Ulu Sembawang, Sungei Buloh 12Aug23

From KH

This weekend, Danny, JS and I were on a mission to get JS his 2 lifers: Great Slaty Woodpecker and Black-and-red Broadbill. We started at Jalan Ulu Sembawang for the female Great Slaty Woodpecker that was first reported since 31 Jul 2023. Sure enough, she was still around and very vocal. In fact, she stayed until 18 Feb 2024!

Short-tailed Babbler was also very vocal. Yes, that blur blob in the middle is the babbler.

Next, Sungei Buloh for Black-and-red Broadbill. Sure enough, it was still around. In fact, it's the same individual that was ringed here in 2019.

Also got Lesser Adjutant in flight.

Buffy Fish-Owl at its usual spot at the entrance boardwalk.

Other animals include this Common Greenback and these Whitespots.

Mandai Hill 30Aug11

From Danny

Bird counts were pretty high though mostly common species. At the Grey-rumped Treeswift area, counted 3 adults and one juvenile perched on different trees. Refer pic of the juvenile with newly moulted primaries. Interesting to see the change in plumages from fledgling to juvenile. After 9.15 am all the Treeswifts left the area, presumably off to hunt. As I have seen them in the evening, think this is their roosting ground.

When Con msg me about Little Grebe chicks at Halus, I was trying to video a Violet Cuckoo fledgling being fed by host bird, Brown-throated Sunbird. The cuckoo perched high up near the crown of the tree and with backlit lighting, video quality is poor. Notice the young cuckoo has pale blue iris, orangey mandibles and practically no or short tail. Another observation, only the male sunbird was seen feeding the cuckoo?

One other interesting bird, a migrant, Grey Wagtail practically escorted me just after the Treeswift area till the main drive way leading to the entrance barrier. No signs of Whisky Treeswift though, maybe no moonshine in our forest.

Sungei Pandan, Mandai Hill 31Jul11

From Danny

I was at S. Pandan on Sunday around mid-morning. Counted 6 Common Redshanks, 1 Great-billed Heron, 1 Intermediate Egret, 1 Milky Stork, 3 Little Egrets and many Grey Herons but no sandy beach for plovers. 5 Little Bronze-cuckoos but no Horsfield's.

Went to forest at back of Mandai Hill camp on Sunday evening . Found 5 Grey-rumped Treeswifts at the same location where we last saw the fledging. They stopped flying around 6.15 pm and settled on two trees as per the 1st two pics. As far as GR Treeswifts, they do perch and roost at night.

Incidentally flushed a pair of adult WBSE on the way out, perhaps the same pair from CCK Park searching to move nest.

The last pic shows an immature curious looking male Brown-throated Sunbird checking out a hollow durian dangling in mid-air. Notice how clean the interior of the durian, the central core and seed chambers were all gone, with just more than half of the outer husk remained  and still dangled by its stem. On the same tree most of the fruits were similarly hollowed out. However, the fruits on the adjacent tree remained wholesome - possibly less tasty. I am just curious as the sunbird to find out who was such a neat & tidy durian lover.

I have seen squirrels attacking durians but they normally only leave behind small single opening on each fruit for woodpeckers & bulbuls to join in the feast. Flying foxes are known to nip holes on the fruit but not the way in the picture.

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Woodlands 20Jul11

From KH

My colleague picked up this juvenile Pied Triller and passed it to me. I fed it some sugared water and then called Andrew, who gladly helped to nurse it till it was ready to fledge. Thanks, Andrew!

Mandai Hill 07May11

Danny at Mandai Hill

Went to check out the Grey-rumped Treeswifts since only have 2 hrs to bird. Glad to report they were around. The juvenile has grown but still a shade smaller than papa as shown in pic., nevertheless the plumages have moulted closer  to the adult. In flight, only barrings on undertail, lower belly  and size help to separate it from the adult. In one of the pic., managed to capture 3 adults with another perched out of range, plus another in flight and juvenile perched on Rain Tree, total 6 birds!

Most of the Treeswifts were around the bare tree with the juvenile perched on the tall Rain Tree in front of it (in the approach direction). Take note below this Tall Rain Tree, I was harassed by a male Crimson Sunbird.

Typical nesting behaviour though I was distracted by the Treeswifts & unable to locate the nest but suspected a low tree next to a deflector stand which I placed some dry large leaves at base for your reference in case you drop by later. However, the sunbird nesting activity should be more active by next week.

This morning a lot of birds seen and heard, including the CHE call. The pair of LB Crows still noisy around their nest. However, there was no activities at the CHE nest but stayed only five minutes before JS's msg. me to leave.

Mandai Hill 24Apr11

From Con

Here are my pix from this morning of the Grey-rumped Treeswift.  Arrived at 7:10 am and both adults were in the same tree but flew off after a few minutes.  They didn't return with juvenile until almost 8 am.

They took juv on some flying lessons and daddy gave him a bug.  Then juv perched in the same leafy tree and just stayed there until 9:30 when I left.

