Jurong Lake, SBWR, Tuas, Mandai Mudflat 10Nov07

From KH

Danny, JS and I went to Jurong Lake in the morning. The rain stopped at about 0730, giving us some time to chill out at Mac prior to that. The Tang Dynasty was pretty quiet. No Schrenck's bittern or Indian cuckoo like a year ago. But it was nice to see 4 coppersmith barbets and 1 lineated barbet, considering we had not a single barbet during the race! A flock of BCN herons were roosting on the island in Japanese Garden but was disturb by the staff on bumboat clearing the rubbish in the lake.

It was nice to see a SB kf and a common kf, as well as a sleeping grey nightjar on a tree beside the pagoda. A Chinese goshawk was also a nice sighting. As we were saying that we didn't see a single bittern during the race, a yellow bittern flew right across a lily pond!

We proceeded to SBWR for the 1045 high tide and saw a host of birders/photographers hopeful for one day wonders. 1 bar-tailed godwit, 1 ruddy turnstone, 1 terek sp and 2 grey plovers were the treats. The tiny BB sp was nowhere to be seen...

After lunch, we headed to Tuas. Just as during the race, the grassland has nothing much to offer. However, the grassfields along the coast did give us some good birds. Firstly, among the sparse tall trees, we got a black drongo, an AP & an AB fc. Then, in the Johor Strait, a mixed flock of lesser crested and swift terns gave us good view of their wing patterns and feeding style. Also in the straits was a buoy and on it were 9 black-naped terns. Now we know where they go to after the nesting period at Changi Beach.

Finally, back to Mandai Mudflat for the low tide. A single bar-tailed godwit was feeding among the whimbrels, most definitely the one we saw earlier at SBWR. The usual osprey was also here. The greatest surprise here, was a black bittern that flew right over us into the trees on the opposite bank. In addition to the one that my brother sighted at Lor Halus, this is our second record of this uncommon bird for this season.

Jurong Lake
1 Laced woodpecker, 1 female
2 Common goldenback, 1
3 Lineated barbet, 1
4 Coppersmith barbet, 4
5 Common kingfisher, 1
6 Stork-billed kingfisher, 1
7 Collared kingfisher
8 Asian koel
9 Swiftlet spp.
10 Grey nightjar, 1 sleeping
11 Common pigeon
12 Spotted dove
13 Pink-necked green pigeon
14 White-breasted waterhen
15 Brahminy kite, 1
16 Chinese goshawk, 1
17 Purple heron, 1
18 Black-crowned night heron, >10
19 Yellow bittern, 1
20 Golden-bellied gerygone, heard
21 Brown shrike
22 House crow
23 Black-naped oriole
24 Asian brown flycatcher
25 Asian glossy starling
26 Javan myna
27 Common myna
28 Barn swallow
29 Yellow-vented bulbul
30 Arctic warbler
31 Scarlet-backed flowerpecker

SBWR
32 Red junglefowl, 2 male
33 Bar-tailed godwit, 1
34 Whimbrel
35 Common sandpiper
36 Marsh sandpiper
37 Curlew sandpiper
38 Terek sandpiper, 1
39 Common redshank
40 Common greenshank
41 Ruddy turnstone, 1
42 Pacific golden plover
43 Grey plover, 2
44 Lesser sand plover
45 Striated heron
46 Little egret
47 Pacific swallow
48 Yellow-bellied prinia, heard
49 Ashy tailorbird

Tuas
50 Sunda pygmy woodpecker, 1
51 White-throated kingfisher
52 Blue-tailed bee-eater
53 Lesser coucal, 1
54 Zebra dove
55 Red-wattled lapwing, 1
56 Lesser crested tern, feeding
57 Great crested tern, feeding
58 Black-naped tern, 9 on buoy
59 Cattle egret
60 Long-tailed shrike, 1
61 Black drongo, 1
62 Asian paradise flycatcher, 1
63 Common iora, 1
64 Paddyfield pipit

Mandai Mudflat
65 Long-tailed parakeet
66 House swift
67 Osprey, 1
68 White-bellied sea eagle, 2 adult & 2 juv
69 Grey heron
70 Great egret
71 Black bittern, 1