BBNP, BTNR, HNP 30Aug20

From KH

I spent the late morning at Bukit Batok Nature Park. The White-crested Laughingthrushes put up a good show. It was also nice to have a Red-eyed Bulbul coming down low.

Here's a Plain Plushblue and a mud-dauber wasp on its mud nest.

1. Red Junglefowl (Domestic type) 5
2. dark swiftlet sp. 10
3. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 1 - Heard
4. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 - Adult at old nest
5. bee-eater sp. 1 - Heard
6. Lineated Barbet 2 - Heard
7. Black-naped Oriole 1 - Heard
8. Common Tailorbird 1 - Heard
9. Ashy Tailorbird 1
10. Yellow-vented Bulbul 3
11. Red-eyed Bulbul 1
12. Swinhoe's White-eye 2 - Heard
13. Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 5
14. White-crested Laughingthrush 3
15. Asian Glossy Starling 5
16. Common Hill Myna 2 - Heard
17. Javan Myna 1
18. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 2 - Heard
19. Brown-throated Sunbird 1 - Juvenile
20. Crimson Sunbird 1 - Male

Midday at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was very quiet, as expected. Here's a spider wasp and an Argiope spider.

And throw in a jumping spider too.

1. dark swiftlet sp. 10
2. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 1 - Heard
3. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1 - Heard
4. Dark-necked Tailorbird 1 - Heard
5. Red-eyed Bulbul 1
6. Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 1 - Heard
7. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 1 - Heard

Hindhede Nature Park was also quiet. But it was nice to see Straw-headed Bulbuls feeding.

And Common Sun Skink foraging.

Here's a robberfly, and some ants.

A Branded Imperial.

A Golden-spotted Tiger Beetle and a White-handed Fly.

1. Red Junglefowl 1 - Male
2. dark swiftlet sp. 5
3. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 - Juvenile
4. Lineated Barbet 1 - Heard
5. Black-naped Oriole 1 - Heard
6. Straw-headed Bulbul 3 - Feeding on fruits
7. Olive-winged Bulbul 1
8. Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 2
9. White-crested Laughingthrush 2 - Heard

BBNP, DFNP 20Dec19

From KH

I dropped by Lorong Sesuai for a very short look and found a huge White-bellied Sea-eagle nest.

1. Plume-toed Swiftlet 5
2. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 - huge nest
3. Barn Swallow 1

At the Wallace Education Centre, the curry leaf tree only attracted Asian Glossy Starlings, but the fig tree attracted Thick-billed Flowerpeckers and Thick-billed Pigeons.

Here's a juvenile Thick-billed Flowerpecker.

Here's an adult.

Male Thick-billed Pigeon feasting.

Clouded Monitor sticking its tongue at me :)

Traulia azureipennis grasshopper

1. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 1
2. Thick-billed Green-Pigeon 20
3. dark swiftlet sp. 10
4. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 2
5. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 1
6. Black-naped Oriole 2
7. Common Tailorbird 2 - heard
8. Olive-winged Bulbul 2 - heard
9. Asian Glossy Starling 20
10. Common Hill Myna 1 - heard
11. Thick-billed Flowerpecker 3

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

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

From Con

An afternoon in a Global Big Year

BTNR, BBNP, Singapore Quarry 01Jan14

From KH

Following report of figging tree at BTNR summit, Danny, JS and I paid a visit to the highest point in Singapore. Alas, the only visitors to the fig were hundreds of Asian Glossy Starlings, some Thick-billed Green Pigeons, a pair of Asian Fairy Bluebirds and some Long-tailed Macaques.

Moving on to Bukit Batok Nature Park, there were also nothing much here except for Straw-headed Bulbuls and Changeable Hawk Eagles.

After curry lunch at the Rail Mall, we dropped by Singapore Quarry, which was also as unproductive...

Dairy Farm, BBNP, SBWR 16Oct10

From KH

We started off at Wallace Trail. Nice to hear a Straw-headed Bulbul calling and to see its relative, the Olive-winged Bulbul. Others of interest were 2 Asian Brown Flycatchers and 1 Little Spiderhunter.

