eBirding The World

Bukit Timah summit (30 Oct 2019)

The afternoon was rather cloudy when I managed to clear my work and made my way up the hill. But a chance to a have a picture of the supposed thrush was too tantalising for me to set aside and wait for the weekend, which will inevitably be very crowded. The last time I came across the Siberian Thrush was in 2018 at Dairy Farm. Even then, it was only a glimpse through the thick foliage. Without any photo, I was determined not to let go of another opportunity with this bird.

And so there I was on the summit after a quick 15-min climb with the grey skies threatening to ruin the afternoon. There were surprisingly quite a number of climbers and other random visitors on this gloomy Wednesday afternoon. More disappointingly, the birds were rather quiet despite the fruiting fig tree. I decided to wait out the rest of the afternoon here instead of my earlier, more ambitious plan to bird both the summit and Hindhede as well.

While waiting for the activity to pick up, I worked on the common scarlet-backed flowerpeckers that zip between the trees and the Arctic warblers that flit between twigs and snags. These small birds are rather conspicuous and easy to see but quite a challenge to photograph. Most of the pictures turned out horrible in the bleak weather.

After a long while, there was a sudden uptick in activity in the treetops. Thick-billed Green Pigeons descended upon the fig tree. And there was also a Jambu Fruit Dove that was well hidden in the foliage which I only discovered when processing the photos at home later that night. Scanning around using binoculars, I eventually managed to pick out the lone starling-sized odd bird in the distance. Several shots were fired, but as before with the little birds, many were blurry, out of focus and had huge ISO numbers. Despite the odds, a few could barely be salvaged. Had this been a regular bird, these photos would have been deleted immediately but this thrush is a special bird…every picture is precious (for now).

The bird did not stay long…the rendezvous was only for a couple of minutes. Yet, I was hopeful that it could possibly return with better views. So I just stayed on at the summit, even though it was fast approaching 5pm. Meanwhile a pair of Brown-backed Needletails stunned me when they sliced the air just over the canopy for a second or two. These large swifts were prominent and should be relatively easy to shoot but I was caught off-guard this time by their low flight.

Turning up to the skies, there was a steady stream of Pacific Swifts coming in throughout the evening from the east. And there were a number of raptors making an appearance too – a migrating Chinese Sparrowhawk, a pair of resident Brahminy Kites, 5 Oriental Honey-buzzards, a calling Changeable Hawk-eagle and the best one of them all – a thermalling Grey-faced Buzzard!

Pacific Swift
Grey-faced Buzzard
Silver-backed Needletail
Oriental Honey-buzzard

For a quiet evening, this had been a rather fantastic birding trip. Not only did I succeed in my attempt to see the thrush, I got several of the less common birds too. So it was indeed the icing on the cake when I spotted two Silver-backed Needletails drifting overhead leisurely, giving me several opportunities to shoot and admire them. What a truly enjoyable afternoon!

The ebird list for the afternoon is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S61038547

Bukit Tinggi (20 Dec 2018)

When coming down Fraser’s Hill, we took the route through Bentong in the afternoon of 19th Dec. The route was a little nerve-wrecking – we skidded a couple of times in the inches-deep ponding that formed in the heavy rains as we descended the hills. In some parts, the water was nearly a raging torrent cutting across the road. It was a real relief to see drier roads as we reached the bottom of the valley and drove on under clearer skies.

After checking-in and enroute to Colmar Tropicale for dinner, we spotted from a considerable distance some hornbills as they flew over the golf course. At the carpark, we spotted some swifts and swiftlets flying into the building. Closer inspection after dinner revealed some occupied nests just above us in the carpark building. Before calling it a night, we also had the opportunity to listen to the Blyth’s Frogmouth calling outside the building. The calls matched that from Xeno-Canto.

We left early the next day before sunrise to meet the counter staff at Colmar Tropicale, who were able to let us enter the Japanese Gardens before it actually opens later in the morning to the public. The staff had agreed to let us through the evening before. However, it appeared the message was not communicated to the staff manning the counter early the next morning. Took us a bit of time before we were eventually let through.

