Telok Blangah Hill Park 28Oct21

From KH

Raptor watch at Telok Blangah Hill today. Great to see a couple of migrant raptors: Chinese Sparrowhawk and a Grey-faced Buzzard.

Also a migrating Pacific Swift.

When there were no migrants, residents kept the day going, such as these Black-naped Oriole, and not just 1 Dollarbird, but 4!

Pink-necked Green-Pigeons and this lone Thick-billed Green-Pigeon favoured the flowering tree.

Common Tailorbird and Yellow-vented Bulbul preferred the low Bougainvillea bush.

Javan Munias also came to join the fun.

DFNP, HNP, NTHL 21Dec19

From KH

Con, Danny and I started the day's birding at Dairy Farm for the Thick-billed Flowerpeckers.

The Thick-billed Pigeons (female top, male bottom) were also around.

An Eastern Crowned Warbler joined in the fun, showing its yellow underpants.

While this Little Spiderhunter was hiding in the shade on a tree stump.

Wallace Education Centre

1. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 10
2. Thick-billed Green-Pigeon 10
3. dark swiftlet sp. 20
4. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 1 - heard
5. Banded Woodpecker 1 - heard
6. Black-naped Oriole 1
7. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1 - heard
8. Dark-necked Tailorbird 1 - heard
9. Straw-headed Bulbul 2
10. Olive-winged Bulbul 2
11. Eastern Crowned Warbler 1
12. Arctic Warbler 1
13. Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 2 - heard
14. Asian Glossy Starling 20
15. Javan Myna 10
16. Mugimaki Flycatcher 1
17. Thick-billed Flowerpecker 3
18. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker 2 - heard
19. Olive-backed Sunbird 1 - male
20. Crimson Sunbird 1 - male
21. Little Spiderhunter 1

Moving on to Hindhede Nature Park, it was nice to see the Oriental Darter still around.

There were not one, not two, but three Sunda Colugos!

I suspect this is a Plantain Squirrel nest, but Danny thinks otherwise.

This Oriental Whip Snake was really close!

Nest of these Milky-tipped Stingless Bee (Tetrigona apicalis).

Hindhede Nature Park

1. Plume-toed Swiftlet 3
2. dark swiftlet sp. 20
3. Oriental Darter 1
4. Straw-headed Bulbul 2
5. Common Hill Myna 2 - heard
6. Crimson Sunbird 2

After lunch, Danny and I went to Neo Tiew Harvest Lane, and saw about 10 Asian Openbills left.

Neo Tiew Harvest Lane

1. Spotted Dove 2
2. Zebra Dove 1
3. White-breasted Waterhen 1
4. Asian Openbill 10
5. Yellow Bittern 1
6. Great Egret 1
7. Intermediate Egret 5
8. Little Egret 2
9. Striated Heron 1
10. Black Baza 1
11. Brahminy Kite 2
12. White-throated Kingfisher 2
13. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 1
14. Lineated Barbet 1
15. House Crow 5
16. Oriental Reed Warbler 1
17. Barn Swallow 20
18. Yellow-vented Bulbul 2
19. Asian Brown Flycatcher 1 - heard

BBNP, DFNP 20Dec19

From KH

I dropped by Lorong Sesuai for a very short look and found a huge White-bellied Sea-eagle nest.

1. Plume-toed Swiftlet 5
2. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1 - huge nest
3. Barn Swallow 1

At the Wallace Education Centre, the curry leaf tree only attracted Asian Glossy Starlings, but the fig tree attracted Thick-billed Flowerpeckers and Thick-billed Pigeons.

Here's a juvenile Thick-billed Flowerpecker.

Here's an adult.

Male Thick-billed Pigeon feasting.

Clouded Monitor sticking its tongue at me :)

Traulia azureipennis grasshopper

1. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 1
2. Thick-billed Green-Pigeon 20
3. dark swiftlet sp. 10
4. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 2
5. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 1
6. Black-naped Oriole 2
7. Common Tailorbird 2 - heard
8. Olive-winged Bulbul 2 - heard
9. Asian Glossy Starling 20
10. Common Hill Myna 1 - heard
11. Thick-billed Flowerpecker 3

Rifle Range, BTNR, Hindhede 03Feb18

From KH

Danny, JS and I started at Rifle Range today.

Dark-sided Flycatcher

Male Greater Green Leafbird

Red-crowned Barbet singing away

Male Thick-billed Pigeon with Asian Glossy Starling

Rifle Range
1. 7 Pink-necked Pigeon
2. 1 Thick-billed Pigeon
3. 1 Chestnut-bellied Malkoha
4. 1 Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo
5. 15 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 1 Gray-rumped Treeswift
7. 2 Blue-throated Bee-eater
8. 1 Dollarbird
9. 1 Red-crowned Barbet
10. 1 Banded Woodpecker
11. 7 Blue-rumped Parrot
12. 1 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
13. 3 Long-tailed Parakeet
14. 3 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
15. 1 Amur/Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher
16. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
17. 3 Olive-winged Bulbul
18. 1 Red-eyed Bulbul
19. 1 Eastern Crowned Warbler
20. 1 Dark-necked Tailorbird
21. 1 Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
22. 6 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
23. 1 Chestnut-winged Babbler - Heard
24. 1 Dark-sided Flycatcher
25. 2 Asian Brown Flycatcher
26. 1 Siberian Blue Robin - Female
27. 25 Asian Glossy Starling
28. 2 Common Hill Myna
29. 10 Javan Myna
30. 2 Greater Green Leafbird - A pair
31. 3 Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
32. 3 Van Hasselt's Sunbird
33. 2 Crimson Sunbird
34. 1 sunbird sp. - A female gathering nesting material

