Marina Grove, Branksome Road 24Jan26

From KH

Danny, JS and I went to Marina Grove today. The little pond continued to support the Little Grebe family. Here's a juvenile.

Lesser Whistling-Duck chilling.

Ruddy-breasted Crake foraging.

A shy Little Heron.

Juvenile Yellow Bittern.

Most of them were juveniles. Here's an adult male.

Humped Bladderwort, a carnivorous plant.

Taiga Flycatcher continuing in the wooded patch of the pond.

In the adjacent grassland, Zitting Cisticola singing its lungs out on Neptunia plena.

Asian Openbill flew overhead.

As Danny has not seen the Common Hoopoe, we went to Branksome Road and the bird was in a different private property further down the road.

Marina East 15Jul23

From KH

Danny and I went to Marina East today. Got an early Barn Swallow.

Another successful breeding season for our migrant breeder Blue-throated Bee-eater, adult and juvenile here.

Same for Purple Heron: Adult and juvenile.

Zitting Cisticola usually hidden in the grass but this one came out to play.

Introduced Orange-cheeked waxbill enjoying a seedy meal.

Lesser Grass Blue sipping nectar from Creeping Cucumber flower.

Neo Tiew 28Nov20

From KH

Before Harvest Lane, Danny and I dropped by Kranji Loop for a quick look-see. Nothing much here.

Osprey with catch

Brown Shrike

1. Spotted Dove 2
2. White-breasted Waterhen 1 - Heard
3. Little Egret 1
4. Osprey 1
5. Pied Triller 1
6. Brown Shrike 1
7. House Crow 1
8. Common Tailorbird 1 - Heard
9. Oriental Reed Warbler 1 - Heard
10. Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler 1 - Heard
11. Barn Swallow 10
12. Yellow-vented Bulbul 1
13. Javan Myna 4
14. Paddyfield Pipit 1

At Neo Tiew Harvest Lane, also nothing much.

Peregrine Falcon

White-throated Kingfisher

Chestnut Munia

Zitting Cisticola showing front and back

1. Spotted Dove 4
2. Zebra Dove 4
3. Pink-necked Green-Pigeon 1
4. dark swiftlet sp. 50
5. White-breasted Waterhen 1
6. Red-wattled Lapwing 1 - Heard
7. Yellow Bittern 5
8. Intermediate Egret 2
9. Little Egret 1
10. Black-winged Kite 2
11. Brahminy Kite 1
12. White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1
13. White-throated Kingfisher 2
14. Blue-throated Bee-eater 2
15. Blue-tailed Bee-eater 3
16. Lineated Barbet 1 - Heard
17. Peregrine Falcon 1
18. Red-breasted Parakeet 5
19. Black-naped Oriole 2 - Heard
20. Brown Shrike 1
21. House Crow 1
22. Common Tailorbird 1 - Heard
23. Yellow-bellied Prinia 1 - Heard
24. Zitting Cisticola 3
25. Oriental Reed Warbler 3
26. Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler 1 - Heard
27. Bank Swallow 2
28. Barn Swallow 10
29. Yellow-vented Bulbul 4
30. White-crested Laughingthrush 2 - Heard
31. Asian Glossy Starling 2
32. Javan Myna 5
33. Golden-backed Weaver 5
34. Chestnut Munia 8
35. Eastern Yellow Wagtail 1
36. Paddyfield Pipit 1

Seletar East 25Feb18

From KH

Asian Brown Flycatcher (left) and Arctic Warbler - two of the most common migrant songbirds in Singapore.

Oriental Honey-buzzard - one of the most common migrant raptors in Singapore.

This is most likely a Pintail Snipe.

Pacific Golden-plovers - one of the most common waders in Singapore - roosting in the grassfield.

Paddyfield Pipit also in the grassfield.

Zitting Cisticola in the grassfield.

Chestnut Munias of various age hiding in the tall grass.