The weather was not very cooperative. There was a slight drizzle and the air was foggy and heavy with moisture. Because of this, my headlight and torchlight were useless – we only see a blank white ahead of us as the swirling mists clouded our views in the dark. We had to simply get our eyes adjust to the dark and carefully walked into garden one step at a time. To complicate matters, we did not know where exactly was the site to see the stunning star birds of this place – the Mountain Peacock Pheasant and the Ferruginous Partridge. When we finally stumbled into something that somewhat fit the descriptions as given to us by fellow birders, we walked into the woods not knowing what laid ahead. Thankfully we came across some well-placed nets strung across a clearing and strategically placed ‘stools’ strewn around. We hunkered down and waited in the dark as the forest roused from slumber.

It was not a pleasant experience at all waiting for the birds. As we hunkered down behind the nettings just as the drizzle had stopped, we were stung on every exposed skin by tiny flies. It was as though they were telling us that our presence was unwelcomed there. Of course we persevered on despite the red itchy bumps they gave us. As the sky turned into a shade of steel-grey, it dawned on us that the weather had probably muted the expected morning chorus, and perhaps our chances of seeing the star birds too.

Fortunately, we did not have long to wait…in the dark recesses behind some fallen trunks a male Mountain Peacock Pheasant appeared, peering cautiously out at the clearing. After a few minutes of standing still, it gingerly walked inwards to the open clearing, and along with it, a female and an immature right behind. We observed the pair scratching the ground furiously for grubs for several minutes. The male would occasionally present us with his ritual dance to woo the female using his attractive spread of tail feathers.

To our delight, three Ferruginous Partridges made a quiet but stunning entrance as the skies became brighter, somewhat oblivious to our presence barely 3 metres away. At times, these birds were so close to us we had to pull ourselves back to capture these birds using our long lenses. We left after admiring the birds for a good 45 mins at least, thankful that the star birds did not disappoint.

The skies cleared as we walked out of the site to explore other parts of the gardens. There were workers around us preparing for the gardens’ opening soon. There were not many birds around it seemed, probably because there was no fruiting tree nearby. After a quick walk around, we returned to the hotel for breakfast.

Pale Blue Flycatcher (female)
Cinereous Bulbul
Sooty Barbet
Plain Flowerpecker
Buff-rumped Woodpecker
White-rumped Munia

Post-breakfast, we decided to spend some time birding the vicinity of the hotel before returning to the Japanese Gardens. This proved to be a good move on our part, as we managed to get more interesting birds as can be seen below.

In the end, we returned to KL in the afternoon feeling glad and grateful that our quick birding trip to the mountains was successful. While we did not get to see many of the montane species, this trip had certainly whetted our appetite for more adventures to come!

Our ebird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S50814586

In search of the visitor from India

16 Dec 2017 (Kranji Marsh)

This most unusual bird turned up rather unexpectedly in Singapore. As usual, it attracted hordes of birders from the entire island. I was late to the party due to some family travel commitments (in Indonesia and Cambodia). Nevertheless, I was thankful the bird remained in the same bushes in Kranji Marsh till my return. In fact, the bird stayed on to winter here, going back up north only the following year.

On this morning, the birds were rather easy to get. As I had my target set on the bird from India, I did not strain my eyes and ears that much to observe the rest of the birds present. Several usual birds were missing (or rather, I might have missed their presence by being lazy) – Oriental Magpie Robin, Pied Triller and the Red-wattled Lapwing were among some of the key birds absent.

In spite of this, I recorded at least 63 species of birds over almost 3 hours in the morning. Star bird was the Booted Warbler, of course!

Other notable birds seen were the following:

Oriental Reed Warbler
Oriental Pratincole
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
Osprey
Oriental Honey Buzzard

Other birds seen can be found in this ebird list:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S41108961

Gunung Pulai (31st Dec 2018)

It was not my plan to make 2018 an SG Big Year, but I was pushing hard (somewhat) to see how far I could go to observe as many birds as possible within the calendar year in Singapore. But boredom does creep in at times on the island. Besides, Malaysia across the Causeway is such an enticing birding destination with many places to explore and new birds to discover.

