Simpang Kiri 03Feb20

From KH

A late afternoon walk along Simpang Kiri canal churned up 18 species, including a nesting White-bellied Sea-eagle.

1. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
2. Spotted Dove 3
3. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 5
4. Lesser Coucal 1 - heard
5. dark swiftlet sp. 20
6. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 - nesting
7. White-throated Kingfisher 1
8. Collared Kingfisher 1
9. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 1
10. Red-breasted Parakeet 5
11. Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot 1 - heard
12. Pied Triller 1
13. Black-naped Oriole 4
14. Yellow-vented Bulbul 2
15. Asian Glossy Starling 10
16. Javan Myna 10
17. Olive-backed Sunbird 2
18. Paddyfield Pipit 3

Sungei Simpang Kiri 03Apr18

From KH

1. 1 Little Egret
2. 1 Striated Heron
3. 4 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
4. 5 Spotted Dove
5. 1 Zebra Dove
6. 5 Pink-necked Pigeon
7. 10 dark swiftlet sp.
8. 1 Collared Kingfisher
9. 1 Blue-throated Bee-eater
10. 1 Psittacula sp.
11. 1 Black-naped Oriole
12. 5 swallow sp.
13. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
14. 5 Asian Glossy Starling
15. 50 Javan Myna
16. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird
17. 1 Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Sungei Simpang Kiri 22Mar18

From KH

Green spider trying to blend in

1. 1 Brahminy Kite
2. 3 White-bellied Sea-Eagle - 2 adults, 1 juvenile
3. 3 White-breasted Waterhen
4. 4 Common Sandpiper
5. 15 Spotted Dove
6. 12 Pink-necked Pigeon
7. 1 Lesser Coucal
8. 30 dark swiftlet sp.
9. 1 White-throated Kingfisher - Heard
10. 2 Collared Kingfisher
11. 5 Blue-throated Bee-eater
12. 2 Coppersmith Barbet - Heard
13. 3 Rose-ringed Parakeet
14. 12 Long-tailed Parakeet
15. 4 Common Iora - Heard
16. 1 Brown Shrike
17. 8 Black-naped Oriole
18. 5 Pacific Swallow
19. 8 Yellow-vented Bulbul
20. 2 Common Tailorbird - Heard
21. 10 Asian Glossy Starling
22. 30 Javan Myna
23. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird
24. 8 Baya Weaver - 20 nests

Sungei Simpang Kiri 01Mar18

From KH

1. 1 Brahminy Kite
2. 1 White-bellied Sea-Eagle
3. 1 White-breasted Waterhen
4. 5 Spotted Dove
5. 2 Pink-necked Pigeon
6. 20 dark swiftlet sp.
7. 1 White-throated Kingfisher
8. 1 Collared Kingfisher
9. 1 Pied Triller
10. 2 Black-naped Oriole
11. 5 House Crow
12. 5 Pacific Swallow
13. 1 Straw-headed Bulbul - Heard
14. 2 Yellow-vented Bulbul
15. 1 Olive-winged Bulbul
16. 1 Common Tailorbird
17. 1 Oriental Magpie-Robin
18. 1 Asian Glossy Starling
19. 20 Javan Myna
20. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird

Sungei Simpang Kiri 12-13Feb18

From KH

Evening walks

1. 5 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2. 8 Spotted Dove
3. 1 Zebra Dove
4. 10 Pink-necked Pigeon
5. 10 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 1 White-throated Kingfisher
7. 1 Collared Kingfisher
8. 1 Sunda Woodpecker
9. 3 Psittacula sp.
10. 1 Common Iora
11. 1 Ashy Minivet - Heard
12. 3 Black-naped Oriole
13. 3 House Crow
14. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
15. 1 Common Tailorbird
16. 2 Asian Brown Flycatcher
17. 10 Asian Glossy Starling
18. 15 Daurian Starling - A flock
19. 11 Javan Myna
20. 1 Plain-throated Sunbird
21. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird

Sungei Simpang Kiri 26Jan18

From KH

Evening walk.

1. 1 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2. 2 Spotted Dove
3. 8 Pink-necked Pigeon
4. 5 dark swiftlet sp.
5. 1 Collared Kingfisher
6. 7 Psittacula sp.
7. 2 Black-naped Oriole
8. 1 Large-billed Crow
9. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
10. 10 Asian Glossy Starling
11. 8 Javan Myna
12. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird

Sungei Simpang Kiri 16Jan18

From KH

Evening walk.

