Nee Soon Swamp 15Jul06

From JS

After many weeks of absence from the "not so secretive" gang's outings due to involvements in school, I am finally free on today's Saturday morning to be participate in Yamane's farewell birding trip at Nee Soon Swamp. The weather was cooling and the ground was soft but there were not many birds, only about 40 species. There were a couple of highlights, starting with a Little Spiderhunter with its wit-wit-wit-wit call, followed by a timid Abbott's Babbler at the understorey, next in line was a flying female Greater Green Leafbird after calling and lastly, a clumsy Banded Bay Cuckoo crashing into a tree before flying off embarrassed.

A Crow-billed Drongo was sighted around the Laced and Banded Woodpeckers, following them whenever they go. A possible explanation is the woodpeckers are stirring a lot of insects, attracting the insectivorous drongo. It is known that drongoes follow monkeys because of this explanation maybe the woodpeckers are the monkey's substitute in S'pore.

Birders ©Yamane Yoshio

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo ©Yamane Yoshio

1) Javan Myna
2) Hill Myna (6)
3) Red-Breasted Parakeet
4) Long-Tailed Parakeet
5) Red-Crowned Barbet (heard)
6) Short-Tailed Babbler (heard)
7) Abbott's Babbler (obstructed view of its brown wings/flanks and grey belly/forehead and lack an eye ring, when observed in flight)
8) Striped Tit-Babbler
9) Golden-Bellied Gerygone
10) Olive-Winged Bulbul (3-5)
11) Red-Eyed Bulbul (1 seen in foliage)
12) Yellow-Vented Bulbul
13) Orange-Bellied Flowerpecker
14) Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker
15) Black-Naped Oriole
16) Rusty-Breasted Cuckoo (1 heard)
17) Banded Bay Cuckoo (2 heard and 1 seen)
18) Common Tailorbird (heard)
19) Dark-Necked Tailorbird (heard)
20) Plain-Throated Sunbird (1)
21) Olive-Backed Sunbird
22) Purple-Throated Sunbird (2 male)
23) Crimson Sunbird (2 adult and 1 male juvenile)
24) Little Spiderhunter (1 seen)
25) White-Rumped Shama (1 heard)
26) Rufous Woodpecker (1)
27) Laced Woodpecker (1)
28) Banded Woodpecker (2)
29) Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo
30) Crow-Billed Drongo (1)
31) Asian Fairy Bluebird (2)
32) Blue-Throated Bee-eater (3)
33) Greater Coucal (1 heard)
34) Pink-Necked Green Pigeon
35) Emerald Dove (1)
36) House Swift
37) Swiftlet sp.
38) Asian Glossy Starling
39) Greater Green Leafbird (1)
40) Pacific Swallow (1)
41) Raptor sp.(3)