Pulau Ubin 25Jan14

From KH

Con, Danny and JS went to Pulau Ubin today. They walked all the way to Chek Jawa, but took a van back to the jetty.

At Chek Jawa, Con managed to add these birds to his big year list: Great-billed Heron, Pacific Reef Egret, Grey Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Lesser Crested Tern and Great Crested Tern.

They also saw/heard about 10 White-rumped Shamas! And of course Red Junglefowl, which is only tickable at Ubin.

Mt Faber 19Jan14

From Con

This morning Danny saw an Ashy Drongo at Mt Faber, same spot as a couple of years ago. After 30 minutes photographing the bird with his scope, he sent me SMS. So I came over. As I reached the top of the hill and started to walk down I could see him jumping up and down waving his arms madly. When I got to the bottom of the hill he said, bird flew away.

20 Jan 2014 ©Con Foley

From Danny

Saw one Japanese Sparrowhawk over AYE off Eton Hall around 10.05 am today. The best was a Crested Serpent Eagle appeared 10 min before 12 noon over Eton Hall after I packed up to leave, missed it by the time I retrieved my camera.

Dairy Farm, SBWR, Lower Peirce 18Jan14

From Con

As Danny has not seen the Sakhalin Leaf Warbler, we were back to Dairy Farm Loop in the morning. Today, the bird only showed up at 9 am. So Danny got his tick and we were off to Wallace Trail to search for the bird down slope. Except for a pair of noisy Little Spiderhunters, the trail was not very productive.

After lunch, we were off to Sungei Buloh. Con does not usually join us for afternoon birding, but he is doing the bird year and so we were all out rooting him! We managed to get the Grey-tailed Tattler, a juvenile Crow-billed Drongo and some of the usual suspects.

Final stop at Lower Peirce did not yield the bathing birds, but it was good to see a Blue-winged Pitta and a Cream-vented Bulbul.

Dairy Farm Loop 14Jan14

From Con

I went this morning reaching the site a bit before 8. At 8 I started some intermittent playback. It took a long while before I got a response. Finally close to 8:30 I started to hear the Sakhalin Leaf Warbler responding, at first far away, but then coming in closer. Then I was able to see him and get my bins on him. He was about 10 meters away on a thin tree about eye level. About the same spot as with Kok Hui. Unfortunately looking directly into the morning sun, it was rather hard to see. But fortunately he stayed around hopping from tree branch to tree branch for the better part of a minute, although sometimes hiding behind the tree trunk. Luckily he came when there was no foot traffic on the path and I was able to get some shots, although a bit far. I think the first shot although looking away captures most of the key features.

Then some foot traffic came on the path and I was distracted from the bird and he moved off. But as I already had good enough shots I left him alone and moved off looking for other birds, I got a Little Spiderhunter.

I also found out there is an easier way to get to that spot. You can simply walk up the tarmac road past the Wallace Education Centre and then up the small hill to the abandoned house. There is a path behind the abandoned house that leads to the water tanks and connects with Dairy Farm Loop path. Much quicker and easier.