1. 1 Purple Heron - juvenile
2. 1 Intermediate Egret
3. 1 Cattle Egret (Eastern)
4. 1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle
5. 1 Accipiter sp.
6. 2 White-breasted Waterhen
7. 64 Pacific Golden-Plover
8. 4 Pin-tailed/Swinhoe's Snipe
9. 10 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
10. 2 Spotted Dove
11. 5 Zebra Dove
12. 3 Asian Koel - Heard
13. 10 dark swiftlet sp.
14. 1 Common Kingfisher - Heard
15. 1 White-throated Kingfisher - Heard
16. 1 Collared Kingfisher - Heard
17. 3 Blue-tailed Bee-eater
18. 1 Coppersmith Barbet
19. 2 Common Flameback - A pair
20. 4 Psittacula sp.
21. 5 Common Iora
22. 1 Pied Triller
23. 2 Long-tailed Shrike
24. 3 Black-naped Oriole
25. 1 Large-billed Crow
26. 2 Barn Swallow
27. 2 Pacific Swallow
28. 5 Yellow-vented Bulbul
29. 1 Arctic Warbler
30. 3 Zitting Cisticola
31. 3 Common Tailorbird
32. 1 Ashy Tailorbird
33. 1 Asian Brown Flycatcher
34. 3 Asian Glossy Starling
35. 2 Common Myna
36. 10 Javan Myna
37. 2 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
38. 2 Plain-throated Sunbird
39. 2 Olive-backed Sunbird
40. 1 Eastern Yellow Wagtail
41. 4 Paddyfield Pipit
42. 3 Eurasian Tree Sparrow
43. 8 Chestnut Munia

Seletar East 28Jan18

From KH

Pacific Golden-plovers were roosting in the field.

Asian Brown Flycatcher and Oriental Reed Warbler preferred the trees.

Intermediate Egret and Purple Heron also took to the fields.

Brahminy Kite caught a Changeable Lizard!

Male Laced Woodpecker prospecting tree hole. Chestnut Munia hiding in the grass.

Zitting Cisticola singing away.

1. 1 Yellow Bittern
2. 1 Purple Heron
3. 1 Intermediate Egret
4. 8 Cattle Egret (Eastern)
5. 1 Striated Heron - Immature
6. 1 Brahminy Kite - Adult hunting
7. 2 White-breasted Waterhen
8. 80 Pacific Golden-Plover
9. 10 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
10. 1 Zebra Dove
11. 2 Pink-necked Pigeon - A pair
12. 3 Asian Koel
13. 20 dark swiftlet sp.
14. 1 Common Kingfisher
15. 1 Stork-billed Kingfisher
16. 2 White-throated Kingfisher - A pair
17. 1 Collared Kingfisher
18. 8 Blue-tailed Bee-eater
19. 1 Coppersmith Barbet - Heard
20. 1 Sunda Woodpecker
21. 2 Laced Woodpecker
22. A pair digging hole 2 Red-breasted Parakeet - Heard
23. 3 Psittacula sp.
24. 1 Golden-bellied Gerygone - Heard
25. 3 Common Iora
26. 6 Long-tailed Shrike
27. 5 Black-naped Oriole
28. 2 House Crow - Heard
29. 1 Large-billed Crow
30. 5 Barn Swallow
31. 5 Pacific Swallow
32. 2 Sooty-headed Bulbul
33. 4 Yellow-vented Bulbul
34. 1 Oriental Reed Warbler
35. 3 Zitting Cisticola
36. 1 Common Tailorbird - Heard
37. 1 Ashy Tailorbird - Heard
38. 5 Asian Brown Flycatcher
39. 5 Asian Glossy Starling
40. 4 Common Myna
41. 10 Javan Myna
42. 2 Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
43. 2 Plain-throated Sunbird
44. 4 Olive-backed Sunbird
45. 10 Paddyfield Pipit
46. 5 Eurasian Tree Sparrow
47. 4 Chestnut Munia

Tuas, Halus 02Aug14

Danny and I were at Tuas in the morning and Halus in the afternoon.

We walked around the only patch in Tuas with some tall trees. Sure enough a pair of bronze-cuckoos were found, but they were Little Bronze-cuckoos, not Horsfield's...

Also present were their potential hosts - Golden-bellied Gerygones.

There were a pair of roosting Brahminy Kites and a Black-winged Kite.

Moving on to Tuas, Little Terns were nesting in the field, and a Black-winged Kite was chased away by the terns!

Also present were many Zitting Cisticolas, probably also nesting.

In the grassland was also a juvenile Plaintive Cuckoo.

After lunch at the usual Punggol foodcourt, we were off to Halus. Again, no Horsfield's...

There were many Golden-backed Weavers nesting over the Grebe Pond at the Tidal Gates side.

When we were about to leave, we saw a gathering of photographers at the buttonquail place, and sure enough a female Barred Buttonquail was present.

Tuas, Chestnut Ave 27-28Jun09

From Con

Here's the reason I missed Panti yesterday, the Zitting Cisticola chicks did fledge on Saturday 27 Jun.

Today (28 Jun) I hear about a Chestnut-bellied Malkoha nest on the bike trail at Chestnut Ave so I went to have a look. I couldn't find it but I did see a Blue-eared Kingfisher cross the bike trail twice!

