Red Jungle Fowl are beautiful birds which display a lovely combination of colours. They are seen at many spots along our coast these days and bicycle rides are a great way to chance upon on them when rounding a corner on our Coastal Park Connector. I chanced upon them several times this past couple of weeks as I have started cycling once again.
This male was encountered this morning at what we in the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore call Tanah Merah Site 6 (see our map.).
This male bird decided to head for the cover of the shoreline trees – it leapt over some bushes and took a short flight back into the coastal forest. I whipped out my sweat-drenched waterproof camera from my pocket, wiped the lens ineffectively and grabbed a shot. I wasn’t sure if I had caught an image and it was already too late for a second shot, as he was gone.
I’m just glad I didn’t crash from all that rapid movement. My cycling kaki Kenneth Pinto probably caught a glimpse of the fowl as it scuttled into the bush..
There are lots of really good photos out there, local and international, by friends and internet acquaintances, which I use and acknowledge during teaching. There are diagnostic photos of this species, photos of the bird in flight, and even their vocalisations for use in lectures if needed. With so much useful material available, I have shelved serious photoography for almost a decade.
Still this is great for story-telling. So I always keep a camera ready; which these days is a surviving Olympus Tough. I’ll be looking forward to my next encounter with the Red Jungle Fowl!
Otterman speaks... 