I want to get juv in flight as his profile is very different, instead of pointy wings, his wingtips are rounded and shorter, but he still flys very well.

I think the family should be around for a couple more weeks as juv still has a lot of learning to do.  As you can see, he is also much smaller than pop.

Mandai Hill, Warren 22Apr11

From KH

In the morning, Con, Danny and I birded at Mandai Hill. In the afternoon, Danny and I continued at Warren. For the second time, we were caught in the rain at Warren...

Highlights at Mandai Hill:

1) Chestnut-bellied Malkoha - 3 birds foraging together
2) Greater Coucal - 1
3) Accipiter - 1 too high up to id

The rest are nesting records (also at Mandai Hill):

1) Grey-rumped Treeswift - adult seen feeding mottled chick.
2) CHE - adults (1 dark & 1 pale) in nest + a vocal dark immature perched nearby
3) Large-billed Crow - 1 pair, nest seen
4) Yellow-bellied Prinia - 1 bird seen collecting nesting material
5) Olive-backed Sunbird - Female making nest
6) Baya Weavers - making nests
7) Black-headed Munias - 2 adults with 4 juveniles

Mandai Hill

Warren

1) Changeable Hawk Eagle 3 (1 pair at nest (1 dark, 1 pale), 1 dark immature) 2) accipiter unid 1 3) Brahminy Kite 1 4) White-bellied Sea Eagle 2 subadult 5) Milky/Painted Stork 3 high in flight 6) Red-wattled Lapwing 2 7) Zebra Dove 3 8) Spotted Dove >5 9) Pink-necked Green Pigeon >10 10) Long-tailed Parakeet >5 11) Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 2 12) Violet Cuckoo 1 male 13) Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 h 14) Chestnut-bellied Malkoha 3 15) Greater Coucal 1 16) Swiftlet spp. 17) Grey-rumped Treeswift 4 (including 1 chick) 18) White-throated Kingfisher 1 19) Blue-throated Bee-eater >5 20) Dollarbird >3 21) Banded Woodpecker 1 h 22) Common Goldenback >2 (including 1 pair) 23) Laced Woodpecker 1 24) Lineated Barbet >1 h 25) Greater Racket-tailed Drongo >3 (including 2 juv) 26) Black-naped Oriole >3 27) Large-billed Crow 1 pair with nest 28) Common Iora >2 29) Asian Brown Flycatcher 1 30) White-rumped Shama 1 31) Asian Glossy Starling >30 32) Javan Myna >20 33) Yellow-vented Bulbul >5 34) Olive-winged Bulbul 1 35) Arctic Warbler 1 36) Dark-necked Tailorbird >1 h 37) Common Tailorbird >2 (including 1 pair) 38) Yellow-bellied Prinia 1 39) Striped Tit-babbler >2 40) Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker >2 41) Brown-throated Sunbird >1 42) Olive-backed Sunbird >1 43) Crimson Sunbird >1 44) Baya Weaver >5 building nests 45) Black-headed Munia 2 adult, 4 juv

1) Red Junglefowl 1 h 2) Changeable Hawk Eagle 1 3) Brahminy Kite 1 4) White-bellied Sea Eagle 1 5) White-breasted Waterhen 1 seen, 1 h 6) Ruddy-breasted Crake 1 7) Red-wattled Lapwing 1 8) Spotted Dove >5 9) Pink-necked Green Pigeon >20 10) Rusty-breasted Cuckoo 1 h 11) Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 h 12) Little Bronze Cuckoo 1 h 13) Asian Koel 1 14) Lesser Coucal 1 15) Swiftlet spp. 16) White-throated Kingfisher 1 17) Collared Kingfisher 1 18) Blue-throated Bee-eater >5 19) Dollarbird 1 20) Common Goldenback >2 (including 1 pair) 21) Laced Woodpecker >2 (including 1 pair) 22) Sunda Woodpecker 1 23) Greater Racket-tailed Drongo >1 24) Pied Triller >2 25) Black-naped Oriole >3 26) Large-billed Crow 1 pair 27) Common Iora >2 28) Oriental Magpie Robin 1 pair 29) Asian Glossy Starling >20 30) Javan Myna >20 31) Pacific Swallow >10 32) Yellow-vented Bulbul >5 33) Straw-headed Bulbul 3 34) Dark-necked Tailorbird >1 h 35) Common Tailorbird >1 h 36) Rufous-tailed Tailorbird >1 h 37) Yellow-bellied Prinia >1 h 38) Oriental White-eye 2 39) Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker >2 40) Brown-throated Sunbird >1 41) Olive-backed Sunbird >1 42) Baya Weaver >5 43) Black-headed Munia 2 44) Scaly-breasted Munia >5

Grey-rumped Treeswifts from Danny

Male with rufous ear coverts, female lacking the rufous.

