As Singapore urbanizes, there are fewer and fewer grass patches and water sources for birds to obtain their much needed food. Surprisingly, the drains in Singapore can be a good place for spotting birds. In the revamped Bishan Park, a variety of shorebirds can be seen.
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. It breeds colonially, often with other species of water birds, making a platform nest of sticks in a tree, bush or reed bed. Its main difference with its bigger cousins will be in its yellow-stockinged feet.
Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. They generally have dull plumage, with cryptic brown, grey, or streaked patterns.
White-Breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
Waterhens are dark slaty birds with a clean white face, breast and belly. They are somewhat bolder than most other rails and are often seen stepping slowly with their tail cocked upright in open marshes or even drains near busy roads.
Here a mother brings her fledglings out for a walk in the evening...
One gets frightened of the rising water level and refuses to leave a rock,
flapping its wings in distress until the adult came by to retrieve it...
Little Heron (Butorides striatus)
Little Herons eat mainly small fish and crustacea (especially crabs). They also take amphibians and insects and any other edible titbits, including small mammals.
Often, they perch-and-wait on a branch or root over the water, tucking in their necks and crouching in a low forward position over the water. They may flick their crests up and down as they wait. Little Herons may also jump, plunge or swim after their prey. Or they may use their feet to stir up or rake the surface for titbits. They may even dive into the water. But more impressively, they may bait fish and other prey, e.g., by dropping a leaf onto the surface.
Unfortunately, drains are also an area where
there is a accumulation of rubbish discarded from bigger drains...
there is a accumulation of rubbish discarded from bigger drains...
Let's clean up our drains so that these birds will thrive...
