A rare dove I saw?

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/viewPost2572.aspx

I do not know if this was the birds I saw. But I am sure the ones I saw on the evening of 28th March were not the usual birds that I will see in Hougang.

Like the Jambu Fruit Dove in the picture, the birds I saw outside Hougang Mall (precise location was the tree directly outside Hans) have bright green plumage. That was what that captured my attention because I have never seen birds of these kind or come across them in my birds guidebook (I shall check for it again when I'm free). There were about 4-5 of them when I saw them flying away from that tree. But because I was a distance away from the tree (diagonally opposite to be exact), I did not have a close-up view to try to identify them.

I have also seen them on another occasion, athough I can't remember where I was then now.

Upon yahoo-ing, I found that the dove have been sighted on this island before.

Some of the places include:

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Sime Forest

From SBWR's checklist of birds in 2006, this dove was recorded as a rare resident of the mangrove.

Here is a nice close-up picture of the rare dove from ClubSNAP photography.

Reminiscing the nights...

at sungei buloh.

The night sky, filled with countless and countless of stars,

is really a magical sight to behold.

That is the magic of nature,

which is always full of wonderful surprises for us to discover.

Like little sparkling diamonds in the sky,

the glow from the stars ignites the heart of the lover of nature.

And at that instant, I was mesmerised.

It felt worthwhile to just live for the moment.

© Violia & Co. 2006

I miss the creatures of the night. The croc that lurked beneath the water, the nightjar resting on the mudflat, the bat that flew past me, the spider spinning its web, the shore pit and reticulated python that crossed our path, the toads and frogs croaking in the dark, plus the buzzing of some flying insects et ctera.

Not forgetting the ones that I went SBWR for - dog faced water snakes. Although puff faced are more beautiful in colouration and softer and smoother in touch, dog faced will always remain the dearest to me.

It was one hell of an experience, especially being chased by a feisty dog faced on the mudflat. But nobody believes us and they even thought it was comical. In retrospect, it was a rather interesting incident, one of a kind!

Well, I have had the most bizarre encounters at SBWR. Bizzare but fun! Hee. Thankfully I always walk away unscathed. Those events will be etched in my memories forever, I know.

I'll miss hunting under the starlit sky, and enjoying the solitude which I could hardly find in civilisation.