After bagging all the Singapore birds I could possibly get by 30 Dec, a short visit to Johor was too appealing to ignore. But Panti was not on the cards, having been there a couple of times earlier in the month. Plus, I have always been intrigued by this lonely mountain that is sometimes visible from Sungei Buloh.

Gunung Pulai is seldom high on anybody’s birding trip, especially when other more tantalising destinations like Bekok and Panti are nearby. Plus it is unfortunate that its forested slopes are isolated from the contiguous forest down the spine of the peninsula. Huge swathes of palm oil plantation completely surround the mountain. I do not suppose it can support a highly diverse ecosystem like that in Taman Negara or Endau-Rompin.

However, I would think that this mountain deserves a closer inspection. Judging from the topography of the area, it is a prominent landmark that birds probably use for navigation as they come down the west coast of the peninsula. At the right time of the year (i.e. fall migration), I presume its forest would host a variety of interesting migrants. While December is just past the migration season, I was hopeful the mountain could turn out some overwintering passerines. So it was decided that an attempt on Gunung Pulai was the best option for the last day of 2018.

The information I had gleaned from the internet was rather sketchy but it was enough to guide us to the entrance. My wife and I were promptly asked to pay for parking the moment we entered a lot. It was not expensive but the facilities do not seem to warrant the amount we paid. Perhaps we were paying for the security. There were only a handful of other cars around. As it seemed safe, we walked further in and went past the entrance gates, along with a multitude of other hikers.

Gunung Pulai was certainly not another Panti. The forest appeared somewhat degraded but the trees were still mighty impressive – towering dipterocarps lined the main track. The birds were quiet but this was nothing unusual in the forest. There was a lone Rufous woodpecker punctuating the stillness of the forest air with its call just after the entrance. And there was a pair of spectacular Rhinoceros Hornbills that flew over the valley and out of sight beyond the mountain.

Soon after, a band of langurs crossed above the main track, doing their usual foraging through the canopy. Above the langurs, a stream of swiftlets began circling the valley. Most were the usual unidentifiable ones but quite a few were House Swifts. One Grey-rumped Treeswift was in the mix as were two Plume-toed Swiftlets that darted through the canopy. To my surprise, a flock of needletails appeared one by one wheeling above the valley. Careful checking of their underparts revealed most to be Brown-backed Needletails. One, however, turned out to be Silver-backed Needletail. Photography was difficult due to the limited window I had between crowns of tall trees. And these birds were positively fast. Nevertheless, it was sheer delight as I captured image after image of these fantastic birds (most images were blurry though).

The track rose rather steeply and it soon began to tire us. There was not much bird activity apart from the usual regulars on some fruiting trees (eg. bulbuls, white-eyes, leafbirds, barbets). After climbing up to perhaps 300 m and past the waterfall, we turned around.

As we descended, we heard the familiar call of a raptor. A quick scan through the tree crowns yielded a lone Crested Serpent Eagle. Further down the valley, we came back to the needletails and had more awesome time with them.

A most unusual thing happened next. As we reached the entrance, we saw a group of officers casually locking the gates, while hikers continue to enter and leave the park. Nonchalantly, these hikers circumvented the locked gates by climbing up the muddy slope on the side. There was a section where you’d need to use both hands to grab the ropes while traversing the tricky steps. While not particularly dangerous, the treacherous steps seemed like they could give serious cuts or sprain some ankles. I wonder how these local hikers do it; there was even a toddler with her family back in there!

As we returned to the car, a munia caught our attention as it flew into a bush nearby. My initial excitement thinking that it could be a White-rumped Munia dampened somewhat when I realized it was an introduced bird – the Javan Munia, an introduced bird to these parts of Southeast Asia. And so the Javan Munia was my last bird for 2018. The morning had indeed been an interesting one. Here is the ebird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S51104969

With this trip done, I ended my birding journey in 2018. While the expected overwintering migrants failed to make any appearance, I was not at all disappointed. After all, it had been a most spectacular birding year for me, exploring various parts of Malaysia like Fraser’s Hill, Selangor, Melaka and Johor. I even had the opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka to explore some of its endemics. And birding in Singapore was just intense but fun. As I looked forward to 2019, I could not help but be grateful for the many wonderful friends I made and the fantastic experiences I had in 2018.

