Rifle Range, Gardens by the Bay, Pulau Punggol 16Feb13

From KH

Following reports of White-bellied Woodpecker at Rifle Range and Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike at Jelutong, Danny and I made a morning trip from Rifle Range to Jelutong Tower. We did not see these star birds and there were not a single swiftlet at the tower! Nevertheless, it was nice to see some forest birds.

Danny went back to pick up JS, while I made by way to Satay by the Bay to nail the female Daurian Redstart right at the carpark!

After lunch at Punggol, we headed to Pulau Punggol, but soon the sky opened and it was time to call it a day.

Sime Forest
1. Changeable Hawk Eagle 2 dark morph
2. Pink-necked Green Pigeon >5
3. Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 1
4. Blue-rumped Parrot 3
5. Long-tailed Parakeet >10
6. Dollarbird 3
7. Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 heard
8. Asian Drongo Cuckoo 1 heard
9. White-throated Kingfisher 1
10. Collared Kingfisher 1
11. Red-crowned Barbet 1 seen, 2 heard
12. Banded Woodpecker 1
13. Laced Woodpecker 1
14. Black-naped Oriole 1
15. Crow-billed Drongo 2
16. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 2
17. House Crow 4
18. Olive-winged Bulbul 3
19. Cream-vented Bulbul 1
20. Red-eyed Bulbul 2
21. Barn Swallow 1
22. Dark-necked Tailorbird 1 heard
23. Striped Tit Babbler 3 heard
24. Short-tailed Babbler 2 heard
25. Asian Fairy Bluebird 1 heard
26. Asian Glossy Starling >30
27. Common Hill Myna 3
28. Javan Myna >5
29. Asian Brown Flycatcher 1
30. leafbird sp. 1 (Greater or Lesser)
31. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker >3 (including 1 female feeding 1 chick)
32. Purple-throated Sunbird >3
33. Crimson Sunbird 2

Satay by the Bay
1. Daurin Redstart 1 female
2. Oriental Magpie Robin 1 male

Pulau Punggol
1. Little Grebe 1 pair
2. egret sp. 1
3. Oriental Honey Buzzard 2
4. Brahminy Kite 2
5. White-bellied Sea Eagle 3 (2 adults, 1 immature)
6. Grey-headed Fish Eagle 1 adult
7. Chinese Goshawk 1 male
8. Changeable Hawk Eagle 1 pale morph
9. Peregrine Falcon 1 immature
10. Common Sandpiper 2
11. Spotted Dove >5
12. Zebra Dove >10
13. Lesser Coucal 1 heard
14. swiftlet spp.
15. White-throated Kingfisher 1
16. Sunda Woodpecker 1 heard
17. Black-naped Oriole >2
18. Sooty-headed Bulbul 1
19. Yellow-vented Bulbul >5
20. Barn Swallow >5
21. Pacific Swallow 1
22. Yellow-bellied Prinia 1 heard
23. Zitting Cisticola >2 heard
24. Common Tailorbird 1 heard
25. Asian Glossy Starling >10
26. Javan Myna >10
27. Olive-backed Sunbird 1 male
27. Baya Weaver >5
28. Scaly-breasted Munia >5
29. Black-headed Munia 3
30. Yellow Wagtail >10
31. Paddyfield Pipit >5
32. waxbill sp. >8 (Common or Black-rumped)

Gardens by the Bay 13Feb13

From Con

Daurian Redstart has come to Singapore, a first record.

Japan 10Feb13

From Yamane

I had birding at Oi Wild Birds Park in Tokyo in this morning. I send some pictures(*).

Little Grebe
Great Cormorant *
Mallard *
Northern Shoveler *
Tufted Duck *
Common Pochard *
Black Kite *
Common Buzzard
Oriental Turtle Dove
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker *
Japnese Pied Wagtail (White Wagtail)
Brown-eared Bulbul
Dusky Thrush
Pale Thrush *
Daurian Redstart *
Japanese Tit (Great Tit)
Japanese White-eye
Black-faced Bunting
Oriental Greenfinch
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
White-cheeked Starling *
Jungle Crow (Large-billed Crow)

Changi 02Feb13

From KH

Started the day at Changi Cove. Highlights were a pair of Rosy Starlings and a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo.

There were not many raptors around, but glad the Black Bazas and some accipiters were still there. There were no other birders/photographers in the cove today!

After the cove, went searching for old Changi Hospital, but ended up at Hendon Road. Love was in the air - Coppersmith Barbets were digging a tree hole and Brown-throated Sunbirds were nesting already.

However, a pair of Pacific Swallows were not talking to each other.

A very confiding male Oriental Pied-hornbill perched for full frame shot.

After a while, he spit out a 2-3 cm seed. Wonder what fruit it belongs to.

As the weather was rather hot, we went to Changi Beach Club for a drink. Some Great Crested Terns could be seen from the boardwalk, but no Black-naped Tern.

Finally, at the old Changi Hospital entrance, there were only an Asian Brown Flycatcher, three Brahminy Kites and a pair of courting Spotted Doves.