1. 3 Spotted Dove
2. 3 Pink-necked Pigeon
3. 20 dark swiftlet sp.
4. 1 White-throated Kingfisher
5. 2 Collared Kingfisher
6. 4 Psittacula sp.
7. 1 House Crow
8. 5 Asian Glossy Starling
9. 15 Javan Myna

Sungei Simpang Kiri 02Jan18

From KH

1. 1 Common Sandpiper - Heard
2. 4 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
3. 1 Spotted Dove
4. 15 Pink-necked Pigeon
5. 5 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 1 Coppersmith Barbet
7. 1 Sunda Woodpecker
8. 3 Rose-ringed Parakeet
9. 5 Ashy Minivet - 1 flock
10. 1 Black-naped Oriole - Heard
11. 5 Asian Glossy Starling
12. 10 Javan Myna
13. 1 Olive-backed Sunbird - Heard

Simpang 13Sep12

From KH

I spent half an hour or so at Simpang in the late afternoon. A Grey Wagtail flushed from the drain. Then small flocks of Purple-backed Starlings were seen. Other birds of note were Straw-headed Bulbul (heard), Coppersmith Barbet, Common Flameback and other common birds.

Admiralty Park, Simpang 11Mar10

From KH

Started the evening at Admiralty Park. It was nice to share this nice little park with some of my colleagues. We started off with a Changeable Lizard right outside RP.

Then two Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage were foraging in the grass patch.

At the pond was a Red-eared Slider, a commonly released pet.

As we walked further along, there were many more in the river. There were two White-breasted Waterhens in the river and Yellow-vented Bulbuls in the tall grass.

The insect life here is quite rich. There were quite a number of butterfly species here, but all of them did not pose for me! Fortunately, their relative, a moth, was more obliging.

  

There were also dragonflies, cicadas, ants, etc. Where there are insects, there are spiders. Shown here is a female Golden Web Spider.

At the mangrove portion of the park, a Common Sandpiper was wagging its tail on the bank.

A Giant Mudskipper was peeking out of the water.

Other fish here were a Green Chromide

and some Humpbacked Cardinalfish.

The greatest surprise today was a mixed flock of a pelican and six storks. It looks like an Australian Pelican. The storks were a mixture of Painted and Milky Storks. All these birds do not exist naturally in Singapore. They are free-ranging birds from the Zoo or Bird Park. The photo below shows all three species. The pelican is the largest of them all; the Painted Stork is the one with a black band on the breast; and the Milky Stork is the one at the bottom.

Scaly-breasted Munias were common here.

Also present, but hiding and calling in the bushes, was a Yellow-bellied Prinia. Other birds seen were an Oriental Dollarbird, a Dark-necked Tailorbird, 2 Common Ioras, 5 Ashy Minivets, 2 Paddyfield Pipits and the usual starlings, swallows, swiftlets, sparrows and mynas. A raptor flew behind the canopy and did not offer good views for identification.

However, the animal that got more attention from the group was a lone Long-tailed Macaque high up near the canopy. No prize for guessing its sex!

Finally, we ended our walk with what we started off with - a Changeable Lizard. This is a male in breeding colours.

Moving on to Simpang, I only had 15 minutes there. Started off with the common birds like Common Sandpiper, Pink-necked Green-pigeon, Brahminy Kites, kingfishers, etc. It was nice to see a male Red Collared Dove here. Finally, glad to end the walk with a Violet Cuckoo.

Upper Seletar, Simpang 10Jan10

From Danny

The video recorded on 10 Jan 2010 of a male Masked Finfoot at Upper Seletar Reservoir.

The Finfoot was found within a little cove in a comfort zone at the right side of the cove, about 30 ft across was a area of coastal Reeds, in between 20 ft back was a small patch of sandy shore and about 15 ft back a group of excited birders and photographers.

The video started at a point after the Finfoot had crossed diagonally from right to left approx. 40 ft away from the Reed field. The length of the video has been shortened to 4 min. The Finfoot was about 40 ft from the Reed field, for the next 2 min, he made probing zig-zag runs to the shoreline and out in the open but gradually towards the target Reeds, and the group of birders.

Just after he fed on his first water snail, when he was at the edge of the Reeds field, a small plane flew over, notice the instinct reflex action, a full U turn in double quick time! For the next 1.5 min he fed on the water snails. Not recorded in the video but seen by many, he fed on insects in flight by snapping them up in quick neck stretching actions.

