Farrer Park woman welcomes hornbills on laundry pole holder, calls encounters ‘special’
Last Monday (1 Sept), Facebook user Nisa Sanusi shared a close encounter with two hornbills perched on the laundry pole holder outside her Farrer Park HDB window, garnering over 9,000 likes.
According to her, sightings of the birds weren’t unusual.
Source: Nisa Sanusi on Facebook
“You never know when they’re coming, then out of the blue, there they are,” she told MS News.
Hornbill close encounter seen as birthday gift
Ms Nisa shared that she first saw a hornbill up close after her birthday in June 2020.
“I was so excited to see it with its feathers, eyes, beak, and casque in detail — it was the best birthday gift ever,” gushed the nature enthusiast, 59.
Image courtesy of Nisa Sanusi
Since then, the hornbills have made occasional visits to her laundry pole holder, usually at around 6pm.
They returned in December 2024 and March 2025, both times flying solo.
Image courtesy of Nisa Sanusi
The visits are always sudden and brief, lasting just over a minute, making each encounter an unpredictable yet thrilling moment.
Curious hornbills jump around laundry pole holder
On 31 Aug, one of the hornbills returned, this time with a slightly smaller companion, which Ms Nisa speculated could be a younger bird.
Source: Nisa Sanusi on Facebook
“They are curious birds and take in everything around them,” she said, adding that they might even be checking if she has smaller birds in a cage — something they could eat.
Ms Nisa also noted that many people underestimate just how large hornbills are until they see one up close.
Source: Nisa Sanusi on Facebook
“The look they give and that casque can be very intimidating,” she said, referring to the prominent structure on top of their beak.
She further warned against reaching out to touch their beautiful feathers unless you’re prepared to “lose a finger”.
Image courtesy of Nisa Sanusi
Farrer Park trees a haven for hornbills
The mature Farrer Park estate where Ms Nisa lives has large, shady trees — perfect homes for birds.
She had seen six hornbills flying around the area, each with its favourite tree.
“I love these close encounters,” Ms Nisa said.
When some of these trees were cut down for new BTO flats, it felt as if the hornbills had been displaced.
Ms Nisa also noted a decline in wildlife diversity in the neighbourhood since the Covid-19 pandemic, but she still feels fortunate to live close to nature.
Source: Nisa Sanusi on Facebook
“I feel special that the hornbills chose to perch by my bamboo pole holder to say hi, not just once, but several times.”
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Featured image adapted from Nisa Sanusi on Facebook and courtesy of Nisa Sanusi.
