NTHL, Turut Track, LCK Lane 3 18Jul20

From KH

Danny, JS and I started off at Neo Tiew Harvest Lane for the Hummingbird Hawkmoths (Macroglossum sp.) and they were doing their rounds probing every African Coromandels in a circuit.

This branded swift (Pelopidas sp,) also like the same type of flower, African Coromandel.

On the other hand, Lesser Darts preferred to either hang out alone or be in copulation.

This caterpillar was getting ready to hide in its cocoon to pupate.

Dingy Bushbrown and Rufous-legged Grasshopper.

Grass sp. and Neptunia plena.

It seemed like these Asian Openbills have decided to take up permanent residence in Singapore!

The star birds here are the cuckoos and their poor hosts. Here's a juvenile Rusty-breasted Cuckoo begging foster parent Malaysian Pied-fantail for food.

Juvenile Banded Bay Cuckoo calling out to its foster parents, Common Ioras. Here you can see this poor female Common Iora working very hard to feed its gigantic baby...

Interestingly, this adult Banded Bay Cuckoo was drawn in by the juvenile's incessant begging call. Perhaps its one of the real parents.

NTHL

1. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
2. Red Collared-Dove 2
3. Spotted Dove 5
4. Pied Imperial-Pigeon 5
5. Lesser Coucal 1
6. Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 - Fed by ioras
7. Brush Cuckoo (Rusty-breasted) 1
8. dark swiftlet sp. 10
9. White-breasted Waterhen 1
10. Red-wattled Lapwing 1
11. Asian Openbill 6
12. Purple Heron 1
13. Intermediate Egret 1
14. Little Egret 1
15. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 1 - Heard
16. Brahminy Kite 1
17. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1
18. White-throated Kingfisher 1
19. Blue-throated Bee-eater 4
20. Sunda Woodpecker 1
21. Common Flameback 1
22. Rose-ringed Parakeet 4
23. Red-breasted Parakeet 6
24. Long-tailed Parakeet 5
25. Common Iora 4
26. Malaysian Pied-Fantail 1
27. House Crow 10
28. Large-billed Crow 2
29. Ashy Tailorbird 4
30. Zitting Cisticola 1 - Heard
31. Pacific Swallow 2
32. Sooty-headed Bulbul 1
33. Yellow-vented Bulbul 5
34. Asian Glossy Starling 10
35. Javan Myna 5
36. Brown-throated Sunbird 1
37. Olive-backed Sunbird 4
38. Golden-backed Weaver 10
39. Chestnut Munia 3

Next stop, Turut Track. Common Scarlet - female and male.

More Dingy Bushbrowns.

Turut Track

1. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
2. Spotted Dove 5
3. Zebra Dove 2
4. Lesser Coucal 3
5. White-breasted Waterhen 1
6. Asian Openbill 17
7. Black-winged Kite 1
8. Brahminy Kite 2
9. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 2
10. Common Flameback 2
11. House Crow 5
12. Ashy Tailorbird 2
13. Pacific Swallow 7
14. Yellow-vented Bulbul 2
15. Asian Glossy Starling 10
16. Javan Myna 5
17. Baya Weaver 2

At Lim Chu Kang Lane 3, House Crows above were agitated by the Large-billed Crow below, but did not dare attack it.

We were surprised to see 3 migrant Wood Sandpipers in the longkang. However, it's not an early date.

This migrant Australian Little Egret was also a surprise, but again probably not an early date either.

More Asian Openbills.

Finally, 2 Zebra Doves, 2 Spotted Doves and 3 Javan Mynas enjoying a late morning get-together.

LCK3

1. Spotted Dove 4
2. Zebra Dove 2
3. White-breasted Waterhen 4
4. Greater Painted-Snipe 1
5. Wood Sandpiper 3
6. Asian Openbill 8
7. Little Egret 1
8. Brahminy Kite 1
9. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1
10. House Crow 10
11. Large-billed Crow 1
12. Pacific Swallow 1
13. Javan Myna 10
14. Javan Munia 2

Turut Track, Kranji Marsh 24Aug19

From KH

Danny and I started the day along Turut Track and got a dark morph Changeable Hawk-eagle resting its leg on a perch.

To the agitation of the nearby Long-tailed Shrike.

We also saw and heard a couple of Banded Bay Cuckoos.

JS joined us after his KNT survey and here's the full bird list for today.

1. Spotted Dove 5
2. Zebra Dove 10
3. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 2
4. Lesser Coucal 1
5. Asian Koel 1 - heard
6. Banded Bay Cuckoo 2
7. dark swiftlet sp. 50
8. House Swift 2
9. White-breasted Waterhen 5
10. White-browed Crake 1
11. Red-wattled Lapwing 8
12. Little Tern 2
13. Purple Heron 1
14. Great Egret 1
15. Little Egret 1
16. Oriental Honey-buzzard 1
17. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 2
18. Brahminy Kite 3
19. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 3
20. Gray-headed Fish-Eagle 2 - heard
21. White-throated Kingfisher 2
22. Collared Kingfisher 2
23. Blue-throated Bee-eater 5
24. Coppersmith Barbet 1 - heard
25. Lineated Barbet 1
26. Sunda Woodpecker 1 - heard
27. Common Flameback 1 - heard
28. Laced Woodpecker 1 - heard
29. Red-breasted Parakeet 20
30. Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot 2 - heard
31. Golden-bellied Gerygone 1 - heard
32. Pied Triller 1
33. Black-naped Oriole 5
34. Common Iora 5
35. Malaysian Pied-Fantail 2
36. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1
37. Long-tailed Shrike 2
38. House Crow 10
39. Large-billed Crow 2
40. Ashy Tailorbird 8
41. Yellow-bellied Prinia 1 - heard
42. Barn Swallow 1
43. Pacific Swallow 8
44. Straw-headed Bulbul 1 - heard
45. Yellow-vented Bulbul 8
46. Asian Glossy Starling 10
47. Javan Myna 5
48. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker 2
49. Brown-throated Sunbird 2
50. Olive-backed Sunbird 4
51. Golden-backed Weaver 5 - Used Nest
52. Common Waxbill 2
53. Chestnut Munia 5 - FY Feeding Young

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!

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