25 Jan 2026 – Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Kingfishers galore.

I like birding at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Sundays because bus no. 925M goes directly to the entrance of the wetlands. On other days, bus no. 925 only stops nearby the Visitor Centre which requires another 1.2 km walk to the wetlands.

On this morning, I arrived at 7:00AM as I always do. Immediately, I was greeted by the familiar call of the Blue-eared Kingfisher at the pond near the wetland entrance. I had not even taken my camera out of my bag.

Blue-eared Kingfisher

Under extremely low light conditions, I still managed to capture some decent shots of the bird (I later realized there were 2 of them). I am constantly amazed by how far image stabilization and noise reduction technology had progressed since my early days of photography in the late 2000s.

Blue-eared Kingfisher

At the main bridge, I spotted the Rhinoceros Hornbill feeding high up the trees. For context, the Rhinoceros Hornbill is extirpated in Singapore. This individual is believed to have flown over from Johor, Malaysia in Dec 2025 and had been around since.

Rhinoceros Hornbill

Inside the wetlands, it was surprisingly quiet, with hardly any shorebirds around. Hence, I decided to head to Eagle Point instead after hearing from another birder that there was plenty of raptor action the day before.

Stork-billed Kingfisher

Along the way, I spotted more kingfishers – the resident Stork-billed Kingfisher and Collared Kingfisher.

Collared Kingfisher

At Eagle Point, I joined other birders to wait for more raptor action. The White-bellied Sea Eagles and Ospreys made their scheduled appearances. However, I did not expect to also spot a Peregrine Falcon.

Peregrine Falcon

Later, I spotted this Great Egret gliding across the water with it’s legs lowered. This was unusual as Egrets typically fly with their legs straightened behind their back. I thought the bird would grab a fish out of the water with it’s legs but it used it’s long bill instead.

Great Egret
Great Egret

This House Crow was seen carrying a decomposing dead fish. Coupled with the lack of feathers around the head, the bird looked like it came straight out of a post-apocalyptic horror movie scene.

House Crow

Lastly, on the way out, I spotted one of the White-bellied Sea Eagles perched on a tree near the Visitor Centre.

White-bellied Sea Eagle

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S296140578

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