Pulau Punggol, Pulau Tekong 13Feb10

From JS

Pulau Punggol

Last Saturday, my father and I went to Pulau Punggol in the morning. Below is the summary of the raptors seen:

1) Peregrine Falcon (1)
2) Black-Shouldered Kite (2)
3) Brahminy Kite (>5)
4) Black Baza (2)
5) Chinese Sparrowhawk (1 female adult)
6) Booted Eagle (2 dark-morph booted eagle were seen circling in the sky. 1 of them was flushed from its roost in the upper storey.)
7) Changeable Hawk Eagle (1)
8) WBSE (>2)
9) Osprey (1)

A blur photo of the two Booted Eagles.

From Danny: Refer to accipiter pic, for a while we were thought it could be Shikra or Besra. Nevertheless, the distinct feature of orangey cere, pink wash (extend down to belly) with fine barring at belly, absence of uppertail barring & black primary tips (shown in JS pic), mesial streak, led to conclusion of adult female Chinese Sparrowhawk.

We did a short walk over to the left side of Highway, near the small cove. The interesting birds seen was an immature Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo and JS flushed a Barred Buttonquail.

This looks like a female Rhino Beetle. It is about the size of a thumb.

Male Changeable Lizard in breeding colours.

Pulau Tekong

Additionally, at Tekong, I saw 1 adult WBSE and heard 1 CHE. Of greater concern would be a sighting of a Yellow-eared Spiderhunter and a Great-billed Heron. I didn't hear any Mangrove Blue Flycatcher but heard the Black-naped Monarch calling.

The Yellow-eared Spiderhunter gave a "chrit" call and was about the size of a starling. Also, using my naked eyes, I saw its hooked bill, greenish throat and yellowish underparts. (Naked eyes is possible to see features given that it was big and flying at less than 10m above ground.) By call and size, I am sure that it is not a little spiderhunter or a thick-billed spiderhunter or spectacled spiderhunter, so that leaves it with the yellow-eared spiderhunter.