Category: Singapore

Routine birding.

On Sunday, I went to SBWR for some early morning birding as I had to leave by late morning for an afternoon appointment. Arriving on the first bus at 7:00AM as usual, this time, I was ready with camera out for my encounter with the Blue-eared Kingfisher.

Sure enough, it was perched near the pond diving into the water to catch breakfast. Unfortunately, it was too dark to capture any action shots but I’m pleased with these photos that I’ve shot. After a few successful dives, the bird disappeared into the forest behind the pond.

There were more shorebirds this time around inside the wetlands but nothing out of the ordinary. So I turned my attention back up the sky to find a lone Red-collared Dove (lifer) perched high up on a tree adding another unexpected tick to my life list.

Later, I decided to walk near the carpark as there were reports of a Forest Wagtail in the area on eBird. Alas, only common birds like the Red Junglefowl and Ashy Tailorbird were around to entertain me.

Finally, I saw a pair of Lineated Barbets bring food back to this hole in a tree which I presume is a nest. I only saw the adult birds coming in and out to drop off food though. There was no sight of any chicks.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S304815047

In the mood for love.

This week’s Saturday morning birding was at Jelutong Tower inside Singapore’s central catchment area. It was another early morning trek to the tower, just in time to witness the glorious colors of the morning sky.

The first sighting of interest was a mating pair of Red-crowned Barbets. Hoping for a successful breeding season as the species’ conservation status is classified as “Near Threatened” due to habitat loss.

Several Crested Honey Buzzards were also seen flying over the forest.

This is today’s target bird – the Violet Cuckoo (lifer). The male has a beautiful coat of iridescent violet on it’s head and back. Unfortunately, this could not be photographed clearly due to the harsh backlighting.

Nevertheless, it was a joy to observe the bird calling out from atop the forest to attract a mate. There will always be other opportunities in the future to get better photographs.

Lastly. a Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots was seen perched on a nearby palm tree.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S304445929

Third time’s the charm.

Another Saturday morning, another attempt at spotting the rare Fairy Pitta (lifer) in the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG). After three tries, at long last, success.

The Fairy Pitta was actively foraging on the forest floor from uphill to downhill along the SBG Rainforest Trail. I was lucky enough for it stop right in between the gap of vegetation to get this relatively open shot.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S300460883

Pre-weekend birding.

I went to Bukit Gombak Park (BGP) for some casual birding after work on Friday. Besides the usual resident birds, I spotted a pair of Coconut Lorikeets foraging on the trees which is an uncommon species in BGP.

I spent most of my time observing them forage, flying from one tree to another before they flew off the park grounds.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S300458114

After hours birding.

I had a late afternoon work meeting near Jurong Lake Gardens on Monday. So I decided to swing over for a quick birding session after I was done. I was hoping to see the Watercock which had been spotted there the day before.

Alas, it was a no-show. Some birders there told me that the Watercock was spotted earlier but had gone into hiding. After an hour of waiting, I decided to pack up and head for dinner.

Birding on a weekday was a nice change though as the park was considerably more quiet. I had never seen a Medium Egret so brazenly cross the road before.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S299569350

The definition of insanity

I found myself at the Singapore Botanic Gardens again hoping to sight the Fairy Pitta. The rainforest trail where it was sighted had been closed till further notice due to a fallen tree.

There was one sighting of the Fairy Pitta reported on eBird just 3 days ago at an accessible part of the trail. I waited there for about an hour with nothing to show for. Not wanting to waste the entire morning away, I decided to move on.

I headed to the Learning Forest area where the Malayan Night Heron and Blue-winged Pitta were recently spotted. Unfortunately, I did not find the Heron or Pitta either. I did get to see this Oriental Pied Hornbill fly by.

As for other wildlife, I spotted three Smooth-coated Otters in the lake near the Learning Forest. I spent some time observing them hunt for fish.

This one looks like it’s about to take a large satisfying bite out of it’s catch.

Looking back up in the sky, it was a good day to spot raptors. I counted the Changeable Hawk-eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, two Brahminy Kites and two Crested Honey Buzzards in rapid succession.

