hermit crab house swapping @ Ubin - Dec2012

The clip shows two blue-striped hermit crabs in one of the mangrove pools (former prawn pond).
These crabs were both in Rodong snail shells. I was alerted to some house-swapping action by a knocking sound. One crab was tapping or knocking onto the other shell which was occupied by the other crab.

hermit crab house swapping @ ubin - Dec2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

The loser was cajoled out of its shell by the aggressor and it ran out beyond the reach of the aggressor who promptly assessed the now empty shell. Finding it suitable, it climbed into the 'new' shell leaving its own free for the loser to lay claim to it.  The victor's former shell now empty was free for the loser to occupy which it did without much hesitation. Any protection was better than none and hermit crabs cannot afford to be 'naked' i.e. without a hard shell because their bodies are naturally unprotected and soft. 

With both crabs swapping shells, they quickly parted ways. Perhaps they may meet again on the other side of the mangrove pool ... and another battle may present itself. What a great way to recycle one's home!

Find out more about these and other Singapore hermit crabs here :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/anomura/hermit/clibanarius.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/anomura/hermit/hermit.htm

http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/

brown shrike @ labrador nature reserve - Dec 2012

Came across this lovely little brown bird on the rusty barbed wire fence at the Labrador Park Nature Reserve.

Shrikes seem to prefer perches with sharp ends like plants with thorns and barbed wire fences. They are known to impale prey such as insects and lizards on sharp objects before consuming them. The brown shrike appears to be a winter visitor which appears in Singapore during the period from about October to March. This one is an adult brown shrike as it has a distinctive black eye band. Note the curved beak tip and the long talons. This bird may be small but it is a bird of prey no less.

Find out more about this winter migrant here :

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=5528
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrike

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Shrike

http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=122062

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Lanius-cristatus

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/environment/NHR/Shrike/hail.html
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/birds/shrikes.htm
http://singaporebirds.blogspot.sg/2012/06/shrikes.html

the uncommon common kingfisher @ ubin - Dec2012

The Ubin mangroves seems to be a good spot for kingfishers.  At least 4 types can be seen with some patience (or good luck). The Common Kingfisher is nowhere near as common in Singapore as it is in Europe. It is rarely seen and is rather skittish preferring to fly off at first glimpse of the all too common mostly upright apes.

The birds seen in these clips may be the same bird or two or three birds which cohabit in one particular part of the mangroves. There were also stork-billed kingfishers, collared kingfishers, and even the rare black-capped kingfisher.

One particular characteristic of the tiny sparrow-like common kingfisher is its ability to hover at a spot. Despite their small size, they can fly past at an astonishingly fast speed...such that all you see most times is a blue blur.

The clips show the common kingfisher flying in and out from perches near the water surface and even momentarily hovering to target prey fish in the water. (Segments showing the kingfisher in action have been slowed down to 12.5% normal speed but even this seems too slow to appreciate the high speeds displayed by the dimunitive speedster).  

the uncommon common kingfisher @ ubin - Dec2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Read more about the common kingfisher here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Kingfisher

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Alcedo_atthis.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Common_Kingfisher

http://singaporebirds.net/npassers_01/common_kingfisher.html

http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=84011

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/common-kingfisher-alcedo-atthis
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2012/01/uncommon-common-kingfisher-lorong-halus.html

peregrine falcon @ ubin - Dec2012

Last year, the telecommunications tower at Ubin village had a falcon on it at the end of October. This year, it seems to have been only seen first in early December. It sat actively looking around high atop the telecommunications tower. It did not seem to be bothered when a circling white-bellied sea eagle and later also a brahminy kite passed close by.

peregrine falcon @ ubin - Dec2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Singapore in within a long list of countries which is supposed to have resident peregrine falcons. However, it seems that the best time to see peregrine falcons is during the Oct to April period. This coincides with the migratory season for Northern hemisphere's winter.

It is thought that the telecommunications tower falcon is a migratory one as it is not seen for pretty much the rest of the year outside the Oct to April period.

Habitat loss due to human development continues to be a threat for seeing these falcons 'in the wild'. However, these falcons are frequently seen amongst high-rise buildings amongst a concrete jungle. They seem to thrive even in high-rise cities.

Find out more about the fastest animal (when in a hunting dive) on the planet :

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/106003622/0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/id

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/p/peregrine/index.aspx

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/peregrine-falcon/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_sFmeZ5XF0

http://www.besgroup.org/2009/02/04/peregrine-falcon-in-singapore%E2%80%99s-heartland/

http://besgroup.blogspot.sg/2006/12/peregrine-falcon-feasting-on-black.html
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.sg/2012/06/eagle-v-kamikaze-high-street-june-2012.html

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/migration.htm

changeable hawk eagles @ tanah merah - Nov2012

Tanah Merah seems to be a good spot (for now) to see Changeable Hawk Eagles. This species comes in two main morphs...pale or dark (and quite a few variations in between depending on the stage of maturity of the bird). The clip shows three different birds.
The first is seated on a Casuarina branch silhouetted by the morning sun. It was observed for about 5 minutes before it took flight calling whilst it flew off.
The second was seated on another tree looking around whilst highlighted by the morning sun. This one had a rich brown colour and the distinctive yellow feet can be clearly seen.
The third hawk eagle was a juvenile pale morph. This one had a white head and a pale coloured body with dark grey wings. It also had a small black crest atop its head. When it was first noticed, it was wagging its tail from side to side. Facing away from its observers, it was quite content until a motorbiker came by. Unfortunately, the noise from the bike set the bird off and it took off deeper into the nearby forest.

changeable hawk eagles @ tanah merah - Nov2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Habitat loss continues to be a problem for these shy birds which seem to prefer more quiet and non-habited areas.

Find out more about these rarely seen Singapore resident birds here :

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=31546

http://www.besgroup.org/2007/10/07/changeable-hawk-eagle-pale-x-dark-morph/

http://www.besgroup.org/2007/08/16/portrait-of-an-eagle-changeable-hawk-eagle/

 http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2007/01/changeable-eagle-attacking-colugo.html

http://www.besgroup.org/2006/11/02/changeable-hawk-eagle-and-the-long-tailed-macaque/

http://www.besgroup.org/2007/07/21/changeable-hawk-eagle-nesting-observations/

http://nusavifauna.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/changeable-hawk-eagle/

http://singaporebirds.blogspot.com/2012/06/buttonquail.html

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Nisaetus-cirrhatus

http://wildbirdsingapore.nss.org.sg/Raptor%20Manual_circa.pdf

raptors @ tanah merah - Nov2012

Came across these two raptors flying about amongst the Casuarina trees. It looked as it their talons were locked as they stumbled through the foliage. One bird managed to regain its balance on a thin branch whilst the other hung below it. It took a few seconds of struggling before the bird below managed to break free and the chase resumed.  ID is going to be a bit difficult as there was no clear oppurtunity. I'm guessing they were sparrowhawks. 

raptors @ tanah merah - Nov2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Singapore has two main types of sparrowhawks :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Sparrowhawk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Sparrowhawk

and they are part of the Accipeter genus :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accipiter