Mandai Hill, Warren 22Apr11

From KH

In the morning, Con, Danny and I birded at Mandai Hill. In the afternoon, Danny and I continued at Warren. For the second time, we were caught in the rain at Warren...

Highlights at Mandai Hill:

1) Chestnut-bellied Malkoha - 3 birds foraging together
2) Greater Coucal - 1
3) Accipiter - 1 too high up to id

The rest are nesting records (also at Mandai Hill):

1) Grey-rumped Treeswift - adult seen feeding mottled chick.
2) CHE - adults (1 dark & 1 pale) in nest + a vocal dark immature perched nearby
3) Large-billed Crow - 1 pair, nest seen
4) Yellow-bellied Prinia - 1 bird seen collecting nesting material
5) Olive-backed Sunbird - Female making nest
6) Baya Weavers - making nests
7) Black-headed Munias - 2 adults with 4 juveniles

Mandai Hill

Warren

1) Changeable Hawk Eagle 3 (1 pair at nest (1 dark, 1 pale), 1 dark immature) 2) accipiter unid 1 3) Brahminy Kite 1 4) White-bellied Sea Eagle 2 subadult 5) Milky/Painted Stork 3 high in flight 6) Red-wattled Lapwing 2 7) Zebra Dove 3 8) Spotted Dove >5 9) Pink-necked Green Pigeon >10 10) Long-tailed Parakeet >5 11) Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 2 12) Violet Cuckoo 1 male 13) Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 h 14) Chestnut-bellied Malkoha 3 15) Greater Coucal 1 16) Swiftlet spp. 17) Grey-rumped Treeswift 4 (including 1 chick) 18) White-throated Kingfisher 1 19) Blue-throated Bee-eater >5 20) Dollarbird >3 21) Banded Woodpecker 1 h 22) Common Goldenback >2 (including 1 pair) 23) Laced Woodpecker 1 24) Lineated Barbet >1 h 25) Greater Racket-tailed Drongo >3 (including 2 juv) 26) Black-naped Oriole >3 27) Large-billed Crow 1 pair with nest 28) Common Iora >2 29) Asian Brown Flycatcher 1 30) White-rumped Shama 1 31) Asian Glossy Starling >30 32) Javan Myna >20 33) Yellow-vented Bulbul >5 34) Olive-winged Bulbul 1 35) Arctic Warbler 1 36) Dark-necked Tailorbird >1 h 37) Common Tailorbird >2 (including 1 pair) 38) Yellow-bellied Prinia 1 39) Striped Tit-babbler >2 40) Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker >2 41) Brown-throated Sunbird >1 42) Olive-backed Sunbird >1 43) Crimson Sunbird >1 44) Baya Weaver >5 building nests 45) Black-headed Munia 2 adult, 4 juv

1) Red Junglefowl 1 h 2) Changeable Hawk Eagle 1 3) Brahminy Kite 1 4) White-bellied Sea Eagle 1 5) White-breasted Waterhen 1 seen, 1 h 6) Ruddy-breasted Crake 1 7) Red-wattled Lapwing 1 8) Spotted Dove >5 9) Pink-necked Green Pigeon >20 10) Rusty-breasted Cuckoo 1 h 11) Banded Bay Cuckoo 1 h 12) Little Bronze Cuckoo 1 h 13) Asian Koel 1 14) Lesser Coucal 1 15) Swiftlet spp. 16) White-throated Kingfisher 1 17) Collared Kingfisher 1 18) Blue-throated Bee-eater >5 19) Dollarbird 1 20) Common Goldenback >2 (including 1 pair) 21) Laced Woodpecker >2 (including 1 pair) 22) Sunda Woodpecker 1 23) Greater Racket-tailed Drongo >1 24) Pied Triller >2 25) Black-naped Oriole >3 26) Large-billed Crow 1 pair 27) Common Iora >2 28) Oriental Magpie Robin 1 pair 29) Asian Glossy Starling >20 30) Javan Myna >20 31) Pacific Swallow >10 32) Yellow-vented Bulbul >5 33) Straw-headed Bulbul 3 34) Dark-necked Tailorbird >1 h 35) Common Tailorbird >1 h 36) Rufous-tailed Tailorbird >1 h 37) Yellow-bellied Prinia >1 h 38) Oriental White-eye 2 39) Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker >2 40) Brown-throated Sunbird >1 41) Olive-backed Sunbird >1 42) Baya Weaver >5 43) Black-headed Munia 2 44) Scaly-breasted Munia >5

Grey-rumped Treeswifts from Danny

Male with rufous ear coverts, female lacking the rufous.

