preening eagle @ berlayar creek - July 2012

Whilst its partner had flown off to a nearby perch and started its morning calls, this white bellied sea eagle was busy preening itself. It reached back with its beak and pulled out a long feather before transferring it to its foot stepping on it. The eagle seemed to pull on the feather with its beak before discarding it and continued preening itself. It then pulled out (not in video clip) another long feather and transferred it to his feet, before discarding it as well.  Shortly after, it flew off across the former BP field towards Labrador Hill. 

It flew low to the treetops and seemed to grab at some leaves from the top of a tree before flying to another tree nearby grabbing at some more leaves. It then made a u-turn heading for another tree on the hill and grabbed a talon-full of leaves which it promptly discarded before disappearing beyond the hill.  Perhaps it was trying to clear its feet of something stuck in it and that 's why it flew to the tree tops to see it if could clear whatever it was being bothered with. 

zpreeningeagle from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

time : about 7.15 am

salt licking mangrove squirrel @ berlayar creek - July 2012

Was out at Berlayar Creek early to catch the eagles waking up and was distracted by a rustling in the tree behind me. It was Mr. Plantain Squirrel out for his morning's ... minerals? I as surprised to see it licking the leaves of the mangrove tree. It seemed to be interested mainly in the underside of the  leaves and also the surface of the bark of a branch. It held the leaves between its hands and licked it like a child doing his favourite ice-cream flavour justice. Occasionally, it plucked off a leaf from a branch and licked it before discarding it.

Mangrove trees are able to live in salt water due to their ability to excrete salt from their leaves (and possibly woody branches as well going by what the squirrel in this video clip did towards the end). This allows the mangrove trees to regulate the salt content within their vascular system.

Time : 0715am

salt licking mangrove squirrel @ berlayar creek - July 2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

hammering laced woodpecker @ bidadari - June 2012

The soon-to-be-deforested forest resounded with the distinctive repetitious hammering of a tree trunk. It did not take too long to figure out which tree was being hammered but the hammerer flew off as I came around the tree. It came back after about 15 minutes to the same spot. It was a male laced woodpecker. The hammering took place at intervals of about a minute and lasted each time for just about 2 seconds. The woodpecker would wait about a minute to resume its 2 seconds of hammering.

hammering laced woodpecker @ bidadari - June 2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

It flew off after a while but the hammering was heard again after the camera left.

Find out more about this resident woodpecker :

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=726

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

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

http://www.besgroup.org/2012/06/28/laced-woodpecker-and-durians/

http://www.besgroup.org/2012/03/26/laced-woodpecker-foraging-on-the-ground/

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/05/16/ground-pecking-laced-woodpecker/

http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/birds/woodpeckers.htm

https://vimeo.com/36165497

http://mygreenspace.nparks.gov.sg/a-most-odd-tree-doctor/

fishing great-billed heron @ chek jawa - June 2012

fishing great-billed heron @ chek jawa - june 2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

A great-billed heron was out fishing in the shallows during the low tide at the edge of the seagrass meadow. After a couple of misses, if finally managed to catch a rather large elongated fish which was longer than the length of its bill. It took a few minutes to swallow the fish and it almost seemed that it was not going to be able to do so. The bird occasionally lowered its fish filled bill into the shallow water as if it was using gravity to slightly re-adjust the position of the fish as well as the the surface of the muddy ground below to make sure the fish would not fall out of its bill. It managed a final upward swing of its bill and swallowed the fish into its throat. (This part was missed during the video capture). The whole process from capture to swallow took about 1min 45 sec.

Read more about this threatened bird : 

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/07/rip-great-billed-heron-sbwr.html

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/great-billed-heron-ardea-sumatrana

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3724

http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/birds/herons-large.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/birds/shorebirds.htm

http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/12/bird-poop-helps-heal-seagrass-damage.html - how bird poop helps seagrass meadows

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/redbook/aaaArdea-sumatrana1aaa.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great-billed_Heron

http://www.besgroup.org/2009/01/23/great-billed-heron-catching-an-eel-catfish/

http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/12/great-billed-heron-poaching.html - poaching!!

http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/10/hunting-techniques-of-great-billed_16.html

eagle showtime @ the esplanade - June 2012

The pair of white-bellied sea eagles were flying about the marina basin at about 6.30pm when one swooped down to the water surface and caught a large fish (probably a tilapia) in the light of the setting sun. It flew higher and higher in a spiral  before gliding across the Padang towards its regular perch to start on dinner.

eagle showtime @ the esplanade - June 2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

I expected to see the eagle get dive-attacked by the area's resident peregrine falcon but this did not happen this evening as the falcon was nowhere to be seen. It was only much later that the falcon showed up at the same place atop the Riverwalk as I had seen it the day before. It flew off close to 7.30pm.

falcon @ riverwalk - June 2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

check out these links from earlier in the week :

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2012/06/eagle-v-kamikaze-high-street-june-2012.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2012/06/kamikaze-riverwalk-june-2012.html

the kamikaze? @ the Riverwalk - June 2012

The skies around the High Street were quiet this evening. No aerial acrobatics. This time, the lone eagle must have approached its favourite perch away from the eyes of the kamikaze as there were no sorties by the kamikaze. It was nowhere to be seen. 

A little guesswork extrapolating the appearance of the kamikaze from the left may have proved fruitful. Atop a nearby building to the left of the acrobatic arena was a dark form. It was stationary for a long time and I though it was part of the corner of the building.

 It was only much later that I realised that the dark form was no longer at the corner. 

Could this be the Peregrine Falcon's choice perch? Quite possible! It was the perfect spot to keep watch on the eagles returning with their catch and from which to launch itself. ... or maybe it was just a crow.

check out the action the day before :
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2012/06/eagle-v-kamikaze-high-street-june-2012.html