From Danny

Rosy Starling

Japan 02-03Feb13

From Yamane

I had birding around Yokohama National University (YNU) and Mitsuzawa Park. I send the pictures(*). I got 50 times optical zoom digital camere (Nikon Coolpix P510) last week, because I broke my digital camera for digi-scope and the price of P510 is very low(410S$). Actually I want Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, but it’s expensive.

Oriental Turtle Dove *
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker
Japnese Pied Wagtail (White Wagtail) *
Brown-eared Bulbul *
Dusky Thrush *
Japanese Tit (Great Tit) *
Japanese White-eye *
Black-faced Bunting
Oriental Greenfinch
Hawfinch *
Eurasian Tree Sparrow *
White-cheeked Starling *
Azure-winged Magpie
Carrion Crow *
Jungle Crow (Large-billed Crow) *

Sime Forest, Seletar West, Pulau Punggol, Serangoon Tidal Gates 26Jan13

From JS

Compared to last weekend, today was a really hot one. At some point of time, we could actually make do with some rain. Despite the intense heat, we were more than happy to be out birding.

Starting the day at Venus Drive, we must be really optimistic. Expecting to see the Barred Eagle Owl still perched openly after 11 days from its sighting, I think optimistic is an understatement. Expectedly, we left the place empty. This also happens to be my second failed attempt for the Blue-rumped Parrot.

Next, we headed over to Seletar West. After spotting the photographers, we spotted the six Asian Openbills. Drabby and dull, this species is really not pretty.

While the kind intention to allow me the chance to see the Openbill could have been rewarded, my inability to identify the uncommoner cousin of the species that I had tried so hard to study resulted in a delayed reward. Having taken the photos of a suspected 1st winter Red-Throated Pipit at Pulau Punggol before lunch, it took an hour-long lunch and a trip to Halus before Kok Hui, Con and my father come to know that they just had a near-miss with a Singapore tick. This is really bad.

Thankfully, a second visit to Pulau Punggol could partially redeem my mistake. Kok Hui and my father were able to enjoy great scope views of 4-5 individuals. Unfortunately, Con was not able to see the birds because of the presence of two police cars.

Red-throated Pipits from Danny

A non-breeding male with relative strong rusty/pinkish head, breast with lesser streaks, more blobs.

Two photos of the same non-breeding adult; clearly the whitish brace has turned pale relative to the whitish wing bars.

A behavioural shot of the pipits which tend to crouch when feeding/walking unlike the upright stance of the Paddyfield Pipit.

From KH

A few of the famous 6 of Seletar West. In flight, the underwing pattern looks like Milky Stork's, but the leg extension is shorter in comparison.

Soon they took flight.

Spooked by this Osprey. But it meant no harm, just passing by to see the famous 6.

While waiting for raptors to appear at Pulau Punggol, we spotted a flock of 6 openbills thermalling high towards east. Curious if this is a different flock from the 6 at Seletar West, Jimmy drove to Seletar West and found that the 6 were still there. Conversation with the photographers there reveal that the birds were either there all the time or had been out of sight at most 5-10 mins. Given these evidence, we believe that the 6 at Pulau Punggol is a different flock.

Sime Forest
Oriental Honey Buzzard 1
Changeable Hawk Eagle 1 immature pale morph
Emerald Dove 1
Pink-necked Green Pigeon >10
Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 1
Swiftlet spp.
Dollarbird 1
White-throated Kingfisher 1
Blue-tailed Bee-eater >5
Red-crowned Barbet 1 drumming at a tree hole
Banded Woodpecker 2
Rufous Woodpecker 2
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 4
House Crow 1
Cream-vented Bulbul 1
Red-eyed Bulbul 2
Barn Swallow
Arctic Warbler 1
Common Tailorbird 1
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird >2 heard
Striped Tit Babbler >3
Short-tailed Babbler >3 heard
Asian Fairy Bluebird 1 male
Asian Glossy Starling >20
Javan Myna
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 2
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker 1
Crimson Sunbird 2

Seletar West
Asian Openbill 6
Great Egret 1
Intermediate Egret 1
Osprey 1
White-bellied Sea Eagle 1
Swiftlet spp.
Barn Swallow

Lor Halus
Grey Heron 5
Little Egret 2
Brahminy Kite 2
White-bellied Sea Eagle 3
Common Sandpiper 1
Spotted Dove
Zebra Dove
Little Bronze Cuckoo 1
Swiftlet spp.
Collared Kingfisher 1
Common Kingfisher 1 male
Blue-tailed Bee-eater >3
House Crow 2
Sooty-headed Bulbul 2
Yellow-vented Bulbul 2
Barn Swallow
Yellow-bellied Prinia 1 heard
Javan Myna
Baya Weaver >20

Pulau Punggol
Asian Openbill 6 thermalling high towards east
Osprey 1
Brahminy Kite 1
White-bellied Sea Eagle 2
Booted Eagle 1 rufous morph
Changeable Hawk Eagle 1 immature pale morph
Spotted Dove
Zebra Dove
Lesser Coucal 2
Swiftlet spp.
Barn Swallow
Zitting Cisticola >1
Javan Myna
Yellow Wagtail 2
Paddyfield Pipit 1
Red-throated Pipit 5 (1st winter and non-breeding)