Tampines Eco Green 12May25

From KH

It's been awhile since we visited Tampines Eco Green, so Danny, JS & family and I went there today to see the very confiding released/escaped Common Nightingale.

Introduced Asian Golden Weavers were still surviving in the grassland. Here a couple of adult males are bickering. Luckily, they don't compete with the local Baya Weavers for nesting site, as they seem to prefer the Neptunia plena grass patch.

Baya Weavers at their nest in the Acacia auriculiformis tree, with White Leadtree below.

Another Baya Weaver just chilling on a stalk.

Sooty-headed Bulbuls, Javan Mynas and Feral Pigeons feeding on bread.

As I walked on the trail, a Large-tailed Nightjar suddenly flushed and started chonking, at 10am!

Asian Openbill using saliva to cool off?

Tampines 10Apr22

From KH

A Mangrove Pitta was first reported under an overheard bridge at Tampines Ave 4 on 3 Apr 2022. I paid it a visit today, and it's very confiding. Apparently, still reported here until 12 Apr 2022.

Nictitating membrane to protect its eyes.

Video of it foraging.

Tampines Eco Green, Pasir Ris Farmway 03Apr22

From KH

I went to Tampinese Eco Green for a walk.

Introduced Asian Golden Weaver, breeding male, making nest in Water Dead-and-Awake (Neptunia plena). What a name for this Neptunia! Compare with the completed nest on the right.

Local Baya Weaver in various forms:

Female type. Partial breeding male


Breeding male

Baya Weaver nests on Earpod Wattle (Acacia auriculiformis).

Male Red-breasted Parakeets sharing tree with Pink-necked Green-Pigeon couple.

Collared Kingfisher on bare tree. Sunda Woodpeckers on another bare tree.

Sooty-headed Bulbul on bush.

Pale juvenile Oriental Honey-Buzzard flew over me!

Chicken, male and female.

Chestnut Bob, a skipper butterfly.

Two trees side by side, one with lichens, one with mosses? Why?

Next, Pasir Ris Farmway. Got 5 Chinese Pond-Herons assuming breeding plumage. Here are 2 of them.

Javan Myna: I can also stretch my neck. Chinese Pond-Heron: Try harder.

Tampines 13May21

From KH

I was at Our Tampines Hub and look who was nesting in the middle of the building! Handphone shots of female Olive-backed Sunbird nesting.

Tampines 29Jun19

From KH

While Con was surveying on Ubin and the Laus were chasing papilionids, I went to chill out at Tampines and saw this Black-naped Oriole whacking a caterpillar!

Handphone shot through glass panel:

Pulau Punggol, Halus, Tampines 27Feb16

From KH

Started the day at Pulau Punggol. Nothing much here, although the African escapees (Common Waxbills and Pin-tailed Whydahs) were still around. The only raptor around was an immature pale Changeable Hawk-eagle.

At Halus, the Baya Weavers were nesting by the roadside.

The immature Ashy Tailorbird (left) sat on a branch calling for its parents. The juvenile Common Tailorbirds (right), on the other hand, were more insistent, chasing their parents around, begging for food.

The male Common Iora was in breeding plumage.

A dark Changeable Hawk-eagle was chased by a Large-billed Crow.

At Tampines Eco Green, the star bird was the male Cinnamon-headed Green-pigeon (left); apparently there were two. On the right is a male Pink-necked Green-pigeon for comparison.

A male Oriental Magpie-robin was very cooperative, to the delight of some photographers.

Finally, a feeding female Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker to round up the day's birding.

Tampines Eco Green 13Jan16

From GC

Plaintive Cuckoo, often heard but not easy to locate, @ TEG

Halus, Tampines Eco Green 09Jul11

From KH

Last Sat was a day of escapees. Danny and I did not see the Streaked Weaver at Halus, but instead saw a male and a few female Golden-backed Weavers. The females were making nests. Other birds of note were 2 juvenile Javan Munias.

After Halus, we went to Tampines Eco Green and managed to see 2 pairs of Asian Golden Weavers, including one female entering a nest. There was also a Sooty-headed Bulbul.

After lunch, despite the hot sun, we walked along Punggol Promenade, but nothing of interest was seen, except for a Sooty-headed Bulbul flying away.

Halus, Coney Island, Pasir Ris Farmway, Tampines 02Jan11

From KH

Today's my first 2011 birding and managed to get my 1^st lifer: White-shouldered Starling at Lor Halus. The other highlight is a male Oriental Cuckoo on Coney Island. Here are the details:

Took the festive opportunity to sneak into Lor Halus. Saw a Little Grebe in the Grebe Pond, but no one was in the Moorhen Pond. Other notables were:

1) Black Baza 1
2) Unid accipiter 1
3) Black-capped Kingfisher 1
4) Rose-ringed Parakeet 3
5) Large-billed Crow 1
6) Sooty-headed Bulbul 5

When I was about to leave, 3 Yellow-fronted Canaries landed on a tree.

