Sooty-headed Bulbul

Description:

Photograph everything you see, you never know what you might find. This one is not in any of my Singapore bird books and was not on any lists. A small feral population was discovered in Singapore in the 1970's but it soon died out. Then, in the 2000's another population was discovered in the Tampines area and this population is still thriving and breeding, sometimes hybridizing with the Yellow-vented Bulbuls which have always lived here. When I lived here in the 1960's and 1970's I never went looking for birds but simply photographed some of those I saw. Back then much of the island was still covered by jungle, mangroves, swamps, etc., and was rarely visited. Now, some of the remaining green areas are being designated as wildlife areas and having trails put in to make access easier. In some cases the disturbance to local wildlife during this process has been having an adverse effect with some species disappearing or becoming much more difficult to find while in other areas wildlife appears to be flourishing and new species are being found. This species was found in Burma, Siam and Java in the past but not in Malaya, Sumatra or Singapore which are in between. It may be that they were just not found but many say they are feral populations caused by escapees from the pet trade. Perhaps some of both is nearer the truth.

Habitat:

Dead tree in park area.

Notes:

I have not kept records or lists in the past but this is almost certainly a lifer for me!