Lorong Halus Wetlands & Coney Island – 23 Oct 2016

It has been a very long time since this blog is updated. I’ve had the opportunity to go on many birding adventures since the last post (in fact, too many for me to even start blogging about). And with the ease of using ebird (introduced by a fellow birder, WR, whom I met while birding), there has been less need to consistently keep this blog up to date. But still…ebird is merely a compilation of checklist records while a blog tells the story behind every checklist.

On this day, I decided to visit Lorong Halus after checking the forecast at http://www.weather.gov.sg website. After parking the car further up the road and nearer to the pond (let’s just call this the Weaver pond), I slowly explored the vicinity up to the pond itself before turning up north and crossed the dam to do a bit of walkabout on Coney Island.

As the morning was still somewhat cloudy (the clouds kept getting in the sun’s way in the east), there was a rather conspicuous drop in bird calls and general activity when I compare it to my previous visit here. As usual, there were the swallows (mostly, if not all, Barn Swallows), Baya Weavers in the grasses, Red-Breasted Parakeets zipping past once in a while, a gaggle of mynahs (mixed flock of Common and Javan), Spotted Doves on the large expanse of land near the pier, and a House Crow or two calling away on the cables. No sign of the Paddyfield Pipits this time. Not even the omnipresent Asian Glossy Starlings can be seen this day.

When I came to the pond, there was muted activity – no signs of the Golden-backed Weavers, only a couple of Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers, and a lone Yellow Bittern cautiously walking away as it sensed my presence. While looking at it, a lady waved at me from distance. It’s A, the same lady whom I met when I last came here. A very enthusiastic and curious lady, she excitedly shared with me what she has photographed since we last met. I then showed her the Yellow Bittern, which was getting difficult to see. I only manage to photograph its reflection on the still waters. Meanwhile to the right, I caught sight of a Stork-billed Kingfisher perched in the open, which I then pointed out to A. Looks to me this was the first time she has seen these. Then across the pond in the distance, I happened to notice a flurry of activity in the reeds. Through the binoculars, I spotted a trio of Javan Munias (only the second time I see these birds this year!).

_mg_1823 — Javan Munia (**Lonchura leucogastroides**)

_mg_1781 — Long-tailed Shrike (**Lanius schach**)

After a few more exchanges, A and I parted ways and I turned back towards Coney Island. As I headed that way, a flash of blue alerted me to the Common Kingfisher that was perched on a stake in the middle of the pond. As usual, it was constantly bobbing its tail and jerking its head up and down in a peculiar way that is typical of such Alcedo kingfishers (I noticed this behaviour in the Blue-eared Kingfisher too at Kranji Marshes). Just before the end of the trail, a loud Long-tailed Shrike was calling raucously nearby. I was pleasantly surprised to hear its call having a musical note. This species usually have a bark-like call from my experience.

Just before the dam, I peered out towards the sea where I spotted a Collared Kingfisher in the distance perched on the buoys. Nearer on the shore, a disturbance in the shrubs betrayed the presence of a Little Bronze-Cuckoo with its distinctive red eyes and bronzy wings. Not much else was seen as I crossed the dam, apart from the usual doves, Grey Herons and parakeets screeching past.

_mg_1772 — Little Bronze Cuckoo (**Chrysococcyx minutillus**)

Once on the island, the parakeets (Long-tailed & Red-breasted) as usual make their presence heard very clearly. A flock of about 10 to 15 were busy feeding on the Casuarina fruits above the trail. Not too far away, I heard the lone Yellow-bellied Prinia, the Common Tailorbirds and Olive-backed Sunbirds calling. Doves were aplenty here, and so were the mynahs.

_mg_1845 — Red-breasted Parakeet (**Psittacula alexandri**)

Near the toilet and the ‘coastal meadow’, a shadow appeared in the sky. There really was no way I could identify it against the bright blue sky and the sun in my eyes. So what did I do? Snap anyway of course. The bird was gracious enough to circle overhead several times to gain height on the thermals, allowing me to snap away multiple shots. When it was too far away, I took a seat in the shade to inspect the images. Sadly, they were all silhouettes. Hmm..maybe my pupils have not yet dilated. Later on, in the comfort of my home when I reviewed the images again, the bird turned out to be a lifer in the form of a female Chinese Sparrowhawk. Its yellow eyes were discernible and the overall plumage unmistakable – pale underwing, black-tipped wings, orange/brown breast.

