Part one written on Mar 26 in my facebook
I thought I should mention in here.
A bit of the background to that. You knew I given up Yingshiong the white rumped shama to the Jurong Bird Park in 2005. I refused blank cheque offers so that he could fly in huge aviaries in JBP.
I went back to see him in 2008
Shama Yingshiong - Final ClosureThen I was there and wrote of that about a year ago uncertain if I seen Yingshiong
New camera at Jurong Bird Park // Shades of YingshiongI was afraid of asking for Yingshiong as that was so many years ago, even if it seem to me just a short while back. What if I was told Yingshiong died or they at the JBP do not know what I was talking about. After all, they have thousands of birds, bigger and more valuable than a tiny white rumped shama.
I now cut to a recent posting I did in my facebook
You know I do not have birdies now and not have any until I find that place I will retire in where ever that might be. I thought my interactions with birdies will be restricted to what I can shoot in my camera even though I got myself a year pass into Jurong Bird Park. I also got a year pass into Singapore Zoo , and a year pass into Gardens by the Bay. But perhaps my interactions with birds might be more than just looking at them. I accepted an offer to be a Docent of Wildlife Reserves Singapore , an offer made to me I suspect largely because I am a year pass holder and not because of me as Shanlung. That will give me free and unlimited access into the Zoo and JBP. I am still undergoing training to be Docent in the JBP. That depends also on my being able to pass the tests they conduct. And my being in Singapore long enough (remember I am about to go on my walkabout to check out retirement places). In a strange way, I will be having a lot to do with all kinds of parrots from African greys to Hyacinth Macaws, white rumped shamas to green leaf birds, and Hornbills, and raptors and more. See what Jurong Bird Park is about. I strongly suggest that those planning to visit JBP for the first time should allocate an entire day here at the least. You might even see and talk to me as one of your guide into the bird world.
http://www.birdpark.com.sg/I was assigned to the station of my choice and into the JBP. In last weekend, 22 March 2014, I and others were at the JBP for station training. Part of the training was a guided walk into the South East Asian aviary. When we were there, I saw a white rumped shama flying in the huge walk in aviary and not in the side aviaries of that SEA exhibit. That shama flew in front of me a couple of times.
After that walk and the training session was over, I finally gathered my courage and asked that guide how long he was in JBP. If he told me he was there for 5 years or so, I would not ask if he known Yingshiong. He told me he was there for 15 years.
I then asked if he knew of Yingshiong with my heart in my mouth. To my surprise, he told me yes, he know of Yingshiong. And that he was flying about in that huge walk in aviary. He asked how I knew. I then told him I am the Shanlung who gave him up. He smiled and said that yes, he been to my web pages a long time ago but had not known I was among the latest batch of Docents.
I smiled too. That likely it was Yingshiong that flew a couple of time in front of me.
And since I am a Docent there, I will be seeing a lot more of Yingshiong.
And I bought my ticket to Taiwan , Apr 10-24, where I will be seeing Tinkerbell again.
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Part 2, originally written in facebook on Mar 30
On the 26 March, I wrote that I might have seen Yingshiong my old shama. Go back to that entry if you have not seen that.
Anyway, today on 30 March, was another of the Docent training at JBP from 1 to 3 pm. When that was over, I walked out of JBP with the others in my group. I was not certain if I want to check if YS was there and if he still knew me. I was a bit of a coward. I then retraced my steps and went back into JBP. I am still a Friend of Birds and a yearly pass holder to walk into JBP and Singapore Zoo.
I was glad not many people were in the South East Asia rain forest exhibit. With a heavily planted over center section walk in aviary and with hundreds of birds of different color and sizes there.
I walked and called "Yingshiong come come come". Nothing came. I tried that a few times , glad no one was there. I reached the far end and saw a little shama high above me on a branch. I was not even sure if that was Yingshiong as those tiny white rumped shama looked so much alike.
I stood there watching him for ten minutes and decided that could not be Yingshiong. He then dived from his branch down towards me and did a circular flight about me and landed on the ground about 3-4 feet in front of me. He then flew to the side and perched there.
No other birds which were not even as shy as a shama would have done that. He sang very softly to me. I mentioned the very soft singing of YS before in
http://www.shanlung.com/shamasong.html I did not have my Olympus EPL5.
That camera gave up the ghost last night when I went with my wife to celebrate Earth hour with Spiderman
https://www.facebook.com/events/1425245187720226/ I was going to take that to Olympus repair center to see if that camera of just one year can be resurrected.
I only had my Nokia state of art phone of 7 years ago. I resisted the arm twisting done by my wife on me to take her Iphone. That old Nokia could not take good photos. I had to be very near YS to take the photos you are seeing.
YS then flew 15 meters away to a branch on high tree. That was near a bench so I went there to sit and see what else that shama would do.
In a while, he flew down nearer to me. I decided I would not even try to get YS to land on me as he needed to be wild.
I remained contended he flew down near me. After another 30 minutes or so, I said my goodbye to him and that we will meet again.
