BTNR 30Sep06
Summary
Today, there were 6 of us, Danny, JS, Kong, PC, Robert and
I. The destination was Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and we were on the look out for fruiting trees
and migrants, as well as uncommon residents. We took Sanapang Trail, left into
Lasia Track, left into Catchment Path which led us to the summit. The highlights were
a dark morph changeable hawk-eagle, which remained perched till we got sick of
it, and the grand finale at the summit with bulbuls, fairy-bluebirds, leafbirds,
warblers, flowerpeckers, paradise-flycatchers all feeding on the same tree. The
bird of the day got to be the stunning white morph Asian paradise flycatcher at
the summit.
Details
I met Danny and JS while they were having breakfast far out
of the carpark.
Asian glossy starlings were chattering in the trees,
barn
swallows catching insects and a
crimson sunbird landed on a branch right in
front of us. Then we spotted a rare green-shirted birder, and he was none other
than LKS. After Danny unloaded the camera and scope, we headed towards the
cycling trail. Kong has got a good spot in the carpark and PC was with him,
while Robert was still searching for a nice spot to park far out. So we headed
into the trail. It was quite an uneventful start. Nonetheless, the
laughingthrushes did entertain us with their noisy squabbling. A swarm of flies was
noted by Robert and a rat of some sort was running around on the forest floor.
Soon we reach the Sanapang-Lasia junction. This is quite a good spot. We could
see a dark morph
changeable hawk-eagle perched in a tree at a distance in the
opening. Danny got many shots of it as it went about its morning preen and call.
Noisy
racket-tailed drongos were calling away too. There was also a pair of
laced woodpeckers pecking away on the tree. Suddenly, a drongo mobbed the
hawk-eagle, but the raptor was not too concerned. It remained in the same tree
making its territorial call. The
took-took call of the
red-crowned
barbets kept us busy for a while, but despite lots of effort we could not see
them...
Proceeding on Lasia Track, we lost JS as he lagged behind looking for
warblers. Besides a female
yellow-rumped flycatcher and some
tailorbirds, there
were not many birds around. Stopping by the stream, we could only hear a
spiderhunter chatting but could not see it. By this time, Robert had to leave
for some errands. The rest of us carried on to the open Belukar Track. Besides a
large-billed crow high up on a tall tree, it was pretty quiet again. Taking the
Catchment Path without knowing where it leads, we found ourselves making a tough
ascent. We reached the junction to Cave Path perspiring and panting. Now the
tough decision. Do we carry on climbing up to the summit given that the fruiting
tree up there might have been depleted, or do we descend the Cave Path? Danny,
who has been carrying his scope all by himself said "ascent!" JS seconded it.
The rest of us who did not have such a heavy burden of course could not say no!
:) It was a great decision. On the way up, we met a female birder and she has
advised us to look out for a white morph Asian paradise flycatcher.
We were delighted to find that the tree was still full of fruits.
Immediately, with binos raised, we picked out
warblers (
Arctic,
eastern
crowned),
bulbuls (
olive-winged,
cream-vented,
black-crested),
flowerpeckers
(
orange-bellied,
scarlet-backed),
Asian fairy-bluebirds,
blue-winged leafbirds,
many typical morph
Asian paradise-flycatchers. No sign of the white morph yet.
Black-crested Bulbul ©Danny Lau
After more than 1 hour of scrutiny and various positions we tried to make
ourselves comfortable peering at the canopy, we thought we were done. Then JS
shouted, "white morph!" Despite much effort, Danny and I could only see it
zooming pass once. Soon it started raining... As we thought that was it for us,
the heavy rain turned into a slight drizzle and the bird came out briefly into
the open. It really was almost all white with a black head. Satisfied, we headed
downhill for a much desired lunch at the Bt Timah Hawker Centre.
By the time we reached the summit, it was 11 am and probably due to the gloomy
sky, the bird activities started late. Hence, we were lucky to catch the feeding
frenzy at its peak.
1 Common flameback (2)
2 Laced woodpecker (2)
3 Banded woodpecker (5h)
4 Red-crowned barbet (2h)
5 Emerald dove (1)
6 Pink-necked green-pigeon (>20)
7 Changeable hawk-eagle (1 dark morph)
8 Asian fairy-bluebird (4)
9 Blue-winged leafbird (2 male)
10 Large-billed crow (1)
11 Black-naped oriole (2)
12 Greater racket-tailed drongo (10)
13 Asian paradise-flycatcher (10 brown morph, 1 white morph)
14 Yellow-rumped flycatcher (1 female)
15 Common iora (1)
16 Asian glossy starling (>30)
17 Common myna (2)
18 Javan myna (10)
19 Barn swallow (10)
20 Straw-headed bulbul (1h)
21 Black-crested bulbul (1)
22 Yellow-vented bulbul (2)
23 Olive-winged bulbul (2)
24 Cream-vented bulbul (2)
25 Red-whiskered bulbul (1)
26 Common tailorbird (5)
27 Dark-necked tailorbird (5)
28 Arctic warbler (>10)
29 Eastern crowned warbler (5)
30 White-crested laughingthrush (8)
31 Striped tit-babbler (3-5)
32 Orange-bellied flowerpecker (2)
33 Scarlet-backed flowerpecker (1)
34 Olive-backed sunbird (1)
35 Crimson sunbird (1)
36 Little spiderhunter (1h)
Dark morph Changeable Hawk-eagle ©Danny Lau
