Pulau Punggol, Punggol East 04Feb17

From KH

Danny and I started today's birding at Pulau Punggol.

Birds of note include a pair of Black Drongos, a Great-billed Heron along the coast, and a flock of Daurian Starlings which were failed to turn a single bird into Chestnut-cheeked.

Black Drongo ©Danny Lau

Great-billed Heron ©Tan KH

Daurian Starling ©Danny Lau

Daurian Starlings ©Tan KH

1. Great-billed heron 1
2. Grey heron 1
3. Little egret 1
4. Black-winged kite 1
5. Changeable hawk-eagle 1 pale morph seen and very vocal
6. Brahminy kite 1
7. White-bellied sea-eagle 4
8. Grey-headed fish-eagle 1
9. White-breasted waterhen 2
10. Ruddy-breasted crake 3
11. Red-wattled lapwing 1 heard only
12. Common sandpiper 1
13. Red collared-dove >10
14. Spotted dove >10
15. Zebra dove >10
16. Pink-necked green-pigeon >5
17. Lesser coucal 1 heard only
18. Asian koel 1 heard only
19. Little bronze-cuckoo 1 male
20. swiftlet spp. >50
21. Oriental dollarbird 2
22. White-throated kingfisher 2
23. Collared kingfisher 2
24. Blue-tailed bee-eater >5
25. Sunda woodpecker 2
26. Laced woodpecker 1 pair
27. Common flameback 2
28. Rose-ringed parakeet >5
29. Red-breasted parakeet >5
30. Golden-bellied gerygone 1 heard only
31. Common iora >5
32. Pied triller 1 female
33. Black-naped oriole >5
34. Black drongo 2
35. Malaysian pied fantail 2
36. Red-whiskered bulbul 2
37. Yellow-vented bulbul >5
38. Arctic warbler 2
39. Yellow-bellied prinia 2 heard only
40. Ashy tailorbird 2 heard only
41. Asian glossy starling >20
42. Daurian starling >30
43. Javan myna >10
44. Oriental magpie-robin 1 pair
45. Asian brown flycatcher 3
46. Scarlet-backed flowerpecker 1
47. Olive-backed sunbird >2
48. Baya weaver >10
49. Scaly-breasted munia 1
50. Common waxbill >10
51. Yellow-fronted canary 4

After lunch, we headed to Punggol East and found at least 5 Jerdon's bazas.

Jerdon's Bazas (left adult, right immature) ©Danny Lau

There were also other migrant raptors: Black Bazas and Oriental Honey-buzzards.

1. Grey heron 3
2. Jerdon's baza 1 flock of 5
3. Black baza 14 (1 flock of 5 + 1 flock of 9)
4. Oriental honey-buzzard 2
5. Changeable hawk-eagle 2
6. Brahminy kite 2
7. White-bellied sea-eagle 2
8. Spotted dove >5
9. Zebra dove >5
10. Little bronze-cuckoo 1 heard only
11. swiftlet spp. >50
12. White-throated kingfisher 1 heard only
13. Rose-ringed parakeet 2
14. Golden-bellied gerygone 1 heard only
15. Long-tailed shrike 1 hunting
16. Black-naped oriole 2
17. Sooty-headed bulbul 5
18. Yellow-vented bulbul 5
19. Barn swallow >5
20. Yellow-bellied prinia 1 heard only
21. Common tailorbird 2 heard only
22. Javan myna >5
23. Oriental magpie-robin 1 heard only
24. Olive-backed sunbird 2
25. Paddyfield pipit 2

Singapore Botanic Gardens 29, 31Jan17

On 29 Jan, Con got an immature Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo.

On 31 Jan, Danny reported that the Hooded Pitta was around, so was the Black-backed Kingfisher.

Tam Dao 19-22Jan17

Con, Danny and JS went to Vietnam for Blue-naped pitta and got a nice male.

Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc, VN

1. 1 Blue-naped Pitta
2. 1 Chestnut Bulbul
3. 1 Black-chinned Yuhina
4. 2 Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler
5. 1 Buff-breasted Babbler
6. 1 Red-flanked Bluetail

Photos

Singapore Botanic Gardens 17Jan17

From Con

Buffy Fish-owl nesting at SBG near hornbill nest.

Black-blacked Kingfisher turned up at Silver Pheasant spot.

DFNP 15-16Jan17

On 15 Jan, Danny reported that the Oriental scops owls were back on the same tree, and JS also reported a Whiskered Treeswift returning into the forest.

On 16 Jan, Con went back and reported that the OSOs were still there, but no sign of treeswift.

BBNP, DFNP, SBG, Pulau Punggol 14Jan17

From KH

Con, Danny and I started the day at Wallace Education Centre (WEC), but the carpark was beyond full, so we headed to BBNP instead.

Partial list at BBNP:

1. Changeable hawk-eagle 1 dark morph sitting on nest
2. White-breasted waterhen 1
3. Pink-necked green-pigeon >6 including 1 nesting pair
4. Stork-billed kingfisher 1
5. Collared kingfisher 2
6. Lineated barbet 2 heard only
7. Common flameback 3
8. Banded Woodpecker 1
9. Straw-headed bulbul >3
10. Yellow-vented bulbul >2
11. Pin-striped tit-babbler >2
12. White-crested laughingthrush 2 heard only

Mr and Mrs Pink-necked Green-pigeon on Simpoh Air

After one loop at BBNP, we went back to WEC. The Oriental scops owls were indeed gone. Rumour has it that photographers shone light on the owls and shook the tree... Nevertheless, it was good to see a Falco thermaling high up. Amur Falcon?

Moving on to SBG, we got the released male Silver Pheasant, Orange-headed thrush, Buffy fish owl pair and male Oriental pied hornbill.

Released male Silver Pheasant

We finally got to lunch at the Prata Place at Evans Road! After lunch, Danny and I went to Pulau Punggol, but the Booted eagle was not seen. We saw the following birds instead.

1. Black-winged kite 1
2. Black baza 1
3. Brahminy kite 3
4. White-bellied sea-eagle 3
5. Pintail/Swinhoe's snipe 2
6. Red-wattled lapwing 2
7. Common greenshank 10
8. Marsh sandpiper 2
9. Red collared dove 2
10. Spotted dove >10
11. Zebra dove >10
12. Pink-necked green-pigeon 2
13. Lesser coucal 2
14. Asian koel 1 female
15. Banded bay cuckoo 1
16. Little bronze cuckoo 1 heard only
17. Swiftlet spp. >20
18. Collared kingfisher 2
19. Blue-tailed bee-eater >5
20. Dollarbird 2
21. Sunda woodpecker 1
22. Common Flameback 2
23. Rose-ringed parakeet 2
24. Red-breasted parakeet >10
25. Golden-bellied gerygone 2
26. Common iora 1
27. Black-naped oriole >5
28. Pied Fantail 2
29. Sooty-headed bulbul >5
30. Yellow-vented bulbul >10
31. Barn swallow >10
32. Arctic warbler 2
33. Zitting cisticola 1
34. Lanceolated warbler 1 heard only
35. Oriental reed warbler 1 heard only
36. Yellow-bellied prinia 1 heard only
37. Ashy tailorbird 2
38. Javan myna >10
39. Yellow-rumped flycatcher 1 male singing
40. Asian brown flycatcher 1
41. Olive-backed sunbird 2
42. Paddyfield pipit 2
43. Baya weaver >10
44. Scaly-breasted munia >10
45. Yellow-fronted canary 4
46. waxbill sp. >10
47. widowbird sp. 1

Banded Bay Cuckoo

Widowbird sp.

Mrs and Mr White-bellied Sea-eagle

Singapore Botanic Gardens 13Jan17

From Con

At Singapore Botanic Gardens, got Silver pheasant, Orange-headed thrush (2), Red-legged crake (juvenile), nesting Oriental pied hornbill, Buffy fish owl.