A pair of Sunda scops owlets at Telok Blangah, spotted on May 5, have become unwitting celebrities, drawing large crowds of nature photographers and members of the public.

Some netizens have raised concerns about the large crowds possibly stressing the owlets or scaring the parent owl away, thus leaving the chicks vulnerable.

In a statement issued to Mothership on May 7, Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres) co-CEO Kalai Vanan noted that some photographers were even using spotlights to illuminate the area. 

In response, the National Parks Board (NParks) has since cordoned off an area near the tree on May 7 to ensure no one stands near it.

Acres also urged the public not to crowd around the nesting site, and reminded photographers "to practise basic ethics".

Despite the cordon, the crowd at the nesting site seemed to have grown somewhat as seen in a post on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group by one Art Toh on May 8:

The crowd appeared to be a mix of curious members of the public and photographers.

Owlet rescued by photographers

According to Toh, at about 2am on May 8, one of the owlets dropped from its nest onto the ground.

Thankfully, a few nature photographers who were still on site at that hour helped to rescue the owlet and put it back in the nest.

A video shared to the post appears to show a man picking up the owlet, and climbing a stool:

The man then manages to gingerly place the owlet back into the nest:

It is not clear why the owlet fell in the first place.

Some users in the post's comments section speculated that the owlets fell due to stress from the crowds. Others think it may have been fledging.

Toh urged people not to "paint all birders as irresponsible show-offs".

"To most birders, it’s an undying passion to document wildlife in its natural state which contributes to [a] better understanding of wildlife in the midst of our urban environment," Toh wrote in his post. 

A rare sight

Lee Zhi Heng, a nature photographer who posted pictures of the owl nest to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group, told Mothership that bird nestings have always been popular amongst the local birdwatching community.

For birdwatchers and photographers, bird nests provide a fascinating and rare glimpse of the ways parent birds care for their chicks.

At the Telok Blangah nest, for instance, the owl can be seen bringing food to the nest for its chicks:

Furthermore, according to Lee, such active nestings of Sunda scops owls are "very difficult to come by in Singapore".

Lee explained that juvenile Sunda scops owls are usually found only after they have fledged from their nests.

Since the owl nest at Telok Blangah is in a highly visible location and allows onlookers the rare opportunity to observe "owlets still developing in the nest", it has become highly popular according to Lee.

Similarly, Toh wrote in his post that this was a "once-in-a-lifetime encounter" to observe the natural behaviours of nesting owls.

Photographers were mindful

Lee also told Mothership that while he could not comment on the situation on the days after May 5, he noted that on the day where he was on site to photograph the owls, the photographers were mindful of respecting the privacy of the owl nest.

He claimed that those getting too close to the nest were often "curious passers-by" or "kids who are intrigued to get a closer look".

Lee said that when he was shooting the nest on the night of May 5 — the first day the owls were spotted — the adult owls kept flying down to feed the chicks but "kept getting spooked away, most probably due to the presence of a crowd."

According to Lee, all of the photographers "voluntarily moved a few metres back to give the family space", and "advised everyone on site to keep their noise level to a minimum to avoid stressing the birds".

Not long after, the adult owls returned to the nest and were able to "consistently" feed their young.

What to do if you spot a baby bird

If you spot chicks that have fallen out of their nest, you can locate the nest and place the chick back into it.

However Acres urges members of the public to keep the handling to a minimum.

If you spot a fledgling bird on the ground, it is learning to fly and forage. It does not need rescue and its parents are likely nearby.

If you spot the fledgling's parents around, do leave the baby alone.

Top photo from Art Toh/Facebook and courtesy of Lee Zhi Heng