Japan 10Feb13

From Yamane

I had birding at Oi Wild Birds Park in Tokyo in this morning. I send some pictures(*).

Little Grebe
Great Cormorant *
Mallard *
Northern Shoveler *
Tufted Duck *
Common Pochard *
Black Kite *
Common Buzzard
Oriental Turtle Dove
Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker *
Japnese Pied Wagtail (White Wagtail)
Brown-eared Bulbul
Dusky Thrush
Pale Thrush *
Daurian Redstart *
Japanese Tit (Great Tit)
Japanese White-eye
Black-faced Bunting
Oriental Greenfinch
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
White-cheeked Starling *
Jungle Crow (Large-billed Crow)

Stagmont, Mandai Mudflat, Kranji, Warren, Little Guilin 2Aug08

Today's birding as below.

Main Highlights are:
1. Brahminy kite feeding on an eel/snake at Mandai Mudflat, and bird in talon at Warren.
2. Great Cormorant sunning itself with wings wide open at Mandai Mudflat.
3. Indian Silverbills at Kranji Nature Trail.
4. Early waders (2 Common Sandpipers) at SBWR.
5. 1 Smooth Otter at SBWR.
6. 4 Wild Pigs are Warren.
7. 5 species of raptors today, including the GHFEs at Little Guilin.

CCK (Stagmont Camp)
1. Sunda Woodpecker
2. Common Goldenback 2
3. Lineated Barbet 1
4. Asian Koel
5. Greater Coucal 1
6. Long-tailed Parakeet
7. Red-breasted Parakeet
8. Swiftlet spp.
9. Golden-bellied Gerygone heard
10. House Crow
11. Black-naped Oriole
12. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1
13. Common Iora
14. Asian Glossy Starling
15. Common Myna
16. Javan Myna
17. Pacific Swallow
18. Yellow-vented Bulbul
19. Oriental White-eye >5
20. Common Tailorbird
21. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
22. Plain-throated Sunbird
23. Olive-backed Sunbird
24. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Sungei Buloh
25. Common Sandpiper 2

Mandai Mudflat
26. Collared Kingfisher
27. Rock Pigeon
28. Brahminy Kite 2
29. Great Cormorant 1
30. Little Egret 1
31. Grey Heron
32. Striated Heron
33. Pied Fantail 1

Kranji Dam/Transmission Towers
34. Little Tern 2
35. White-bellied Sea-eagle 1 adult, 1 juv
36. Cattle Egret 1

Kranji Nature Trail
37. Dollarbird
38. White-throated Kingfisher
39. Blue-throated Bee-eater
40. Pink-necked Green-pigeon
41. Pied Triller
42. Ashy Tailorbird
43. Rufous-tailed Tailorbird 1
44. Indian Silverbill >10

Warren
45. Coppersmith Barbet 1
46. Lesser Coucal 1
47. Spotted Dove
48. Zebra Dove
49. White-breasted Waterhen
50. Red-wattled Lapwing 4
51. Changeable Hawk-eagle 1 dark
52. Zitting Cisticola heard
53. Yellow-bellied Prinia heard
54. Baya Weaver with nests
55. Javan Munia 2
56. Scaly-breasted Munia

Little Guilin
57. House Swift
58. Oriental Honey-buzzard 1 pale
59. Grey-headed Fish-eagle 1 adult, 1 juv
60. White-crested Laughingthrush heard

Photos from Danny

The Great Cormorant, non breeding, was sunning itself, very critical to keep dry before the next dive, dry plumages trapped air to maintain buoyancy. Look at the web feet, like giant paddles.

The prey of the Brahminy Kite looks like an eel. Maximum zoom.

Don't you dare laugh at my hairdo! Try posing at this height. I need stronger gel. (Grey-headed Fish-eagle)

Changi, Turuk Track, Mandai Mudflat 04Dec05

From Con

On sunday morning I went to Changi and saw a few usual raptors, including Black Baza. In the afternoon I was at Turut Track and saw the Barred Buttonquail. In the evening, I ran into Danny and Jia Sheng at the Mandai mudflats, and saw the Black-Headed Gull.

Black Baza ©Con Foley

Great Cormorant ©Danny Lau

Left to right: Common Greenshank, Whimbrel and Black-headed Gulls ©Danny Lau

Black-headed Gulls ©Con Foley

Black-headed Gull and Whimbrel ©Con Foley

This is the male Barred Buttonquail, but it incubates the eggs and rears the chicks single handedly. The nest is on the ground. This one must have stepped away from the nest briefly, and then a human (me) shows up and he goes into his act. He walks across the road very slowly, like walking through a minefield. He quivers on every step. Then once across, he lays down in the sandy verge and pretends to feed and take a sand bath. As soon as I move, he scurries off into the bush. From start to finish I watch him for 5 minutes, and he never takes his eyes off me. Clearly his instinct is to draw the predator away from the nest, pretending to be an injured bird.