Date: 29/12/2009
Time start: 9:00am
Time end: 12:00pm
Weather: Overcast
Location: Prince George’s Park, Kent Ridge NUS (Spot X – 6)
Observations: Yellow-vented Bulbul
8:45 – 9:00am:
* Calls from the Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus) and the Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa)’s “hee-yuu-“ were heard from a distant. 
9:08 – 9:15am:
* Hill Myna’s calls continued; Asian Koels (Eudynamys scolopaceus) also heard calling; starling-like silhouettes bounding in the skies. Bounding is when a bird flap its wings in short bursts, then rest and glide. Apparently this saves energy [1]. :
* Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) seen perched on the huge tree about >100m away before it was seen joined by another on a different, albeit nearby perch.
9:21am:
* Until this moment, a flock of Yellow-crested Cockatoos [2] (Cacatua sulphurea) were making a din and their harsh cackling were definitely NOT a sound for sore ears.
9:15 – 10:00am:
* Even with the cockatoos making such a racket, the Brahminy Kites were unperturbed and continued perching on the the branch nearby.
* At half-past nine, the Brahminy Kites made off; also, a Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) was seen perching on the same dead tree as a pair of drongos.
* The orioles flew in a bounding fashion. So, the starling-like silhouettes could be these birds.
* A drongo was seen to fly back and forth from its perch towards some tall, thick foliage beneath it.
* 5 minutes before ten, the Brahminys came back to their original perch; that was before the smell of fogging activity wafted by me. >_< Tuesdays = fogging days? 
10:05 – 10:31am:
* The koels could be heard calling from a tree nearby, a distant koel call seemed to be answering in reply.
* At about 5 minutes before 10:30, three Yellow-vented Bulbuls land on observed Melastoma patch. Finally!
* The Yellow-vented Bulbuls – now approximately 4 to 5 – could be seen flying back and forth from the Melastoma patch and the tree just beside where I sat.
* A lot of small insects flying and gathering above the ground just 1-2m from where I sat caught my attention. (Click to enlarge pic.) 
10:45 – 10:50am:
* Frugivore: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
* Total observed: 4-5
* Fruits eaten: 1 whole (for a single bird)
* Comment: Seemingly 2 pecks for the single fruit; the 2nd peck dislodged the entire fruit; at this time the cockatoos I noticed, had dimmed their commotion quite a lot; the air was pretty much peaceful save for the calls of the Asian Koels.
11:20am:
* A couple of Black Bazas (Aviceda leuphotes) landed on a perch that was just a stone’s throw from where the Brahminy Kites had perched. Second sighting since early November. Awesome! 
11:30am:
* Frugivore: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
* Total observed: at least 9
* Fruits eaten: 2 wholes (for a single bird)
* Comment: 2 pecks were also observed with the 2nd time dislodging the entire fruit. Birds were seen to fly back and forth – initially, it will perch in between the spaces of the Melastoma branches before preening itself. This is followed by either flying back to the thick cover of a large tree OR they venture to the top of the Melastoma patch and pick off a couple of fruits from the ones that have ripened. Here’s an example of one of the empty spaces:
11:35 – 11:41am:
* Activity of Yellow-vented Bulbuls slowly comes to a halt.
* One of the Yellow-vented Bulbuls were also seen feeding from the fruits of the White-Stemmed Button Vine (Cissus hastata).
Cissus = [Gr.] kissos “ivy”, referring to the habit [3]
hastata = formed like an arrow-head or spear-shaped, referring to the shape of its leaves [4]
* And when I was taking the picture of this plant that draped on the branches of the Melastoma plant, I saw the tail of a snake, that was just a few centimetres away, slithering away. If only I was more eagle-eyed…
? Puzzles of the day:
1. Yellow-crested cockatoos differ from the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos with the former having yellow patches at the sides of its face. Have yet to notice this first-hand, but BESG did mention there was a small colony living within the NUS campus, but need to see it for self. The yellow patches, I mean.
2. Why do cockatoos call so much?
A: There wasn’t too much information about the Yellow-crested Cockatoo but plenty about the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. Apparently, while feeding, some Sulphur-crested are in charge of guard duty. If there are any signs of danger, an alarm will be sounded via a loud shriek by the “guards”. Jeez, with that magnitude, even the deaf will be able to hear and make an escape..
3. What do drongos, koel and cockatoos eat?
A: According to wiki…
* Drongo: A major part is composed of insects but according to wiki, they have been known to feed on fruits and nectar of flowers.
* Yellow-crested cockatoo: Mainly of seeds, buds, fruits, nuts and herbaceous plants.
* Asian koel: It is an omnivore! Diet ranges from insects, caterpillars, eggs, small vertebrates to fruits (the last especially for adults). Interesting…
Reference:
1. Bailey, Jill & Burnie, David. 1992. Birds: How to watch and understand the fascinating world of birds.
2. BESG: Yellow-crested or Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
3. Quattrocchi, Umberto. 1999. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology: Volume II (D-L)
4. Gledhill, David. 2008. The Name of Plants, 4th edition.
