BIRDS I was new in Yishun and starting to know the 'neighborhood'. Dwarf banana trees that bore bunches of bananas, neighbours chilli plant, numerous cats in void deck, same group of people sharing the same lift.... and then the birds caught my attention too. It was fruiting season for two trees seen at the end of the common collidor. Birds were attracted to the red berries. Parekeet is one of them. I heard them for weeks without realising they are paraleet. On the fruiting tees, I pick out yet another deeper green color branches - parasitic plants -
mistletoe and they are fruiting at the same time as the parent trees.even with similar pinkish forms as the berry. I reckon both needed the birds for propagting their offsprints.
Few mornings flocks of pretty parakeet - green back and long tailed birds taking off with leaders making lough noises. On the nearby mahagony trees another grouping of black bird took off. In the evening the latter returned to the same tree for resting. The parakeets arrived or flew by late in the evening. On this particular night another swarms of swallow like white belly descended upon the frutting trees and occupying the ledges of the building. I recorded the swam descending on this tree as well as forming a bee-lines on the ledges. With failing light i resorted to my old Sony Hi 8 cam corder recording in in Infra mode. I couldn't see clearly the small form bird but the white belly was evident and they flew with swallow's grace. The group disappeared the next morning day and never return. Parked cars below the blocks wre peltered with their dropping.
Parakeet on tree branches P7000
Green back, split tail parakeet - a parrot-like bird. You should see them in flight ( early morning or returning late at night) - a very pretty sight. On the tree near the corridor I noticed a group will start gathering on the same tree, and as if on que, they will all suddenly decided to fly off en-mass with leader quaking away.
I took a few shots using my P7000 Nikon p&s pushing its maximum zoom resulting in grainy images.. I aslo tried the video recording and managed to bag a few 'red-face' male among the group. The males make the loud distinct noise leading the flock perhaps. In one of the recording, a paraket was eating something silky white. Perhaps munching from the mistletoe.
My appearance in the corridor opposite end of my unit might have triggered other.... A photographer was seen taking pics of the birds!!!
Male 'red-face'.. P7000
Another juvenile male looking straight at you P7000
After 7 am on this Sunday morning. All the exciting groups of birds had departed searching for food elsewhere. As the sun climbed higher, it dawn on me why not trying out the old sigma lens and trained on birds. Here are a few shoots
Common Koel - female. Sigma 75-300mm /20D
4pm pick up my gear and got this fellow
No wonder ...spiky hair style came from this
[Sep 8 '12] A group of 4 was chasing each other. One decided to hide in the nearby tree. The common yellow color bird. This tree bears no fruits.
[ Sep 8 '12] This pair was seen on together, one tailing the other . Note the greenish iridescent feathers.
Where to find the parakeet again? Large flocks of the returning birds were seen at the Yishun Av 5 near the Mcdonald [ Sep 12 '12]
I looked up and noticed a rather solidly build structure...
Figs on the giant kapok's trunk
Even in 11:15am mid noon sun outside, this area is noticeably cooler.
Kapok man-height buttress roots versus mengkulang's smaller but much folded trunk trees
