Tuas 29Oct16

From KH

Danny and JS went to Ave 7 to check out the forested patch and got a Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo.

When I reached Ave 16, they were already in the woods, but they informed me that there was a Chestnut-winged Cuckoo hidden in the trees along the road. Sure enough, there it was, skittish and well-concealed. Also around were Low CH and friend, and Lim KK.

Migrant raptor-wise, there was only a flock of Oriental Honey-buzzards heading south before the sky opened and we had to retreat to the new coffeeshop.

We returned to Ave 16 once the rain stopped, but there was nothing else of note.

The resident Brahminy Kite prowling its territory

"Shackled" House Crow with food in mouth

Scaly-breasted Munia feeding

"Botak" Common Myna

Beware of Red Dwarf Honey Bee nest!

Singapore Botanic Gardens 25Oct16

From Con

Oriental Pied-hornbills are trying out a potential nest in the Singapore Botanic Gardens at the entrance to the Rain Forest. The male is bringing mud to the female inside the tree hole.

Pulau Punggol, Tuas 22Oct16

From KH

Danny, JS and I planned to start the day's birding at Kranji Marsh, but upon reaching, we found the sky looked threatening and decided to head East. By the time we reach Lorong Halus, the rain clouds had caught up with us! So we adjourned to our favourite Punggol food court for breakfast.

Once the sky cleared, we headed to Pulau Punggol.

We didn't try very hard to turn the Paddyfield Pipits here into Angus pipits

A juvenile Sooty-headed Bulbul was begging for food

As nothing much else was going on here, we decided to head to Tuas for raptor watching. Although the sky was overcast, we saw 1 Common Buzzard and 1 immature male Eastern Marsh-harrier, on top of the usual OHBs and accipiters.

Common Buzzard

Immature male Eastern Marsh-harrier

There were also migrating Pacific Swifts.

Pacific Swift

Bidadari, Tuas, Singapore Strait 15Oct16

From KH

Con, Danny and I started at Bidadari. There were 3 Brown-chested jungle flycatchers, 1 juvenile Malaysian hawk cuckoo, 1 juvenile Slaty-breasted rail and the usual suspects.

Later, Danny and I went Tuas for raptor watching, but we only got 1 accipiter and 1 OHB.

JS went pelagic birding with Francis and gang in 2 boats. They got the usual terns (including Aleutian terns), Swinhoe's storm petrels and a flock of migrating Pacific swifts.

Tuas 10Oct16

From GC

Plaintive cuckoo, female
Rusty-breasted cuckoo (friendly)
APFC
Yellow-rumped FC, female
Brown-chested JFC (skittish)
Asian Brown FC
Eastern crowned warbler

Only 9 OHB (very high), some Blue-tailed bee-eaters and Barn swallows on migration.

1 tattered Jap sparrowhawk flying from Tuas to Johor!

Female Plaintive cuckoo ©Tan GC

Johor 07-08Oct16

From KH

Con, Danny, JS and I spent the weekend birding in Johor.

Grey-capped Woodpecker ©Con Foley

Lesser Fish-eagle ©Con Foley

Rifle Range, Wallace Centre, SBWR 01Oct16

From KH

Con brought along a couple from Colombia to join Danny and I today. We started at Rifle Range. Along the way to Jelutong Tower, we got the usual residents Banded woodpecker, Hill mynas, Greater racket-tailed drongos, Short-tailed babblers, Pin-striped tit babblers, Dark-necked tailorbirds, Asian glossy starlings, and the usual migrants Yellow-rumped flycatcher, Asian brown flycatchers, Eastern crowned warblers.

At Jelutong Tower, we managed to get some more birds: Blue-crowned hanging parrots, Pink-necked green pigeons, Olive-winged bulbuls, Brown-throated sunbirds, Scarlet-backed flowerpeckers.

On the way out, I saw a rare Brown-chested jungle flycatcher.

Shifting location to Wallace Centre, we found tonnes of photographers there! We got an adult White-bellied sea eagle soaring high up, a confiding male Yellow-rumped flycatcher, 3 noisy Asian fairy bluebirds, an almost invisible Little spiderhunter and singing Straw-headed bulbuls.

Moving on to Sungei Buloh, we met Martin and his friend, and there were only the usual waders.

Panti, Fraser's Hill 22-28Sep16

From Con

Panti

24 Sep: White-crowned hornbill near second yellow sign

Male Buff-rumped woodpecker ©Con Foley

Fraser's Hill

25 Sep: I finally saw the Collared owlet in Malaysia on Telecom Loop. Also recorded call of the owlet.
26 Sep: Best bird for today: a pair of Large scimitar babbler
27 Sep: Today Malaysian whistling thrush, Bamboo woodpecker and Bay woodpecker all seen. Got my first Slow loris!

Panti 13-17Sep16

From Con

13 Sep: Some of the better birds this morning: Grey-breasted babbler, Rail babbler, Rufous-chested flycatcher, Pale blue flycatcher.

15 Sep: Some of the better birds from today: Brown wood owl, Brown hawk owl, Blyth's frogmouth, Malaysian eared nightjar, White-necked babbler.

