Choa Chu Kang Cemetery 15Apr18

From Con

Just got the Black Kite at Christian Cemetery :-)

The grounds keepers at the cemetery throw food scraps on the big lawn. The kites come for breakfast! Yesterday the black kite showed up around 8:30. Today around 10. Lucky I just arrived!

Turut Track, CCK Cemeteries, JEG, Tuas 10Jan15

From KH

Today's raptors:

1) Turut Track: 4 Black Bazas, 1 adult GHFE, 1 WBSE, 1 Brahminy Kite
2) Choa Chu Kang Cemeteries: 1 juv male pale OHB, 1 adult GHFE, 1 BWK, 1 adult Brahminy Kite
3) Jurong Eco Garden: 1 pair of adult GHFE, 1 Black Baza
4) Tuas: 3 BWK, 1 adult WBSE

Other notables:

1) Turut Track: 1 Lanceolated Warbler (heard), 3 Black-browed Reed-warblers
2) Choa Chu Kang Cemeteries: 1 Ruddy-breasted Crake, 1 Red-wattled Lapwing
3) Jurong Eco Garden: 1 Drongo Cuckoo
4) Tuas: 1 adult Barn Owl

With Con and Danny.

Black Baza at Turut Track

Juvenile pale male Oriental Honey-buzzard at CCK Cemeteries

Adult Brahminy Kite with something in talons at CCK Cemeteries

Grey-headed Fish-eagles interacting at Jurong Eco Garden

NTL2, CCK Cemeteries 15Feb14

From KH

Con, Danny, JS and I went to NTL2 because we heard it is a good place for sniping. At the entrance, we were surprised to see a Blue-throated Bee-eater. Apparently, this migrant breeder have been found year round in Singapore, although the majority do migrate after breeding months.

Near the entrance, we also added two singing cuckoos to Con's Big Year list - Little Bronze and Plaintive.

The marsh was really dry, but Purple Swamphens, Common Moorhens and a non-breeding pond-heron were still making the best of what was there. Two Watercocks were spontaneously flushed from the reeds. Black-browed Reed-warblers, Yellow Bitterns and Ruddy-breasted Crakes were also around.

Then someone shouted "harrier!" It turned out to be a juvenile Eastern Marsh-harrier. By now, it was late morning and getting hot, but still no snipe.

Juvenile Eastern Marsh-harrier ©Lau JS

On the way out, in the drain, we saw a pair of Blue-eared Kingfishers, a Slaty-breasted Rail and two snipes! They appear to be a Swinhoe's/Pintail. Oh well...

Next stop, Bollywood drain. First, we unknowingly flushed a few snipes from the drain. Then, another singing cuckoo caught our attention. This time a Banded Bay.

After lunch at NTU, we headed to CCK Cemeteries. Our mission once again was to look for snipes. Sure enough, 4 individuals were spotted in a grass patch. We spent 2 hours observing them, hoping they would fan their distinctive tail. They turned out to be Pintail Snipes. This was a dry grass patch, so it seems Pintail Snipes do like dryer ground.

Pintail Snipe ©Con Foley

Also present were Slaty-breasted Rail, Cinnamon Bittern and Asian Palm-swift.

Asian Palm-swift ©Lau JS

Changi, Singapore Quarry, CCK Cemeteries, Pulau Punggol 20Feb10

From KH

Summary of yesterday's raptor-watch:

Danny, JS and I went to Changi hoping for a great airshow, but the sky was overcast (for the whole day!) and most raptors were reluctant to soar. Nevertheless, the male EMH had to feed and was doing his rounds at Tanah Merah grassland. So were some BWKs. Other notables were 10 RR Swallows, 2 of which were perching on the ground in the NEWater compound! This is our first time seeing this species perched.

At LP170, a pale morph Common Buzzard was on its usual perch, but no sign of its companion. Within our Changi playground itself, it was a tough morning searching for raptors, but we still managed 9 species.

An interesting incidence was the male EMH flying towards Changi Airport. All this while, we haven't seen it on this side of the area. Perhaps it was time for it to hitch a ride home.