Juvenile - back and side views

NTL2, Poyan, Mandai Hill, Sengkang 11Mar11

From KH

I was doing my afternoon CHE survey today and these are the highlights:
1) Schrenck's Bittern at Mandai Hill
2) Black-browed Reed-warbler at Sengkang Floating Wetland

NTL2:
Common Moorhen 4
Purple Swamphen 1
Slaty-breasted Rail 1
Red-wattled Lapwing >2
Yellow Bittern 2
Intermediate Egret 1
Plaintive Cuckoo 1 heard
Black-winged Kite 1
Brahminy Kite 2
No one home at CHE nest and GHFE nest
Ashy Minivets in breeding plumage

Poyan:
No one home at CHE nest

Jln Gemala:
Black Baza 1

Mandai Hill:
Schrenck's Bittern 1
Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo 1
WBSE 1 in flight
Figging tree with pigeons, starlings, mynas

Sengkang Floating Wetland:
Black-browed Reed-warbler 1 at Floating Island on Punggol River
Yellow Bittern 1

Changi, AMK, Pulau Punggol, Mandai 11Dec10

From JS

Here's the trip summary for today (More of raptor summary...):

Changi:
1) White-Bellied Sea-eagle (1)
2) Changeable Hawk-eagle (>3, including 1 dark morph adult, 1 pale morph adult and 1 pale morph juvenile)
3) Black Baza (4)
4) Common Buzzard (2)
5) Oriental Honey-buzzard (>3, including 1 pale morph juvenile and 2 pale morph adult)
6) Jerdon's Baza (7)
7) Black Kite (1)
8) Brahminy Kite (>5)
9) Black-winged Kite (>5, including 2 juveniles)
10) Japanese Sparrowhawk (>2)
11) Chinese Sparrowhawk (1)

The 7 Jerdon's Bazas were flushed by a lorry that passed by. Initially, 6 of them flew away, then another one joined them from behind. This is the largest flock sighted in Singapore! In spite of efforts to trace down the flock, we could only relocate 2-3 of them. Here's one of them being chased by bees! ©Lau JS

Jerdon's Baza and Japanese Sparrowhawk - who's chasing who? ©Lau JS

Another juvenile Japanese Sparrowhawk ©Lau JS.

Immature Black Kite ©Danny Lau

Other notable species: 1 Large Hawk cuckoo, 1 flushed Barred Buttonquail, 1 Savanna Nightjar roosting on the tarmac, 1 Common Iora pretending to be a munia and Yamane's lifer: Red-wattled Lapwing.

Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West:
1) Brahminy Kite (1)
2) Mugimaki Flycatcher (1 female)

Mugimaki Flycatcher from Danny.

Pulau Punggol:
1) Japanese Sparrowhawk (1 male)
2) Brahminy Kite (>7)
3) Black winged Kite (1)
4) Osprey (1)
5) White-Bellied Sea-eagle (2)
6) Changeable Hawk-eagle (1 pale)

Male Japanese Sparrowhawk ©Lau JS.

SLE, before Mandai exit:
1) Changeable Hawk-eagle (1 pale morph adult)

Mandai Rd, before turning into Mandai Lake Rd:
1) Changeable Hawk-eagle (1 dark morph adult)

Mandai, BBNP, SBWR 04Sep10

From KH

We started off at Mandai Road. There were Asian Glossy Starlings and Pink-necked Green-pigeons on a fruiting tree. The first interesting bird was an Abbott's Babbler which was very vocal. We heard a Crested Serpent-eagle and later a Changeable Hawk-eagle.

Although a common bird, we decide to pay more attention to the juvenile Greater Racket-tailed Drongo because it has a nice tail pattern. ©Danny Lau

A Stork-billed Kingfisher flew in and perch above us. It looked very wet, probably just had a bath in the nearby stream. ©Tan KH

We saw Violet Cuckoos calling the familiar tee-wit in flight. There were also many woodpeckers here: Common Flamebacks, Rufous Woodpeckers, Laced Woodpeckers and Banded Woodpeckers.

Next stop was Bukit Batok Nature Park. A close scrutiny at the staircase reveal nothing. Fortunately, some 20 m into the path we spotted some movement close to the undergrowth - a pair of Sunda Scops-owls. The time was about 10+ am. We stayed with the owls for at least half an hour, but they never gave us any clear view. ©Danny Lau

After the owls, everything was rather quiet, except for a juvenile pale morph CHE which was gliding across the quarry and calling its familiar whi-whi-whi-whiii.

When we arrived at SBWR, we found that the frond holding the Olive-backed Sunbird nest has fallen off. Fortunately, according to the staff, the chicks have fledged a few days before the frond fell. The Ashy Tailorbird, on the other hand, was still incubating. We checked out the hides and only common waders were present: Common Redshanks, Common Greenshanks, Whimbrels, PGPs and LSPs.

Fortunately, Copper-throated Sunbirds were there to keep us company. ©Tan KH

So were the supporting cast of Common Ioras. ©Tan KH

Although the uncommon waders were nowhere to be found, we decide to try out luck at the Main Hide again. Bingo, a Ruddy Turnstone was there to console us.

Finally, an Oriental Whip Snake was our last wildlife encounter for today. ©Danny Lau

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.