Visiting Scientist Feature: The Earl of Cranbrook

Before the Lunar New Year, we hosted a very special guest – the Earl of Cranbrook!

The Earl is a long-time friend of the museum, having popped by numerous times since his first research visit in 1956 – way back when he was better known to biologists here as Lord Medway.

This time, his visit is a little more unusual. (Click here to read more about his previous visit in 2016).

An ornithologist focusing on the study of swiftlets, the Earl has kindly donated his personal research archive to LKCNHM.

The extensive collection amounted to a whopping 58 kilograms and was brought over to Singapore in two large suitcases. It includes precious recordings from his pioneer discovery of echolocation by Malaysian swiftlets, old field notes and a pair of swiftlet skeletons collected from Sarawak in 1958.

During his week-long stay, the Earl was in close discussion with his host, Assistant Professor Dr. Frank Rheindt from the Department of Biological Sciences, on documenting the research archives. They also explored new research ideas, which includes potential collaborations involving swiftlet colonies in Sentosa Island.

In addition, the Earl gave a public talk featuring stories from his 60 years of research on swiftlets. The talk, co-hosted by LKCNHM and the National Parks Board, was held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

We thank him for the kind donation to the museum, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.