Male Eastern Marsh-harrier ©Tan KH

Oriental Honey-buzzard ©Tan KH

After lunch, we headed for Martii's new playground - Sg Quarry. A GHFE increased our day's raptor (species) count to 10. Other interesting sightings here were the usual Little Grebes going on with their antics, a pair of Straw-headed Bulbuls at their usual location, a Black-capped Kingfisher also at its usual spot and a female Rufous Woodpecker.

At CCK Cemeteries, we encountered a male Japanese Sparrowhawk in action. It was chasing a swift when suddenly an oriole disrupted the hunt and chase the sparrowhawk away! The raptor was only very slightly larger than the oriole. Photos from JS.

Japanese Sparrowhawk chased by Black-naped Oriole ©Lau JS

Japanese Sparrowhawk ©Lau JS

Other interesting sightings here were a Cinnamon Bittern and a Coppersmith Barbet nest. By now, it was time to call it a day and I bid Danny and JS goodbye.

On the way home, not satisfies with the day's airshow, I decided to dropped by Pulau Punggol for the evening airshow. When I reached at 6:30 pm, the show had already started. The main group of raptors were on the coastal side of the area. Every so often, some Brahminy Kites would leave the main group and thermal up into the sky. Then they would glide all the way back to the coast again.

Brahminy Kites ©Tan KH

Sometimes, a few WBSEs would join them, always staying in a tight group with the kite. On one occasion, a Peregrine Falcon joined in the thermaling party, but kept its distance and circled below the kites and sea eagles.

On a few occasions, a dark morph Booted Eagle also joined in the thermaling party and like the falcon, it kept its distance and remain lower than the rest.

Booted Eagle ©Tan KH

The Osprey on the other hand did not join in the party once.

Soon it was 7 pm and time to go home. I did my last count - 34 raptors! Knowing that the falcon and osprey were long gone and there was at least 1 Booted Eagle and 5 WBSEs, the estimated number of Brahminy Kites is 28! As I drove away, the show was still going on. Glad that the weather did not affect the evening gathering and most of all, glad to end the day with 13 species of raptors!

Raptors sighted:

Changi
1) EMH 1 male
2) Common Buzzard 1 pale
3) OHB 1 pale immature
4) Black Baza 30 (1 flock of 5 and another of 25)
5) Japanese Sparrowhawk 1
6) CHE 1 dark adult, 1 pale juv
7) BWK >6
8) WBSE >2
9) Brahminy Kite >2

Sg Quarry
1) Black Baza 1
2) GHFE 1
3) CHE 2
4) WBSE 1 adult, 1 juv
5) Brahmny Kite 2

CCK Cemeteries
1) Japanese Sparrowhawk 1 male
2) Black Baza 1
3) Brahminy Kite 2

Pulau Punggol
1) Booted Eagle 1 dark
2) Osprey 1
3) Peregrine Falcon 1
4) WBSE 5
5) Brahminy Kite 28!

CCK Cemeteries 1Nov09

From Danny

Exhumation exercise ongoing at Choa Chu Kang Cemeteries. In favour of forthcoming Raptor Watch Sunday, picked out 5 Oriental Honey Buzzard thermalling up around 5 pm. Another OHB was sighted later far away over Johor Straits around 6 pm.

Hindhede, CCK Cemeteries, Kranji 16Oct09

From GC

Just walked one round through Hindhede this morning. Was attracted to one calling Little Spiderhunter which remained perched for some time giving good views.

One of the Figs at the BTNR car park is fruiting and there were about 200 AG Starlings, I estimate 60% are juveniles.

Heard a hornbill calling, but the staff said that it was from the captive bird. The free flying (escapee) Rhino Hornbill has not been seen for 4-5 months.

At Choa Chu Kang Cemeteries, there was an adult Brown Shrike. Over at Kranji Reservoir, there were about 30 White-winged Terns and 30 Little Terns. Also, an immature WBSE and a calling (unseen) Changeable Hawk Eagle.

There was also a Changeable Hawk Eagle pale morph flying across Lim Chu Kang Rd with a clump of grass in its claws.