The last ten seconds or so, the Finfoot swam across the cove in his typical head jabbing manner like a boat paddler. This stretch of open water exposed the Finfoot at his most vulnerable moments. Notice how he tilted his head up, sides, keeping wary eyes on possible predator and the group of birders.

Apologise on the video and audio qualities. It was a memorable day for me and I am sure for fellow birders on site, after all, there is not one too many Finfoot seen or photographed in one's birding career.

Masked Finfoot ©Tan KH

From KH

After the Masked Finfoot, I headed to Simpang and saw these raptors: 1 Japanese Sparrowhawk and 2 Oriental Honey Buzzards.

Simpang 01Oct05

From KH

It was again another good day. Danny picked Yamane and I up at Yishun MRT station. By time we reached the fire station, Kong is already there setting up his scope. So the four of us headed towards the beach by taking the narrow grassy path along the canal. As we walked along, we saw White-throated and Collared Kingfishers. Then some Common Sandpipers were seen in the canal. And there were quite a number of Pink-necked Green Pigeons on the park connector side of the canal. Later, we realized that the canal is Sungei Simpang Kiri.

There were also Scaly-breasted Munias, Brown Shrikes and an Asian Koel there. Then a pair of White-bellied Sea Eagles flew past. Later on, a Little Egret flew past too. As we continued on the trail, we saw a few waders, namely Little Ringed Plovers and Common Greenshanks. Yamane pointed out a large bird flying across, it turned out to be a Stork-billed Kingfisher, with its characteristically large bill. Later, we also saw a Common Kingfisher. That was four species of kingfishers in two hours! Three species of woodpeckers were also seen, namely Common Famebacks, Sunda Woodpeckers and a male Laced Woodpecker. Also seen was a Purple-backed Starling hanging out with a bunch of Asian Glossy Starlings.

Soon we reached the beach. Seeing that there was nothing at the beach except for some rubbish and dogs, we decided to follow a narrow trail into the Simpang open space. The first birds to catch our attention were some Black-winged Kites. As we tailed the bird, we saw one carrying nesting material later. Seeing that the open space is too hot for us to walk all the way to the forested area, we decided to back track along the canal instead. As we were walking through the bush, a Lesser Coucal flushed.

Bottle Tree Village and the Bottle Trees (Brachychiton Rupestris) themselves

Sungei Simpang

Common Greenshanks and a Marsh Sandpiper

Common Greenshanks flying off

As we backtracked, we saw a small flock of Common Greenshanks. Upon closer inspection, we found a smaller wader among them. It turned out to be a Marsh Sandpiper. Try to spot the sandpiper in the photo above. Every time we tried to get closer to them, they flew further away while making their teu-teu-teu call (as if scolding us in Cantonese). Then we flushed a Black-crowned Night Heron. Finally, we reached somewhere close to the starting point and saw a trail that we could bash through to get to the forested area. The Forest Wagtail was still there. So were Pied Trillers, Common Ioras, Common Flamebacks and Striped Tit-babblers. We were missing the Asian Paradise Flycatcher though. Then the fire station clock alarm went off, reminding us that it was lunchtime. So we left the area and head out to the closest coffeeshop.

After lunch, Danny and I bid Kong and Yamane farewell and we went in search of the elusive Simpang entrance. When we reached the road between Agilent and AMC, we hit jackpot because we saw an opened gate. It was just beside the heavy vehicle carpark. So we drove in and found the wide open space with many tracks. As we cruise along we saw open water. It turned out to be Sungei Simpang. The only new bird we saw in the afternoon was a Baya Weaver, making a total of 39 birds. The other reward from this after-lunch recce was a close-up shot of a Lesser Coucal just 2 m away from us. The white streaks can clearly be seen here.

