Mousedeer Trail, Lower Peirce 21Apr07

Today, we started with Mousedeer Trail. Con wanted to get the chestnut-winged babbler. However, we never saw the bird today. Instead, we saw a dark-sided flycatcher which got our head scratching. We had hoped that it was a grey-streaked fc... Alas the experts corrected us and these are the reason why:
1) The bill is too short and no prominent pale base
2) The tail is too short
3) The streaks are not distinct enough, i.e. there are some smudges on the underparts.

Dark-sided Flycatcher ©Danny Lau

Dark-sided Flycatcher ©Con Foley

Besides this bird, there were the bulbuls (olive-winged, cream-vented, red-eyed, yellow-vented), a pair of banded woodpeckers, a changeable hawk-eagle and the usual inhabitants. Usually we would turn back once we reach almost the end of the right side of Mousedeer Trail. However, today, Danny and I decided to bash through to the abandoned rifle range. Nothing much here.

Next, we proceeded to Lower Peirce for the juvenile buffy fish owl. Sure enough Alan & KC were there looking at the owl. Its talons were caught in abandoned fishing net earlier on, but fortunately the guys were there to help it out. The owl was pretty tamed or maybe it was just too tired. Meanwhile a grey-headed fish-eagle was calling at a distance, across the reservoir. When it finally took flight, I could only see a little dot through my bino. With Danny's scope, we managed to get better view of it. But it was still too far away for any decent digiscope photo.

Juvenile Buffy Fish-owl ©Tan KH