Labrador Park 22Jul12

From Danny

This breeding season looks like belong to the WBSE, I was at Labrador boardwalk on Sunday checking out the WBSE nest which I have been monitoring but couldn't confirm any success until that late morning. A pair of twin seen in the nest, much younger than the pair at CCK and likely to fledge in late Aug or early Sept. Two pairs of twin so far this season. The pair at CCK feed on fresh water fish while this pair on sea water fish.

CCK Park 18Jul12

From Danny

This evening while at CCK Park around 6.55 pm, saw one of the twin juvenile WBSE flew in from the direction of the Tengeh Reservoir. About 5 min later found both juveniles perched at one of the radio tower while both adults perched a distance away on another tower. Glad to known one of the juveniles has almost fully fledged able to fly away from the nesting tree though still return to roost in the evening. On the other hand the less adventurous twin still hovering around the nesting tree, likely fully fledged in August.

As for the juvenile CHE still calling at the Condo end of the CCK Park with both adults still dropping by flying in from the direction of Mandai Hill Camp.

Sungei Pandan, Poyan 15Jul12

From Danny

Went to Sungei Pandan late morning, as it was rising tide went to the National Rowing Center side. No Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo but clearly heard a Mangrove Whistler, try to whistle and play-back but bird refuse to show. Tide rising, didn't bash in.

1) Mangrove Whistler - 1 heard
2) Pied Imperial-pigeon - 1
3) WBSE - 1
4) Brahminy Kite - 1
5) Common Iora >3
6) Large-billed Crow - 2
7) House Crow > 3
8) Ashy Tailorbird - 1, heard many
9) Common Tailorbird - 1
10) Black-naped Oriole >3
11) PNGP >3
12) Spotted Dove >3
13) Little Bronze-cuckoo - heard
14) OB Sunbird >3
15) Brown throated sunbird - 1
16) Asian Glossy Starling >3
17) Pacific Swallow > 3
18) Zebra Dove - 1
19) Collared Kingfisher - 3
20) Javan Myna >3

I went down to Poyan around 5.30 pm via the NSA gate, no Blue-winged Pitta calls, tried a few rounds of play-back, no response. Went over to the grassland on the side of NSA range to check out any Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo but no success, only bird of interest was a House Swift other than the usual birds. Around 6.30 pm as I was walking out, the Pitta started calling though a little distance away. Tried two rounds of play-back, the responses remain far off. Decided to head home. While I was driving out, the calls became nearer, back tracked and locate calls from the wooded area (Muslim cemetery) where we seen the BF Owls.

Serangoon Tidal Gates 11Jul12

From Con

Think I finally got the Streaked Weaver. There was a male feeding a juvenile at the patch of rice nearer to the entrance gate. I couldn’t ID the female if she was there. Further up closer to the barrage there were some very clear Baya Weavers and some other weavers of less clear plumage.

Serangoon, Poyan 08Jul12

Nothing unusual at Serangoon, but Con and Danny got a pair of Blue-winged Pittas at Poyan again.

		Serangoon	Poyan
1	Red Junglefowl		1
2	Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker	5	1
3	Banded Woodpecker		2
4	Common Goldenback	2	3
5	Lineated Barbet		3
6	Oriental Dollarbird		2
7	Stork-billed Kingfisher	1
8	White-throated Kingfisher	6	1
9	Collared Kingfisher	4	2
10	Blue-throated Bee-eater	2	4
11	Rusty-breasted Cuckoo		1
12	Little Bronze-cuckoo	1
13	Asian Koel	4
14	Chestnut-bellied Malkoha		1
15	Lesser Coucal		1
16	Rose-ringed Parakeet		1
17	Red-breasted Parakeet		14
18	Long-tailed Parakeet	14
19	Swiftlet spp.	26	25
20	Common Pigeon	11
21	Spotted Dove	12	29
22	Common Emerald Dove		2
23	Zebra Dove	3	1
24	Pink-necked Green Pigeon	2	8
25	Green Pigeon sp.		1
26	White-breasted Waterhen	2	4
27	Red-wattled Lapwing		2
28	Little Tern	2
29	Black-winged Kite		1
30	Brahminy Kite	1	1
31	White-bellied Sea Eagle	2
32	Changeable Hawk-eagle	1	2
33	Grey Heron	1
34	Purple Heron	1
35	Striated Heron	11
36	Blue-winged Pitta		2
37	Golden-bellied Gerygone	2
38	House Crow	4
39	Black-naped Oriole	5	10
40	Pied Triller		2
41	Pied Fantail	4
42	Greater Racket-tailed Drongo		5
43	Common Iora	12	6
44	Oriental Magpie-robin		1
45	Asian Glossy Starling	7	17
46	Common Myna	1
47	White-vented Myna	35	30
48	Pacific Swallow	8	11
49	Straw-headed Bulbul		2
50	Sooty-headed Bulbul	5
51	Yellow-vented Bulbul	14	19
52	Yellow-bellied Prinia	6	1
53	Oriental White-eye		8
54	Common Tailorbird	8	1
55	Dark-necked Tailorbird		1
56	Ashy Tailorbird	7
57	White-crested Laughingthrush		4
58	Striped Tit-babbler		2
59	Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker	2	1
60	Brown-throated Sunbird	5	2
61	Olive-backed Sunbird	13	3
62	Crimson Sunbird		1
63	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	19
64	Paddyfield Pipit	1	1
65	Baya Weaver		3
	Total Species	41	48
	Total No.	272	246

Halus, Marina Barrage 07Jul12

From KH

Danny and I went to Halus hoping to see the Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo and Streaked Weaver. We dipped at the cuckoo, but got the weaver.

Male Streaked Weaver feeding juvenile in the foreground.

Female Streaked Weaver on the right appears smaller than the female Baya Weavers.

Other birds of note at Halus are the escapees: Yellow-fronted Canary, Bronze Munia, Golden-backed Weaver, Sooty-headed Bulbul and the residents: Little Tern, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Little Grebe, Greater Coucal, Long-tailed Shrike, Pied Triller, Changeable Hawk Eagle (2 pale, 1 dark).

After lunch, we went to Marina Barrage and Bay East Garden. Barn Owl was nowhere to be found. But there were tons of Olive-backed Sunbirds. Then we came to a tree bustling with activities.

Besides the ever-present sunbirds, there were also three Javan Munias

and a family of Common Ioras. The female is feeding the juvenile, while the male was minding its own business.

Other birds of note at Marina are Oriental White-eye, Little Bronze-cuckoo (heard), Long-tailed Shrike. We ended the walk with a surprising dark morph Pacific Reef-egret at the Barrage.

Sulawesi 21Jun-2Jul12

Con went to Sulawesi (Tangkoko and Lore Lindu) and got 64 lifers with 52 being endemics!

http://confoley.com/sulawesi-trip-report