Juvenile - back and side views

Stagmont, Warren, Dairy Farm, SBWR 10Oct09

Today was the recce trip before the bird race next week. Danny and I started off at Choa Chu Kang outside Stagmont Camp. There were mainly common birds, including a Straw-headed Bulbul. Moving on to Warren grassland, we were immediately greeted by at least 20 Red-wattled Lapwings. We were hoping for Savanna Nightjars and snipes, but there were none! Then it started pouring and we were drenched! What a day...

Dairy Farm Nature Park on the Wallace Trail end was quiet, probably due to the poor weather. However, at the Singapore Quarry end, it was nice to see a Common Kingfisher, a Common Sandpiper, 2 CHEs calling and 7 Little Grebes (3 pairs and 1 single bird).

Also, at SBWR in the afternoon, the Broad-billed Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints were still there, but all the waders were too far for DSLR.

Stagmont, Mandai Mudflat, Kranji, Warren, Little Guilin 2Aug08

Today's birding as below.

Main Highlights are:
1. Brahminy kite feeding on an eel/snake at Mandai Mudflat, and bird in talon at Warren.
2. Great Cormorant sunning itself with wings wide open at Mandai Mudflat.
3. Indian Silverbills at Kranji Nature Trail.
4. Early waders (2 Common Sandpipers) at SBWR.
5. 1 Smooth Otter at SBWR.
6. 4 Wild Pigs are Warren.
7. 5 species of raptors today, including the GHFEs at Little Guilin.

CCK (Stagmont Camp)
1. Sunda Woodpecker
2. Common Goldenback 2
3. Lineated Barbet 1
4. Asian Koel
5. Greater Coucal 1
6. Long-tailed Parakeet
7. Red-breasted Parakeet
8. Swiftlet spp.
9. Golden-bellied Gerygone heard
10. House Crow
11. Black-naped Oriole
12. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1
13. Common Iora
14. Asian Glossy Starling
15. Common Myna
16. Javan Myna
17. Pacific Swallow
18. Yellow-vented Bulbul
19. Oriental White-eye >5
20. Common Tailorbird
21. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
22. Plain-throated Sunbird
23. Olive-backed Sunbird
24. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Sungei Buloh
25. Common Sandpiper 2

Mandai Mudflat
26. Collared Kingfisher
27. Rock Pigeon
28. Brahminy Kite 2
29. Great Cormorant 1
30. Little Egret 1
31. Grey Heron
32. Striated Heron
33. Pied Fantail 1

Kranji Dam/Transmission Towers
34. Little Tern 2
35. White-bellied Sea-eagle 1 adult, 1 juv
36. Cattle Egret 1

Kranji Nature Trail
37. Dollarbird
38. White-throated Kingfisher
39. Blue-throated Bee-eater
40. Pink-necked Green-pigeon
41. Pied Triller
42. Ashy Tailorbird
43. Rufous-tailed Tailorbird 1
44. Indian Silverbill >10

Warren
45. Coppersmith Barbet 1
46. Lesser Coucal 1
47. Spotted Dove
48. Zebra Dove
49. White-breasted Waterhen
50. Red-wattled Lapwing 4
51. Changeable Hawk-eagle 1 dark
52. Zitting Cisticola heard
53. Yellow-bellied Prinia heard
54. Baya Weaver with nests
55. Javan Munia 2
56. Scaly-breasted Munia

Little Guilin
57. House Swift
58. Oriental Honey-buzzard 1 pale
59. Grey-headed Fish-eagle 1 adult, 1 juv
60. White-crested Laughingthrush heard

Photos from Danny

The Great Cormorant, non breeding, was sunning itself, very critical to keep dry before the next dive, dry plumages trapped air to maintain buoyancy. Look at the web feet, like giant paddles.

The prey of the Brahminy Kite looks like an eel. Maximum zoom.