Lower Peirce, Tuas 11May09

From Danny

In the morning, I was at LP but no nesting activities were seen, only the usual birds like Short-tailed Babblers, Striped Tit-babblers, GRT Drongoes around - too close and active for my scope. Only managed to take pic of a Black-bearded Flying Lizard.

Went over to Tuas motorcross grassland after a yummy prata break. The relative small grassland at the back of the motorcross proper has a shallow freshwater pond - potential habitat for long-toed stint/green sandpiper. The ground is accessible for 4 wheel drive but for time being for sake of breeding Savannah Nightjars and Red-wattled Lapwings, suggest walking. Three species of munias were seen namely, Scaly-breasted, White and Black-headed. An overhead Brahminy Kite was mobbed by two lapwings but no sign of Pied Harrier.

Only pic taken was a relatively docile Zitting Cisticola which skulked the ground and occasionally perched on the small tree in the pic, a behaviour so predictable, even my scope managed a few pics.

Anyway, not sure the Motorcross track is sustainable till the migrating season, looks a little rundown. The place was deserted except for one photographer named Robin, a member of NPSS who missed the President.

Venus Dr, Pulau Punggol 23Feb08

From JS

Today, we went to Sime forest and P. Punggol. The weather was great; no rain from morning to afternoon. Also, the rain came a day earlier, encouraging some ground activity from an Abbott's babbler and the white-rumped shama. For the former, we had some good views but photography in the thickets proved too great a task for me.

The day started with the sighting of two common snipes in the open grass patch beside Venus Dr Carpark. We approach one bird to less than 5 m. Interestingly, it just go lower, trying to hide behind the very short grasses.

Common Snipe

In Sime forest, we did better than in Panti by getting 4 migrants, more than the 3 we got in Panti. The migrants we saw in Sime are Arctic warblers, an asian brown flycatcher, a wingbar-less female yellow-rumped flycatcher and an Oriental honey-buzzard.

At P. Punggol, we had several surprises. First, we saw no rare raptor. Second, a ruddy-breasted crake came so close to me that I could only photograph its head! Third, a pair of barred buttonquails foraging by the road.

Female Barred Buttonquail

Oriental Reed Warbler

Ruddy-breasted Crake

Zitting Cisticola

Sime Forest
1) Pink-necked Green-pigeon
2) Thick-billed Green-pigeon (2)
3) Emerald Dove (1)
4) Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
5) Olive-backed Sunbird
6) Crimson Sunbird (1)
7) Purple-throated Sunbird (2)
8) Javan Myna
9) Hill Myna
10) Asian Glossy Starling
11) Red-crowned Barbet (h)
12) Coppersmith Barbet (1)
13) Pacific Swallow
14) Swiftlet spp.
15) Dollarbird
16) Common Flameback (2)
17) Banded Woodpecker (2)
18) Abbott’s Babbler (1)
19) Chestnut-winged Babbler (h)
20) Striped Tit-babbler
21) Arctic Warbler
22) Common Iora (h)
23) Black-naped Oriole
24) Blue-winged Leafbird (2)
25) Oriental Honey-buzzard (1)
26) White-bellied Sea-eagle (h)
27) Brahminy Kite (1)
28) White-rumped Shama
29) Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo
30) Common Snipe (2)
31) Asian Brown Flycatcher (1)
32) Yellow-rumped Flycatcher (1 female)
33) Large-tailed Nightjar (h)
34) Collared Kingfisher
35) White-throated Kingfisher
36) Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot (3)
37) Long-tailed Parakeet
38) Asian Fairy-bluebird (2)
39) House Crow
40) Ashy Minivet (>5)
41) Olive-winged Bulbul
42) Cream-vented Bulbul
43) Yellow-vented Bulbul
44) Common Tailorbird (h)
45) Dark-necked Tailorbird (h)
46) Rufous-tailed Tailorbird (h)

Pulau Punggol
47) Barred Buttonquail (2)
48) Ruddy-breasted Crake (>5)
49) White-breasted Waterhen (2)
50) Osprey (1)
51) Black-winged Kite (1)
52) Black Baza (3)
53) Common Kingfisher (1)
54) Common Sandpiper (2)
55) Grey Heron (>3)
56) Little Egret
57) Oriental Reed Warbler (>4)
58) Zitting Cisticola
59) Paddyfield Pipit
60) Yellow-bellied Prinia (h)
61) Spotted Dove
62) Zebra Dove
63) Blue-tailed Bee-eater
64) Black-headed Munia (2)
65) Scaly-breasted Munia
66) Baya Weaver
67) Yellow-fronted Canary
68) Asian Koel
69) Lesser Coucal (1)
70) Brown Shrike
71) Oriental Magpie-robin (h)