Northern Thailand 3-11Jan14

From Con

No	Name	Thai Lifer	Global Lifer
1	Grey-throated Sand-Martin	X	X
2	Lesser Whistling Duck	X
3	Dusky Warbler	X	X
4	Mallard	X
5	Blue Peafowl	captive
6	Purple Swamphen	X
7	Long-tailed Duck	X
8	Long-tailed Shrike	X
9	Cattle Egret	X
10	Citrine Wagtail	X	X
11	Small Pratincole	X
12	Spot-billed Duck	X	X
13	Great Egret	X
14	Little Ringed Plover	X
15	Crested Myna	X
16	Ferruginous Pochard	X	X
17	Common Coot	X
18	Little Egret	X
19	Chinese Pond Heron	X
20	Long-tailed Jacana	X
21	Common Moorhen	X
22	Black-hooded Oriole	X	X
23	Burmese Shrike	X	X
24	Barn Swallow	X
25	Straited Swallow	X	X
26	Ashy Woodswallow	X	X
27	Ultramarine Flycatcher	X
28	Golden-throated Barbet	X
29	Aberrant Bush-Warbler	X	X
30	Spot-breasted Parrotbill	X	X
31	Maroon Oriole	X	X
32	Blue-winged Minla	X
33	Scarlet-faced Liocichla
34	Grey-headed Lapwing
35	Oriental Honey Buzzard
36	Green Bee-eater
37	Pied Bushchat
38	Spectacled Barwing
39	Grey Bushchat
40	Chestnut bellied Rock Thrush
41	White-gorgeted Flycatcher
42	Rufous-bellied Niltava	X	X
43	Large Niltava
44	Himalayan Bluetail
45	Blue Rock Thrush
46	Giant Nuthatch	X	X
47	Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker	X	X
48	White-browed Shrike-Babbler	X
49	Siberian Rubythroat	X	X
50	Long-tailed Minivet	X
51	Olive-backed Pipit
52	Black Bulbul
53	Grey-backed Shrike
54	Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler
55	Silver-eared Laughingthrush
56	White-tailed Robin
57	Vivid Niltava	X	X
58	Davison's Warbler	X	X
59	Crested Finchbill	X	X
60	Golden Bush Robin	X	X
61	Chestnut-headed Tesia	X	X
62	Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher
63	White-browed Laughingthrush	X	X
64	Rufous-backed Sibia	X	X
65	Common Rosefinch
66	Brown-breasted Bulbul	X	X
67	Red-Whiskered Bulbul	X
68	White-headed Bulbul
69	Chestnut Bunting	X	X
70	Verditer Flycatcher	X
71	Yellow Wagtail	X
72	White-capped Redstart
73	Slaty-backed Forktail	X
74	Black-breasted Thrush	X	X
75	Mrs. Gould's Sunbird
76	Bronzed Drongo
77	Ashy Bulbul	X
78	Blyth's Leaf Warbler
79	Rufous-winged Fulvetta
80	Striated Bulbul	X	X
81	Slaty-backed Flycatcher
82	Hill Blue Flycatcher
83	Ashy Drongo
84	Magpie Robin	X
85	Mountain Bamboo Partridge	X	X
86	Siberian Blue Robin
87	Grey-winged Blackbird	X
88	Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
89	Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush
90
	TOTALS	57	28
Partial List of other birds seen
	Hoopoe
	Streak-throated Woodpecker
	Yellow-bellied Fantail
	Pin-tailed Parrotfinch
	Black-crested Bulbul
	Blue Rock Thrush
	Black-collared Starling
	Siberian Stonechat

Mallards (female left, male right)

Domestic duck

Dusky Warbler

Juvenile pale OHB

Dairy Farm Loop 12Jan14

From KH

Con and I managed to nail the Sakhalin Leaf Warbler at about 8.30 am, but no photo. JS has seen and photographed the bird the day before on 11 Jan. Now left Danny. :)

Pulau Punggol 4Jan14

From KH

Following report of Baillion's Crake, JS and I went to Pulau Punggol. Alas, we did not see the bird, but we found some photographers hoping to get the Lanceolated Warbler. None succeeded though. At the pond were 3 Common Moorhens, 2 pairs of Little Grebes and some Lesser Whistling Ducks. Then a reed warbler got JS busy. It turned out to be just a Black-browed Reed Warbler.

Other uncommon bird includes a Red-whiskered Bulbul.

BTNR, BBNP, Singapore Quarry 01Jan14

From KH

Following report of figging tree at BTNR summit, Danny, JS and I paid a visit to the highest point in Singapore. Alas, the only visitors to the fig were hundreds of Asian Glossy Starlings, some Thick-billed Green Pigeons, a pair of Asian Fairy Bluebirds and some Long-tailed Macaques.

Moving on to Bukit Batok Nature Park, there were also nothing much here except for Straw-headed Bulbuls and Changeable Hawk Eagles.

After curry lunch at the Rail Mall, we dropped by Singapore Quarry, which was also as unproductive...