NTL2, Pulau Punggol 30Jan10

From Danny

This was the Banded Bay Cuckoo singing in the open at NTL2. Digiscoped pic by JS.

Attached are my digiscoped pics of the White-rumped Munias.

Below is the summary of the photos:
The 1st pic is a single munia with our Sgp Fragrance Rice - too little and probably too expensive.
The 2nd the back view showing the dirty brownish vent - diagnostic feature.
The 3rd pic has 2 munias.
However for the 4th pic, there are possibly 3 white rumps, the bird at the right corner has the typical black lore, chin and forehead but the belly not as white as the other two??

From JS

For record sake, I have attached some photos of one of the 2 White-rumped Munias seen last Saturday, 30/1, at the Kranji farm resort. They were feeding on the ripening rice padi.

I have attached the photos of the Sand Martins taken at Kranji Bund. Although the subject size in the photos are rather small, they show the many views of the bird.

Below is the summary of the photos (clockwise from top left):
1: the view of the fanned out tail (very shallow fork, interesting...)
2: the view of the forehead, the frontal portion of breast band and some of its feet
3: the view of its flank, the underwing (lesser and median coverts are darker than the greater covert because of lighting?) and the side view of the breast band

Here's the photo of the Large Hawk-cuckoo seen at the migrating cuckoo's stopover point at Pulau Punggol. Last week's Indian Cuckoo has probably left the area. Its replacement is its larger cousin, the Large Hawk-cuckoo.

For record sake, the Large Hawk-cuckoo was sighted at Pulau Punggol last Saturday, 30/1. You may be wondering why I called the place, where the Large Hawk-cuckoo was sighted, the migrant cuckoos' stopover. Prior to this Large Hawk-cuckoo's sighting, we saw other species of migrant cuckoos that came in chronological order.

In a summary, here's the timeline of the known records:

November (2009): Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo
5th Dec (2009): Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo
24th Jan (2010): Indian Cuckoo
30th Jan (2010): Large Hawk-cuckoo
1st Mar (2008): Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo

Here's the photos of one of the dark morph Booted Eagles (1st and 2nd photo) seen on last Saturday, 30/1. I have also attached a photo of the female dark morph Booted Eagle seen on 5/12 (3rd photo). In my opinion, I think they are 2 different birds.

Due to the moulting process, I don't think from the flight feathers' wear we can tell the birds apart.

Of concern is the white breast/throat patch. Comparing the photos, only last Saturday's bird has the white breast/throat patch. The white breast/throat patch may be an individual's distinct feature, very much like each zebra has a unique pattern of stripes. If this is true, two dark morph individuals have visited the island.

It sounds logical that 2 dark morph booted eagles have visited the island. However, we don't have any photos of them together. While I am convinced that more than 2 dark morph booted eagles are present and saw 2 birds together, I can't prove it, other than a verbal statement, so I am trying to identify as many individuals as possible. From my above explanation, it looks like there are 2 different birds.

From Danny

Finally we have a upperpart pic of a Booted Eagle (right). Notice the distinct white U on tail, though too fuzzy to claim full satisfactions. I have blown up both pics from JS. Refer to left pic, looking at the right under wing, there's a shortened or moulting feather within the pale "window" patch and another moulting feather just after the inner edge of the pale "window". Back to right pic, looking at the upperpart right wing, there's no moulting feather within the pale window or outside the inner edge. I think they are 2 different birds.

From KH

Here's a summary of the day's birding:

Kranji resort (Munia galore):
Cinnamon Bittern 1
Pond-heron >8
White-rumped Munia 2
Black-headed Munia 2
White-headed and Scaly-breasted Munia many

NTL2:
Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 (singing high up in the tree, but on open perch)
Purple Swamphen 4 (1 juv, 3 adults)
Watercock 1
Yellow Bittern >3
Common Snipe 2
Riparia Martin 2

Raptors:
Peregrine Falcon (japonensis) 1
Black Baza 7
Black-winged Kite 1
Changeable Hawk-eagle 1 pale adult
White-bellied Sea-eagle 1 immature
Grey-headed Fish-eagle 1 heard

Pulau Punggol (raptors galore, 11 species!):
Large Hawk-cuckoo 1
Barred Buttonquail 6
Red-wattled Lapwing 2
Yellow Wagtail 19

Raptors:
1. Booted Eagle 2 (1 pale, 1 dark), possibly 1 more dark morph was present
2. Black Kite 1
3. Peregrine Falcon (japonensis) 1
4. OHB 2 (1 pale, 1 dark)
5. Chinese Sparrowhawk (1 adult male)
6. Osprey 2
7. Black Baza 7
8. Black-winged Kite 1
9. Changeable Hawk-eagle 1 pale adult
10. White-bellied Sea-eagle 4
11. Brahminy Kite 15

Even at such a great height, the Black Kite (right) is readily distinguished from the Brahminy Kite (left).

This is the Osprey with the weird tail pattern.

Finally, courtesy of Jonathan, "Birders looking for goose":