Sungei Pandan, Mandai Hill 31Jul11

From Danny

I was at S. Pandan on Sunday around mid-morning. Counted 6 Common Redshanks, 1 Great-billed Heron, 1 Intermediate Egret, 1 Milky Stork, 3 Little Egrets and many Grey Herons but no sandy beach for plovers. 5 Little Bronze-cuckoos but no Horsfield's.

Went to forest at back of Mandai Hill camp on Sunday evening . Found 5 Grey-rumped Treeswifts at the same location where we last saw the fledging. They stopped flying around 6.15 pm and settled on two trees as per the 1st two pics. As far as GR Treeswifts, they do perch and roost at night.

Incidentally flushed a pair of adult WBSE on the way out, perhaps the same pair from CCK Park searching to move nest.

The last pic shows an immature curious looking male Brown-throated Sunbird checking out a hollow durian dangling in mid-air. Notice how clean the interior of the durian, the central core and seed chambers were all gone, with just more than half of the outer husk remained  and still dangled by its stem. On the same tree most of the fruits were similarly hollowed out. However, the fruits on the adjacent tree remained wholesome - possibly less tasty. I am just curious as the sunbird to find out who was such a neat & tidy durian lover.

I have seen squirrels attacking durians but they normally only leave behind small single opening on each fruit for woodpeckers & bulbuls to join in the feast. Flying foxes are known to nip holes on the fruit but not the way in the picture.

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Woodlands 20Jul11

From KH

My colleague picked up this juvenile Pied Triller and passed it to me. I fed it some sugared water and then called Andrew, who gladly helped to nurse it till it was ready to fledge. Thanks, Andrew!