Singapore Strait 12Apr15

From KH

Went on the pelagic trip organised by Bird Group with Danny. It was a hot and sleepy trip.

Little Terns - both in breeding plumage

Lesser Crested Terns - bottom bird in breeding plumage

Black-naped Terns - the top right with a flying fish

Great Crested Tern (12)
Lesser Crested Tern (34)
Little Tern (14)
Black-naped Tern (10)
Bridled Tern (1)
Swiftlet spp. (22)
Grey Heron (2)
Barn Swallow (1)
White-bellied Sea-eagle (1)
Brahminy Kite (1)

Bidadari 23Mar15

From Con

After a bit of a sad start to the day, I went to Bidadari hopping that the LHC without the rufous wash was still around. It took a long time searching for it, but I was in luck and it was still there and I managed to get some photos. Previous LHC that I’ve photographed both adult and juvenile had a rufous wash around the neck and upper breast, but this one does not. However it most certainly is a LHC, it is visibly larger and flies like an LHC with stronger wing beats and much greater distance of flight than either MHC or HHC. It was rather skittish and would not allow close approach, but still I got useable photos.

A photo guide to the ID of Large Hawk Cuckoos

Serangoon, Poyan 22Mar15

Danny and Con did the census at Poyan, getting a record 60 species! I did Serangoon as usual and managed "only" 51 species.

		Serangoon	Poyan
1	Red Junglefowl		7
2	Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker	10	2
3	Banded Woodpecker		3
4	Laced Woodpecker		1
5	Common Goldenback		7
6	Lineated Barbet		8
7	Coppersmith Barbet		1
8	Oriental Dollarbird		1
9	Stork-billed Kingfisher	1	1
10	White-throated Kingfisher	3	2
11	Collared Kingfisher	3	2
12	Blue-throated Bee-eater	2	3
13	Blue-tailed Bee-Eater		2
14	Banded Bay Cuckoo		2
15	Rusty-breasted Cuckoo		1
16	Little Bronze Cuckoo	2
17	Asian Drongo Cuckoo	1
18	Asian Koel	4
19	Greater Coucal		1
20	Lesser Coucal	1	6
21	Rainbow Lorikeet		1
22	Blue-rumped Parrot		1
23	Rose-ringed Parakeet	3
24	Red-breasted Parakeet		18
25	Long-tailed Parakeet	1	5
26	Swiftlet Spp	20	25
27	Common Pigeon	8
28	Spotted Dove	7	12
29	Common Emerald Dove		1
30	Zebra Dove	1	10
31	Pink-necked Green Pigeon	4	30
32	White-breasted Waterhen	2
33	Marsh Sandpiper	1
34	Common Greenshank	2
35	Common Sandpiper	9
36	Pacific Golden Plover	18
37	Red-wattled Lapwing		7
38	Black Baza	1
39	Crested Honey Buzzard		1
40	White-bellied Sea Eagle		2
41	Grey-headed Fish Eagle	1
42	Changeable Hawk Eagle		2
43	Little Egret	2
44	Grey Heron	2
45	Striated Heron	21
46	Blue-winged Pitta		3
47	Tiger Shrike		1
48	Brown Shrike	1
49	House Crow	2
50	Large-billed Crow		2
51	Black-naped Oriole	10	24
52	Pied Triller	1	5
53	Ashy Minivet	2	6
54	Pied Fantail	9
55	Greater Racket-tailed Drongo		4
56	Common Iora	9	9
57	Asian Brown Flycatcher	1	1
58	Oriental Magpie Robin	1	3
59	Asian Glossy Starling	4	29
60	Common Myna	1	1
61	White-vented Myna	32	33
62	Pacific Swallow	3	2
63	Straw-headed Bulbul		6
64	Sooty-headed Bulbul	1	1
65	Yellow-vented Bulbul	11	27
66	Olive-winged Bulbul		3
67	Zitting Cisticola	2
68	Yellow-bellied Prinia	4	2
69	Oriental Reed Warbler	2
70	Common Tailorbird	7	1
71	Dark-necked Tailorbird		2
72	Ashy Tailorbird	10	1
73	Arctic Warbler	2	1
74	White-crested Laughingthrush		6
75	Striped Tit Babbler		5
76	Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker	2	3
77	Brown-throated Sunbird	2	3
78	Purple-throated Sunbird		2
79	Olive-backed Sunbird	14	5
80	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	9
81	Paddyfield Pipit		1
82	Baya Weaver		21
83	Scaly-breasted Munia	10
	Total Species	52	60
	Total No.	282	353

Pasir Ris Park 07Mar15

From Con

Looks like I picked a good day to go to Pasir Ris Park !

http://confoley.com/owls-climb-trees

Hindhede 27Feb15

From Con

I went there this morning for the Orange-headed Thrush. The first bird I stumbled into on the short trail to the thrush was this big chicken!

Helmeted Guineafowl

Mt Faber 15Feb15

From Danny

Last Sunday, 15 Feb, I was back checking out the Changeable Hawk Eagle nest at Mt Faber car park C which I had found earlier on 25 Jan'15.

Before reaching Car Park C, I heard loud adult calls of a CHE but as I was walking along the driveway, a road cleaner came up to me asking whether I was aware of an eagle nest. Good and bad, depending on one's perspective.

I reached site it was quiet with no CHE in sight though I was quite sure one bird sitting on nest as the breeding date still early. After abt 5 min, the dark morph appeared from nest and perched on the right side of the nest(down slope end), it went back to nest and that's when I took the 1st shot with the pale bluish grey nictitating membrane.

After a while it hopped out to the left side of the nest and started calling, stopped /started for abt 10 min before a pale morph CHE flew in. The pair exchanged a few squawks before the dark morph flew off. I missed taking a shot of the pair together, noticing the darker bird appeared larger. Subsequently from Lee-Ferguson, the female is 10 -15% larger.

The pale morph was left guarding the nest. From 11.21 am the pale morph flew off, no one at the nest. The pale morph flew back around 11.36 am but just hang outside the nest till 11.44 am, before flying off again after a couple of minutes, it was calling but did not appear till 11.50 am with a branch full of green leaves but hid it a few trees away .The pale morph did not sit on nest during this period just stood guard outside nest. I left around noon but dark morph was not back .

Anecdotal conclusion:
From my observations, the dark morph is larger and could be verified from the two pictures attached with reference to the bough it perched and protruding twigs of the nest. The female is sitting on the nest. The male, pale morph did not sit on the nest but involved by bringing fresh branches with green leaves which are known to be used to line the nest. However at no time the male dare get into the nest without the female around.

Hort Park, Eton Hall 8Feb15

From Danny

1. Crested Goshawk (adult) 1
2. Black Baza 2
3. CHE 2
4. House swift 1
5. Red-billed Blue Magpie 1