White-handed gibbon ©Con Foley

Oriental honey buzzard ©Con Foley

17 Sep: Brown hawk owl calling at 10 am on its own!

Turut Track, SBWR, NTL2 10Sep16

From KH

Danny and I went to Turut Track, but soon the sky was threatening to rain. We quickly retraced the path and decided to head for SBWR to take cover.

White-throated Kingfisher

Male Long-tailed Parakeet

SBWR turned out to be uneventful too, except for the pretty male Copper-throated Sunbird.

Male Copper-throated Sunbird

Lastly, we headed for NTL2 and glad-fully the Long-toed Stints, Little Ringed Plovers and Wood Sandpipers were still around.

Black-winged Kite hovering

Javan Myna

Zebra Dove

SBWR, NTL2 04Sep16

From Danny

Finally JS got 2 Eurasian curlews at SBWR. We went over to NTL2 where we saw 8 Long-toed stints, 1 Wood sandpiper and 2 Little ringed plovers, probably more as they were behind fences.

Juvenile Eurasian curlew with Whimbrels and Pacific Golden Plovers ©Lau JS

Poyan, NTL2, Serangoon 04Sep16

Danny counted at Poyan, Con at NTL2 and KH at Serangoon during this Fall Migration Bird Census.

		Poyan	NTL2	Serangoon
1	Red Junglefowl	4
2	Lesser Whistling-Duck		1
3	Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker	1		9
4	Rufous Woodpecker	1		2
5	Banded Woodpecker	3	1
6	Laced Woodpecker		1
7	Common Goldenback	5	3	2
8	Lineated Barbet	3
9	Coppersmith Barbet	2
10	Oriental Dollarbird	2
11	Common Kingfisher			1
12	White-Throated Kingfisher	1	1	4
13	Collared Kingfisher	1	1	2
14	Plaintive Cuckoo		1
15	Rusty-Breasted Cuckoo		1
16	Little Bronze-Cuckoo			2
17	Asian Koel	1	1	3
18	Greater Coucal		2
19	Lesser Coucal	2	1
20	Blue-Crowned Hanging Parrot	2
21	Rose-Ringed Parakeet	2		2
22	Red-Breasted Parakeet	14	10	8
23	Long-Tailed Parakeet	9	12
24	Swiftlet spp.	34	40	3
25	Common Pigeon			9
26	Spotted Dove	14	20	5
27	Zebra Dove	12	15	6
28	Pink-Necked Green Pigeon	9	4
29	White-Breasted Waterhen	1	2	8
30	Purple Swamphen		2
31	Common Moorhen		2
32	Wood Sandpiper		2
33	Common Sandpiper			6
34	Little Ringed Plover		6
35	Red-Wattled Lapwing	4	4
36	Black-Winged Kite		1
37	Brahminy Kite		2
38	White-Bellied Sea Eagle	1		3
39	Grey Heron			1
40	Purple Heron		1
41	Yellow-Billed Egret		2
42	Striated Heron			9
43	Golden-Bellied Gerygone	2		2
44	House Crow			1
45	Large-Billed Crow	1
46	Black-Naped Oriole	10	14	10
47	Pied Triller	6	1
48	Pied Fantail	2	2	8
49	Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo	2
50	Common Iora	7		3
51	Oriental Magpie-Robin	1
52	Asian Glossy Starling	62	23	5
53	White-Vented Myna	46	15	25
54	Barn Swallow	2	2	1
55	Pacific Swallow	4	1	2
56	Straw-Headed Bulbul	4	2
57	Red-Whiskered Bulbul	1
58	Yellow-Vented Bulbul	13	12	8
59	Olive-Winged Bulbul	6
60	Yellow-Bellied Prinia	1	3	7
61	Oriental White-Eye	7		1
62	Common Tailorbird	3	1	3
63	Dark-Necked Tailorbird	1
64	Rufous-Tailed Tailorbird		1
65	Ashy Tailorbird		3	9
66	White-Crested Laughingthrush	4
67	Striped Tit-Babbler	2
68	Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker	6		2
69	Brown-Throated Sunbird		2	4
70	Olive-Backed Sunbird	6	1	12
71	Crimson Sunbird	2
72	Eurasian Tree Sparrow			8
73	Baya Weaver	2
74	Golden-Backed Weaver		45
75	Scaly-Breasted Munia		4	6
76	White-Headed Munia	5
	Total Species	50	44	37
	Total Count	336	271	199

Panti 24-25Aug16

From Con

White-crowned Hornbill calling several times on 24 Aug, but won't come.

Got Brown Wood-owl in Panti!

I got all 6 of us on a Rail-babbler!

Johor 20-21Aug16

From Con

Malay Civet

White-necked Babbler

Large Green-pigeon

From JS

Female Malaysian Blue-flycatcher

White-necked Babbler

Large Green-pigeons

Seletar Dam 13Aug16

From Con

Great Knot (front) and Lesser Sand-plover (back), both molting out of breeding plumage.

Upper Peirce 09Aug16

From Danny

We recorded a rare butterfly, Great Imperial, during the Butterfly Walk at Rifle Range last week. Enthusiasts were heading to Jelutong Tower where it was photographed. It was still around today. We photographed the Grand Imperial, another rare sibling today at Upper Peirce.

Rifle Range 06Aug16

From JS

Butterfly watching at Rifle Range