Don't you dare laugh at my hairdo! Try posing at this height. I need stronger gel. (Grey-headed Fish-eagle)

Recce before Bird Race 14-26Oct07

Danny at Tuas & NTL2 14 Oct Sun

Evening I drove by Tuas, surprised no visible changes but the fields were pretty dry with no sign of any waders or water fowls. Only spotted an Asian Brown Flycatcher perched on fence opp. the field. Went over to NTL2 for a quick recce, quiet with the usual birds but little activity at the renovated ponds - no common KF?? There was a Peregrine Falcon around and by nighfall the typical nightjars abound. Seen three suspected warblers by naked eyes with prominent whites on tails and flanks.

Round the island 20 Oct Sat

1 Sime forest:
The track between the Ranger Station and Petaling Hut is closed, and it's not really worth the time and effort to go from Venus Drive to Rifle Range. Met with rain, not many birds seen, but at least we got our team bird, the racket-tailed drongo.

2 BTNR/Hindhede:
Oriental white-eye, yellow-rumped fc

3 Tuas:
Wood sandpiper, cinnamon bittern, zitting cisticola. Did not beat the bush for nightjars or snipes.

4 NTL/Kranji Marsh:
White-winged and little terns. No swamphen, no crake, no whistling duck. Osprey on transmission towers.

5 Boardwalk outside Sungei Buloh:
Asian paradise fc, Arctic warbler, crow-billed drongo, great crested tern, Sunda pygmy wp

6 Sungei Buloh:
Bar-tailed godwit, black-capped kf, emerald dove, yellow bittern and the usual waders.

7 UWC:
Spotted Wood Owl

8 Tanjong Rhu:
No barn owl...

Danny at Warren 21 Oct Sun

A duck was found around 6.35 pm and pic taken from the roadside bridge next to Warren entrance. The duck was about 50 ft from the bridge, on the Warren side of the drain. The duck was roosting for the night, about 3-5 ft from the edge of drain, nearby was a tree shielding it from the golfers. Likely a daytime active duck, If you head there early may catch it. Take note a lot of works going on around the forested area near the roadside, the usual path is no longer accessible, blocked by trees felled by contractors.

Domestic duck

Punggol, Warren 22 Oct Mon

KH: Was at Punggol on Mon evening for about 1/2 hr and still no sign of snipes/painted-snipes. Only goldenback, pink-necked pigeon, bwk, common sandpiper.

Danny: No luck on Mon evening at Warren canal, no duck except Common kf, White throated kf and a Asian Brown FC, many waterhens.

Con at SBG 23 Oct Tue

I went to SBG this evening from 5 to 7:15 pm. Although the weather was very nice, not much bird activity. The Lesser Whistling-duck was there, but in fewer numbers than before the plants were cleared from Symphony Lake. I saw no Wandering Whistling.

Then I went to the Oil Palm Trees near the MRT site. Sure enough at 6 pm the flock of Long tailed Parakeets flew in, but was not accompanied by the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot as was happening back in March.

Then I went to the waterfalls and waited for the Red-Legged Crake, but none appeared. Also no Pitta. Not much to add, just Yellow-vented Bulbul, ETS, Spotted Dove, Pink-neck Green-pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Crimson Sunbird, both Mynas, (also heard Hill Myna), Waterhen, Striated Heron. Didn't see any kingfishers, there was a photographer there looking too.

Con at Lower Peirce 26 Oct Fri

I went to Lower Peirce from 4:30 pm and stayed until 7:45 pm. During that time I saw or heard:--

0) it was a very hot afternoon, and almost nothing was calling or visible from 4:30 to 5:30 pm, not even a Javan Myna
1) around 6 pm a red-crowned barbet called several times from inside the forest
2) a pair of WBSE were very noisy and quite visible
3) heard sunbirds in the canopy & PNGP
4) illegal fishing in the reservoir
5) definitely heard Mr. Buffy calling from around 6:45 pm to around 7:15 pm, but he was on the other side of the water from the boardwalk, not near any trail, no way to get to him except swim or hire a boat.
6) a large flock of Javan Myna flew by around at about 7 looking for a place to roost.
7) many bee-eaters and swifts
8) at 6:55 pm a Blue-winged Pitta called exactly twice and then stopped calling from the same area as Mr. Buffy.
9) around 7pm a Collared Scops Owl started calling from in the forest so I took the boardwalk but could not get close enough, he kept calling until I left.