_mg_1858 — Chinese Sparrowhawk (**Accipiter soloensis**)

As I continued my walk, I began to realise I don’t exactly love this place. Consisting mostly of Casuarina trees, the place hardly offered any shade. I initially thought that these sparse and tall trees make birdwatching relatively easy….but I could not be further from the truth. The birds, maybe because of the trees’ sparse foliage, and great heights, made it very difficult to spot birds unless they move and fly. Else they will be either very far or very high up, making ID almost impossible even with binoculars.

As the sun crept higher and I was getting bitten by sandflies more frequently, I returned to the dam and walked all the way back to my car. Along the way, a surprisingly friendly Sulfur-bellied Gerygone whistled away just 3-4 metres up the tree. After snapping some pictures of this cute little bird, I bid this place farewell.

The ebird checklists of the day can be found here (Lorong Halus) and here (Coney Island).

_mg_1936 — Sulfur-bellied Gerygone (**Gerygone sulphurea**)

Back at Kranji Marshes again

The morning began with the Oriental Magpie Robin calling earnestly near the carpark. Couldn’t get a better shot as the bird was very conscious of my presence and it appeared skittish.

Just behind me were the Baya Weavers, Olive-backed Sunbirds, Common Ioras, Asian Koels, Pink-necked Pigeons, Spotted Doves, White-vented Mynahs, Pied Fantails and Common Tailorbirds going about their morning routine, and of course the Long-tailed Parakeets screeching loudly. One Yellow-vented Bulbul was seen flying with long dry leaf blades in its beak, presumable for use in constructing its nest nearby.

Not far from them, a pair of Long-tailed Shrikes were calling raucously in the bushes. Ten metres away, a pair of Sunda Woodpeckers were spotted pecking away furiously at the stem of a newly-transplanted sapling. Just beneath them were a small group of about 5 Scaly-breasted Munias feeding on the grass seeds.

The day was rather quiet, devoid of the usual morning chatter even though it was only about 8am. Near the Raptor Tower, there was an increase in activity, but it was mainly from the screeching parakeets, a couple of amorous Pied Fantails, a few Common Ioras, a couple handfuls of Baya Weavers busy constructing their bulbous nests, several Common Tailorbirds, a pair of Common Flamebacks and 3 Lesser Coucals. There was a lone female Red-breasted Parakeet feeding quietly on Albizia flowers amist all that noise. There were also some Ashy Tailorbirds joining the foray. Was actually hoping to see Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds but sadly it was not meant to be.

At the hides, it was again rather quiet. Only the Stork-billed Kingfishers and a lone Yellow Bittern made some splashes. There was also a stealthy crake in the form of a hazy silhouette against the bright sun. In the reeds, there was for a brief moment, some chattering of Ashy Tailorbirds and a lone Black-browed Reed Warbler, which soon fizzled out.

Before leaving the site, a Yellow-bellied Prinia gave a melodious rendition of its usual song. Comparison of images of this bird and others I have captured in previous visits apparently suggest that this was the same bird after all, as indicated by the metallic ring on its right leg.

The complete list of birds observed is detailed here.

In search of the cuckoos

Dropped by Kranji Marshes last Sunday morning to focus on the resident birds, specifically the cuckoos that are resident to Singapore.

The place was alive with all sorts of bird calls the moment one arrives at the carpark. Took quite a while before I could discern the different species present. However, since my focus was on the cuckoos, I tried (as best I could) not to stray from my objective and trained my eyes on the trees.

At the entrance, the morning light provided soft and pleasing effect on the birds, especially those preening in the sunlight on the bare trees above the ponds. There were Scaly-breasted Munias (Lonchura punctulata), Long-tailed Parakeets (Psittacula longicauda), Pied Trillers (Lalage nigra), Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis), Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis), Red Collared Doves (Streptopelia tranquebarica), Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata), Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis), Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis), Pacific Swallows (Hirundo tahitica), Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) and Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier) all vying for the same bare branches within a span of 20 mins I was there.

