not a sound was heard; complete silence! No male parakeet was observed during the first month!

Parakeets like to hang around with me but they do it upside down. My photographs showed that more than one female was doing the incubation. My records show at least four over the 11 weeks! Communal breeding my “go to” expert explained! Apparently it’s not uncommon in the birding world.

On 25th May at 8.30 am a female hanging upside down outside the nest suddenly gave a soft screech and from that position flew rapidly from the nest to feed in the forest, 0.5 km away. A different female returned after 10 minutes. This was repeated 10 minutes later. Then nothing else happened so I left at 10 am.

Monitoring the nest was rather boring as there were long periods of inactivity and apart from park staff I was usually on my own under a harsh sun and humid conditions. However, I did get to practice trying to capture female parakeets in flight but opportunities were few and far between. Most of the action took place between 7 and 9 am and 5 to 7 pm. After landing at the nest the female parakeet would disappear inside within a couple of seconds.

The National Parks Board made both me and the mummy parakeet in the nest nervous when they started boring into the tree to check it was “safe”. The bird flew off in anger, I watched in frustration but all was all well 30 minutes later and the female returned.

Even more disturbing was a Lineated Barbet coming back to inspect its former nest hole. I feared there would be a turf war but I guess the parakeet signed a lease and stayed put.

A change in behaviour.

Initial flights I witnessed were only for a few minutes, I assumed this was because the eggs were being incubated. After feeding the female would rest and watch the nest from a tall trumpet tree some 50 metres away, for a few minutes before giving a small screech and heading into the nest.

On 13th June I noticed a change in behaviour, the absence of the female was getting longer, up to an hour and a week later up to 3 hours. For the first time the male appeared on the trumpet tree and fed the female by regurgitating food. The female then flew to the nest and the male back to the forest. Clearly there were chick(s) deep in the nest hole. Flights increased in number with an extra flight during the 10 am – 4 pm period.

Occasionally the male would feed the female on a different tree a few hundred metres away. The female sometimes went to a nearby rain tree to feed and sharpen her claws.

The Baby Appears!!

My first sight of a chick was not until 8th July. Even then it was impossible to get a good photo. I think I saw two dark, scrawny, ugly babies but the photo isn’t very clear but for sure only one hatched. My first clear sight of one chick, which had grown significantly and was now a colourful bird was on 17th July.

Watching the nest was now much more interesting. The baby was growing fast and there were regular photo opportunities. The female stayed away from the nest for longer periods and would watch from the trumpet tree for up to an hour. The baby appeared at the hole entrance regularly.

Another behavioural change – Females spend more time close to but not in the nest.

On 19th July the females spent time on the nest tree but not in the hole which was presumably now a tight fit for two birds.

The Male Returns to the Nest Vicinity.

On 20th July at 9 am the male bird posed much closer to the nest on nearby trees. Suddenly the baby stretched its neck out of the hole and started screeching at the top of its voice, both the male and female flew near to it (the first time I had seen the male anywhere near the nest). The male fed the female before flying off, the female flew into the nest and fed the baby out of sight.

Fledgling.

At 8.00 am on July 21st the young baby stretched its neck out of the nest and at 8.10 am a female parakeet landed on top of the trumpet tree some 50 metres away. 30 minutes later with a loud screech the male joined the female but did not feed her. At 8.50 am the female flew to the nest.  At 8.55 there was a terrific amount of screeching from the male on the distant tree and the female at the nest. Without warning the female flew towards the male and the baby followed. The male took off and all three headed for the jungle.

The finale happened so quickly I only got a blurred picture of the male and female with the fledgling flying below them to Kent Ridge Park. I wondered if the chick would return to the nest but it did not and presumably is being looked after communally at Kent Ridge Park. The female did return to the nest and stayed in it overnight before flying off next morning. The male and female returned to the trumpet tree the next day (I speculate that they cleaned up the nest or were checking that the fledgling didn’t try and return) but not thereafter.

It was rather disappointing that the chick didn’t pose outside the nest or put or feed at the entrance (unless it did so in the dark) but at least it successfully left the nest aged at an estimated 7 weeks. From these observations I learned a significant amount about the nesting of the Long-tailed Parakeets.

Observations and My Conclusions:

Nest Prepared: Last week of April by male and female

Eggs Laid: Ist week of May after which the male left the nest area. Incubated by 4 females (male not involved)

Egg(s) Hatch: End of May (approx 3-3.5 weeks)

Feeding of Baby: Is done by females deep in the nest hole.

Baby: Chick does not appear regularly at nest entrance in daylight until it is 6 weeks old.

Fledge: I chick fledged on 21st July (approx 7 weeks old)

Male does not go inside nest once eggs have been laid

Male feeds in Kent Ridge Park and trees above Hort Park. Females feed on their own food plus get additional food from the male, by regurgitation, on a lookout tree away from the nest.