Warren 11Mar07

From Danny

The torquatus is a pretty bird, her crest is impressive. In the morning she hangs around the saf hut and in the evening roost on one of the tall trees among the cluster where we spotted many woodpeckers during our last trip (end of track b4 we turn along camp fences). Both JS & myself sat on the granite chips track till sunset with our scope focus on her - she didn't move at all except some preening b4 bed.

ID notes from Chaiyan

This is an adult female OHB, likely belongs to the resident race, torquatus since it has prominent crest, which is lacked in the migratory race orientalis or Eastern Honey-buzzard.

The non-feathered tarsus, thin bill and slit-liked nostril exclude all Spizaetus hawk-eagles and the pattern of uppertail and undertail barring excludes Jerdon's. Aging as adult is by thick dark subterminal band on trailing edge and yellow iris points to adult (iris color rather the same or not obviously different in both male and female OHB race of the peninsula e.g. torquatus). Late Laurence Poh and Bill Clark reported this observation in OBC bulletin a few years back.

Sex determination in this case is from the upper/undertail barring that the central barrings is not equal or wider than the subterminal band that is for female.

Warren, Lim Chu Kang, Mousedeer Trail 16Dec06

From JS

Present for today's morning birding was Con, Kok Hui, Uncle Kong, my father and I. We went to Warren. We covered 7 ponds and 1 reservoir. Habitat covered consist of a mixture of grassland, freshwater wetland and forest. Some highlights are 50++ snipes (mixed flock of common & pintail snipes) and >4 Siberian Stonechats heard (1 confirm female sighting).

Pintail Snipes ©Con Foley

Drongo Cuckoo. Straw-headed Bulbul ©Danny Lau

White-bellied Sea-eagle with fish ©Danny Lau

By noon, only Kok Hui, my father and I continued birding. We went to find the Jerdon's Baza at LCK but to no avail. A consoling highlight was a duel between a WBSE and a Black-winged Kite, the david-vs-goliath type. As we were travelling along Old CCK Road, an OHB was spotted perched on a tree.

Immature male Oriental Honey-buzzard ©Lau JS

Kok Hui thought he missed a lot during last two week, so we showed him what he really missed - the Blue-and-white flycatcher, so Mousedeer Trail was our next birding site. First bird sighted was a female Mugimaki flycatcher. Next, we completed the final sighting that makes our last two week of birding wasted - a female Blue-and-white flycatcher. (Con, we should have stayed at home for the last two weeks. Kok Hui took just one fine Saturday to see all the birds we saw for the whole of last two weeks.)

Warren 25Nov06

From Danny

It is great to have Kong back on the birding trail esp. on such a sunny morning. 1st bird was the Yellow Bittern.This trail (in the morning) is one of the few truly ideal for bird photography, even the usually dull looking Asian Brown Flycatcher looks great in the morning sun.

Immature Yellow Bittern

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Red-wattled Lapwing

Ashy Minivet

1. Yellow bittern - immature
2. Asian glossy starling
3. Long-tailed parakeet
4. Thick-billed green pigeon
5. Yellow-vented bulbul
6. Pink-necked green pigeon
7. Wb waterhen
8. Rw lapwing - flock of 12, 6 resident
9. Common iora
10. Little egret
11. Black-headed munia - flock of 8
12. Lesser coucal
13. Wt kfisher
14. Pied triller
15. Bn oriole
16. Large-billed crow
17. Yellow wagtail
18. Spotted dove
19. Zebra dove
20. Oriental honey buzzard - 3 in flight
21. Black baza - 1 in flight, 1 perched
22. Japanese sparrowhawk - 1 in flight, 1 female perched
23. Indian cuckoo
24. Ab flycatcher
25. Brown shrike
26. Baya weaver
27. Wbse
28. Brahminy kite - juvenile
29. Asian paradise flycatcher - >2 fem in birdwave
30. Crimson sunbird - in birdwave
31. Ashy minivet - >4 in birdwave
32. Olive-back sunbird - eclipse
33. Dark-necked tailorbird
34. Yellow-bellied prinia
35. Dollarbird - >3
36. Common flameback - male
37. Coppersmith barbet - heard