Category: Birding
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Right place, right time, right person
[Part 1/3] THE RIGHT PLACE To see the Parakeet Auklet, we had to locate the Hermit Rock. We have taken countless walks along Lands End but never knew a rock named Hermit. We went along the coastal trail in search of the Hermit Rock (I like to see it as the home of a giant…
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Strawberry Hill Forever
I smiled as I pulled out my Strawberry Hill Birders T-shirt from the package, delighted that my illustration has made a plain white T-shirt come to life with a happy memory. I put it on immediately. I can’t remember when I fell in love with rowing a boat on Stow Lake – not only do I feel…
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2020: The year I reconnected with nature
Thirty years ago, my parents moved us from downtown Singapore up North – to live opposite a jungle. We would watch Monitor Lizards cross the road and stumble upon the Atlas Moth. We would document the transformation of pearlescent green caterpillars with our old Olympus film camera with the faintest idea of what they are. It…
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Rethink conventional birdfeeders
Last year this time, we started a rooftop party for the backyard birds with two pairs of worn-out Converse shoes and a broken suitcase – it was great for many months until we made an “extraterrestrial discovery“. Not only did we need something that could withstand the city’s strong wind, perpetual fog, and crazy rain, it has…
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What was the Red-tailed Hawk up to at Baker Beach?
On our way to Baker Beach, we caught sight of a handsome Red-tailed Hawk hovering in the sky. What was it up to? No, it was not eyeing on the Brown Pelicans. As we watched the hawk swoop down towards the waves, we thought there would be prey in sight. What happened at the end surprised…
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Why you shouldn’t buy bird food with Milo in it – Part II
My feathered friends made this clear before they disappear: the difference between a big pan of the deluxe blend and a small pan of Black Oil and Striped Sunflower Seeds is the trouble involved in separating The Undesirables. Above: Every time the birds kick The Undesirables off to the ground, I have more to clear.…
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Why you shouldn’t buy bird food with Milo in it – Part I
Shelter-in-place happened too quickly and coincided with my tooth extraction. We had no time to run down to Sloat garden to stock up our bird seeds. Around end of March, when the lockdown dates got extended, we felt that we should order some bird food online for our rooftop party. We happily bought a 10-lb…
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No uncle(s), no owls in Singapore
{ This post was originally posted on Someday, we will see the world } “Uncle” is an affectionate term we use in Singapore to address a male adult in his forties to seventies, even though we might not be family. Uncle Bangpao is my father’s friend of more than thirty years. He lives around the…
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![The (little known) wildlife of Singapore – Part [II]](https://documentinghomeblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/dscn6169.jpg?w=1024)
The (little known) wildlife of Singapore – Part [II]
{ This post was originally posted on Someday, we will see the world } Before setting up birdfeeders on our roof and learning about backyard birds, I would have identified most of them as “little birds”. But today, there are so many feathered friends that I can recognise in San Francisco. Heading back to Singapore…
documenting 