Mandai, SBWR, Sime Forest 25Feb06

From Con

We went to the large tract of land bounded by Mandai Road, SLE, BKE and CTE. We solved the mystery of the "pond" on the Google Earth map & several other mysteries. I don't know what you want to call it: "Orchidville" "Hamburger Hill" "Grand Canyon" ( that's an inside joke, you have to be there to understand ). Maybe it's easier just to call it Mandai Road.

Attendees: Con, Danny, Chee Wai & Stu

The bird of the day was definitely the Indian Cuckoo. This bird definitely didn't like flash, it would jump when the flash when off, so I turned the flash off. Most of the time, he was facing away from us. Here's what I got as a side view. This must be a juvenile bird as the adult does not have buffish-white bars/blotches on the feathers.

Indian Cuckoo ©Con Foley

Indian Cuckoo ©Danny Lau

Here's an Olive-Winged due the to the eye & wing coloration.

Olive-winged Bulbul ©Con Foley

After Chee Wai left, we were treated to a male Common Iora in breeding plumage practicing karoke to his Valentine. Can anyone name the plant the Iora is perched on? You can see the large structures that open into big leafs.

Common Ioras ©Con Foley

1. Banded woodpecker
2. Laced woodpecker
3. Common Flameback
4. Yellow-vented bulbul
5. Olive-winged bulbul
6. Straw-headed bulbul
7. Asian Glossy starling
8. Asian Fairy bluebird
9. Common iora
10. Common kingfisher
11. White-throated kingfisher
12. Asian koel
13. Indian cuckoo
14. Javan myna
15. Common myna
16. Barn swallow
17. Pacific swallow
18. House crow
19. Dollarbird
20. Purple heron
21. Grey heron - in flight
22. Black baza - in flight
23. Olive-backed sunbird
24. Crimson sunbird
25. Pink-necked green pigeon
26. Spotted dove
27. Zebra dove
28. Black-naped oriole
29. Common sandpiper
30. White-breasted waterhen
31. Blue-tailed bee-eater
32. Greater racket-tailed drongo

Straw-headed Bulbuls ©Danny Lau

From JS

Last Saturday, I went to SBWR for conservation work, e.g. weeding, sampling, etc. Below is the checklist for the birds that I sighted. Saw two copper throated nest. Now is the time for photographing copper and purple throated sunbirds. They are nesting in Singapore with an abundance of them at SBWR and Sime track respectively. No cuckoos or rare waders. I may have sighted a dark-morph jaeger. The sighted bird had prominent white rump and crow like features, appears like a crow with white rump. The most interesting thing is he flapped a few times, then rest, not sure if this is what Craig Robson calls as slow and laboured. Jaegers are known to intrude SBWR with sightings before, approx 3 yrs back.

As for the crocodile, it would be submerged underwater due to the high tide. The copper thorated sunbirds have made a nest behind the third shelter from the right of Main Hide 1A and one at the left hand side of the main bridge, on a branch farthest away from the banks, approx a metre away from the bridge.

In the afternoon, my father and I went to Sime track. Saw around 10++ purple throated sunbirds and orange bellied flowerpeckers, all of which were flying around Jelutong tower. Seen one 3m away with perfect lighting, didn't know it had a cyan forehead and a sappire blue eye brow. We heard sounds coming from the leaf litter that goes like that tuk-tuk-tuk. My father said that it was a Siberian blue robin. 3 flying blue winged leafbirds were seen at Jelutong tower. Otherwise, it was a cooling afternoon with brillant lighting condition.

Purple-throated Sunbird

Red-eyed Bulbul

Long-tailed Scorpion (Lychas scutilus)

SBWR
1. Black-naped Oriole
2. Asian Glossy Starling
3. Oriental Magpie Robin
4. White-rumped Shama
5. Black-capped Kingfisher
6. Common Kingfisher
7. Collared Kingfisher
8. Emerald Dove
9. Copper-throated Sunbird
10. White-breasted Waterhen
11. Ashy Tailorbird (heard)
12. Pied Fantail
13. Common Greenshank
14. Common Redshank
15. Whimbrel
16. Pacific Golden Plover
17. Little Egret
18. Common Sandpiper
19. White-bellied Sea Eagle (juvenile)
20. Black-headed Munia
21. Large-billed Crow
22. Purple Heron
23. Grey Heron
24. Little Heron
25. Dollarbird

On the way to Kranji MRT
26. Paddyfield Pipit

Sime forest
27. Common Tailorbird
28. Striped Tit Babbler
29. Yellow-vented Bulbul
30. Red-eyed Bulbul
31. Cream-vented Bulbul
32. Oriental Honey Buzzard
33. Hill Myna
34. Pink-necked Green Pigeon
35. Long-tailed Parakeet
36. Pacific Swallow
37. Purple-throated Sunbird
38. Blue-winged Leafbird
39. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
40. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
41. Brown Hawk Owl (heard)
42. Malayan Eared Nightjar
43. Olive-winged Bulbul

Metal bird from Con!