_MG_5550 — The great leap of faith by the Red Collared Dove

_MG_5567 — Daddy Pied Triller on babysitting duty

Further ahead in the tall grasses, the song of the Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris) is clearly heard while up in the trees in the distance, the calls of the Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris), Javan Mynas (Actidotheres javanicus) and Golden-bellied Gerygone (Gerygone sulphurea) are heard sporadically. Overhead, a pair of Lesser Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna javaxc cnica) flew northwards and I caught sight of a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) doing its first morning flight low above the trees.

Behind me, the bushes served as a wonderful playground for those birds that are more shy. Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis), Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia), Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica) and Common Tailorbirds (Orthotomus sutorius) are easily seen darting here and there in the foliage.

Then I heard it. The distinct sound that only a cuckoo makes. I played back the sound of the cuckoos in my phone just to be sure I was not hallucinating, and to be more certain of the species I was hearing. A 5-minute search led eventually to a mangled set of branches high up in the trees. It hosts just a bird…an ordinary-looking drab-coloured bird. But this was no typical starling or a dollarbird. The face had a greyish band across it, the bill is rather thin and curved, and it was brownish. Moments later, it called out distinctly its call again. Finally, I can confirm its identity – Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonnerati) !

After that, I moved on to the Raptor Tower area. Along the way, I heard and/or seen Large-billed Crows (Corvus macrorhynchos), Pin-striped Tit-babbler (Macronous gularis), White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) and swiftlets. A flock of about 50 Scaly-breasted Munias took to the air briefly before landing back near the fence bordering the path and the muddy field. Elsewhere, the Dollarbirds (Eurystomus orientalis) cackled, a lone Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) made a brief appearance overhead, Asian Brown Flycatchers (Muscicapa daurica) flitted about in the trees and the Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) wheeled overhead.

At the Tower, I spotted the lone Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia), a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), 2 Purple Herons (Ardea purpurea) and a strangely lonely Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) strutting around on the far side of the restricted area. Minutes later, a brownish bird flew over the ponds like an oriole – a Rufous Woodpecker (Celeus brachyurus). Then I hear another cuckoo calling…it was the Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus). But it was not so close and I couldn’t determine the direction it was coming from. Another cuckoo also made its presence known…and this one is much bigger and more prominent. The Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis) called from a nearby bush before flying across the ponds towards the trees.

_MG_5690 — 3-way standoff between the Grey and Purple Herons and the Red-wattled Lapwing

There wasn’t much of an activity at the 2 hides, other than the Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) and the White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus). The heat must have forced the birds into the shade. The Ashy Tailorbirds (Orthotomus ruficeps) were the only ones that, together with a pair of Yellow-vented Bulbuls, were seen going about their business in the scorching heat. Even so, the bulbuls had their beaks in a semi-permanent opened position, presumably to cool themselves.

By 10, the heat became hardly bearable….Before I became like the bulbuls with my tongue lolling out, I beat a hasty retreat from the site and went home somewhat elated at seeing a non-coucal non-koel cuckoo and hearing another.

Satay by the Bay

After a long break from this blog, I’ve finally decided to resume by putting up this post.

This morning, decision was made to do a quick walk about the Gardens by the Bay in light of other family arrangements in the vicinity. It turned out to be a very hot and humid morning! The shade from the verdant trees did not offer much help to relieve the oppressing heat.

Birds were busy going about their daily routine, especially some that were hard at work building nests. Got to take a shot of this Chestnut Munia (Lonchura malacca) with some nesting material in its beak.

Elsewhere there were a number of activities going on. A Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) has chosen a strategic spot to fish, which is right next to the Satay by the Bay. This makes it very convenient for photographers to just sit by in the shade and watch the bird going about its antics for hours. A Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) attempted to join in but the Black Bittern aggressively chased it away from its territory with loud squawks and vigorous flaps of its wings.

At another spot, a Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis) made good its choice real estate by making several looping ‘sorties’ for several minutes before it exhausted the supply of insects flying about at the place. This one was taken right after it swallowed a beetle.

