Friday Is Good!

It seemed to want me to wake up very early today.

For some freakish reason, the Asian Koel birds have been roaming plenty of times around this area. Their loud calls do not bother me during the day... or probably most other people, I think. But calling out incessantly for hours on end starting at about 4:00AM in the morning for the past week or so, is just plain crazy!

That led me to suspect two things why this has happened...

One thing, with the clearing of the wooded areas along Tampines Avenue 9 to build the eco park and the large stretch of wooded area along Old Tampines Road leading to Hougang, and God only knows how many more areas across this island, these birds and many other species are driven to the housing estates. Amid all this development, their fate and the fate of all the animals in these areas are truly unfortunate.

Another is most probably, due to seeking refuge in the housing estates, where the street lights and lights from all the blocks of flats are always brightly lit during sun down, may have made these birds lose their sense of time. It is always bright like dawn even at 4:00AM in the morning...


I do not know about the other people in this vicinity, but I have not been sleeping well for the past week because of the callings of these birds in the wee hours of the morning... it is like taking revenge over the humans... you take away my home where I roost to sleep, I make you lose your sleep!

I am not angry at the birds, but am angry at the fact that I feel helpless knowing their fate.

When I did finally got out of bed this Friday morning, it was not because of the koels but because of curiosity.

The usual singing of the numerous kinds of birds in the morning was particularly different today. Intermittently, cackling sounds of another particular bird were heard. I just had to take a look out my bedroom window to find out...

Alas, the beautiful bloom of the White Trumpet Flowers at the Poi Ching School yard had attracted the colourful parakeets. These birds were noisy and were busy feeding off only the bottom of the flowers... nectar, it seemed.

It was an interesting sight. I felt like a National Geographic photographer observing nature. When I came to realize that I had to capture this view, I rushed to get my camera. It was not everyday that this unusual view out my bedroom window presented itself.


When I came back, they had all flew away. It was unfortunate but still not a total wasted of effort. I took pictures of the tree as it showed off its blooms to everyone... and it was beautiful indeed.

I was hoping I had captured a hidden parakeet somewhere among the blooms but after scrutinizing the picture closely on my iMac, I guess not.

Well, another day perhaps... but since today is a public holiday, the long weekend ahead of me seems promising. To all my Christian friends out there, Happy Easter!