Recce before Bird Race 14-26Oct07

Danny at Tuas & NTL2 14 Oct Sun

Evening I drove by Tuas, surprised no visible changes but the fields were pretty dry with no sign of any waders or water fowls. Only spotted an Asian Brown Flycatcher perched on fence opp. the field. Went over to NTL2 for a quick recce, quiet with the usual birds but little activity at the renovated ponds - no common KF?? There was a Peregrine Falcon around and by nighfall the typical nightjars abound. Seen three suspected warblers by naked eyes with prominent whites on tails and flanks.

Round the island 20 Oct Sat

1 Sime forest:
The track between the Ranger Station and Petaling Hut is closed, and it's not really worth the time and effort to go from Venus Drive to Rifle Range. Met with rain, not many birds seen, but at least we got our team bird, the racket-tailed drongo.

2 BTNR/Hindhede:
Oriental white-eye, yellow-rumped fc

3 Tuas:
Wood sandpiper, cinnamon bittern, zitting cisticola. Did not beat the bush for nightjars or snipes.

4 NTL/Kranji Marsh:
White-winged and little terns. No swamphen, no crake, no whistling duck. Osprey on transmission towers.

5 Boardwalk outside Sungei Buloh:
Asian paradise fc, Arctic warbler, crow-billed drongo, great crested tern, Sunda pygmy wp

6 Sungei Buloh:
Bar-tailed godwit, black-capped kf, emerald dove, yellow bittern and the usual waders.

7 UWC:
Spotted Wood Owl

8 Tanjong Rhu:
No barn owl...

Danny at Warren 21 Oct Sun

A duck was found around 6.35 pm and pic taken from the roadside bridge next to Warren entrance. The duck was about 50 ft from the bridge, on the Warren side of the drain. The duck was roosting for the night, about 3-5 ft from the edge of drain, nearby was a tree shielding it from the golfers. Likely a daytime active duck, If you head there early may catch it. Take note a lot of works going on around the forested area near the roadside, the usual path is no longer accessible, blocked by trees felled by contractors.

Domestic duck

Punggol, Warren 22 Oct Mon

KH: Was at Punggol on Mon evening for about 1/2 hr and still no sign of snipes/painted-snipes. Only goldenback, pink-necked pigeon, bwk, common sandpiper.

Danny: No luck on Mon evening at Warren canal, no duck except Common kf, White throated kf and a Asian Brown FC, many waterhens.

Con at SBG 23 Oct Tue

I went to SBG this evening from 5 to 7:15 pm. Although the weather was very nice, not much bird activity. The Lesser Whistling-duck was there, but in fewer numbers than before the plants were cleared from Symphony Lake. I saw no Wandering Whistling.

Then I went to the Oil Palm Trees near the MRT site. Sure enough at 6 pm the flock of Long tailed Parakeets flew in, but was not accompanied by the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot as was happening back in March.

Then I went to the waterfalls and waited for the Red-Legged Crake, but none appeared. Also no Pitta. Not much to add, just Yellow-vented Bulbul, ETS, Spotted Dove, Pink-neck Green-pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Crimson Sunbird, both Mynas, (also heard Hill Myna), Waterhen, Striated Heron. Didn't see any kingfishers, there was a photographer there looking too.

Con at Lower Peirce 26 Oct Fri

I went to Lower Peirce from 4:30 pm and stayed until 7:45 pm. During that time I saw or heard:--

0) it was a very hot afternoon, and almost nothing was calling or visible from 4:30 to 5:30 pm, not even a Javan Myna
1) around 6 pm a red-crowned barbet called several times from inside the forest
2) a pair of WBSE were very noisy and quite visible
3) heard sunbirds in the canopy & PNGP
4) illegal fishing in the reservoir
5) definitely heard Mr. Buffy calling from around 6:45 pm to around 7:15 pm, but he was on the other side of the water from the boardwalk, not near any trail, no way to get to him except swim or hire a boat.
6) a large flock of Javan Myna flew by around at about 7 looking for a place to roost.
7) many bee-eaters and swifts
8) at 6:55 pm a Blue-winged Pitta called exactly twice and then stopped calling from the same area as Mr. Buffy.
9) around 7pm a Collared Scops Owl started calling from in the forest so I took the boardwalk but could not get close enough, he kept calling until I left.