Bukit Timah Nature Reserve 29Mar25

From KH

Danny and I went to Bukit Timah Summit today. Male Blue-and-white Flycatcher that was seen here since 24 Mar 2025 was still around.

A huge kettle of Black Bazas was then seen thermalling on their way home, while an Oriental Honey-Buzzard tagged along.

Here's another OHB later.

Decorative Vleispider hiding the the bush.

Hindhede, Bukit Timah 08Jun24

From KH

Danny, JS and I went to Hindhede Nature Park today. Nice to see a Collared Scops-Owl devouring a Double-spotted Gecko.

Time for health check, i.e. scale Bukit Timah Hill. Nice to get a male Asian Fairy-Bluebird.

Wagler's Pit Viper hanging out on Bandicoot Berry.

Bukit Timah, Pulau Ubin 27Apr24

From KH

Danny and I went to Bukit Timah summit, our annual health check.

Just the usual forest birds at the fruiting Benjamin's Fig.

And a female Wagler's Pit Viper in one of the bushes.

Soon, news of female Scarlet Minivet broke on Pulau Ubin, so off we went.

No minivet, but Black-and-red Broadbill still around. Yes, that blur blob in the middle.

Hindhede, Bt Timah 25Nov23

From KH

Danny, JS and I started off at Hindhede Nature Park. Nothing much here.

We then scaled Bukit Timah Hill, again nothing much. So zero shutter count for me, just one of those days..

BTNR 29Nov21

From KH

Bukit Timah Summit fig tree is fruiting again, time to climb hill.

Cinereous Bulbul and shy Black-crested Bulbul.

Very shy Eyebrowed Thrush.

Male Asian Fairy Bluebird.

Male and female Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers.

Immature female Ornate Sunbird.

Darky Plushblue.

Dusky-winged Forest-Nomia Bee on Singapore Rhododendron.

Bush and grass.

HNP, BTNR 11Jun21

From KH

Late afternoon walk around Hindhede Nature Park turned up a rather skittish Red-legged Crake.

After that, did my "annual health check" to the Bukit Timah Summit and got down in one piece. I guess I passed.

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

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve 19Jan19

From KH

JS and I spent a few hours at the summit.

The most interesting find was a young Wagler's Pit Viper.

1. Thick-billed Pigeon 8
2. Jambu Fruit-Dove 1
3. swiftlet sp. 5
4. House Swift 1
5. Asian Palm-Swift 1
6. Banded Woodpecker 0 - Heard
7. Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot 2
8. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1
9. Black-crested Bulbul 2
10. Red-eyed Bulbul 4
11. Arctic Warbler 1
12. Dark-necked Tailorbird 0 - Heard
13. Oriental White-eye 0 - Heard
14. Asian Fairy-bluebird 6
15. Asian Brown Flycatcher 2
16. Greater Green Leafbird 3
17. Lesser Green Leafbird 2
18. Yellow-vented Flowerpecker 2
19. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 2
20. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker 4
21. Crimson Sunbird 1

BTNR, Ridley Park, SBG 05May18

From KH

Con and I went looking for the female Great Slaty Woodpecker that was first seen on 2 May 2018 near the Bukit Timah summit. Danny and JS could not join us as it was JS's bird day. Today, she was still there! This species was extirpated in Singapore and now it is back. Good news for Singapore.

This immature male Greater Green Leafbird was feeding on the figging tree at the summit.

This male Crimson Sunbird was fighting his reflection in the car window!

When I initially saw this, I thought it was a slug. On closer examination, it turned out to be a marching contingent of Dark-winged Fungus Gnats (Family Sciaridae) maggots! You got to watch the video to believe it!

1. 2 Thick-billed Pigeon
2. 1 Jambu Fruit-Dove - Female, immature
3. 1 Plaintive Cuckoo - Heard
4. 1 Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo - Heard
5. 20 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 1 Lineated Barbet - Heard
7. 1 Banded Woodpecker
8. 1 Common Flameback - Heard
9. 1 Great Slaty Woodpecker
10. 1 Long-tailed Parakeet
11. 1 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot - Heard
12. 1 Black-naped Oriole
13. 1 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
14. 1 Straw-headed Bulbul - Heard
15. 2 Olive-winged Bulbul
16. 1 Red-eyed Bulbul
17. 1 Dark-necked Tailorbird
18. 1 Rufous-tailed Tailorbird - Heard
19. 3 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
20. 15 Asian Glossy Starling
21. 1 Common Hill Myna - Heard
22. 3 Javan Myna
23. 2 Greater Green Leafbird - In fig tree
24. 2 Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

We continued out Big Day at Ridley Park for the elusive White-bellied Woodpecker that was reportedly seen here recently, but remained elusive.

