Jurong Lake, Dairy Farm 29Feb20

From KH

Con, Danny, JS and I started the day's birding at Jurong Lake for the Brahminy Starling, and got it. What a confiding bird!

Jurong Lake Gardens

1. Spotted Dove 2
2. Zebra Dove 2
3. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 5
4. Pied Imperial-Pigeon 1
5. dark swiftlet sp. 10
6. Asian Palm-Swift 1
7. White-breasted Waterhen 1
8. Asian Openbill 2
9. Gray Heron 10
10. Intermediate Egret 1
11. Brahminy Kite 2
12. Buffy Fish-Owl 1
13. Collared Kingfisher 1
14. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 1
15. Black-naped Oriole 2
16. Brown Shrike 1
17. Yellow-vented Bulbul 4
18. Swinhoe's White-eye 2
19. Asian Glossy Starling 10
20. Brahminy Starling 1
21. Javan Myna 10
22. Asian Brown Flycatcher 2
23. Olive-backed Sunbird 2
24. Paddyfield Pipit 2
25. Coppersmith Barbet 1
26. Sunda Woodpecker 1
27. Laced Woodpecker 1
28. Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot 1
29. Common Iora 1
30. House Crow 5
31. Yellow-browed Warbler 2
32. Daurian Starling 2
33. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 2

Next, at Wallace Education Centre, we got, not one, but 2 Orange-headed Thrushes, one innotata and one from the aurimacula group.

On the way out, I encountered another very confiding bird, this Asian Emerald Dove.

Dairy Farm Nature Park

1. Asian Emerald Dove 1
2. Banded Woodpecker 1 - heard
3. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1
4. Dark-necked Tailorbird 1 - heard
5. Rufous-tailed Tailorbird 1 - heard
6. Orange-headed Thrush 2
7. Crimson Sunbird 1
8. Little Spiderhunter 1 - heard
9. Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot 1
10. Arctic Warbler 1
11. Swinhoe's White-eye 3
12. Asian Brown Flycatcher 1

Dairy Farm 17Jan20

From Con

Any thoughts which subspecies of Orange-headed Thrush? Apparently it is either melli or courtoisi or aurimacula ...

Singapore Botanic Gardens 28Jan10

From SY

Orange-headed Thrush

Hooded Pitta

Wandering Whistling-duck in front of Lesser Whistling-duck

Striated Heron

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Dollarbird

Male Common Kingfisher

Male Common Flameback

Singapore Botanic Gardens 06Jan10

From SY

Hooded Pitta

Orange-headed Thrush

Dollarbird

Male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

Hindhede 12-14Jan08

From Danny

Short update for Hindhede, a single OH Thrush and a family of 4 RL Crakes are back at the usual haunts as per last year - still a little shy, maybe 2 weeks more before they just hop in front of you.

The Laced WP and other local birds are showing signs of courtship and nest building - breeding season akan datang.

Laced Woodpecker making a nest, but dunno if it's a keeper or if he will abandon it ©Con Foley

From GC

Date: 13 Jan 08
Time 1000-1100
Weather: Cloudy

Arrived at Hindhede to the sound of a large group of people having team building activities. Looked around and located the beautiful OHT (which betrayed its presence with its singing) on the ground. Moving about on the ground, it sang for about 10 minutes, foraged a bit, sang a bit more, then settled to preen. It flew 3 or 4 times, some of which were to avoid foraging squirrels/treeshrews. Its flight is swift and direct. During 1 flight, it flew onto a branch at eye level. and preened itself a bit. Even when the big group of people moved near, the OHT doesn't seem too concerned.

Date: 14 Jan 08
Time: 1600-1700
Weather: Partly cloudy, then sunny

Quiet today, very few people. OHT did not sing today. Foraging on the ground, it 'poped' across the openings in the vegetation every now and then allowing for unblocked views. As I thought about its behaviour, the day before and today, I get this feeling that as it foraged nonchalantly, it was also curious and was observing me as much as I was observing it!

Venus Dr, Changi, Hindhede 10Feb07

From JS

We went to Venus Drive today for Robert's final bird outing before he leaves for the Middle-east.

Despite the nearby disturbance from groups of students, we were still able to spot a pair of short-tailed babblers, looks like the disturbance wasn't so disturbing after all. The dip was we failed to reach Jelutong tower, no regrets though. The forest was packed!

