Hampstead Wetland, Pulau Punggol 06Jul24

From KH

Danny, JS and I went to Hampstead Wetland following last week's report of Rufous-backed Kingfisher there. It's not there, but Buffy Fish-Owl couple were.

Next, Pulau Punggol. This Osprey was the best bird there.

Coney Island, Pulau Punggol, Seletar, Sengkang 21Feb21

From KH

After Hindhede, I went to Coney Island. Here's a Great Eggfly and the flower it was on, Bidens.

Drove past Pulau Punggol and saw a Peregrine Falcon hunting.

No wader at Seletar Dam. :(

At Rower's Bay, a "Rubbish-bin" White-breasted Waterhen?? Olive-backed Sunbird still nesting.

At Hampstead Wetland, this Coppersmith Barbet had food in mouth, likely for chick(s) in the nest hole.

What are these Scaly-breasted Munias up to? Probably nesting too?

Male Common Iora foraging.

Common Bluebottle puddling on the ground.

At Seletar End, there wasn't much going on, but here's a Paddyfield Pipit.

On the way home, stopped by Sengkang Riverside Park and saw this White-breasted Waterhen chick.

Pulau Punggol 18Mar17

From KH

After Seletar East, we went for lunch before going to our favourite place, Pulau Punggol. Apparently, the Black-winged Kite chicks had fledged and the adults started mating again!

The only migrant raptor was a Black Baza.

Other migrants:

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Arctic Warbler

Common Greenshanks

The Baya Weavers were busy building nests and so were the African Golden Weavers.

And the common resident Asian Glossy Starlings.

Pasir Ris Park, Pulau Punggol 18Feb17

From KH

Danny and I started the day at Pasir Ris Park.

How many Black Bazas do you see?

This family of Red Junglefowl (or chicken?) was happily scratching the ground for food.

Female Brown-throated Sunbird busy nesting.

Guess love is in the season for this pair or Dollarbirds too.

Yellow-vented Bulbul just hanging out.

Lastly, the Batik Golden Web Spiders were having a great time too - the female busy as bees and the male sneaking in on his distracted mate.

Next stop was Pulau Punggol.

This juvenile Black-winged Kite looked ready to fledge soon.

This Plaintive Cuckoo was very vocal.

Finally, a cricket to round up the day.

Pulau Punggol, Punggol East 04Feb17

From KH

Danny and I started today's birding at Pulau Punggol.

Birds of note include a pair of Black Drongos, a Great-billed Heron along the coast, and a flock of Daurian Starlings which were failed to turn a single bird into Chestnut-cheeked.

Black Drongo ©Danny Lau

Great-billed Heron ©Tan KH

Daurian Starling ©Danny Lau

Daurian Starlings ©Tan KH

1. Great-billed heron 1
2. Grey heron 1
3. Little egret 1
4. Black-winged kite 1
5. Changeable hawk-eagle 1 pale morph seen and very vocal
6. Brahminy kite 1
7. White-bellied sea-eagle 4
8. Grey-headed fish-eagle 1
9. White-breasted waterhen 2
10. Ruddy-breasted crake 3
11. Red-wattled lapwing 1 heard only
12. Common sandpiper 1
13. Red collared-dove >10
14. Spotted dove >10
15. Zebra dove >10
16. Pink-necked green-pigeon >5
17. Lesser coucal 1 heard only
18. Asian koel 1 heard only
19. Little bronze-cuckoo 1 male
20. swiftlet spp. >50
21. Oriental dollarbird 2
22. White-throated kingfisher 2
23. Collared kingfisher 2
24. Blue-tailed bee-eater >5
25. Sunda woodpecker 2
26. Laced woodpecker 1 pair
27. Common flameback 2
28. Rose-ringed parakeet >5
29. Red-breasted parakeet >5
30. Golden-bellied gerygone 1 heard only
31. Common iora >5
32. Pied triller 1 female
33. Black-naped oriole >5
34. Black drongo 2
35. Malaysian pied fantail 2
36. Red-whiskered bulbul 2
37. Yellow-vented bulbul >5
38. Arctic warbler 2
39. Yellow-bellied prinia 2 heard only
40. Ashy tailorbird 2 heard only
41. Asian glossy starling >20
42. Daurian starling >30
43. Javan myna >10
44. Oriental magpie-robin 1 pair
45. Asian brown flycatcher 3
46. Scarlet-backed flowerpecker 1
47. Olive-backed sunbird >2
48. Baya weaver >10
49. Scaly-breasted munia 1
50. Common waxbill >10
51. Yellow-fronted canary 4

After lunch, we headed to Punggol East and found at least 5 Jerdon's bazas.