Moving on to Singapore Quarry, we met Ulf. There were 3 Little Grebes left and lots of Kois in the quarry. Also present was a Common Sandpiper, a Common KF and an adult WBSE perched. Then a pair of Lineated Barbets caught our attention, one of then was entering an old woodpecker nest.

A decision to visit BBNP for the Blue-eared KF, gave us a dark morph CHE and a Trapdoor Spider (Rhianodes atratus) instead. We could have stepped on it if not for sharp-eyed Con, who spotted the 5-cm-legspan spider.

After lunch, it was high tide and time to head for SBWR again. However, there wasn't anything unusual here, except for a CHE heard calling.

Mt Faber, BBNP 19Sep10

From Danny

In the morning saw my 1st Eastern Crowned Warbler of the season at Mt Faber car park A, followed by the 1st Tiger Shrike for the season. As for why no adult plumages for Tiger Shrike, refer to Forktail Aug 2010, pages 24-25. Essentially, Tiger Shrike moults twice in a year.

Saw a pair of Blue-throated Bee-eaters mating on a bare tree at Mt Faber & before long a third bird came along and all three thermal high up before flying off towards north. Well one day such info maybe useful to anyone studying the migration of bee-eaters.

Went to BBNP in the late afternoon after tip off from Kim Chuah. JS reached the first look-out (from the Tower) about 5.20 pm and saw the Yellow-vented Flowerpecker but I came along later and missed. Heard the BEKF calling and later found out from Jonathan, there were many photographers at the pond chasing the BEKF.

Mandai, BBNP, SBWR 04Sep10

From KH

We started off at Mandai Road. There were Asian Glossy Starlings and Pink-necked Green-pigeons on a fruiting tree. The first interesting bird was an Abbott's Babbler which was very vocal. We heard a Crested Serpent-eagle and later a Changeable Hawk-eagle.

Although a common bird, we decide to pay more attention to the juvenile Greater Racket-tailed Drongo because it has a nice tail pattern. ©Danny Lau

A Stork-billed Kingfisher flew in and perch above us. It looked very wet, probably just had a bath in the nearby stream. ©Tan KH

We saw Violet Cuckoos calling the familiar tee-wit in flight. There were also many woodpeckers here: Common Flamebacks, Rufous Woodpeckers, Laced Woodpeckers and Banded Woodpeckers.

Next stop was Bukit Batok Nature Park. A close scrutiny at the staircase reveal nothing. Fortunately, some 20 m into the path we spotted some movement close to the undergrowth - a pair of Sunda Scops-owls. The time was about 10+ am. We stayed with the owls for at least half an hour, but they never gave us any clear view. ©Danny Lau

After the owls, everything was rather quiet, except for a juvenile pale morph CHE which was gliding across the quarry and calling its familiar whi-whi-whi-whiii.

When we arrived at SBWR, we found that the frond holding the Olive-backed Sunbird nest has fallen off. Fortunately, according to the staff, the chicks have fledged a few days before the frond fell. The Ashy Tailorbird, on the other hand, was still incubating. We checked out the hides and only common waders were present: Common Redshanks, Common Greenshanks, Whimbrels, PGPs and LSPs.

Fortunately, Copper-throated Sunbirds were there to keep us company. ©Tan KH

So were the supporting cast of Common Ioras. ©Tan KH

Although the uncommon waders were nowhere to be found, we decide to try out luck at the Main Hide again. Bingo, a Ruddy Turnstone was there to console us.

Finally, an Oriental Whip Snake was our last wildlife encounter for today. ©Danny Lau

BBNP 20Nov09

From Con

I was at the summit car park of Bukit Batok Nature Park this morning. It turns out the bird paparazzi have been there all week looking for the Blue and White Flycatcher and others.

A Streaked Bulbul was the highlight of this morning, coming to feed on a fruiting tree about four times. Here's one shot ...

