Chinese Garden 30Oct, 01Nov06

From JS on 30 Oct, Mon

As expected, finding the KF in the afternoon is like finding a needle in a haystack. The glaring sun sent all the birds into hiding.

Luckily for me, the black-backed KF alerted his ruddy cousin during lunch break that a 1.6m birder would be searching for him and the only way to let him find you is to go for a plunge at 5pm when the birder is very alert after walking aimlessly around the park for 30min. Very obediently, the ruddy KF listened and plunged into the water at 5pm to catch a meal. Though the motion was fast and sudden, his purplish wing/back, red head and reddish-orange throat to belly gave his ID away. As usual, I ran to alert any birders/photographers about the bird. Sadly, there was only the lost photographer and he still didn't see it because the bird had moved into the denser parts of the tree from its perch. Nevertheless, he at least have a lead to find the ruddy KF but gave it up. Could have waited for the bird to do another dive but he walked off in search of a rufous morph APFC (A common migrant, unlike the rare ruddy KF) !!!!!! What a weird fellow!

Other interesting sightings:
- 1 juvenile dark-sided flycatcher
- 1 osprey
- 1 black-capped Kingfisher (Saw two birds flying along the lake but could only confirm one bird. There is a chance that both are black-capped KF because they have an identical call and a white spot under each blue/black wing.)
- 1 juvenile common KF (the bird has an orange belly, reddish bill and lacks the white head patch.)
- 1 juvenile tiger shrike
- 2 yellow bitterns
- 1 great egret

Ruddy and his morsel of snail. The black marks on the branch are where the snails got hit. ©Con Foley

From Con on 1 Nov, Wed

Black Bittern having a meal ©Con Foley

Olive-backed Sunbird subsp. flammaxillaris ©Con Foley