The clear, sunny weather was optimal for thermaling – a phenomenon where raptors exploit the updraft created by temperature difference in the air to allow it to gain elevation with minimal effort.

Finally, on the way to the MRT station, I spotted this Asian Openbill looking for snails at the Eco-Lake.

It was thrashing this snail very hard from side to side, presumably to separate the flesh from the shell for consumption.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S298553360

No fairy tale ending.

I don’t usually go chasing for rarities especially a freshly reported one. But the sighting of a Fairy Pitta on Saturday evening in the Singapore Botanic Gardens piqued my interest. I was hoping that by arriving early in the morning, I could get a few record shots and move on before the crowd came in.

Alas, things do not always go as planned. That day, there were so many birders onsite that I could not even see the bird before it disappeared for the morning. Though, I did get to see this Orange-headed Thrush in an open perch position. That will have to do for the day.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S297442150

Exploration.

Fresh from the high of spotting the Greater Painted Snipe, I continued to explore the open fields around the Marina Bay area. The wishful-optimistic voice in me was hoping to see a Black-winged Kite.

First, I spotted a flock of Scaly-breasted Munias resting on a small tree. These birds are very common in this part of Singapore often seen foraging for seeds on grass.

This small bird in a canal caught my attention. It looked like a Wagtail or Snipe from afar but upon closer inspection, it was just a Common Sandpiper.

Next, I stopped by the Marina Grove pond as it was on the way to the Gardens by the Bay MRT station. The usual rarities like the Little Grebe, Baillon’s Crake and Taiga Flycatcher were still around.

A female Ornate Sunbird was seen hovering and feeding on this plant. I’ve been wanting to photograph this hovering pose for awhile and this was probably my best attempt to date.

Finally, I spent some time observing the Yellow Bittern catch it’s lunch. It waited patiently at the surface of the water and struck with speed and accuracy when a prey came close enough.

eBird checklists:
1. https://ebird.org/checklist/S297138012
2. https://ebird.org/checklist/S297139138

The quest for the Greater Painted Snipe.

So there’s this thing that I do every Fri night where I would scour all the latest bird sightings on eBird and local notification groups (Facebook and Telegram) to decide where to go birding on the weekend.

This eBird hotspot named “Park Street Pond and Field” caught my attention as the Greater Painted Snipe was spotted there just last week. There were only 6 eBird checklists (as of time of writing) but the place seemed promising. I started to wonder if I was about to uncover the next birding hidden gem of Singapore.

Arriving on Sat early morning, the place was very much alive with birds calling. Birding here felt more challenging as the birds were more skittish. Most of them will bolt the moment I had direct line of sight on them. Not surprising as this place is not a public park or one frequented by birders / photographers hence the birds are not used to human presence.

From afar, I spotted a bird flying in between some trees. Before I could take a shot, the bird took off toward my direction. There was no time to think. I reacted purely on instinct to shoot first, identify later. It turned out to be a Large Hawk-cuckoo. Not a bad find. Perhaps a sign of good things to come?

Over above, a pair of Brahminy Kites was seen perched on a tree. The Crows didn’t seem to like that though as they kept harassing and chasing the pair around.

As I continued to scan the thick reeds on the edge of the pond, something caught my eye – an odd looking shape in between an opening in the reeds. I wasn’t convinced it was a bird, maybe it was a rock or rotting vegetation. But I decided to take a photo to zoom in for a closer look anyway.

And there it was, staring back at me, the Greater Painted Snipe. I was elated. Unfortunately, it had already disappeared by the time I realized what I saw. I waited for awhile more hoping that it would come out into the open but alas it did not.

While waiting, I saw a Long-tailed Shrike out looking to catch it’s breakfast.

A flock of Lesser Whistling Ducks was seen resting on an island in the middle of the pond.

Thus, completes my quest for the Greater Painted Snipe. I continued on to explore the surrounding fields before making a stop at the Marina Grove pond (to be documented in the next blog post).

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S297137104