Crested Myna

I almost miss this familiar looking myna assuming that it is the usual myna that I seen in Singapore when I was at Taipei, Taiwan.

I took a few shot but didn't pay much attention to it until I cross check my list with the Taiwan bird list than I realised I might have missing something.

After checking the guide book and is confirmed that the myna that I took is actually another entire different species. I mistaken the Crested Myna with Javan Myna!

This is a Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus). One glance it look just like a Javan myna but if you look carefully, it have a different bill shape & colour. The Crested Myna also have a black with white undertail-coverts.

This is a Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) taken in Singapore Botanic Garden. Javan myna have a clean white undertail-coverts.

I place them side by side, can you tell the difference now?

I took this shots at Taipei and it was raining quite heavily. Is also quite easy to tell the difference when compare with Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) at below.

Sad Sad Sad

Today is a very sad day for me while birding at Singapore Botanic Garden. For whatever reason that I don't know, some really sick person tie a cable tie on the leg of a Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus). Is so tight that the blood can't flow through and have made the leg crooked!

This Myna was grounded as it can't balance herself like usual anymore!

The leg has swollen and crooked!

The pain that this bird is suffering must be unbearable.

What happen to our society? How can this thing happened?

Javan myna are consider pest to some people as they look for food in hawker center, bin centre and they make lots of noise. This does not mean that they deserve this treatment! We have all kind of people here...

Yellow Collar On Javan Myna

I first noticed Javan myna with yellow patches on the neck last month when I was at Dairy Farm area. Unconvinced of what I saw, I went back last week after a heavy rain and I found more of this myna with a yellow collar!
I took this photo last month and that was my 1st time seeing a myna with yellow collar!

I saw more of mynas with yellow collar! As it was raining earlier, some of their feathers in fact are still damp.

From their appearance, no doubt they are Javan myna (except with the yellow patch on the neck, and white instead of yellow eyes). But, why only the mynas over at this area shown yellow collar?

Could this be the answer to the mystery? The pollen from the African tulip tree?? The African tulip tree is very common everywhere, but why only the myna around this area show this yellow patch?? ...

This is not a toy!

We all knew that plastic bag is dangerous to children so as to sea turtles as they will mistakenly eat them as jelly fish! That is why most plastic that used for wrapping new garments are printed with the warning "This Is Not A Toy!". But, do you know that plastic bag is also dangerous even for birds!!!

This Myna was trapped by a plastic bag when she try to collect the plastic bag for nesting?? I'm not sure the reason but it almost choke by the plastic!

Due to the strong wind, the plastic wrapped the birds when the direction changed.
This poor bird trying to escape from the strangling plastic.

After more than 5 minutes of trying...
Finally managed to escape from choking to death!

What a relief....
The bird a smarter now and stand on a different direction (tail wind)to prevent the same accident again!The bird now learnt that is dangerous to handle plastic of this size so it let the plastic go...
Another piece of high rise rubbish..... will the bird get charge? For throwing rubbish from height? Or perhaps the person who dispose the plastic should be charged!

A Walk at Chinese Garden

Although cattail plants are more related to aquatic, they also use wind to disperse their seeds. This is what we saw when we arrived at Chinese Garden last Sunday.

Isn't is beautiful?
This plantain squirrel was jumping from one tree to another searching for food near the entrance to the park.

Just when we are about to enter the garden, a flock of Milky Stork flew pass our head!We saw this Tailor bird when we enter the garden.
So as this 'jumping' myna bird. Lots of activities going on near the water too. This dragonfly busy laying eggs.

Damselfly - another good subject for photography too.

Found this Rock Pigeon with one missing leg. Not sure if it was born deformed or caused by injuries.
There are lots of Koi fish in the pond, all their colour are so vibrant! Some of the top breed are worth more than $10,000 per fish!

Saw quite a few number of Yellow bittern in the garden.
There are also Common Sand Piper in the garden however, the number are small compare to Sungei Buluh.

This Black Crown Night Heron are so well camouflage near the Sea Hibiscus plant.

Chinese Garden probably have the highest number of Cattle Egret at any one time in Singapore. There are lots of Water hen in the garden too. I didn't expect to see so many interesting birds in the garden. This place really worth to come back to explore.

The Fights...within enemies & friends

I was attracted by loud noise on the tree opposite me during one of my trip last week end. It was commotion between myna and crow over piece of food, I think. Not sure who found that big piece of food first, myna or crow? Or if the commotion started on the tree or ground. However, when I pass by the tree, the fight shift from tree to the ground.First 2 crow first flew away from the tree and land on the ground, follow by the mynas. Just look at the formation!The myna might not as big as the crow, but they have the number and their reinforcement is still pouring in. One of the crow flew away back to the tree so as half of the Mynas.Look at the stand off between Mynas & crow.

So far the fight just stop at formation and did not really escalate to the real fight.
Suddenly, the other crow flew back to the ground with the big piece of food in the mouth.

This crow try to land slightly away from the stand off.
Before the crow landed, the other crow suddenly charge at this crow that about to land directly towards my direction.

A very narrow escape! The crow earlier managed to evict the attack from supposedly own friend and flew away. Without this big piece of food, the Mynas disperse too. Come to think of it, could the commotion originated among the crows and the Myna just look for opportunity to take advantage of the food??

p/s - I got a shock looking through the view finder of my camera when the crow flew to my direction.... it was like flying directly to me with full speed. Luckily, it turn away and stop when miss the attack on the other crow.

Myna - Common or Javan?

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) was one of the very common birds in Singapore once but was loosing grounds to their cousin Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus).

I find Common Myna more and more photogenic thus decided to do a posting just on Common Myna. This good looking bird have a black head, brown body, bright yellow beak, eye patch, and legs. Below are some of the photos I took last Sunday when I visits Pulau Ubin with Ling.
The Common Myna is just so beautiful when capture on photos.

This is the same photo that I posted on Monday showing a thirsty Myna drinking water.
Since birds don't carry tissue paper or handkerchief, they just wipe their beak on the tree branches after drinking water.

Another photo of Common Myna on flight.From far both Common & Javan Myna looks very similar. Just in case you are not sure which is which, this is the Javan Myna, without the very distinctive eye patch. Does it looks like a big bully?

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In most places (nature area) like this, it will be good if there are network that we can log on to check the huge resources available such as Google and MSN or email friends/experts to find out the facts/info. We can even search photos library such as Flickr to compare what we just spotted...

"Live Life Online Anywhere with SingTel BroadBand on Mobile Youth Plan! Visit www.singtel.com/youth for details."