Smooth Otters & Water Monitors Part II

The smell of death and decay hung in the air. Along with the dead fish was a white bloated carcass. Water Monitors were around to scavenge the dead and a very large individual grabbed the carcass and pulled it into a better position for us to see that it was a carcass of a Smooth Otter.We knew that the lizard did not kill the otter as the carcass was pretty decomposed.As to how the otter met its death we can only guess but the otter did not die in the mouth of water monitor. The water monitor did not get to consume its prize as the carcass was collected by NParks staff and buried.

Cigarette Man, The Poacher

Spied a strange man in the playground shooing a Spotted Dove off a knurled tree root. The bird finally ended on the grass strange the bird didn't fly away.Grabbed the binoculars to have a better look as a flightless bird could only mean a decoy bird for a trap. Strange man sits on the bench and starts to smoke and then make cooing calls of the Spotted Doves. Definitely a poacher at work. Decided to grab the camera that was set-up downstairs to photograph sunbirds. Not long after cigarette man gets up and moves something into my line of sight while he chatted on his mobile. Another cage and a decoy bird.The folks in my neighborhood do not tolerate poachers and we will do what we can to protect our natural assets which include a number of prized avian singers. Called the authorities but things move so slowly. 45 mins after my call still no one came to stop the man.
Cigarette man decided he had enough as the birds just weren't responding to his calls. In total, he disarmed three traps and shoved three birds into a small bamboo cage.Walked to his van with his traps and those poor birds. No wonder they weren't cooperating with him to attract other doves.Glad that he left empty handed. The pair of courting Spotted Doves were in my backyard blissfully unaware of the drama playing out in the playground. Here's one sitting on the roof with a Glossy Starling.

Smooth Otters & Water Monitors

The first trip into the reserve, I observed two large water monitors with missing tail tips. They seem to have snapped off. While watching the otters, I noticed that there were two large water monitors that were stalking the otters.
This individual approached a snoozing otter and nudged it with its nose. The otter turned around and looked at the lizard before it moved away.The next one was a confrontation in the water.This encountered ended with the lizard getting out of the water with its tail curled up.Interesting interaction going here.

Another otter climbed up on the bank where the first monitor was and grabbed its tail by the tip.See how the tail becomes taut in the next photo as the lizard tried to move forward.Tail snapping away as the otter loses grip of the tip.

Smooth Otters - Part II

The group eventually crossed over to the other side and began to play. It was great to watch the group as they were in their element. I stay by the sluice gate and watched the group for over 30 minutes.

Smooth Otters - Part I

Sungei Buloh on Saturday morning smelt of death and decay as the tide brought in dead fish and scattered them haphazardly all over the mangrove environment. The first round in the reserve was ho hum but a forgotten lens cover meant another trip back into the reserve.
Retracing my route turned out to be very exciting. Otters!!! Could hear their high pitched calls and the lens cover was forgotten yet again as I raced to position myself ahead of the group.
As the group weren't far from the main bridge there were other visitors around, and I quietened the people around me as the otters swam around under the platform. Since we were all quiet, they climbed up on to the bund and we had the best experience observing the social behavior of the group - sprainting, grooming and playing.

Unknown Bird Perched High Up On A Dead Tree

Just another 5 minutes and I would be home, when I spotted a bird sitting high up on a dead standing tree. Hmmm... I said to myself. Haven't seen this bird before and a rushed home and up to my home office to grab the binoculars.The image I saw confirmed that is was a bird that I haven't seen before. Grabbed the camera out of the dry box and rushed out with camera and tripod. I knew by it broad bill that it was a dollarbird but I didn't what type.The bird dove off the tree several times and appeared to be catching insects on the fly. Interesting, at one point it came barrelling towards me but the lens just would catch sharp enough photos of the diving bird.I posted this photo on Flickr and a contact helped me identify the bird as the Oriental Dollarbird (Eurystomus Orientalis). These birds are so named because of the distinctive white coin-shaped spots on their under wings.
They grow to 30cm, and can be found in East Asia, from northern Australia to the Japan archipelago. These birds are insectivores, and love beetles. They often catch their prey on the wing. The mature birds have orange beaks while young birds have a darker beak.
They are often seen as a single bird with a distinctive upright silhouette on a bare branch high in a tree, from which it hawks for insects.

Palm Fruits For Breakfast & Dinner

As mentioned in my earlier posts I have been doing palm tree inspections. Through these inspections, I have found Common Gliding Lizards and juvenile Clouded Monitor Lizards living on these palm trees.
These trees have been flowering and the flowers were hosts to hundreds of bees. Now that the flowering season is over the trees are laden with fruits. They are now hosts to flocks of Pink-necked Green Pigeons, these birds have come to feed on the palm fruits. Getting close to photograph these pigeons isn't easy as these birds are always weary of humans approaching them. I slowly edged in and allowed the birds to get use to my presence. The series of shots below was taken over a period of two days - evening and early morning.
What is most interesting is these birds swallow the fruit whole. The next time you walk near a palm tree in the early morning or evening look to see if you spot these pigeons. If you do, stay a while and watch these birds as they feed. You can also find them on fruiting fig trees but they are harder to spot as they blend in with the foliage plus the birds are usually high up on the treesl.