Next, we moved on to Bukit Timah Cave Trail and found a Spiny Terrapin feeding on jackfruit-like fruit, as well as a stingless bee Tetrigona apicalis Hive.

Bukit Timah Cave Trail
1. 1 Red Junglefowl - Heard
2. 1 Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Heard
3. 1 Lineated Barbet - Heard
4. 1 Banded Woodpecker - Heard
5. 2 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - Heard
6. 1 Straw-headed Bulbul - Heard
7. 1 Arctic Warbler - Heard
8. 1 Dark-necked Tailorbird - Heard
9. 2 Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
10. 2 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler - Heard
11. 2 Asian Glossy Starling
12. 1 Common Hill Myna - Heard

Con joined us for lunch and we then adjourn to Hindhede Nature Park.

Sleepy pair of Brown Boobook

Straw-headed Bulbuls taking a bath in broad daylight

"Kiss me, mummy!" said the Red-eared Slider

Hindhede Nature Park
1. 1 Red Junglefowl - Heard
2. 1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle - Heard
3. 1 Red-legged Crake
4. 2 Brown Boobook - A pair
5. 20 dark swiftlet sp.
6. 2 Blue-tailed Bee-eater - Heard
7. 1 Dollarbird
8. 2 Lineated Barbet - Heard
9. 1 Common Iora - Heard
10. 1 Black-naped Oriole - Heard
11. 1 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - Heard
12. 4 Straw-headed BulbulSensitive
13. 1 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
14. 5 Asian Glossy Starling
15. 1 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker - Heard

Johor 15-16Jul17

From KH

Con, Danny, JS, BJ and I went on this trip.

Male Black-and-yellow Broadbill wears a necklace!

Blue-eared Barbet zoomed past.

Brown Fulvetta: usually seen in bird waves, but this one was alone.

Rufous-fronted Babbler: another bird-wave bird.

How many Thick-billed Green-pigeons?

Mole Cricket hugging a rock.

The star of the trip was this foot-long Stick Insect, which we found crawling on the ground.

Lower Peirce, Springleaf, Singapore Quarry, Pulau Punggol 23Jan10

From KH

Danny and I went to Lower Peirce hoping to see the Blue-eared Kingfisher, but ended up spotting a Black-backed Kingfisher feeding instead. Of course not forgetting the Short-tailed Babblers, which were heard singing their song during dawn, and the other birds, like the flamebacks and racket-tailed drongos.

After prata at Casuarina, we headed to Springleaf. 4 species of raptors we sighted here: 1 Crested Serpent-eagle, 1 adult Grey-headed Fish-eagle, 1 Black Baza and at least 2 WBSEs.

Crested Serpent-eagle ©Tan KH

Black Baza ©Tan KH

There were >20 Duarian Starlings mixed with large flocks of AG Starlings, >5 Thick-billed Green-pigeons mixed with PNGPs, a Tiger Shrike, a pair of large-billed crows, a coppersmith barbet, dollarbirds, bee-eaters, lesser coucals, yb prinias, a common sandpiper and a purple heron.

Female Thick-billed Green-pigeon ©Danny Lau

Tiger Shrike ©Danny Lau

As it was too early for lunch, we went to Singapore Quarry. After parking, immediately an Asian Palm-swift caught our attention. When we reached the quarry itself, guess who was already there since the morning? Martii! There were 2 CHEs calling and the only raptor we saw here was an adult Grey-headed Fish-eagle. The Little Grebes (at least 6) seemed to be more accustomed to humans now and came a little closer.

Little Grebe ©Tan KH

Also present were 2 Straw-headed Bulbuls - 1 heard and 1 seen. An interesting phenomenon here were that the forest reptiles were out having a siesta along the trail. We saw an adult Paradise Tree Snake on a railing and 2 Clouded Monitors.

Paradise Tree Snake ©Tan KH

After lunch, we were off to Pulau Punggol. Without fail, a pale morph Booted Eagle was present. Danny finally managed to get a relatively good shot of this species perched! If you look closely at the gizzard of the raptor in flight, it's actually full. It must be resting after a sumptuous meal.

Booted Eagle in flight ©Tan KH

Booted Eagle perched ©Danny Lau

The other raptors here were 1 japonensis Peregrine Falcon, 1 dark morph CHE, at least 4 WBSEs and at least 4 Brahminy Kites.

Peregrine Falcon ©Tan KH

Adult White-bellied Sea-eagle ©Tan KH

Finally, there were many (>30) House Swifts around.

House Swift ©Tan KH