Feeding birds in Punggol Park

Ever since I bought my tele-zoom lens, I have been attempting to document photographic records of bird feeding records of plants. This was partially motivated by the BESG blog, as well as my previous job which emphasises on the importance of plants’ ecosystem services. For one, having a better knowledge of what plants certain guild of birds prefer helps a practitioner to decide on the species and diversity of plants to cultivate in order to attract a rich bird diversity.

This post is a continuation from my previous one introducing Punggol Park but with emphasis on bird feeding.

The Tea Tree (Melaleuca cajuputi), attracts a good abundance of nectar feeders, which includes bees, butterflies, the Olive-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia jugularis; top left) and the Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis; top right). I also managed to spot an Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus; bottom) poking into the flower buds, presumably attempting to extract some nectar too.

The Coral Tree (Erythrina species; left) and the Clitoria Tree (Clitoria fairchildiana, right) are two small trees that flower perpetually, therefore providing a good nectar source for the Olive-backed Sunbirds.

The most common mistletoe in Singapore, the Malayan Mistletoe (Dendrophthoe pentandra) is frequently visited by the Brown-throated Sunbird when it flowers.

The Salam Tree (Syzygium polyanthum), flowers and fruits profusely several times a year. Its cherry red fruits attract frugivores like the Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier; top), Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea; bottom), and Pink-necked Green Pigeon in the park.

The Yellow-vented Bulbul also feed on many other plant materials here; like the fruits of the Sea Gutta (Planchonella obovata), and even the leaves of the Rain Tree (Albizia saman)!

The Pied Triller (Lalage nigra; top) and Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia; bottom) are two birds which often hang around the canopy of trees, hence they are more challenging for me to capture sharp photographs. However, I did observe quite clearly through the lens of my binoculars (supported by blurry images) that they will hop from twig to twig in search of caterpillars. The two pictures were taken from the Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula), thus indicating that the caterpillars could be the larvae of the Lemon Emigrant butterfly which feed on its leaves and are very common in the park.