Lesser Coucal

01. House crow
02. Javan myna
03. Barn swallow
04. Yellow-vented bulbul
05. House swift
06. Black-naped oriole
07. Olive-backed sunbird
08. Plain-throated sunbird
09. Asian koel
10. Pink-necked green pigeon
11. Zebra dove
12. Spotted dove
13. Black-crowned night heron
14. Little egret
15. Eurasian tree sparrow
16. Asian glossy starling
17. Purple-backed starling
18. Striped tit-babbler
19. Collared kingfisher
20. Stork-billed kingfisher
21. Common kingfisher
22. White-throated kingfisher
23. Laced woodpecker
24. Sunda woodpecker
25. Common flameback
26. White-bellied sea eagle
27. Black-winged kite
28. White-breasted waterhen
29. Brown shrike
30. Common iora
31. Pied triller
32. Forest wagtail
33. Scaly-breasted munia
34. Lesser coucal
35. Baya weaver
36. Marsh sandpiper
37. Little ringed plover
38. Common greenshank
39. Common sandpiper

Changi, Simpang 24Sep05

From KH

Another lovely day, this time Con, Danny and I were there. In the morning, we gathered at Changi Village and then headed towards Changi reclaimed land (accessed via lamp post 150 along Changi Coast Road). After we were done with that, we headed back to Changi Village for lunch. In the afternoon, we went recceing at Simpang.

While waiting at Changi Village, I recorded the usual birds there, including the Red-breasted Parakeets. As we entered the reclaimed land, Con went straight to the sandy beach, while Danny and I kept a lookout for the grassland birds. We saw a Lesser Coucal, a Black-winged Kite and some others. When we hit the beach, Con has already closed in on the birds. There were mainly Lesser Sand-plovers and Little Terns around. There were also a pair of Black-winged Stilts and a pair of Grey Plovers. As we were about to leave the beach, a Grey Heron flew in and there were a couple of small plovers among the rubbish. These turned out to be Malaysian Plovers. A rare gem in Singapore. Danny said :"cute little birds". Then we went to the cove proper and saw Whimbrels and Common Sandpipers.

Changi Cove:

Photos from Con:

Lesser Sand-plovers

Grey Plovers and Little Terns

Little Terns

Whimbrel. Paddyfield Pipit

After we were done with the coast, we headed to Changi Village for a break. While waiting for our fishball noodles and hor fun, 3 Tanimbar Corellas landed on a tree nearby and Con was off with his camera again. They were biting each others' beak and playing a fool, putting on quite a fun show for us.

Tanimbar Corellas

At Simpang, we were stunned by the variety of birds. These are mainly forest birds, like Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Forest Wagtail, Common Flameback, as well as others like Pied Fantail, Brown Shrike, Asian Paradise-flycatcher.

Asian Paradise-flycatcher. Forest Wagtail

Initially, we wanted to take the left path, but we were attracted by bird calls on the right. And it was a good choice! There are many forest birds flying around even when it was 1 pm in the hot afternoon.

When we reached Simpang, the first bird to greet us was a lone Little Egret. We entered Simpang through a treacherous path along the canal beside the fire station. But it was worth it because we found ourselves in a good birding site. Besides the bird mentioned so far, there were also a couple of birds that we could not ID. There was a kingfisher that Danny saw and he mentioned it was smaller than the typical kingfisher and doesn't look like the collared nor white-throated. Then there was the raptor in the sky that we couldn't ID. After Con left at 2 pm, we went on to recce the area. We walked along the stony path and were relieved that we didn't take it in the first place. The only new birds seen were a Brahminy Kite and the raptor mentioned above.

As per what Con mentioned, the star of the day is the pair of Malaysian Plovers. That's 44 birds for the day. Note: all bird photos by Con.

Malaysian Plovers - female left, male right

Changi Village
01. House crow
02. Javan myna
03. Black-naped oriole
04. Rock pigeon
05. Spotted dove
06. Olive-backed sunbird
07. Golden-bellied gerygone (heard)
08. Asian koel (heard)
09. Red-breasted parakeet
10. Collared kingfisher
11. Common myna

Changi Grassland
12. Yellow-vented bulbul
13. Black-winged kite
14. White-throated kingfisher
15. Lesser coucal
16. Zitting cisticola
17. Barn swallow
18. Paddyfield pipit
19. Eurasian tree sparrow
20. Red collared dove

Changi Cove
21. Grey plover (2)
22. Black-winged stilt (2)
23. Whimbrel
24. Little tern
25. Malaysian plover (2)
26. Lesser sand-plover
27. Common sandpiper
28. Striated heron
29. Grey heron

Changi Village
30. Tanimbar cockatoo

Simpang
31. Little egret
32. White-breasted waterhen
33. Plain-throated sunbird
34. Brown shrike
35. Forest wagtail
36. Asian paradise-flycatcher
37. Zebra dove
38. Blue-throated bee-eater
39. Asian glossy starling
40. Common flameback
41. Sunda woodpecker
42. Greater racket-tailed drongo
43. Pied fantail
44. Brahminy kite