Jerdon's Bazas (left adult, right immature) ©Danny Lau

There were also other migrant raptors: Black Bazas and Oriental Honey-buzzards.

1. Grey heron 3
2. Jerdon's baza 1 flock of 5
3. Black baza 14 (1 flock of 5 + 1 flock of 9)
4. Oriental honey-buzzard 2
5. Changeable hawk-eagle 2
6. Brahminy kite 2
7. White-bellied sea-eagle 2
8. Spotted dove >5
9. Zebra dove >5
10. Little bronze-cuckoo 1 heard only
11. swiftlet spp. >50
12. White-throated kingfisher 1 heard only
13. Rose-ringed parakeet 2
14. Golden-bellied gerygone 1 heard only
15. Long-tailed shrike 1 hunting
16. Black-naped oriole 2
17. Sooty-headed bulbul 5
18. Yellow-vented bulbul 5
19. Barn swallow >5
20. Yellow-bellied prinia 1 heard only
21. Common tailorbird 2 heard only
22. Javan myna >5
23. Oriental magpie-robin 1 heard only
24. Olive-backed sunbird 2
25. Paddyfield pipit 2

BBNP, DFNP, SBG, Pulau Punggol 14Jan17

From KH

Con, Danny and I started the day at Wallace Education Centre (WEC), but the carpark was beyond full, so we headed to BBNP instead.

Partial list at BBNP:

1. Changeable hawk-eagle 1 dark morph sitting on nest
2. White-breasted waterhen 1
3. Pink-necked green-pigeon >6 including 1 nesting pair
4. Stork-billed kingfisher 1
5. Collared kingfisher 2
6. Lineated barbet 2 heard only
7. Common flameback 3
8. Banded Woodpecker 1
9. Straw-headed bulbul >3
10. Yellow-vented bulbul >2
11. Pin-striped tit-babbler >2
12. White-crested laughingthrush 2 heard only

Mr and Mrs Pink-necked Green-pigeon on Simpoh Air

After one loop at BBNP, we went back to WEC. The Oriental scops owls were indeed gone. Rumour has it that photographers shone light on the owls and shook the tree... Nevertheless, it was good to see a Falco thermaling high up. Amur Falcon?

Moving on to SBG, we got the released male Silver Pheasant, Orange-headed thrush, Buffy fish owl pair and male Oriental pied hornbill.

Released male Silver Pheasant

We finally got to lunch at the Prata Place at Evans Road! After lunch, Danny and I went to Pulau Punggol, but the Booted eagle was not seen. We saw the following birds instead.

1. Black-winged kite 1
2. Black baza 1
3. Brahminy kite 3
4. White-bellied sea-eagle 3
5. Pintail/Swinhoe's snipe 2
6. Red-wattled lapwing 2
7. Common greenshank 10
8. Marsh sandpiper 2
9. Red collared dove 2
10. Spotted dove >10
11. Zebra dove >10
12. Pink-necked green-pigeon 2
13. Lesser coucal 2
14. Asian koel 1 female
15. Banded bay cuckoo 1
16. Little bronze cuckoo 1 heard only
17. Swiftlet spp. >20
18. Collared kingfisher 2
19. Blue-tailed bee-eater >5
20. Dollarbird 2
21. Sunda woodpecker 1
22. Common Flameback 2
23. Rose-ringed parakeet 2
24. Red-breasted parakeet >10
25. Golden-bellied gerygone 2
26. Common iora 1
27. Black-naped oriole >5
28. Pied Fantail 2
29. Sooty-headed bulbul >5
30. Yellow-vented bulbul >10
31. Barn swallow >10
32. Arctic warbler 2
33. Zitting cisticola 1
34. Lanceolated warbler 1 heard only
35. Oriental reed warbler 1 heard only
36. Yellow-bellied prinia 1 heard only
37. Ashy tailorbird 2
38. Javan myna >10
39. Yellow-rumped flycatcher 1 male singing
40. Asian brown flycatcher 1
41. Olive-backed sunbird 2
42. Paddyfield pipit 2
43. Baya weaver >10
44. Scaly-breasted munia >10
45. Yellow-fronted canary 4
46. waxbill sp. >10
47. widowbird sp. 1