Earth Trail, Singapore Quarry, BBNP 12Jul08

From KH

Danny and I started the morning at the Lock Road carpark on Earth Trail. Danny saw an Asian Paradise Flycatcher last Sun (6Jul) along Earth Trail. However, today we only got the usual birds, like Bulbuls (OW & YV), SB Flowerpeckers, Sunbirds (OB, Plain-throated, Crimson), Blue-throated Bee-eaters, GRT Drongos, Tanimbar Corellas.

Bridge along the Earth Trail

Fungi of different shape, size and colour are common on the dead logs

The King and Queen of fruits (durian and mangosteen) can be found here!

Male Orthetrum glaucum, one of the many dragonflies that can be found here

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo silhoutte

Having failed to locate the APFC, we moved on to Singapore Quarry, hoping to see the 3 Little Grebes that were recently reported there. However, once again we failed to locate the target birds. The water looked too shallow for the grebes' liking. Birds of note were: 2 Straw-headed Bulbuls, 2 Lineated Barbets and a lot of Asian Glossy Starlings feeding on a fruiting tree. There were also many butterflies and dragonflies flying around. Among the reptiles are a Clouded Monitor in the drain, a Sun Skink and Changeable Lizard basking in the sun.

Sun Skink basking in the sun

Javan Myna having a meal

Final location of the day was Bukit Batok Nature Park heavy vehicle carpark. Nothing unusual here except of poachers and a guy holding on to an antenna. As we were about to leave, a CHE was calling at a distance.

Scaly-breasted Munia posing for the D80

Sungei Cina, Khatib Bongsu, Lower Seletar, Bukit Batok 24Mar07

From KH

Danny, JS and I went to Sungei Cina, Khatib Bongsu, Lower Seletar Reservoir, Little Guilin, Bukit Batok Nature Park.

It was not an eventful day but JS did get his lifer: Grey-headed Fish Eagle at Lower Seletar.

Also of note were 3 Changeable Hawk Eagles at BBNP (2 dark morph, 1 pale juvenile), as well as Chinese Pond Herons in breeding plumage at Khatib Bongsu.

Mousedeer Trail, BBNP, Changi 03Feb07

From KH

Chee Wai, Robert, Danny, JS, PC and I were present this morning at the Casuarina carpark. Poor Simon went to MacRitchie thinking that's the meeting point. And so we went into the trail and found striped tit-babblers, a warbler, crimson sunbirds, pigeons, flowerpeckers, bulbuls, GRT drongos and a tiger shrike. Not a single flycatcher (our target bird) was seen. The highlight here being at least 2 chestnut-winged babblers, which offered glimpses, but the prominent greyish head & belly with chestnut back gave it away. When we were about to leave for BBNP, a pair of chestnut-bellied malkohas bid us farewell.

At BBNP, our first bird was a peregrine falcon high up at its favourite perch on a transmission tower. Next, we got our flycatcher! A dark-sided flycatcher at the transmission tower on the staircase.

Dark-sided Flycatcher ©Fong CW

The next destinations are the lookout points. Here we saw flowerpeckers, a lineated barbet, rufous-tailed tailorbird and bee-eaters. We also saw another flycatcher. This time a brown-streaked flycatcher! Looks like BBNP is the place for flycatchers, not Mousedeer Trail.

Brown-streaked Flycatcher ©Fong CW

Going downhill to the open area, JS shouted "violet cuckoo"! Sure enough a pair of them were high up in the tree. Full view of the male and female, spectacular!

Male Violet Cuckoo ©Con Foley

Con also got an Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Asian Brown Flycatcher ©Con Foley

As we were stalking the cuckoos, a bird with blue wings and big white spot on each wing flew from the undergrowth on the right side to the left. It was a blue-winged pitta. First time seeing this bird in flight, CW and I were caught by surprise. After stalking it for a while, it flew back to the right side and disappeared. We were left with the laughters of a GRT drongo. By now, Robert and Peck Chan had to go. We carried on and picked up the straw-headed bulbul and banded woodpecker. Back at the lookout point, it was time for Chee Wai to leave. We stayed a while longer and witnessed a birdwave of flowerpeckers, sunbirds, hanging parrots and an iora around 11 o'clock. Just as we were about to leave, a changeable hawk eagle was seen perched on the other side of the quarry.

