I am never too keen to travel far on Sunday mornings so I headed (again) to Dairy Farm Nature Park to bird. Alas, this was going to be one of those quiet days with only sightings of common resident birds.
Along the Wallace Trail, I spotted a pair of Banded Woodpeckers climbing a tree trunk, looking for insects. It was nice to get both birds with relatively sharp focus in the same photo.
Banded Woodpecker
The Straw-headed Bulbuls filled the park with it’s melodious calls as always. After eluding me the week before, I finally managed to get a photo this time.
Straw-headed Bulbul
Also saw Eastern Crowned Warbler, Dark-necked Tailorbird and Crimson Sunbird on the way out but no decent photos since the birds were tiny and constantly moving around.
I’ve been seeing reports of a pair of Black-headed Gulls (a rare migratory bird to Singapore) over the week at Eagle Point in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserves. So I thought I’d try my luck on Saturday to add another tick to my life list.
I arrived at Eagle Point at 7:00AM and scanned my surroundings but the gulls were nowhere to be seen. The sunrise, though, is beautiful as always.
Sunrise at Eagle Point @ Sungel Buloh Wetland Reserves
The tide was high and would peak at late morning. There was hardly anywhere for shorebirds to perch. Nevertheless, I decided to wait, fueled by that all-too-familiar feeling of hopeless optimism.
Common Sandpiper
While waiting, a flock of foraging Ashy Minivets came by flying from tree to tree.
Ashy Minivet
Meanwhile, the resident White-bellied Sea Eagles were busy collecting materials for their home renovation project.
White-bellied Sea EagleWhite-bellied Sea Eagle
After some morning chores, it was time for breakfast. The White-bellied Sea Eagle is an adept hunter diving mid-flight from high elevation to yank it’s prey out of the water.
White-bellied Sea Eagle with Spotted Scat catch
From afar, a flock of Asian Openbills were spotted hovering in the air.
Asian Openbill
Finally, the majestic Osprey made it’s appearance much to the delight of many bird photographers who had been waiting all morning at Eagle Point.
Osprey
As afternoon approached and still no sighting of the gulls, it was time to head home. Better luck next time.
I decided to bird at Dairy Farm Nature Park on Sunday as my legs were still exhausted from the trek to Jelutong Tower the day before.
I arrived to a huge flock of Asian Glossy Starlings and Pink-necked Green Pigeons roosting on the canopy of the forest. The Straw-headed Bulbul was also calling from somewhere nearby but unfortunately I could not find it.
Asian Glossy Starlings and Pink-necked Green Pigeons
I waited at the observation deck for a bit and walked the Wallace Trail but hardly saw any birds. I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be one of those dry, unproductive days of birding. At least, this Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo ensured that I will not return home empty-handed today.
Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo
And then, the stars aligned. As I was turning to the path that loops back to the Wallace Education Centre, I spotted something foraging on the ground. It was an Orange-headed Thrush.
Orange-headed Thrush
The bird paid no heed to me. It went about it’s way foraging for bugs and worms on the forest floor. Occasionally, it would turn over a leaf to check what’s underneath. Sometimes it would hide in the bushes by the side when there were people passing by but it came out again when the coast was clear.
Orange-headed ThrushOrange-headed Thrush
After about an hour of observing the bird, it hopped off the path toward the forest and disappeared. I waited for an hour hoping to get better shots of the bird as the lighting improved but it never came out again.
While waiting, I observed another small bird flying around the bushes. To my surprise, it was a Green-backed Flycatcher. I’ve mainly observed flycatchers darting around high on a tree (which is a nightmare to photograph). To find one that was quite chill and at eye level was truly a stroke of luck.
The arrival of 4 Himalayan Vultures in Singapore had taken the local birding community by storm. Unfortunately, it was sighted on a Wednesday so it’s a no-go for me. I am, after all, a humble Salaryman on the weekdays.
Fueled by wishful optimism, I decided to visit Jelutong Tower on Saturday hoping that the high vantage point will allow me to catch a glimpse of the vultures if they were to soar across the Singapore skies.
Morning view from atop Jelutong Tower
Birding at Jelutong Tower is best done in the early mornings when the birds are actively feeding. This, however, requires one to trek through the forest in pitch black conditions during pre-dawn hours. As I rely on public transport, my usual route is to go through Golf Link from Lornie Road, a 2.5km trek across relatively flat terrain which takes about 30 to 40 minutes.
Trekking through the forest to Jelutong Tower
On route to the tower, I came across 2 Savanna Nightjars and a Blue-winged Pitta. Unfortunately, it was just too dark to attempt to take any photos.
Birding at the tower was a relatively quiet affair that morning. The Pink-necked Green Pigeon and Orange-bellied Flowerpecker were present in attendance as usual.
Orange-bellied FlowerpeckerPink-necked Green Pigeon
A few Oriental Honey Buzzards flew by close to the tower which is always a great chance to get close-up photos of these amazing raptors.
Crested Honey BuzzardCrested Honey Buzzard
I decided to call it a day by late morning. On the way out, I spotted another pair of Orange-Bellied Flowerpeckers. I observed the female picking and gathering the fine hairs off this plant. Presumably for nest building?
It was a busy day of traveling between Malaysia and Singapore so I only had time for some casual birding at the nearby Bukit Gombak Park. Highlight of the day was spotting a lone Rufous Woodpecker foraging for insects which was a first for me at this park.
The Salaryman Birder 