Stagmont, Neo Tiew 20Aug05

It was a cloudy morning as Peck Chan, Geoffrey and I waited at Choa Chu Kang MRT for Danny to pick us up at 7:30 am. The birding site for the day was the secondary forest outside Stagmont Camp at CCK. The others, namely Con and Marisol, Jia Sheng, Robert and Kong, were already there. When we arrived, the first birds to greet us were a pair of Collared Kingfishers perched on the goal post in the school nearby. As we walked into the trail, a Sunda Woodpecker flew in and landed on one of the trees right in front of us. The noisy Parakeets (both Long-tailed and Red-breasted) were everywhere along the trail. After greeting each other, I learned that they have seen the Pied Triller and Laced Woodpecker before we arrived. It was a pretty short trail but there were much human and bird activities. Besides us, there were some joggers around. There were pairs of Common Flamebacks, Common Ioras and Striped Tit-babblers around. There were of course also the typical birds like Asian Koels, Yellow-vented Bulbuls, Black-naped Orioles, Asian Glossy Starlings. From afar a pair of herons flew pass, most probably Grey Herons. Then Jia Sheng spotted a Dollarbird. Geoffrey got the White-bellied Sea-eagle and Oriental Magpie-robin. The Golden-bellied Gerygone was also around, its descending call is unmistakable. Similarly for the melodious Straw-headed Bulbul.

Busy birders. All human photos courtesy of Marisol, our only 'human' photographer, like what Peck Chan said. :) The one below is taken after our birding at CCK, during a 'lim teh' (drink tea) session. Thanks to Marisol for the food and Geoffrey for the drinks!

Some beautiful bird shots from Con:

Common Flameback (female)	Common Flameback (male)
Red-breasted Parakeet (male)	Common Iora (male)

As this was a short trail, we finished birding around 9 am and then proceeded to a nearby coffee shop for a snack/drink. After some discussion, we decided to head towards CCK cemeteries for the next round of birding. Our convoy of vehicles consisted of four cars. However, as we approached destination, it began drizzling and soon the rain got pretty heavy. So we bid Robert farewell and our convoy of three cars carried on towards Lim Chu Kang jetty. Along the way we saw Cattle Egrets. Halfway through, the rain subsided and we spotted a Black-winged Kite. Jia Sheng managed to get a decent shot of it. As we went on, the rain came back and this time even more heavily, so Con decided to depart from the convoy. The remaining two cars carried on to the jetty. When we reached, it was already a heavy downpour, but from afar we could still spot a Brahminy Kite. Too bad the weather was bad, else we could see Pulau Sarimbun. Soon afterwards, Kong also departed together with Geoffrey. Danny then suggested that we head towards Sungei Buloh and if the rain continues we will stop birding for the day. As we approached Neo Tiew Road, the rain subsided and we could carry on birding. Along the way, we saw Blue-throated Bee-eaters, Scaly-breasted Munias, Baya Weavers and nests, Red Collared-doves, White-breasted Waterhens, courting Zebra Doves and mating Black-winged Kites. The latter was viewed just outside Poison Ivy's restaurant off Neo Tiew Lane 2. Jia Sheng has a shot of it (see below).

As we near the Kranji marsh, we had to get out of the car as the gantry was down. Fortunately, there was a PUB vehicle going in, so we hitched a ride. We didn't actually walk on the bund but was able to see part of the marsh. There were Lesser Whistling-ducks hiding in the marsh, as well as a Little Egret and a Common Sandpiper hanging around. Also, there were Yellow-bellied Prinias and Blue-throated Bee-eaters. Having satisfied ourselves with this area, we again hitched a ride out to the gantry. We decided to call it a day, but as we cruised along, we saw Turut Track and decided to make a detour. At the end of Turut Track, we found Javan Munias. Finally, we end the day by having lunch at CCK, right where we started the day. Before we reached, we passed by Kranji dam and saw a Little Tern. This makes 47 birds from a morning's worth of birding effort. To me, the best part of today's birding trip was being able to witness the actual mating of the Black-winged Kites.

Mating Black-winged Kites

The Straw-headed Bulbul and Red-breasted Parakeet below are taken by Jia Sheng from his previous birding at CCK.

Left: Straw-headed Bulbul. Right: Red-breasted Parakeet

Stagmont
01. House crow
02. Javan myna
03. Pacific swallow
04. Yellow-vented bulbul
05. Straw-headed bulbul
06. Spotted dove
07. Olive-backed sunbird
08. Golden-bellied gerygone (aka flyeater)
09. Asian koel
10. Common pigeon
11. Zebra dove
12. Striped tit-babbler
13. Common iora
14. Common flameback
15. Eurasian tree sparrow
16. Asian glossy starling
17. Black-naped oriole
18. Grey heron
19. Collared kingfisher
20. Red-breasted parakeet
21. Long-tailed parakeet
22. Sunda woodpecker
23. Laced woodpecker
24. White-bellied sea-eagle
25. Oriental magpie-robin
26. Dollarbird
27. Pied triller
28. White-breasted waterhen
29. Plain-throated sunbird

LCK Jetty
30. Brahminy kite

Neo Tiew
31. House swift
32. Blue-throated bee-eater
33. White-throated kingfisher
34. Red collared-dove
35. Black-winged kite
36. Common myna
37. Cattle egret
38. Scaly-breasted munia
39. Javan munia
40. Pink-necked green-pigeon
41. Striated heron
42. Baya weaver

Kranji Marsh
43. Yellow-bellied prinia
44. Lesser whistling-duck
45. Little egret
46. Common sandpiper

Kranji Dam
47. Little tern

In Jan 06, Danny reported that the White-bellied Sea-eagles are breeding and that there have been disturbance in the area. Chee Wai took this shot of the juvenile eagle. We hope it survives...