Nearby, a small flock of Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) made their way down to the water to quench their thirst in the hot mid-morning. Just above them, a pair of Common Tailorbirds (Orthotomus sutorius) were chasing each other through the foliage. One even came down to the grass for a hop or two.

_MG_5335 — Thirsty Pink-necked Green Pigeons

In the vicinity of the Kingfisher Pond, a Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris) was chirpily broadcasting its call to all who happens to be nearby.

At another bush, a couple of Oriental Reed-warblers (Acrocephalus orientalis) and a lone Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) were playing around in the foliage, oblivious to each other but still keeping a wary watch on the human lurking around observing their every move.

Arctic Warbler 2 (Satay by the Bay) — Arctic Warbler

Not far from them, a female Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) quietly flew about from tree to tree. About the only thing that gave its presence away was its HUGE size. Hard to miss it amidst the trees.

After the hour is up and the sun is making it very unpleasant to continue the walk, I decided to end the day at Satay by the Bay.

Return to Sg Buloh Wetland Reserves (13/08/15)

After a lengthy hiatus, I finally came back to this place…

Due to the low tide, there was a flurry of activities on the river banks and mudflats. Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea), Purple Herons (Ardea purpurea), Little Herons (Butorides striatus), Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta), a pair of White-breasted Waterhens (Amaurornis phoenicurus) and a lone Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) were the first seen as I walked along the main bridge spanning the river. Collared Kingfishers (Todiramphus chloris) criss-crossed my path every now and then, shrieking to make their presence known.

At the main observation hide, a noisy flock of about 10 House Crows (Corvus splendens) were busy on the exposed mudflats searching for an easy meal. As I began my clockwise walk around the reserve, I soon spot a flock of about 30 Common Redshanks (Tringa totanus) by the water edge that was then joined by a few individuals of Little Egrets & Little Herons.

Continuing with my walk, I chanced upon a bird wave – 3 pairs of Common Ioras (Aegithina tiphia), a pair of Crimson Sunbirds (Aethopyga siparaja) and a flock of several Striped Tit-Babblers (Macronous gularis). Not far from them, I spotted the usual motley of birds going about their usual morning business – a pair of Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis) with their juvenile, 2 pairs of Spotted Doves (Streptopelia chinensis), several Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) resting on a few tree branches, a pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis) feeding on some Sea Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus) flowers, a lone Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) startled by my presence, vivacious Ashy Tailorbirds (Orthotomus ruficeps) and Copper-throated Sunbirds (Nectarinia calcostetha) flitting through the bushes, and the odd one or two Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis). Overhead, I came across a pair of Brahminy Kites (Haliastur indus) soaring on thermals.

_MG_0321 — female Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)

_MG_0391 — Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps) singing

Hide 1C, as expected, is a hive of activities…easily spotted from a distance were the 10 Milky Storks (Mycteria cinerea) feeding on the mudflats. The Common Redshanks were apparently more than the 30 odd individuals seen earlier..here, there were easily more than 100 of them. I stopped counting after 60, and this excludes those birds that just sat on the mud resting. They had company apparently…the Common Greenshanks (Tringa nebularia) had arrived in Singapore as well. I counted 16 of them. There could be more of them elsewhere in the reserve or in Mandai. Due to the light shimmering on the water surface, it was difficult to sieve out Marsh Sandpipers from them. According to one of the NParks staff I met that day, these birds have actually arrived in SIngapore. Too bad I failed to see them today. He advised me to give particular attention on the muddy banks…plovers often can be seen on them. Another thing I learnt from him was that the Whimbrels are here too. First seen was a scout, followed by another 8 of them. I did eventually spot a distressed Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) flying rapidly around with a couple of Little Herons near Platform 1. Turned out there was a juvenile Brahminy Kite flying just above them.

Later I met a very experienced birder who informed me that a flock of 10 Whimbrels he was observing just flew off after being harassed by some House Crows. Too bad I came too late to witness that. I am still thankful that I get to see at least a Whimbrel and the redshanks/greenshanks.

In total I have seen 24 species of birds today.

Sungei Buloh (29/4/2015)

Considering the pretty cloudy skies that afternoon, I felt it would be wise not to visit the forests where the darkening skies will likely render all images unusable. So decision was made, and I hastily made my way to Sg. Buloh Wetlands Reserve before the skies opened.