Then, another bird landed on the same tree and flushed the canaries. It turned out to be a White-shouldered Starling (left) - an uncommon bird that has eluded me until now! Purple-backed Starling (right) also present for comparison.

Next, I decided to try my luck with Coney Island and managed to scale the barrier. :) The habitat is like Pulau Punggol. There is a main track that runs through the middle of the island.

First, I flushed a female Chinese Sparrowhawk and then later another female was seen perched on a tree.

Then, a perched "raptor" caught my attention. After I put my bins on it, I realised it's a large cuckoo. It flushed and landed on another perch, now facing me. The pale grey hood goes all the way down to the breast and there are black bars on the white belly - a male Oriental Cuckoo! Too bad, it decided to fly further into the forest before I could take a snap...

Here's the complete list of the hour-long survey:

1) Grey Heron >10
2) WBSE 1 adult
3) Brahminy Kite 1 adult
4) CHE 1 juv pale
5) Black Baza 1
6) Chinese Sparrowhawk 2 adult females
7) Blue-tailed Bee-eater
8) Dollarbird
9) Spotted Dove
10) Zebra Dove
11) Pink-necked Green Pigeon 1 male
12) Swiftlet sp.
13) Oriental Cuckoo 1 male
14) Golden-bellied Gerygone 1 heard
15) Black-naped Oriole
16) Oriental Magpie Robin >5
17) Javan Myna
18) Pacific Swallow
19) Barn Swallow
20) Red-rumped Swallow >5
21) Yellow-vented Bulbul
22) Common Tailorbird
23) Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
24) Paddyfield Pipit
25) Black-headed Munia

Spent the rest of the afternoon dropping by Pasir Ris Farmway, Tampines Biking Trail and Tampines Quarry.

Pasir Ris Farmway 1

1) CHE 1 dark morph
2) Ashy Minivet >5 on same tree as CHE

This friendly dark morph Changeable Hawk Eagle stayed with me for 1/2 hr and was still there when I left. It even pooed right in front of me!

Tampines Biking Trail

1) BWK 2
2) Little Ringed Plover 1

A single Little Ringed Plover panting under the hot sun.

So was the Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

Tampines Quarry

1) WBSE 1 immature
2) Brahminy Kite 1 adult

For the record, yesterday, an evening walk along Punggol East revealed Savanna & Large-tailed Nightjars (both heard only).

Tampines 06May06

From Danny

It was a rainy morning. Kong & PC turned up & we adjourned to coffeeshop along Tampines Ave 9 for prata & coffee. The nearby multi-storey CP offered good view of possible bird site bound by Ave 9, 10, 12 & Tampines Road. Drove into trail opp. Blk 722/723 when rain reduced to light drizzle. A lot of birds' activities where we spotted our 1st pair of courting sooty-headed bulbuls (mostly Thailand sub-species with yellow/orangy vents). Did not proceed further due to muddy/ponding terrain, perhaps another time. Went back to Jln Sam Kongsi around 10 am all the way to the sand dunes around Tampines Quarry. The trip ended around 1.35 pm. On the way home, located the entrance to Tampines biking trails, another bird trail.

1. House Crow
2. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
3. Asian Glossy Starling
4. Yellow-vented Bulbul
5. Sooty-headed Bulbul (>6)
6. Collared KF
7. White-throated KF
8. Sunda Woodpecker
9. Greater Coucal
10. Lesser Coucal
11. Blue-throated Bee-eater (many at sand dunes)
12. Spotted Dove
13. Pink-necked Green-pigeon
14. Red Collared-dove
15. Zebra Dove
16. House Swift
17. Paddyfield Pipit
18. Yellow-bellied Prinia
19. Plaintive Cuckoo (heard & seen in flight)
20 Rusty-breasted Cuckoo (heard)
21. Pied Fantail
22. Myna
23. Black-naped Oriole
24. Common Iora
25. WBSE
26. BWK
27. Scaly-breasted Munia
28. Black-headed Munia
29. White-headed Munia
30. Baya Weaver
31. Common flameback Woodpecker
32. Pied Triller
33. Olive-backed Sunbird
34. Plain-throated Sunbird
35. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (male & female)
36. Pacific Swallow
37. Dollarbird
38. White-breasted Waterhen
39. Yellow Bittern
40. Ruddy-breasted Crake - perched on railing on drain along Tampines Road

Male Red Collared-dove

Sooty-headed Bulbul

White-headed Munia

From PC

Danny, Kong and I had a good time checking out the Tampines trail on Election Day that Joe Lim does his bird census. It is a nice scenic trail with streams running, a quarry, a sand dune at the end.

Kong has taken pictures of a rare toad that jumped out when he was about to sit on it. The fragrance from his rear is too much for the toad to bear.

We also seen some purple colored dragon flies. Last week, we saw a army green dragon fly at Poyan. I'm liasing with someone from Vertebrate Group to find out about these rare colored dragonflies.

The Tampines walk ended at 1.40 p.m. as we have started late at 10 a.m.

Toad from Kong