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot ©Lau JS

Male Common Iora ©Lau JS

Male Brown-throated Sunbird ©Lau JS

Photos from CW from his previous trips:

Asian Brown Flycatcher. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

 
Lineated Barbet. Male laced Woodpecker

Male Pink-necked Green-pigeon. Yellow-vented Bulbul

Straw-headed Bulbul. White-crested Laughing-thrush

Carrying on to Changi Cove, we spotted another changeable hawk-eagle along the highway. At Changi Cove, a harrier was the star in the wet grassland. However, we could not get a good view of it due to the continuous flow of big trucks whipping up the dust... Putting the harrier behind, we pressed on to the man-made rectangular pools. Besides 2 pratincoles and 1 yellow wagtail, there were waders in the first 2 pools.

We saw wood sandpipers, little ringed plovers and a group of smaller waders that we have never seen before. Upon consulting the Craig Robson book, we identified them as long-toed stints - a lifer for the three of us. Setting our goal a notch higher, we were hoping to pick out a Temminck's stint among them, but to no avail. Oh well, let's not get too greedy! The pools were pretty shallow and with the rainy season over, looks like they were going to dry up soon.

Proceeding to the sandy beach (which we had a hard time getting to due to the re-routing of the paths), JS picked out sanderlings among the same-sized but more common lesser sand-plovers. Also present were the larger grey plovers - two of them. Danny picked out a Kentish plover among the waders. Finally, as we were about to leave, a changeable hawk-eagle was seen perched on a tree in the grassland.

Long-toed Stint ©Lau JS

Mousedeer trail
1 Chestnut-bellied malkoha (1 pair)
2 Swiftlet spp.
3 Long-tailed parakeet
4 Thick-billed green pigeon
5 Pink-necked green pigeon
6 Greater racket-tailed drongo
7 Tiger shrike (1)
8 Asian glossy starling
9 Javan myna
10 Common myna
11 Olive-winged bulbul
12 Yellow-vented bulbul
13 Cream-vented bulbul
14 Warbler (1)
15 Striped tit-babbler
16 Chestnut-winged babbler (at least 2)
17 Orange-bellied flowerpecker
18 Crimson sunbird
19 Dark-necked tailorbird (heard)

BBNP
20 Banded woodpecker
21 Lineated barbet
22 Red-crowned barbet
23 White-throated kingfisher
24 Collared kingfisher
25 Blue-tailed bee-eater
26 Dollarbird
27 Violet cuckoo (1 pair)
28 Blue-crowned hanging parrot (3)
29 Peregrine falcon (1)
30 Changeable hawk eagle (1)
31 Rock pigeon
32 Blue-winged pitta (1)
33 Black-naped oriole
34 Common iora
35 Dark-sided flycatcher (1)
36 Brown-streaked flycatcher (1)
37 Asian brown flycatcher (1)
38 Straw-headed bulbul
39 Rufous-tailed tailorbird
40 White-crested laughing thrush
41 Scarlet-backed flowerpecker
42 Olive-backed sunbird
43 Plain-throated sunbird
44 Purple-throated sunbird

Changi Cove
45 White-bellied sea eagle
46 Brahminy kite
47 Black-winged kite
48 Eastern marsh harrier
49 Spotted dove
50 Zebra dove
51 Little egret
52 Cattle egret
53 Great egret
54 Common sandpiper
55 Wood sandpiper
56 Long-toed stint (about 15)
57 Sanderling
58 Little ringed plover
59 Kentish plover (1)
60 Lesser sand plover
61 Grey plover (2)
62 Oriental pratincole (2)
63 Barn swallow
64 House crow
65 Brown shrike
66 Zitting cisticola
67 Yellow wagtail (1)
68 Paddyfield pipit
69 Eurasian tree sparrow