After looking through Craig Robson's Guidebook, I can conclude that there is 1 Asian house martin flying around the large fig tree. At that point of time, I have id the swallow-like bird as a Pacific swallow. However, no swallows have such a distinct white rump and the lack of colored throat. Compared with the nearby swiftlets, that lone martin had a notable broader tail and wing.

Tiger Shrike ©Lau JS

Back to the trip report, Robert left us at Venus Drive carpark and we went on to Changi Cove. Nothing special except a very dry grassland.

Kok Hui and Con bid farewell with my dad and I after lunch. We carried on birding at Hindhede. Crakes and thrushes was a common sight. There was simply nobody in the afternoon, so deserted until the thrushes fed on the pavement with the crakes. Never had such good view of them!

From Danny

After stingless bee hive, head straight just before the sandpit, to your left. Look thru' opening on ground. The large-tailed nightjar was spotted on the ground around 4 pm sunning itself thru' an opening where lights flow thru'. JS was about to take a 2nd shot when it wobbled up & disappeared into hiding, likely too hot. Around 5.30 pm it re-appeared at exactly the same spot!

Large-tailed Nightjar ©Lau JS

It's amazing the whole afternoon there was no birders except Sree who dropped in at 5 pm. The whole Hindhede only two of us with 3 OHTs, 3 RLCrakes, 2 straw-headed bulbuls, 1 WRShama but no pitta. We got very close to the OHTs and the RLCrakes, sometimes only about 6' away. At about 7.15 to 7.30 pm the 3 crakes promptly went down to the canal (where we found the rat snake) for their evening showers similar to SBG.

gibsonhilli. Prominent white-tipped median coverts and two black ear covert bars ©Lau JS

gibsonhilli's brush with death (monitor lizard in background) ©Lau JS

innotata. Lacks prominent white-tipped median coverts and two black ear covert bars ©Lau JS

More photos from Con

Left: Female gibsonhilli. Right: Male innotata. gibsonhilli has white-tipped median coverts and two black ear covert bars. Female has olive-grey upperparts, while male is bluish-grey. Also female is duller orange than male. Juvenile has rufous primary tips. ©Con Foley

There are 11 subspecies of orange-headed thrush! However, it is possible to identify the subspecies based on distribution. Only innotata and gibsonhilli are likely to winter in Singapore.

Indian subcontinent
citrina: W Pakistan to n Myanmar; winters to Sri Lanka
cyanota: Peninsular India (north to Gujarat and Andhra)

China & Indochina
melli: SE China (Fujian and n Guangdong)
courtoisi: E China (Anhui Province)
aurimacula: S Vietnam and Hainan

Malay Peninsula
innotata: S Myanmar to s China and Indochina; winters to Malaysia
gibsonhilli: Central Malay Peninsula (s Myanmar to s Thailand)

Islands
andamanensis: Andamen Islands
albogularis: Nicobar Islands
aurata: Mountains of n Borneo
rubecula: Java

SBWR, Mandai, Hindhede, Poyan 13Jan07

From JS

Last Saturday was a wet one with slight showers at dawn which subsided to light drizzle till before lunch, at 3 pm. As a result, there was only Con, Kok Hui, my dad and me. We covered SBWR, Mandai mudflat, Hindhede and Poyan. In terms of diversity, it was mere satisfaction but talking about the species seen, well, it was a fruitful Saturday.

SBWR was typical, very few species of waders, e.g. redshank, greenshank, common sandpiper, etc. However, we managed to see a few great crested terns, "rare" greater coucal and the 4 common kingfishers.

Singapore Vinegar Crab ©Tan KH

Red Junglefowl ©Tan KH

2nd stop of the day was Mandai Mudflat, 2 ospreys and a little cormorant were seen, the usual resident birds. No terns or gulls.

After some miserable birding at the mangrove and mudflats, we decided to try the present favourite birding spot, Hindhede. Within an area of 10 m², we saw all the birds that made Hindhede rather popular, 2 orange-headed thrushes, 1 female Siberian blue robin and a hooded pitta. Finally, after >5 trips to Hindhede, I have managed to digiscope a snake and the orange-headed thrush on a tree! Sadly, no shot of his friend and the beautiful hooded pitta.

Banded Woodpecker ©Tan KH

Orange-headed Thrush ©Lau JS

White-bellied Rat Snake ©Lau JS

Dragging our feet away from Hindhede, we had our lunch and headed for Poyan. No Jerdon's Baza to add on to the list. The most interesting bird was a juvenile Indian cuckoo with some adult features.

