Changi, Halus, Pulau Punggol, Seletar Dam 10Dec11

From JS

Changi Cove
1) Black Baza (>15 - Although we had numerous separate sightings of small parties throughout the accessible cove, as usual, I had estimated the total number based on the largest kettle of approx. 15++ birds. There could be more in the kettle if I am as good in counting dots as counting money.)
2) Jerdon's Baza (>6. The group was skittishly flying away from us among the canopies. We used the road as a reference point, only counting the birds that flew across it from the side that we are on, so there could only be more JB than lesser.)
3) Common Buzzard (2, including the usual winter sentries at the airport.)
4) Oriental Honey-buzzard (4. Interestingly, all the OHBs that we saw were juveniles.)
5) Grey-headed Fish-eEagle (1, including the 2nd/3rd winter individual)
6) White-bellied Sea-eagle (2)
7) Changeable Hawk-eagle (3)
8) Black-winged Kite (3)
9) Brahminy Kite (4)
10) Chinese Sparrowhawk (2, including 1 territorial adult female and 1 immature.)
11) Japanese Sparrowhawk (1, including an immature female)
12) Accipiter sp. (2)

Lor Halus
1) Oriental Honey-buzzard (4 - Still no adult)
2) Changeable Hawk-eagle (1 pale morph adult)
3) Brahminy Kite (2)
4) Osprey (1)
5) Jerdon's Baza (1, including an individual that was seen flying towards Coney Island. It had yellow iris, black barred underwing tip and orange-barred flanks.)
6) Black Baza (7)
7) Japanese Sparrowhawk (1, including an immature)
8) Accipiter sp. (2)

Pulau Punggol
1) Booted Eagle (2. There may be an additional bird, pending review of photos after Kok Hui had spotted 2 of them tussling in mid-air as they flew across the bridge towards the coast, we walked down the road towards the grassland and saw a booted eagle thermalling above the clouds. Conservatively, we left the count at 2.)
2) Peregrine Falcon (1. However, there may be an additional bird, pending review of photos.)
3) Accipiter sp. (5, including 2 calling birds which sounded like the Chinese Sparrowhawk that we heard in the morning while chasing(?) a roosting flock of black bazas.)
4) Osprey (1)
5) Brahminy Kite (4)
6) White-bellied Sea-eagle (4)
7) Black-winged Kite (2)

In short, we had seen a total of 14 species of raptors within a day - which is increasingly becoming easier as we slowly learn more about the passage of previously "rare" raptors like the Jerdon's Baza and Booted Eagle.

From Con

Kok Hui was the first to spot a group of Jerdon’s Bazas, there were about seven birds, we stayed with them for an exciting five minutes or so before the group moved off and we couldn’t find them the rest of the morning. First three images.

We stopped twice at the location for the Mangrove Whistler seen on October 29th. And on the second stop around 10 am, sure enough we all got our bins on the bird. No one took pictures this time. Seems there is just one bird.

From KH

Time: 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tide: Low, rising
Site: Seletar Dam

1) Common Sandpiper 10
2) Common Greenshank 9
3) Great Egret 1
4) Intermediate Egret 2
5) Little Egret 12
6) Grey Heron 8
7) Little Heron 3
8) WBSE 1
9) Brahminy Kite 3