White-winged Tern

CCK Cemeteries 16May09

From Danny

I went to Jalan Bahar and CCK cemetery area, heard Banded Bay Cuckoo but did not respond to playback (managed to load calls to my handphone).

More signs of nesting successes, see pic. of juv. Pacific Swallow.

The day hi-lite was sighting of 2 recently fledged Rufous Woodpeckers, both were pretty static, noisy & clueless and follow the direction of a 3rd Female Adult. Tried but unable to locate the ant nest (rufous woody nest in ant nest not tree hole).

MacRitchie, Lower Peirce, Springleaf, CCK Cemeteries, Mandai 21Feb09

From KH

I went with Danny to MacRitchie hoping to catch the Bat Hawk before dawn, but the bird did not show. On the boardwalk, we saw a Grey Nightjar sallying for insects. It would fly off and then come back to the same branch for a few times before it finally decided to disappear for good. I read somewhere that Grey Nightjar likes to perch parallel to the branch.

A Brown Boobook as calling but did not show. Also calling but not showing were Abbott's Babblers and Short-tailed Babblers. Other noteworthy birds here were a female Siberian Blue Robin in the undergrowth and a Grey-rumped Treeswift flying high.

Tinfoil Barbs are native freshwater fish and they are abundant in the reservoir.

Then, it was time for breakfast. After that, we dropped by the Yellow Saraca at Lower Peirce for the Purple-throated Sunbird. Several photographers were waiting around the tree, but the birds were few and far between. While walking to the tree, I spotted a Common Snakehead in the reservoir. This is the most common species of snakehead you'll encounter in Singapore.

We went to the Lower Peirce boardwalk from 0930-1045 for the famous Lesser Mousedeer and got more than I bargained for. When we reached the stream, two photographers were already there and a stench was in the air. Not that the photogs stank though! They pointed out the two softshell turtles lying motionless at the edge of the reservoir. One of them was very dead and bloated, while the other although still alive did not look very well.

Asian Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea)

Another photog pointed out that there was another dead turtle behind and a Water Monitor was feeding on it.

Soon, another monitor appeared and we all thought it was going for the first dead turtle. However, to our surprise, it crawled pass the first two turtles and headed straight for the one behind! Was it trying to save the trouble of ripping open a 'fresh' carcass? And as you can see from the photo below, the turtle that is alive did not even attempt to hide its head. Something must apparently be wrong with the water condition here...

Back to the monitors. The first monitor was larger and it managed to chase the scheming opponent away. The photo below shows the first monitor strolling pass the two turtles back to its bounty.

Then I spotted the Lesser Mousedeer I came here for. It was interesting observing it moving stealthily in the undergrowth. It would take a few steps, stay still for a short while, and then repeat the sequence. Soon, all the photogs in the vicinity where congregating at the spot. Time to exit to a less crowded place. Our lovely mammal has a distinctive scar on it. Can you see it?

There was also an Orange-headed Thrush, an Arctic Warbler, a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a dark morph Changeable Hawk-eagle in the vicinity.

Recently, there was a Jerdon's Baza sighting at Springleaf, so we were off to the location. We did not see the Baza, but got this common bird - Pacific Swallow.

The next spot that the Jerdon's Baza had been encountered was Choa Chu Kang Cemeteries. We did not see the rare baza again, but we got the common one - Black Baza.

There were also the resident White-bellied Sea-eagles and Brahminy Kites.

A pair of Red-wattled Lapwings had took residence on an open grass patch. They allowed us to get close as long as we stayed in the car.

Here are some of the other birds seen at the cemeteries (clockwise from top left): Brown Shrike, Coppersmith Barbet, Paddyfield Pipit, male Little Bronze Cuckoo.

At about 1430, rain started to pour in the West and it was time to stop birding. On my way home, I passed by Orchidville and there was no rain here. So I decided to continue. To my surprise, a Forest Wagtail was perching on the railing right outside Orchidville.

Further down the road, two birds were making a lot of noise. It was a Black-naped Oriole whacking a male Asian Koel and the oriole actually took a feather off the koel! In the photo below, the black piece is the koel feather.

