A friend I meet once a year

My friend isn't rare, beautifully colored nor endangered but each year I'd visit its favorite winter location just to see if it made it back. It has been three years now since I first noticed this Brown Shrike that will quietly sit on a fence keeping a look out for prey.

This smart fella will dart into the gated area if it gets disturbed. Here's a bird that has learned to use man-made confined space to secure itself. 

However, this Tiger Shrike that I watched turn from a juvenile to an adult (winter 2009/2010) never came back. But it was such a joy to watch the transformation. Unfortunately, the area that it favored was destroyed by a gardening contractor because the overgrown area was unsightly at the edge of the reserve.

 

Then again we seldom see adult Tiger Shrikes wintering in Singapore only juveniles. I wonder where the adults go?