It was a very quiet afternoon at the reserve. Very few visitors on a weekday like this. Which made for relatively more interesting birding…and what a day it was! Although the winter avian visitors have left, the resident birds were all busy finding mates, settling down and raising little birds in their nests.

The first bird seen was the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), a huge bird that is hard to miss in the mangroves. One will most likely hear the strong and heavy flapping of its wings before seeing the bird itself.

Just below the hornbill on the mudflats I saw the Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea). The lone bird was busy feeding itself, although I could tell it was wary of my presence and kept a safe distance away from me. This was not the only one around the reserve apparently. I would later chance upon another pair of birds elsewhere in the reserve.

_MG_7468 — Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea)

The stork was soon joined by a brave Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) that was lucky enough to find a juicy prawn in the mud. The prawn was soon out of sight as the bird skilfully handled the wriggling morsel in its beak.

Nearby, an Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) was in full view of everyone. It stayed still the entire time I was there! Later on, I would see another 2 of these crocs swimming beneath the main bridge spanning the Sg. Buloh river.

As I continued my walk, a male Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) flew over me and perched on a twig close by to make its obligatory chirps. I got only like 4-6 seconds before it flew off!

I went over to the Fig Tree that is always fruiting every time I come to Sg Buloh. The moment I arrived, I knew there would be many birds up in the tree as many fruits were dropping into the pond that, for simplicity’s sake, I call the Schrenck Pond. A few months ago, a Von Schrenck’s Bittern came and take up winter residence here. As I looked up, the usual suspects were in abundance. Pink-necked Pigeon (Treron vernans) and Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) were busily feeding themselves. I strained my neck while trying to find the Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata) which I saw back in March. It didn’t take long to find the bird though, as it noisily chased away the pigeons and starlings from its preferred spots in the tree. Such aggressive behaviour is apparently not unusual for barbets. A quick search online in the BESG website confirmed this. As it was getting darker, and the bird just refused to stay put in one place, this soft blurry picture is the best I had of it. Later on when I returned to the tree, I was surprised to see two of them! Maybe they could be a pair. Have to come back here soon to find out.

Not too far away from the tree, I saw a small bird making a regular ‘shuttle’ across the Mangrove Boardwalk path. It turned out to be a sunbird going back-and-forth from its nest. As it was in the undergrowth, I could not readily identify the bird and had to use flash to brighten up the image. Even then, I cannot ID the bird with certainty. My hunch is that it is a female Copper-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia calcostetha).

female Copper-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia calcostetha) at its nest

Seeing that the sun came back out, I decided to go round the main trail. First bird seen was the Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus). I would later see more of the bird. Not sure if it was another male or the same bird flying around the area.

Further down the trail, I suddenly became acutely aware of the HUGE following that I got – mosquitoes! I managed to take a few shots of some birds in the area before I hastily moved on, not only because of the mosquitoes, but also in view of the impending thunderstorm that is rapidly approaching from the north across the strait. Below are some of the birds seen.

_MG_7707 — male Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugilaris)

_MG_7714 — Ashy Tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps)

_MG_7716 — rude Pink-necked Pigeon (Treron vernans) giving me the middle finger.

_MG_7725 — Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis)

_MG_7767 — female Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) at its nest

Here is the list of birds I came across that day:

Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) x 9
Golden-bellied Gerygone (Gerygone sulphurea) x 1 (heard only)
Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) x 1
Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea) x 3
White-vented Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) x 4
Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) x 7
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) x 17
Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) x 8
Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) x 3
Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) x 3
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) x 8 including one juvenile
Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) x 3
Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus) x 2
Pink-necked Pigeon (Treron vernans) x 17
Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata) x 2
House Crow (Corvus splendens) x 2
Copper-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia calcostetha) x 2
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis) x 1 (heard only)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) x 3
White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) x 2
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) x 1
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) x 1
Ashy Tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps) x 8
Great Egret (Casmerodius albus) x 1
Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) x 1
White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) x 4
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) x 1
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) x 7 including a pair copulating by roadside
Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) x 1 (heard only)
Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) x 1 tailless bird