SBG, Poyan, CCK Cemeteries, SBWR 03Jan09

We started off at the drain beside Tyersall Avenue lot 33. The Botanic Gardens was pretty noisy with the morning crowd. Nevertheless, we could still see a juvenile Red-legged Crake dashing across the path and a Greater Coucal calling away.

Next up was Poyan. We came looking for the Chestnut-winged Cuckoo that Danny saw on 1Jan09, but not a single cuckoo was in sight. However, a pair of Blossom-headed Parakeets were sighted. If they breed successfully, we could have another bird added to the checklist! The male has a pinkish head, while the female a purplish one. They are really pretty birds indeed.

Male and female Blossom-headed Parakeet ©Danny Lau

Other parakeets present were 4 Rose-ringed Parakeets and >20 Red-breasted Parakeets.

The most exciting moment of the day was when a pale morph Booted Eagle flew across Lim Chu Kang Road <1m above Danny's car. It must have been perching in the cemetery area before our encounter. It then thermaled up and disappeared into the sky. This was the first time we saw the 'spotlights' on the shoulders of the Booted Eagle.

Booted Eagle ©Tan KH

Other raptors present in the vicinity were:
Oriental Honey-buzzard 2
Black Baza 3
White-bellied Sea-eagle 1 adult
Brahmny Kite 1 adult, 1 juv

Oriental Honey-buzzards ©Tan KH

The afternoon session was at SBWR. On the boardwalk from the carpark to the SBWR entrance, Danny spotted a large dragonfly (Epophthalmia vittigera). It's more than 7-8 cm long.

Epophthalmia vittigera ©Tan KH

Within SBWR, there wasn't anything special, just the usual waders. We tried the mangrove boardwalk near the SBWR entrance for the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, but it was totally quiet. However, we did see the bird that we only heard in the morning - a Greater Coucal.

Final stop of the day was at the KNT boardwalk. We are glad to announce the arrival of the Black-headed Gull for this season. There was only 1 gull among the >10 Great Crested Terns.

Black-headed Gull ©Danny Lau

Great Crested Tern ©Danny Lau

Poyan, CCK Cemeteries 26Jan08

Danny and I started the day at one of our favourite playground, Poyan, and ended up at Choa Chu Kang Cemeteries with our mega prize, a pair of Jerdon's bazas!

Poyan as usual is quite a good site with some good birds. Birds of note are

• Indian Cuckoo
• Violet Cuckoo
• Olive-backed Sunbird - nesting
• Changeable Hawk Eagle
• Lineated and Coppersmith Barbets - still looking for the possible Red-crowned Barbet in Poyan...
• Straw-headed Bulbul - a pair singing loudly away
• A possible albino myna which doesn't mixed with the typical Javan Mynas
• Ashy Minivets
• Asian Brown Flycatchers
• Black Bazas
• Common Snipe - 1 single disoriented bird flew in at CCK Cemeteries while we were all eyes on the Jerdon's Bazas

Common Snipe

Jerdon's Baza

This is the report we submitted to WildbirdSingapore on the Jerdon's baza:

"This morning (26Jan08 Sat) at 11am, we were birding along CCK Chinese Cemetery Path 21 when two Jerdon's Baza were spotted perched openly on an Albizia. Before we could take a shot of the pair, a Brahminy Kite came along and mobbed one of them which took off. The remaining baza didn't, until a few minutes later, when it also disappeared into the mid canopy.

Fortunately, several minutes later, it came out from hiding and landed on another Albizia. For the next half hour, it would continue to fly to nearby perches and remain there for minutes, always at mid canopy level.

At one point, it took a low flight and kind of clumsily crashed into a low leafy tree with yellow flowers. It shook up the tree before struggling free with something in its bill (notice the barely visible nictitating membrane in the last photo). Subsequently, it landed on a branch, secured and in its bill was a changeable lizard. It toyed with its lunch before swallowing it head-first. Guess it was yummy - held its lunch for a while with its long tail dangling out of the bill before gulping it down."

These are our records for this rare raptor which is newly added into the Singapore bird checklist.

1-2 Jan 07 - CCK cemetery - Danny/JS
30 Nov 07 - Chinese Garden - Con
26 Jan 08 - CCK cemetery - Kok Hui/Danny