2008 July 13 - Changi Beach Park

Article contributed by Doreen Ang.

This is an edited version.

Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo spotted by NK.

AH, NK and I spent two hours in the afternoon of 13 July ... at first trying to i.d. the bird (with the help of two field guides) and later keeping a watchful eye on its movements so as not to lose sight of it while waiting for help, in the form of Kim Chuah, to arrive.

From 1330-1530hrs, it was seen actively searching and picking food from the ground around the logged casuarinas beside the Changi Ferry Terminal car park, sometimes in close proximity with the Zebra Dove. It was smaller than the Zebra Dove.

In between feeding, it preferred to perch on fallen logs or bare dead branches close to the ground. Once we saw it opened its bill to ventilate. Overall, we had good scoped views as the bird did not seem threatened by our presence, maybe because we did not attempt to get close to it. Other times, it made brief low flights to land a short distance away.

The girls counted a total of 13 red as well as brown one-inch worms, which it picked from the ground with much ease. No whacking, swallowed whole after 1-2 seconds of dangling in its bill. The colours of its feathers blended very well with the abundant dried brown leaves and branches lying around, that sometimes we had to take a second look at the same spot to realise that it's there. More so with its back to us.

Throughout our observation, the bird never got to canopy level; it flew thrice to perch on low horizontal bare branches of different acacia trees. Its beautiful rufous outer tail feathers showed well in flight or when it fanned its tail whilst perched. The bird was seen preening between feeds. It remained silent throughout.

Much later in the afternoon, when perched on an acacia as if about to roost (on bended knees), its 'eyelids' got heavy. Good, we thought. Go to sleep, stay that way till Kim Chuah arrives. But sudden loud noises like the turbo engines of an airplane or the loud cackling of a Collared Kingfisher in the vicinity would put the bird on alert. To make matters worse, an adult female Asian Koel decided to land close by ... about 2 feet away. The bigger Koel faced the small cuckoo. Can you guess who got nervous in this face off? Well ... not the cuckoo, but AH, NK and I because after so long, we can't afford to lose sight of it! Our sigh of relief when the Koel flew off to the right was short-lived because the cuckoo flew off to the left!

Anyway, soon Kim Chuah arrived with a beaming face. By which time, we've got the cuckoo back in the scope for the expert to confirm its i.d.