Oriental Pied Hornbill , another rare visitor

A native hornbill has been sighted quite sometime ago in Nanyang Terrace. It was also sighted in Nanyang Heights.

Yesterday it came to Nanyang View, to eat palm seeds from the palm tree outside my kitchen window.

It goes by the sound GEK GEK GEK. If you hear this, you will be treated to a delighted sight of this majestic bird. It's wing span must have been four feet. Sometimes it perches on TV aerials.

This was posted to Nanyang Connect and the Staff Digest did an interview with me.

Here's an email from a professor.

Hi Ann,

I understand from my friend that you’re quite active with the Nature Society in Singapore …


I’d like to report a sighting of the Oriental Pied Hornbill on 22nd June – about 4:30 pm towards the south end of NTU campus. The bird flew in overhead as my wife and I were driving and perched on a palm tree. We pulled to the curb and parked to view it – from about 15 feet away. I understand from the “Illustrated field guide to the Birds of Singapore, by Lim and Gardner” that this is a very rare sighting in Singapore (unless the fella went missing from the Jurong Bird Park ).

In any event, I was quite excited (because the last time I saw a hornbill was 22 years ago - in India ) and thought I should report it. (sorry – I don’t have any pictures…)



Best Wishes,

S.

***As a result of this email, S, became my friend, and he heard I was active in the gardening club and had lots of Tulsi, the Indian Holy herb which I grow to give to my Indian friends. I gave him one as well.


***My daughter G took these pix, from the balcony***