SBWR 16Dec17

From KH

After Kranji Marsh in the morning, I went to the old Sungei Buloh and saw 4 crocodiles in total!

At the breakwater, the Smooth Otters were not bothered by the murder of House Crows.

A Malayan Water Monitor enjoying sushimi!

Sungei Buloh is a great place to see the Little (front), Great (middle) and Intermediate Egrets together for comparison.

Possibly my first encounter with a Plain Nawab. Violet Vinegar Crabs were fighting over ownership of a burrow.

A small birdwave of Abbott's Babbler, Malaysian Pied-fantail and Pin-striped Tit-babblers were encountered. Only one of the latter was cooperative enough to pose for some photos.

Surprised to see a small Estuarine Crocodiles, <0.5m. However, BIGGER surprises were to come later.

On the way out, two raptors were seen circling above the Sungei Buloh Main Bridge: a juvenile pale Changeable Hawk-eagle (left) and a juvenile Brahminy Kite.

Guess what's under the bridge in the river? Not one, but two Estuarine Crocodiles! They were about 2m long. Let's call the front croc C1, and the other C2. The sky was now full of dark clouds; it looked like rain was imminent.

Soon, it started raining heavily. While a few visitors and I waited out the rain, we saw the famous Tailless approaching C1 from the left, with C2 behind looking on. Will there be a fight?

C1 held its ground, I mean its spot, while Tailless circled it. So it all ended peacefully with no drama whatsoever...

For consolation, Tailless showed off its softer side as the rain subsided: its love for flowers.

Kranji Marsh 16Dec17

From KH

Con, Danny and JS left after ticking off the Booted Warbler, and they also got some recordings.

The Booted Warbler's favourite hangout: the dark-leaved trees beside the arch.

I stayed till lunchtime and happened to get this Oriental Reed-warbler in the open for comparison. Besides the difference in habitat preference, the other clear distinctions are the bill, facial pattern, leg colour, and overall body coloration.

Raptor-wise, there were 1 Osprey, 1 BWK, 2 OHBs, 1 BB, 1 CHE, 2 Brahminy Kites and 2 WBSEs.

Black Baza


Pale orientalis Oriental Honey-buzzards: adult male (left) and juvenile


Osprey, faraway but eye stripe visible. Adult Brahminy Kite

Wader-wise, there were 10 Little Ringed Plovers and 9 Wood Sandpipers in the wet field.

4/10 of the Little Ringed Plovers


3/9 of the Wood Sandpipers

Both Blue-tailed (left) and Blue-throated Bee-eaters were present.

There were 2 Asian Brown Flycatchers.

Some of the less common resident birds: Banded Bay Cuckoo, Purple Heron and Large-billed Crow.

At this distance, it's hard to tell whether these swallows are Pacific or Barn.

After lunch, I went to the old Sungei Buloh and saw 4 crocodiles!

Sri Lanka 07-14Dec17

From Con

http://www.pbase.com/con_foley/sri_lanka

Henderson Waves, Telok Blangah Forest Walk 14Dec17

From KH

I went to Henderson Waves for raptor watch and saw 8 OHBs, 2 CHEs, 1 CGH and 1 Brahminy Kite.

Crested Goshawk with one of the outer fingers on each side missing.

Pale (left) and dark CHE

This OHB put on a good show, coming close and even showing its upperparts.

Some of the OHBs like to perch on the buildings along the seaside.

The other OHBs were just passing by.

After lunch, I dropped by Telok Blangah Forest Walk and got a few migrants: 1 Indian Cuckoo, 1 ABFC, 2 Arctic Warblers.

Indian Cuckoo. Arctic Warbler

The rest are resident birds, such as this male Crimson Sunbird (left) and this Oriental White-eye.

Last but not least, one of the culprits making all the noises: cicada.

Kranji Marsh, SBWR 13Dec17

From KH

A Booted Warbler was first seen at Kranji Marsh on 4-Dec. I went today and the bird was still around!

Some folks from NParks were trying to mist net the warbler to confirm its identity, but the bird saw the net and flew above it! Here's a photo of the net as it was being set up.

There were a few OHBs flying around.

The Brahminy Kite went fishing (left). The dark CHE also showed up.

In the big open field were some Red-wattled Lapwings, Wood Sandpipers and egrets.

Red-wattled Lapwings


Wood Sandpiper (left) with Little Egret

At the Tower, a juvenile Blue-throated Bee-eater perched at eye level (left), and a male Long-tailed Parakeet flew past.

On the way out, there were a Lesser Coucal in the bush (left) and a Little Egret in the drain.

In the drain, there were Common Snakeheads (left) and Nile Tilapias.

Finally, a Common Bluebottle to wrap it up at the marshes.

After lunch, I went to the new Sungei Buloh, and got an Arctic Warbler on the way to Eagle Point.

At Eagle Point, I counted 111 Whimbrels.

A lone Common Greenshank with Whimbrels.


E2 feeding on a Mangrove Horseshoe Crab.


An untagged Whimbrel feeding on the same horseshoe crab.


Wired E8 feeding on a polychaete worm.

Some of the luckier Mangrove Horseshoe Crabs were seen mating or burrowing into the mud.

Finally, it was fish galore at the boardwalk!

A tilapia guarding its fries. An injured mullet


Green Chromides guarding a shallow ditch. Goldman's Goby


Kops' Glass Perchlets. Sea Bass


Stripe-nosed Halfbeaks. Spottail Needlefish