Satay by the Bay 15Jan16

From KH

A pair of Cotton Pygmy-geese were sighted at Satay by the Bay and each of us made our own trips to tick off this rarity. This pair was apparently a one-day-wonder as they were not seen again the next day. They were not always on the pond, but when they were, they feed eagerly, perhaps in preparation for the onward migration.

Immature male ©Danny Lau

Bidadari 14Jan16

From Con

Immature male Japanese sparrowhawk

Tampines Eco Green 13Jan16

From GC

Plaintive Cuckoo, often heard but not easy to locate, @ TEG

BTNR 12Jan16

From GC

BEO @ BTNR, 12/1/2016. Back view taken at 7.16pm, 1 minute after official sunset time. 1/40s, f/5.6, ISO 6400, handheld with VR.

From Danny

Thru the scope of Martin K.

Rifle Range, Bidadari, Pulau Punggol 09Jan16

From KH

Today, Danny and JS started at Rifle Range and JS still couldn't tick off the Blue-rumped parrot! Later, they went Bidadari and Pulau Punggol, but there wasn't any special birds reported. Con joined them at Bidadari.

Dairy Farm 07Jan16

From GC

Male Siberian Thrush @ DFNP today

Pulau Punggol, Halus, Tuas 02Jan16

From KH

Danny, JS and I started the day's birding at Pulau Punggol, while Con was at Tuas continuing his quest for the almost invisible Lanceolated warbler.

Besides a small flock of White-shouldered starlings with their Daurian cousins, the other interesting bird here was a weaver, likely of African origin, which we are unsure of its identity.

Unknown weaver ©Lau JS

At Halus, we flushed some Savanna nightjars and Pintail/Swinhoe's snipes from the reed beds. Then, when we were about to drive off, 3 Jerdon's bazas showed up in the old grebe pond vicinity.

Jerdon's Bazas ©Lau JS

Turut Track, CCK Park, Tuas 01Jan16

From Danny

No goose at Turut Track, usual birds, reed warblers and a far away Black-capped kingfisher.

Late morning, there was a Yellow-browed warbler at CCK Park.

From Con

LCH found a somewhat friendlier Lanceolated warbler at Tuas today. I went over this afternoon. It did pop out once briefly and I got nice view but no photo.

Bt Batok, Bidadari, Pulau Punggol, Sengkang, Changi Village 27Dec15

From Con

An afternoon in a Global Big Year

Bidadari, Saddle Club, Duxton 26Dec15

From KH

Started early at Bidadari with Danny. We saw an adult Malayan Night-heron. Very skittish, kept flushing as we got closer.

Malayan night heron ©Danny Lau

After Con joined us, we got an adult White-rumped Shama and a roosting Grey Nightjar.

We surveyed Saddle Club at Bt Timah for Straw-headed Bulbul for Noah Strycker's World Big Year, but it wasn't there.

After lunch, Danny and I went to Duxton for the Blue Rock-thrush philippensis subspecies. I saw it at about 4 pm. It was very skittish. Danny missed it, but he has ticked this species before.

Raptors for the day:

• 1 OHB pale immature orientalis, 1 Black Baza at Bidadari
• 1 OHB pale male orientalis over Saddle Club
• 1 OHB dark orientalis over Duxton

Duxton, Pulau Punggol 23Dec15

From Con at Duxton

Got Blue Rock-thrush philippensis subspecies at about 3 pm.

From JS and Danny at Pulau Punggol

Red-throated Pipit and Red-rumped Swallow.

Bidadari 21Dec15

From GC

2 Black bazas, 1 Chinese sparrowhawk (juvenile with falconry jesses).

Rounding a bend, I came into the blind spot of this Black baza on a dead branch. Then it turned its head, thought for a few seconds and decided to fly into the foliage of the next tree.

Black baza front view. This BB was on another dead branch. Slowly stepping 3 feet to the right of the foliage that acted as a screen between us, the bird remained there as i snapped away, having the luxury of time to try different +/- EV combinations to compensate for the bright clouds behind. When the bird decided to fly, it flew towards and over me, not away!