Petai Trail 04Dec21

From KH

It's back to Petai Trail (am and pm).

Once again Arctic Warblers were omnipresent.

Eastern Crowned Warbler joined in the fun today. Note the orange lower mandible and yellowish vent. Crown stripe not visible here.

Immature Crow-billed Drongo also made an appearance.

And even a shy Little Spiderhunter.

Black-bearded Flying Lizard was quite common here. Twin-barred Tree Snake not so common.

This huge Asian Softshell Turtle was apparently waiting for handouts in the reservoir.

So were the Red-eared Sliders, like this one.

The reservoir is home to a variety of fishes, like this Whitespot and these Red-tailed Rasboras.

Here's a spider - Two-striped Telamonia.

A wasp: Ropalidia stigma

A damselfly: Telephone Sylvan.

Lots of butterflies.

Branded Imperial. Burmese Sailor.


Common Caerulean. Common Posy.


Malay Viscount

DFNP, HNP, NTHL 21Dec19

From KH

Con, Danny and I started the day's birding at Dairy Farm for the Thick-billed Flowerpeckers.

The Thick-billed Pigeons (female top, male bottom) were also around.

An Eastern Crowned Warbler joined in the fun, showing its yellow underpants.

While this Little Spiderhunter was hiding in the shade on a tree stump.

Wallace Education Centre

1. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 10
2. Thick-billed Green-Pigeon 10
3. dark swiftlet sp. 20
4. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 1 - heard
5. Banded Woodpecker 1 - heard
6. Black-naped Oriole 1
7. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1 - heard
8. Dark-necked Tailorbird 1 - heard
9. Straw-headed Bulbul 2
10. Olive-winged Bulbul 2
11. Eastern Crowned Warbler 1
12. Arctic Warbler 1
13. Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 2 - heard
14. Asian Glossy Starling 20
15. Javan Myna 10
16. Mugimaki Flycatcher 1
17. Thick-billed Flowerpecker 3
18. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 2 - heard
19. Olive-backed Sunbird 1 - male
20. Crimson Sunbird 1 - male
21. Little Spiderhunter 1

Moving on to Hindhede Nature Park, it was nice to see the Oriental Darter still around.

There were not one, not two, but three Sunda Colugos!

I suspect this is a Plantain Squirrel nest, but Danny thinks otherwise.

This Oriental Whip Snake was really close!

Nest of these Milky-tipped Stingless Bee (Tetrigona apicalis).

Hindhede Nature Park

1. Plume-toed Swiftlet 3
2. dark swiftlet sp. 20
3. Oriental Darter 1
4. Straw-headed Bulbul 2
5. Common Hill Myna 2 - heard
6. Crimson Sunbird 2

After lunch, Danny and I went to Neo Tiew Harvest Lane, and saw about 10 Asian Openbills left.

Neo Tiew Harvest Lane

1. Spotted Dove 2
2. Zebra Dove 1
3. White-breasted Waterhen 1
4. Asian Openbill 10
5. Yellow Bittern 1
6. Great Egret 1
7. Intermediate Egret 5
8. Little Egret 2
9. Striated Heron 1
10. Black Baza 1
11. Brahminy Kite 2
12. White-throated Kingfisher 2
13. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 1
14. Lineated Barbet 1
15. House Crow 5
16. Oriental Reed Warbler 1
17. Barn Swallow 20
18. Yellow-vented Bulbul 2
19. Asian Brown Flycatcher 1 - heard

BTNR 27Jan18

From KH

JS found a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler at BTNR Cave Path in the morning, so Con, Danny and I headed there for midday search.

Sakhalin Leaf Warbler ©Lau JS

Alas, we were too late and only got an Eastern Crowned Warbler and an Arctic Warbler.

Eastern Crowned Warbler ©Con Foley


Arctic Warbler ©Tan KH

There was also an immature Crow-billed Drongo around.

Crow-billed Drongo ©Tan KH

1. 1 Blue-tailed Bee-eater
2. 1 Black-naped Oriole
3. 1 Crow-billed Drongo - Immature
4. 1 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
5. 1 Olive-winged Bulbul
6. 1 Arctic Warbler
7. 1 Eastern Crowned Warbler
8. 1 Common Tailorbird
9. 1 Dark-necked Tailorbird
10. 2 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
11. 10 Asian Glossy Starling
12. 2 Javan Myna
13. 1 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.

York Road 20Oct13

From Danny

Went on my Sunday morning walk around York Road/Royal Road area, parked my car at the back gate of Eton Hall. Along York Road about 20 meters from Alexandra Road entrance, there was a large Banyan Tree (behind Lamp Post 7).The tree when fruiting typically attracts pigeons and starlings to feast on the fruits. This morning not fruiting but flowers attract insects and birds including migrants like warblers. I spent almost an hour trying to take pictures of the fast EC Warblers which at times flew down low due to the low hanging branches typical of Banyan Tree. They have intervals flying in like bird wave every 15 to 20 min intervals. Each wave consists of AB Flycatchers, Yellow-rumped FC, APFC, sunbirds, Oriental White-eyes and 3 species of warblers .

Refer to pics below, could see the differences between Eastern Crowned and Yellow-browed Warblers. The Yellow browed warbler has worn plumages, thin wing bars, thin pale fringes on tertials but lower mandible was orangey yellow with dark tip unlike the plain, clean, yellowish lower mandible of the EC warbler. The call heard was different from the thrills of the arctic warblers, more musical but no recording, as too busy trying to take pics. Proportionally the EC has longer tail.

Yellow-browed Warbler

Eastern Crowned Warbler