Banded Bay Cuckoo

Widowbird sp.

Mrs and Mr White-bellied Sea-eagle

Seletar Dam, Pulau Punggol 17Dec16

From KH

Following yesterday's report of Amur falcon at Seletar Dam, Danny, JS and I met there to check it out. However, the bird was not around. As the tide was coming in, the waders and egrets were also leaving. So we left and went to nearby Pulau Punggol.

The dark morph Booted Eagle was still around. It'll probably winter here. From below, the square-cut and sharp-cornered tail is obvious. From above, the white shoulder patches (landing lights) and pale wing coverts are diagnostic.

From JS

Lesser Coucal

PRP, Halus, Pulau Punggol 10Dec16

From KH

Today, Con, Danny, JS and I started off at Pasir Ris Park. The owls nowhere to be seen, nor was the torquatus around, but we had a noisy Crow-billed Drongo at the carpark.

Crow-billed Drongo silhouette

Next, we went to Lorong Halus. The Little Grebes were still breeding in the old pond.

Juvenile Little Grebe

Finally, we went to Pulau Punggol for late morning birding. The dark morph Booted Eagle was still around. The other notable migrant is an immature Indian Cuckoo. We also flushed a few Pintail/Swinhoe's Snipes.

Immature Indian Cuckoo

There were also many local munias and introduced waxbills around.

Chestnut Munias

Scaly-breasted Munia, Crimson-rumped Waxbill and Common Waxbill, all on a single stalk.

Neo Tiew, SBWR, Pulau Punggol 3Dec16

From KH

I missed the Ruff last evening by 30 steps, so while Danny and JS were at Kranji Marsh, I went Sungei Buloh to try to redeem myself, but there were hardly any waders around due to low tide.

After joining the father and son team at the marsh, we headed to Turut Track to feed mosquitoes before heading to SBWR to join force with Con, the only one in this group who got the prized Ruff last evening.

At SBWR, we only got a Bar-tailed godwit and the usual redshanks, greenshanks, whimbrels and a few Common sandpipers. There were also a small flock of 11 OHBs migrating and 2 Black bazas.

After lunch, Con left and the three of us went to Pulau Punggol. Before that, at Neo Tiew Lane 3, Danny and JS spotted a small flock of 5 Black bazas.

At Pulau Punggol, we got the Booted eagle (dark morph) and 5 Black bazas, on top of the residents - 1 Black-winged kite, 1 calling CHE, a few Brahminy kites and WBSEs.

Pulau Punggol, Tuas 22Oct16

From KH

Danny, JS and I planned to start the day's birding at Kranji Marsh, but upon reaching, we found the sky looked threatening and decided to head East. By the time we reach Lorong Halus, the rain clouds had caught up with us! So we adjourned to our favourite Punggol food court for breakfast.

Once the sky cleared, we headed to Pulau Punggol.

We didn't try very hard to turn the Paddyfield Pipits here into Angus pipits

A juvenile Sooty-headed Bulbul was begging for food

As nothing much else was going on here, we decided to head to Tuas for raptor watching. Although the sky was overcast, we saw 1 Common Buzzard and 1 immature male Eastern Marsh-harrier, on top of the usual OHBs and accipiters.

Common Buzzard

Immature male Eastern Marsh-harrier

There were also migrating Pacific Swifts.

Pacific Swift