Upper Bt Timah 18Apr14

Following Colin's report of a Malaysian Eared Nightjar fly-by on 15 Apr evening, Con and Danny went looking early morning, but turned up nothing for this Good Friday birding.

Bidadari, Pulau Ubin 13-14Apr14

From Con

Danny came over on 13 Apr Sunday to join me in Bidadari. We both saw the Large Hawk Cuckoo and Malaysian Hawk Cuckoo.

Close to Noon I got a report of a Black Bittern in Ubin so I left Bidadari intending to go to Ubin, but I checked with the folks who saw the bittern and they flushed it and didn’t know where it went, so I changed my plans.

After lunch I heard there was a Mugimaki and eye-browed thrush in Bidadari so I went back but wasn’t able to see either bird.

14 Apr Monday morning I headed to Ubin and as it happens Alan O, Doreen and Kim Keang were also coming. We all saw the Black Bittern at the lotus pond on sensory trail. It was only 9 am and I knew I couldn’t get a return boat ride for awhile as no one would be going back to Changi so early in the day, so I stayed with this group. They wanted the pitta of course and we saw pittas both at Bubut hut and at Chek Jawa. It turns out there is a trail at the well, you walk in on the trail and the pittas are back in there, only lots of mosquitoes.

It was high tide, but we checked the rocks at Frog Island and lucky there were 2 Ruddy Turnstones using the rocks as a high tide roost!

Pulau Ubin 12Apr14

The four of us went to Ubin and Con managed to get his "tickable" Mangrove Pitta.

Chinese Garden 1Apr14

After last Sat 29 Mar, Con went back everyday till today. He managed to photographed the pins. So there is one confirmed Pintail Snipe. Could there be one of each species??

Halus, Tuas, Chinese Garden 29Mar14

From KH

Con, Danny, JS and I started the day at Halus for some sniping. There were a few of them, but none fanning their tail for ID confirmation. When we were about to leave, half a dozen Japanese Sparrowhawks were found thermalling over the Old Grebe Pond area.

With hope that the spring raptor migration at Tuas is on-going, we headed there only to find local raptors: WBSE, Brahminy Kite and BWK.

The other bird that kept JS busy was a pipit, which turned out to be a Paddyfield Pipit after all.

After lunch, we headed to Chinese Garden for more sniping. The two snipes were still at the pond and we spent some time trying for fanned-tail moments, but to not much avail. Con took this photo for one of the birds.

Japan Mar14

From Yamane

In this week, I try to seek Waxwings around Yokohama. But I could not see them until now. Last days I sought them around my place. I could get the pictures of Japanese Bush Warbler & Long-tailed Tit, instead of Waxwings.

Japanese Bush Warbler

It is very common & famous bird in Japan. Nice song, it has. But we can only hear the songs & the calls. We can seldom see them. Because they usually move in bushes very quickly.

Long-tailed Tit

It is having feather. Maybe it is the material for their nest. Their nest is made of feathers & moss. I feel they are making their nest for their breeding.

Mindanao 15-22Mar14

Con went to see the Philippines Eagles!

From Con

http://confoley.com/mindanao-2014

Serangoon, Poyan 23Mar14

From KH & Danny

Nothing unusual was sighted during the census.

		Serangoon	Poyan
1	Red Junglefowl		2
2	Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker	3	3
3	Rufous Woodpecker	1	1
4	Banded Woodpecker		2
5	Laced Woodpecker	1
6	Common Goldenback	2	4
7	Lineated Barbet		5
8	Oriental Dollarbird		3
9	White-throated Kingfisher	4	2
10	Collared Kingfisher	4	5
11	Blue-throated Bee-eater		4
12	Blue-tailed Bee-eater	1	1
13	Banded Bay Cuckoo		1
14	Little Bronze-cuckoo	3	1
15	Asian Koel	3
16	Rainbow Lorikeet		3
17	Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot		3
18	Red-breasted Parakeet		38
19	Long-tailed Parakeet	3	3
20	Swiftlet spp.	25	21
21	Common Pigeon	22
22	Spotted Dove	4	7
23	Zebra Dove	1	3
24	Pink-necked Green Pigeon		34
25	White-breasted Waterhen	5	2
26	Common Greenshank	2
27	Common Sandpiper	6
28	Black Baza		3
29	Crested Honey-buzzard		1
30	Brahminy Kite		2
31	White-bellied Sea Eagle	1	1
32	Changeable Hawk-eagle		2
33	Little Egret	11
34	Grey Heron	1
35	Chinese Pond Heron	2
36	Striated Heron	3
37	Blue-winged Pitta		2
38	Golden-bellied Gerygone		1
39	Brown Shrike		1
40	Long-tailed Shrike		1
41	House Crow	2
42	Large-billed Crow		1
43	Black-naped Oriole	8	14
44	Pied Triller		2
45	Pied Fantail	6	1
46	Greater Racket-tailed Drongo		3
47	Common Iora	5	11
48	Asian Brown Flycatcher	5
49	Oriental Magpie-robin	1
50	Asian Glossy Starling	7	53
51	Common Myna	2	1
52	White-vented Myna	28	37
53	Pacific Swallow	2	3
54	Straw-headed Bulbul		6
55	Sooty-headed Bulbul	1
56	Yellow-vented Bulbul	5	17
57	Olive-winged Bulbul		1
58	Yellow-bellied Prinia	4	1
59	Common Tailorbird	3	1
60	Ashy Tailorbird	5
61	Arctic Warbler	1
62	White-crested Laughingthrush		6
63	Striped Tit-babbler		2
64	Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker	3	3
65	Brown-throated Sunbird	4	2
66	Purple-throated Sunbird		2
67	Olive-backed Sunbird	10	4
68	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	15
69	Baya Weaver		5
70	Scaly-breasted Munia		8
71	White-headed Munia		1
	Total Species	42	55
	Total No.	225	347

River Safari 22Mar14

From Danny

Seen more fishes than birds except for the nesting Tree. The tree reminded me of Cambodia, where a single tree hosted as many as three species of birds nesting on different levels. The tree hosted 2 species namely Purple Heron at the top and Painted Storks at mid-level. First time seen such group nesting for Purple Herons locally, easily more than twenty nests.