Date: 31/12/2009
Time start: 9:30am
Time end: 12:30pm
Weather: Sunny
Location: Golf Link, MacRitchie Reservoir Park (Spot X – 2)
Observations: Oriental Magpie Robin & Yellow-vented Bulbul
9:40am*:
* Frugivore: Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
* Total observed: 2
* Fruits eaten: 2 wholes (for a single bird)
* Comment: The Oriental Magpie Robins were already feeding when I reached. When feeding, it would make a flying sweep towards the Melastoma fruits, plucked the fruit and fed either on the ground or other branches of the bush.
9:50am:
* Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)’s calls heard from afar; a Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) flies amongst the Melastoma (Sendudok) and Dillenia (Simpoh Ayer) patches that’s about 3m from where I was sitting. 
10:00am:
* Joggers came a-thumping by
10:22am:
* More joggers passed by; an Oriental Magpie Robin was hidden beneath the thick, tall bushes that separates golf course and the joggers’ track.
10:35am:
* Frugivore: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
* Total observed: 1
* Fruits eaten: 2 wholes (for a single bird)
* Comment: The Yellow-vented dipped its head at least a couple of times; seemed like it was trying to dislodge the fruit. Successful, with an entire fruit in its beak, the Yellow-vented then swallowed it.
10:37 – 10:45am:
* Altogether 11 joggers passed by. All of them gave me a curious look (some weird ones) before continuing with their hike. 
10:45 – 11:00am:
* My first glimpse of the Lineated barbet (Megalaima lineata) that was hopping from branch to branch amongst the thick foliage of the tree that’s just directly opposite of my observation spot. Movements were too fast and too far for my Canon A720 IS. Damn. 
11:00am:
* Frugivore: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
* Total observed: 3
* Fruits eaten: 4 pecks – about half a fruit (for a single bird)
* Comment: Half-hidden behind the thick Melastoma patch, a Yellow-vented could be seen picking on a fruit. It flew away even before the fruit was pecked cleanly.
11:05 – 11:35am:
* Altogether (at least) 9 joggers passed by and any Yellow-vented that were on the patch flew away.
11:42am:
* Frugivore: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
* Total observed: 1
* Fruits eaten: 1 whole (for a single bird)
* Comment: The Yellow-vented plucked the fruit from its stem and ate it at a different perch.
11:47am:
* Altogether 5 people jogged past.
12:08pm:
* Frugivore: Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)
* Total observed: 1
* Fruits eaten: 1 whole (for a single bird)
* Comment: The Yellow-vented made a lot of noise just a few seconds before it started feeding. Before it ate the Melastoma fruit, it first plucked and swallowed a red fruit of the Sandpaper Vine (Tetracera asiatica). Apparently there are tiny hairs on the leaves of the plant. (ID courtesy of Prof. Corlett) 
? Puzzle of the day:
1. There were quite a few fruits which were exposed and growing from a rather obvious position. But no birds actually came to feed on it. Could it because I was too near the bush or because the bush was too exposed? 
