Pulau Ubin 19Mar06

Annual Bird Census from Con

The star of the day was not a bird, but a praying mantis. We noticed that a common myna flew down to the pavement and was about to pounce on a rather big green bug, when all of a sudden the praying mantis stood up and faced the bird as if to say if it's a fight you want, come and get it! And the myna flew off startled! If only any of us could have captured the confrontation. Anyway the mantis stayed in its fighting posture a long time, until we finally had to brush the fellow off the road or it'd have gotten squashed by a car.

First, there are Scaly-breasted Munia collecting nesting material, and the fourth picture is the Scaly-breasted Munia nest.

Straw-Headed Bulbul, saw and heard many.

White-rumped Shama (female)

Olive-backed Sunbird (female) outside of nest, and next picture inside of nest.

Brown-throated Sunbird (female) inside of nest

The star of the day, the praying mantis who chased off a Common Myna.

At Changi Cove on 18 Mar, Con shot a Paddyfield Pipit (left) and a Zitting Cisticola (right).