Telok Blangah 16Oct24

From KH

I went raptor watching at Telok Blangah Hill today.

1 of 4 Oriental Honey-Buzzards, an adult male.

Just 1 Chinese Sparrowhawk, a juvenile.

1 of 7 Japanese Sparrowhawks, a juvenile.

1 of 2 White-bellied Sea-Eagle, this one an immature.

When there is no raptor, what does one do? Entertain oneself with other birds.

Common Hill Myna couple showing loving side, when others (juvenile Asian Glossy Starling) are looking.

When no one's looking, they ignore each other.

Adult Asian Glossy Starlings joining to see show.

Lineated Barbet just gorging itself with fruits.

Upper Seletar, Sungei Buloh 18Jun22

From KH

Danny and I went to Upper Seletar and saw many butterflies, mostly attracted to the Bandicoot Berries (Leea indica).

Common Bluebottles. Tailed Jay

Five Bar Swordtail. Rustic

Cruisers seemed to prefer Pagoda Flower instead.

Common Posy and ants sharing a stalk.

Wasp also attracted to the berries.

Flatid planthopper nymph. Variable Sentinel.

Common Hill Myna feeding on Bhesa paniculata fruits.

A drenched Crimson Sunbird.

Next, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird couple were nesting. It was reported that this attempt eventually failed.

Apparently, they had had another failed nesting attempt previously under Burmese Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis) several metres high.

Common Tailorbird was also busy nesting, in a stitched Simpoh Air leaf, less than 1 metre above ground. Interesting that the female was doing all the work in the short 10-15 mins of observation. She brought the material, perched at the stalk before entering the nest from behind, laid the material, and went looking for more.

Punggol Waterway Park 30Mar-01Apr18

From KH

This Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo was very uncooperative, hiding deep in the wooded area.

The Coppersmith Barbets put on a better show. The male brought her a fruit to entice her into position. Smart bird!

Other birds present were the Common Hill Myna and Red-breasted Parakeet.

1. 2 Changeable Hawk-Eagle - Heard
2. 1 White-bellied Sea-Eagle - Adult
3. 3 Spotted Dove
4. 1 Asian Koel - Heard
5. 1 Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo - Adult
6. 10 dark swiftlet sp.
7. 2 Blue-tailed Bee-eater
8. 3 Dollarbird
9. 2 Coppersmith Barbet - Mating
10. 1 Sunda Woodpecker - Heard
11. 1 Common Flameback - Heard
12. 10 Red-breasted Parakeet
13. 1 Golden-bellied Gerygone - Heard
14. 2 Common Iora
15. 2 Black-naped Oriole
16. 2 House Crow
17. 1 Sooty-headed Bulbul
18. 2 Yellow-vented Bulbul
19. 1 Common Tailorbird
20. 1 Asian Brown Flycatcher - Heard
21. 1 Oriental Magpie-Robin - Heard
22. 1 Asian Glossy Starling
23. 1 Common Hill Myna
24. 2 Common Myna
25. 5 Javan Myna
26. 2 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
27. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird

Dairy Farm, Hindhede 11Feb17

From KH

Following yesterday's report of a male Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Con, Danny and I went Wallace Education Centre this morning, and sure enough the bird was there.

Before the star bird appeared, this distraction (Asian Brown Flycatcher) was keeping us occupied.

Other distractions include a pair of Chestnut-bellied Malkohas, a pair of Common Hill Mynas, and a slug.

On the way out, a confiding Emerald Dove was hanging out along the track. It has tags on its legs, which may explain its friendliness.

Then, a singing Eastern Crowned Warbler caught our attention. Key features: pale crown stripe, all-orangey lower mandible and yellowish vent.

Finally, a raptor flew overhead. It turned out to be a pale morph Changeable Hawk-eagle.

After lunch, Danny and I went to Hindhede Nature Park. Some of the common birds include a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and a female Laced Woodpecker.

At one of the shelters, there were about 10 Spotted House Geckos of various sizes.

A Plantain Squirrel was busy collecting nesting material scrapped off tree bark.

Finally, a pair of Common Treeshrews were scurrying near the forest floor. Compared to the squirrel, the treeshrew has a longer snout, longer gape, and lower ears. The latter also often have more rufous back and less bushy tail.

Jln Hang Jebat 10May09

From Danny

There were twin Common Hill Myna fledglings as per pic.

The 2nd pic depicts the nest hole of the Rainbow Lorikeet taken form the gravel path next to railway track (look out for the train hoots).

There were 3 Rainbow Lorikeets around and this individual in pic (overcast sky and backlit) was alone near the nest hole and flew off with the arriving pair. Typically Rainbow Lorikeet pair up for life & the 3rd bird likely immature, possibly a few months old.

Besides the usual Scaly-breasted Munias, there was a flock of White-headed Munias, across on the A. Hospital side. Flying noisily around were a flock of 5 Tanimbar Corellas.

Jln Hang Jebat 26Apr09

From Danny

Try to go to Normanton Park on Sunday, missed a turn and ended up at above which exactly opposite Alexandra Hospital across the railway line. There is a residential car park at end of road. You could drive down all the way to the Hang Jebat mosque via a small narrow path (a small sign arrow to the mosque). Tall bare tree directly behind mosque, stump of a broken branch, is nest of Common Hill Myna, one parent caught a changeable lizard for feeding the chick. Both parent observed always flying forth and back in pair - loving couple maybe first birth. At another branch, nest of dollar bird observed, feeding in progress. Many Dollarbirds in vicinity including juvenile being fed by adults.

Past Mosque but do not cross railway line, turn right and follow path to the right side of drain (path for resident to cross railway). Along path on the right of open drain/canal, behind the 1st blue top concrete bollard is a tree with broken thick branch, a pair of Collared Kingfisher nesting in tree hole.

About twenty feet from this blue top bollard, to your right is a tall tree with thick Y branch about 5 ft above ground. Step back to about ten feet from the bollard looks toward the tree, about 45 ft up, below another Y is a tree hole where the Rainbow Lorikeet nest. Pretty wary bird, spotted it for full fifteen minutes checking me out but refuse to return to nest until I moved away and just about out of sight, saw it flew into nest hole but did not re-appear for the next 5 minutes (late had to leave). Incidentally many nest holes around mostly Mynas but not surprise to include Coppersmith Barbets as there were many around.