Dark morph Changeable Hawk-eagle

1. 1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle
2. 1 Brahminy Kite
3. 1 Large-tailed Nightjar
4. 1 dark swiftlet sp.
5. 1 Collared Kingfisher
6. 1 Lineated Barbet
7. 2 Rose-ringed Parakeet
8. 1 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
9. 2 Common Iora
10. 3 Black-naped Oriole
11. 3 Yellow-vented Bulbul
12. 2 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
13. 3 Asian Glossy Starling
14. 10 Javan Myna
15. 2 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
16. 1 Olive-backed Sunbird

Last stop for birding today was Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Male Oriental Magpie-robin

1. 6 Red Junglefowl (Domestic type)
2. 1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle - Heard
3. 10 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
4. 3 Spotted Dove
5. 1 Collared Kingfisher
6. 1 Coppersmith Barbet - Heard
7. 1 Lineated Barbet - Heard
8. 1 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot - Heard
9. 2 Common Iora
10. 4 Black-naped Oriole
11. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
12. 1 Olive-winged Bulbul
13. 2 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
14. 3 Oriental Magpie-Robin
15. 10 Asian Glossy Starling
16. 5 Javan Myna
17. 4 Olive-backed Sunbird

Rifle Range, BTNR, Hindhede 03Feb18

From KH

Danny, JS and I started at Rifle Range today.

Dark-sided Flycatcher

Male Greater Green Leafbird

Red-crowned Barbet singing away

Male Thick-billed Pigeon with Asian Glossy Starling

Rifle Range
1. 7 Pink-necked Pigeon
2. 1 Thick-billed Pigeon
3. 1 Chestnut-bellied Malkoha
4. 1 Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo
5. 15 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 1 Gray-rumped Treeswift
7. 2 Blue-throated Bee-eater
8. 1 Dollarbird
9. 1 Red-crowned Barbet
10. 1 Banded Woodpecker
11. 7 Blue-rumped Parrot
12. 1 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
13. 3 Long-tailed Parakeet
14. 3 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
15. 1 Amur/Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher
16. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
17. 3 Olive-winged Bulbul
18. 1 Red-eyed Bulbul
19. 1 Eastern Crowned Warbler
20. 1 Dark-necked Tailorbird
21. 1 Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
22. 6 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
23. 1 Chestnut-winged Babbler - Heard
24. 1 Dark-sided Flycatcher
25. 2 Asian Brown Flycatcher
26. 1 Siberian Blue Robin - Female
27. 25 Asian Glossy Starling
28. 2 Common Hill Myna
29. 10 Javan Myna
30. 2 Greater Green Leafbird - A pair
31. 3 Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
32. 3 Van Hasselt's Sunbird
33. 2 Crimson Sunbird
34. 1 sunbird sp. - A female gathering nesting material

Next, we moved on to Bukit Timah Cave Trail and found a Spiny Terrapin feeding on jackfruit-like fruit, as well as a stingless bee Tetrigona apicalis Hive.

Bukit Timah Cave Trail
1. 1 Red Junglefowl - Heard
2. 1 Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Heard
3. 1 Lineated Barbet - Heard
4. 1 Banded Woodpecker - Heard
5. 2 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - Heard
6. 1 Straw-headed Bulbul - Heard
7. 1 Arctic Warbler - Heard
8. 1 Dark-necked Tailorbird - Heard
9. 2 Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
10. 2 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler - Heard
11. 2 Asian Glossy Starling
12. 1 Common Hill Myna - Heard

Con joined us for lunch and we then adjourn to Hindhede Nature Park.

Sleepy pair of Brown Boobook

Straw-headed Bulbuls taking a bath in broad daylight

"Kiss me, mummy!" said the Red-eared Slider

Hindhede Nature Park
1. 1 Red Junglefowl - Heard
2. 1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle - Heard
3. 1 Red-legged Crake
4. 2 Brown Boobook - A pair
5. 20 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 2 Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Heard
7. 1 Dollarbird
8. 2 Lineated Barbet - Heard
9. 1 Common Iora - Heard
10. 1 Black-naped Oriole - Heard
11. 1 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - Heard
12. 4 Straw-headed BulbulSensitive
13. 1 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
14. 5 Asian Glossy Starling
15. 1 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker - Heard