Met up with Nessie, Fee and Ivy for the Annual Bird Census 2006.
We started from the bend of Malcolm Park behind St. Joseph’s Institution.
Perched on the bare branches in the background were some Blue-throated Bee-eaters, a Dollarbird and some Pink-necked Green-pigeons. Javan Mynas were on the ground.
In the trees on the right side of the road, 2 Straw-headed Bulbuls were singing aloud.
Calls of the Collared Kingfisher and Common Iora were heard.
Then we proceeded along Malcolm Road and down the slope to Goldhill garden.
Some men and a ground digging vehicle were by the road.
Some trees were felled and there were patches of soil where the trees used to be.
A lot more Javan Mynas moving on the ground and up in the trees as well.
Long-tailed Parakeets making their noisy calls while perched and also in flight. So were the Collared Kingfishers.
A Tanimbar Cockatoo was making loud harsh screeches up in the tree. Then we saw it chasing after a Rainbow Lorikeet.
Nessie was looking at an Asian Brown Flycatcher, and we were looking for an Asian Koel when a brownish bird flew into the heliconia bush.
I only managed to see some white patches on the wings and the long tail has white outer feathers.
There were 2 eggs lying side by side on the ground. They were about the size of quail eggs, pale brown with black speckles.
We stayed a while longer, hoping to see the bird come back to her eggs. But we were also worried that we could be giving her undue stress by staying too near for too long, so we moved off quite reluctantly.Going back to where we started, the Common Iora finally showed up, after we had a good view of an Oriental Magpie-robin.
After the census, we went back to where the eggs were.
The Large-tailed Nightjar was resting on her eggs!
It’s a relief to know that she did not abandon them.
Full list of birds recorded:
- Banded Woodpecker
- Laced Woodpecker
- Common Flameback
- Dollarbird
- White-throated Kingfisher
- Collared Kingfisher
- Blue-throated Bee-eater
- Blue-tailed Bee-eater
- Asian Koel
- Greater Coucal (heard only)
- Tanimbar Cockatoo
- Red-breasted Parakeet
- Long-tailed Parakeet
- Large-tailed Nightjar
- Spotted Dove
- Pink-necked Green-pigeon
- White-breasted Waterhen
- Golden-bellied Gerygone (heard only)
- Brown Shrike (heard only)
- House Crow
- Large-billed Crow (heard only)
- Black-naped Oriole
- Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
- Common Iora
- Asian Brown Flycatcher
- Oriental Magpie-robin
- Asian Glossy Starling
- Javan Myna
- Hill Myna
- Pacific Swallow
- Straw-headed Bulbul
- Yellow-vented Bulbul
- Common Tailorbird (heard only)
- Dark-necked Tailorbird
- Rufous-tailed Tailorbird (heard only)
- White-crested Laughingthrush
- Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
- Olive-backed Sunbird
- Crimson Sunbird
- Swiftlet spp
- Rainbow Lorikeet
