doves sparring and cocks fighting

while walking home, i stopped by the side of a canal to watch two young spotted doves sparring. it was quite interesting to watch. the two birds would first perform a ritual - each of them would dip its head and raised its tail and make some sounds - did not sound like a 'war-cry'.

next, they would approach each other cautiously and when they were near enough, one of them would leap up to strike at the other combatant. i would not consider it a fierce fight. it was not even a tussle; more like two puppies having a romp but in a less vigorous manner.

when i moved closer to catch them in action, the two shy birds decided to go their separate ways.

watching the two doves sparring brought me back to those cock fighting kampong days. when i was a young boy i used to watch cock fights on the field of the jewish cemetery which was on the hilly ground next to my house. the fights were usually held on weekends and gambling/betting was always involved.

most of the prized cocks were brought there from elsewhere. i suppose, from other villages in different parts of singapore. most of the cock owners were javanese malay.

a cock fight is like a boxing match. the cocks are meticulously prepared for the match. the owner or trainer will massage the cock, clean its beak and sharpen its spurs. a wet cloth is used to clean the feathers of the bird.

the arena for the fight is the enclosure formed by the spectators. the birds flap their wings and leap quite high during the fight. they use their beaks and the sharp spurs on their legs to inflict injuries on their opponents. it can become quite bloody, with some birds getting their eyes pierced and losing their sight.

when they are exhausted or weak, the birds will seek refuge under the wings of their opponent. the referee makes no attempt to break them up. the fight ends when the loser runs away from the scene and makes no attempt for a come-back. this may take a few minutes or may go on for more than an hour.

the owner will each have a pail of water beside him. at the end of each round, he will use the water to clean and wet the feathers of the bird. he uses a plume to clear the throat of the bird of sputum. he kisses and sucks off the blood on the comb of the bird.

as a boy, i did find it violent and cruel but i continued to watch those fights. in some fights, the vanquished actually ended up losing its life.

the stork-billed kingfisher

was walking across the main bridge at sungei buloh wetland reserve when i heard an unfamiliar bird call. when i started looking for the source of it, the call stopped. looking up, among the trees, i saw a large kingfisher, the largest i have seen. it turned out to be a stork-billed kingfisher. the bird is at the top right-hand corner of the first picture - (this presents icemoon a chance to practise his bird spotting skill).

"stork-billed kingfishers are the largest kingfishers found in singapore. but they are rarely sighted because they are shy and less noisy than other kingfishers."

"stork-billed kingfisher is a species of a variety of well-wooded habitats near lakes, rivers or coasts. it perches quietly whilst seeking food, and is often inconspicuous despite its size. it is territorial and will chase away eagles and other large predators. this species hunts fish, frogs, crabs, rodents and young birds.

stork-billed kingfisher digs its nest in a river bank, decaying tree, or a tree termite nest. a clutch of two to five round white eggs is typical."

this one is definitely bigger than the white throated kingfisher i encountered along the pavement at yishun avenue 1 sometime in may this year.

the kingfisher that is most commonly seen and heard in singapore is the collared kingfisher. these kingfishers are so loud and noisy that you cannot miss hearing them each time you go for walk along the coast like kranji trail or a mangrove area like the sungei buloh wetland reserve.

masked plovers @ upper seletar

i seem to be meeting not so common species of birds at upper seletar reservoir park. the last time i came across hornbills, two days ago came upon these six plovers feeding on the grassy slope facing the executive golf course at upper seletar.

"the masked plover or masked lapwing, also commonly known simply as “plover” is a medium-sized conspicuous bird with loud, penetrating calls. it is a bold bird that swoops at intruders and its apt scientific name of miles comes from the latin for soldier and refers to the spurs, which give an armed appearance.

features that distinguish the masked lapwing from other plovers are its black crown and nape separated from the mantle by a white collar; white underparts; yellow bill; bright yellow wattle that reaches well behind the eye and hangs down beside the chin; and a long and sharp wing spur."

these birds are known for their swooping actions when their youngs are still not mobile. they will attack any intruder, including human beings. sometimes, venturing into their territory called the swoop zone is enough to invite an attack.

(p.s. victor, please do not assume that i am a bird expert (ornithologist). the last time you labelled me a botany expert, now my walking kakis call me ' the boh terr ni man'.)

hornbills at upper seletar reservoir

it rare enough to see one hornbill anywhere in singapore but to see five hornbills at the same spot, that is indeed a treat. was at upper seletar reservoir park where we saw not one, not two but five hornbills on the trees between car-park b and the executive golf course.

i remember once when i was at pulau ubin and a guide from the national park board was showing a group around and pointing out to them a hornbill nest on one of the tall trees. i tried very hard to get a glimpse of the bird but was disappointed that i could did not see any. according to the guide, the bird's nest was a hole in the old tree.

it also reminds me of the time when we visited pangkor island, off the coast of lumut in perak. on this island, hornbills are so plentiful that you see them practically everywhere. there is even a hotel named hornbill resort on the island.

i do not know if the hornbills at upper seletar reservoir park are just transient visitors or if they have made their home in some of the old and tall trees at the park.

according to a newspaper report, the oriental pied hornbills have been sighted in various parts of singapore including inhabited areas. two places mentioned are changi and bukit timah. it also reported that the number of hornbills in singapore has swelled to about 50.

white throated kingfisher at yishun ave 1

when i visited wilsons promontory in australia, i kept looking out for the laughing kookaburra, one of the heaviest kingfishers in the world. i was told it was commonly sighted, especially near the visitor's centre. i saw a number of rosellas but no kookaburra. a rosella is a species of colourful australian parrot.

back in singapore, i was walking towards the fishing jetty at lower seletar reservoir when i saw this colourful kingfisher on the pavement. it is not the common kingfisher but like all kingfishers it has a large head, a long, sharp pointed bill, short legs and a stubby tail. found out that it was a white throated kingfisher.

a white throated kingfisher has a large red bill. its head, shoulders and underparts are rust coloured. the back, wings and tail are blue. its identifying mark is its characteristic white throat and upper chest. the wings also have white patches but these are visible only when it flies.

white-throated kingfishers are adaptable predators and will dive into the water to capture aquatic prey like fish, crabs, and amphibians or will plunge into the grass and undergrowth to capture terrestrial prey like large insects and invertebrates, small reptiles, rodents, and baby birds.

kingfishers are found throughout the world.