Hindhede, Mandai Mudflat, SBWR 16Sep06

From JS

At the look-out of Hindhede, a female yellow-rumped flycatcher was sighted at 8 am by my father. Apparently, 8 am is also the start of a small bird activity, consisting of a family of pied fantails, 3 duetting straw-headed bulbuls, 3 striped tit babblers, a pair of olive-winged bulbuls, a pair of orange-bellied flowerpeckers, a dark-necked tailorbird, a yellow-vented bulbul and of course, the female yellow-rumped flycatcher. As we were heading back to the carpark, a red-eyed bulbul, emerald dove and the call of the chestnut-winged babbler slowed us down. Nevertheless, we still reached the cars after a half-and-hour delay.

Hoping for an encore of last Sunday's hundreds of terns, my father, me and Robert, took a detour to Mandai Mudflat. From afar, we sighted two kingfishers, collared and a lonely common which later, we discovered that two photographers were seeking the bird at SBWR for few hours. In addition, there were three ospreys present, a flock of whimbrels, two marsh sandpipers, pgp, little herons, redshanks, greenshanks, grey herons and 4 terns. The photo attached shows two of the terns and a larger whimbrel. After some vigorous scanning, there was no beach thick-knee but only a coast littered with white standing tissue papers.

Whimbrels and Little Terns ©Lau JS

On our way to Mandai Mudflat, I saw an ashy minivet hopping on a low hanging tree trunk. At SBWR, we were surprised to find the Asian dowitcher still around, otherwise the thrilling trip ended with suspense and a sighting of a rare birder, Bing Wen. Sadly, he wasn't rare enough to create any huge sighting.

Common Redshanks and Marsh Sandpipers ©Con Foley

Hindhede
1) Pink-necked Green-pigeon (>5)
2) Emerald Dove (1)
3) Glossy Starling (>10)
4) Red-eyed Bulbul (1)
5) Olive-winged Bulbul (2)
6) Yellow-vented Bulbul (>2)
7) Straw-headed bulbul (3)
8) Banded Woodpecker (1h)
9) Common Flameback (h)
10) Laced Woodpecker (1)
11) Stork-billed Kingfisher
12) Collared Kingfisher (1)
13) Chestnut-winged Babbler (h)
14) Striped Tit-babbler (3)
15) Greater Green Leafbird (h)
16) Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (2 and 1h)
17) Plain-throated Sunbird (1)
18) Rufous-tailed Tailorbird (1)
19) Dark-necked Tailorbird (1)
20) Pied Fantail (3)
21) Pacific Swallow (3)
22) White-bellied Sea Eagle (2 juvenile)
23) Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (1 female)
24) Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (2)

On the way to Mandai Mudflat
25) Ashy Minivet

Mandai Mudflat
26) Whimbrel (>10)
27) Marsh Sandpiper (2)
28) Common Sandpiper (>2)
29) Pacific Golden Plover (>10)
30) Common Redshank (>5)
31) Common Greenshank (>5)
32) Striated Heron (>3)
33) Grey Heron (>5)
34) Osprey (3)
35) Javan Myna (>7)
36) House Crow (>2)
37) Common Kingfisher (1)
38) Little Tern (4)

SBWR
39) White-breasted Waterhen (>5)
40) Oriental Magpie Robin (3)
41) Curlew Sandpiper (2)
42) Asian Dowitcher (1)
43) Brahminy Kite (1)
44) Mongolian Plover (2)
45) Ashy Tailorbird (>4)
46) Little Bronze Cuckoo (1)

From Sree

Actually I got to see the flycatcher there that morning as he seems to like to make a late appearance, 9.30 am onwards. As it turned out I just missed the rest as I had come along the side trail and not the main path that they took to go down. Alan OwYong told me he met them as he was coming up.

There were a lot of activities with orange-bellied and scarlet-backed flowerpeckers, crimson sunbird, common and dark-necked tailorbirds, pied fantail, straw-headed, olive-winged and red-eyed bulbuls and the star yellow-rumped flycatcher. Alan mentioned that there were two white-rumped shamas further down (closer to the first hut) but I preferred to get a better view of the flycatcher.

My call at 12.10 was in relation to the possible spotted redshank as I thought all of you were at SB. Bing Wen was there at Hindhede Quarry with me and we proceeded to SB but it looks like there was no spotted redshank, at least among the birds I got to see.