Serangoon, Poyan 8Sep13

From KH

It was drizzling this census, so the overall count was not great.

Serangoon				Poyan
1	Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker	4		1	Red Junglefowl	1
2	Rufous Woodpecker	1		2	Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker	2
3	Laced Woodpecker	1		3	Rufous Woodpecker	1
4	Common Goldenback	2		4	Banded Woodpecker	2
5	Common Kingfisher	1		5	Laced Woodpecker	1
6	White-Throated Kingfisher	4		6	Common Goldenback	4
7	Collared Kingfisher	2		7	Lineated Barbet	3
8	Blue-Throated Bee-Eater	5		8	Oriental Dollarbird	1
9	Little Bronze-Cuckoo	4		9	White-Throated Kingfisher	3
10	Asian Koel	4		10	Collared Kingfisher	1
11	Rose-Ringed Parakeet	2		11	Blue-Throated Bee-Eater	2
12	Long-Tailed Parakeet	15		12	Little Bronze-Cuckoo	1
13	Swiftlet Spp	20		13	Asian Koel	1
14	Common Pigeon	5		14	Lesser Coucal	2
15	Spotted Dove	8		15	Red-Breasted Parakeet	12
16	Zebra Dove	3		16	Long-Tailed Parakeet	5
17	Pink-Necked Green Pigeon	1		17	Swiftlet Spp	11
18	White-Breasted Waterhen	3		18	Spotted Dove	6
19	Common Sandpiper	10		19	Common Emerald Dove	2
20	Brahminy Kite	1		20	Zebra Dove	3
21	White-Bellied Sea Eagle	2		21	Pink-Necked Green Pigeon	14
22	Changeable Hawk-Eagle	1		22	White-Breasted Waterhen	3
23	Little Egret	1		23	White-Bellied Sea Eagle	2
24	Striated Heron	16		24	Changeable Hawk-Eagle	1
25	Black-Crowned Night Heron	2		25	Golden-Bellied Gerygone	1
26	Golden-Bellied Gerygone	1		26	Tiger Shrike	1
27	House Crow	11		27	Black-Naped Oriole	13
28	Black-Naped Oriole	3		28	Pied Triller	2
29	Pied Fantail	5		29	Pied Fantail	1
30	Common Iora	8		30	Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo	3
31	Asian Glossy Starling	5		31	Asian Paradise-Flycatcher	1
32	Common Myna	1		32	Common Iora	7
33	White-Vented Myna	22		33	Oriental Magpie-Robin	4
34	Barn Swallow	1		34	Asian Glossy Starling	75
35	Pacific Swallow	3		35	White-Vented Myna	16
36	Sooty-Headed Bulbul	5		36	Common Hill Myna	1
37	Yellow-Vented Bulbul	12		37	Pacific Swallow	2
38	Yellow-Bellied Prinia	2		38	Straw-Headed Bulbul	4
39	Common Tailorbird	5		39	Yellow-Vented Bulbul	9
40	Ashy Tailorbird	5		40	Olive-Winged Bulbul	2
41	Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker	1		41	Yellow-Bellied Prinia	1
42	Brown-Throated Sunbird	1		42	Oriental White-Eye	5
43	Olive-Backed Sunbird	11		43	Common Tailorbird	4
44	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	9		44	Dark-Necked Tailorbird	1
45	Paddyfield Pipit	2		45	White-Crested Laughingthrush	9
46	Scaly-Breasted Munia	2		46	Striped Tit-Babbler	2
	Total No.	233		47	Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker	3
				48	Brown-Throated Sunbird	1
				49	Paddyfield Pipit	1
				50	Baya Weaver	5
				51	Scaly-Breasted Munia	12
				52	Black-Headed Munia	5
					Total No.	275

Venus Loop, Pulau Punggol, SBWR 07Sep13

From KH

Danny, JS and I started the day at Venus Loop for the specialties here - Blue-rumped Parrot and Glossy Swiftlet. No parrot was seen, but a pair of very vocal Abbott's Babblers put on a good show. The Glossy Swiftlet was indeed flying low. The challenge was to pick it out from the other swiftlets and swallows.

Next, we went to Pulau Punggol. No one else except Francis Yap here. The pond was full and glad to know the whistling ducks and grebes are doing well. Raptors present were a pair of Ospreys, a pale morph juvenile Changeable Hawk Eagle, some White-bellied Sea Eagles and Brahminy Kites. Otherwise, there were not many birds.

Finally, at SBWR, entrance was free, but the cafe was closed and Hide 1C was also closed for renovation. Looks like no nasi lemak this season! Fortunately, an uncommon wader - a Grey-tailed Tattler - made up for this short visit. Here's a moth thrown in for good measure.

Poyan, Upper Peirce 8Aug13

From KH

Today, Con, Danny and I set out to find Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo and Blue-winged Pitta at Poyan. Our mission was in jeopardy right from the start due to thundery shower. Fortunately, with Northvale strategically situated within Poyan, we were in safe hands!

Danny and I heard the Blue-winged Pitta, but only briefly and it refused to show. We hypothesized that it must be incubating, but we'll never know until we find the other pieces of this jigsaw puzzle.
After that we heard/saw many "trash" cuckoos (Banded Bay, Asian Drongo, Plaintive and Rusty-breasted) but not our treasured one. If only we could turn back the hands of time to 9 July 2005, Con would be there to point out this bird to us.

Over lunch, Con issue a new mission to us - locate the Black-nest Swiftlet nests on the water tank of Upper Peirce Reservoir. Apparently, I had exchanged comments with Boon Leong on his wikipedia flight shot years ago, but it completely slipped my mind! Danny and I gladly took the mission only to find no trace of any nest... Upon reaching home, a quick check on the internet revealed we were almost 5 years late!

Nevertheless, it was a fruitful trip as we set a new early date for Whiskered Tern, with not one, but six birds! They were quite actively feeding at the reservoir, but always on the opposite end. When we were at the water tank end, they were at the carpark end; and when we reached the carpark, they hung out at the water tank end!

Previous early and late dates respectively: 15 Sep - 15 Feb.

Also of note were half a dozen Blue-rumped Parrots flying by and calling overhead as we were tern-watching.  

Tuas 4Aug13

From Danny

Late afternoon I drove to Tuas, pretty disappointing. The field opp. Tiger brewery fully taken up, right up to PUB pump station by 3M. The other end, where the rumbler bikes course were, is now new MRT station/depot for EW line extension, sandwiched between is small patch of remaining woodlands. Over at Tuas South AVE 9/10/11, more grass lands converted to factories, what left were well lawned (only saw 1 Purple Heron and a few Zitting Cisticolas). The coastal road from Raffles Marina to the Incinerator Plant has great changes, a new elevated MRT Track under construction, so is the largest Hyflux desalination plant, taken up most of the patches along the coast guard fencing. You could hardly see Raffles Marina from the road. The only good news is more reclaimation towards the sea, hopefully we could get in during the stabilization phase after the major works completed. Saw a Great Crested Tern in the distance off the coast.