Juvenile Indian Cuckoo ©Lau JS

Hindhede, Tuas, Kranji, Punggol 30Dec06

From KH

Continuing last weekend's thrush saga at Hindhede, I decided to arrive earlier then our meeting time. At 7 am, the large-tailed nightjar and brown hawk owl were still calling. The great and rhinoceros hornbill pair were also calling and flying from the Hindhede side to the Sanapang side. Waiting at the right sandpit, a red-legged crake was seen crossing the trail. Soon Danny, JS and Robert arrived. Straw-headed bulbuls were singing away. A white-rumped shama was very vocal and offered us a long full view, while the emerald dove paid no attention to the shama or us as it foraged in the undergrowth. Soon Sree was on the scene too. The orange-headed thrushes were still present, but the hooded pitta and the other thrushes were nowhere to be seen. Although the blue-and-white FC was long gone, the Mugimaki FCs were still around.

Orange-headed Thrush ©Lau JS

Next, at Tuas grassland, we saw pintail snipes, a lone common greenshank, wood sandpipers, PGPs, a Chinese pond heron, red-wattled lapwings, paddyfield pipits, yellow bitterns, a subadult male Schrenck's bittern, a male watercock. JS flushed a savanna nightjar. Siberian stonechats and Pallas's grasshopper warblers were calling. I flushed an Oriental reed warbler, while JS saw 2 black-browed reed warblers. Scaly-breasted and black-headed munias were present. Before we left, a male cinnamon bittern was flushed. We proceeded to Raffles Marina for lunch hoping to see some gulls or terns. However, a lone collared kingfisher was the only bird seen.

Male Watercock in non-breeding plumage ©Danny Lau

Next up was Kranji reservoir, where we added a common kingfisher to our list. More yellow bitterns were seen. Just when we thought we were done here, JS spotted a raptor on the transmission towers side. One led to the other and we saw osprey, peregrine falcon, common kestrel and white-bellied sea eagles in all.

Peregrine Falcon ©Lau JS

Final destination at Punggol reedbed for the reed warblers and stonechats, left us with bad news that this whole place was to be cleared for more HDB flats. In fact, work was ongoing now. We left here with red-rumped swallows and white-shouldered starlings added to the list. All in all, 75 species seen and heard today.

Singapore Botanic Gardens 06-17Feb06

A report on rare bird sightings brought about a craze of birders and photographers to the SBG for the weeks that follow. The star birds were the red-legged crake, blue-winged pitta and orange-headed thrush. Con captured all the 3 star birds (see photos below). Sree also managed to get all 3. Danny and I were just contented with seeing them.

Blue-winged Pitta

Orange-headed Thrush

Red-legged Crake

From Danny on 14 Feb

After a wonderful Valentine evening, went to SBG this evening with Kok Hui, met Sree, Jimmy and a few birders. Thx to Sree, we located the tree where the Pitta roosts. Follow the photographers you'll get to spot the OH Thrush w/o much effort & of course the RL Crake is as punctual as usual on its bathing routine at 7.22 pm (wonder what timepiece it uses).

However what's new is the fruiting tree near the Cluny Park Rd entrance (2nd car park off Cluny Park Road; gravel car lots) to the pond at back of Symphony Stage. It seems like all the parrots and lorikeets are gathered there for a feast. We could see the blue-crowned hanging parrots at eye level (watch out the steep slope below the tree). The exotic parrots around are the rainbow lorikeets and red lories.

Go for it b4 the fruiting ends. There's at least one Wandering whistling duck in the pond - which usually don't mix with the omni present Lesser whistling ducks. Starting at 6 pm from Cluny Park Road end should be able to round off at Ginger Garden to complete the Grand Slam by 7.35 pm.

From Sree on 16 Feb

RL Crake show-time can begin as early as 7.00 pm. On Tuesday (14 Feb) it was an extra long show, maybe 10 minutes or more. Yesterday (15 Feb) there were two short shows, with a 3 minute “intermission”.

From KH on 17 Feb

On the 17 Feb, Sree, Danny and I were at SBG again. This time the stars were the parrots at the fruiting tree. Today, Sree managed to get the hanging parrots and the lorikeets. The red lories were nowhere to be seen, but the long-tailed parakeets were there to substitute. When night falls, we were on the look out for the spotted wood owl and large-tailed nightjars, but both were nowhere to be seen too...