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.
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.
Scaly-breasted Munia
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.
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.
Little Grebe (juvenile)
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.
Ornate Sunbird
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.
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.
Pond Heron
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.
Pond Heron
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?
Large Hawk-cuckoo
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.
Greater Painted Snipe
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.
Long-tailed Shrike
A flock of Lesser Whistling Ducks was seen resting on an island in the middle of the pond.
Lesser Whistling Ducks
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).
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 EgretGreat 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.
I thought I’d end my Saturday with some casual birding at Bukit Gombak Park. Given it’s proximity to where I stay, I feel partly responsible to check in now and then for any rarities.
Alas, it was business as usual this time with the common resident birds. Though this Blue-tailed Bee-eater kept me entertained by constantly returning to perch on this metal bar after catching a bug.
Instead, I headed to Marina Grove on Saturday morning. This little rain-logged pond overlooking the majestic Marina Bay Sands became a newfound birding hotspot in 2025 after the sighting of a family of Little Grebes here.
Pond @ Marina Grove
This was my 3rd visit to the location and I had already seen most of the rarities here. This time, my target was the Black-browed Reed Warbler (lifer), an uncommon migrant to Singapore which I had missed in previous visits.
Little Grebe (juvenile)
It was my lucky day indeed as I managed to spot the bird within the first hour of arriving onsite.
Black-browed Reed Warbler
Feeling more relaxed now that I’ve gotten my target bird, I took my time observing and photographing the other birds around. The family of White-breasted Waterhens (2 adults, 2 chicks) were out and about foraging for breakfast.
White-breasted Waterhen
I observed the two Baillon’s Crakes seem to be much more skittish than the first time I saw them in Dec 2025. Back then, they came out openly to feed. This time, they hid among the reeds and only came out into the open briefly to dart between patches of reeds.
After awhile, I decided to walk further down beyond the pond to check the adjacent grasslands. The Blue-tailed Bee-eaters were perched low on the shrubs. Good chance to get some lovely eye-level shots.
Blue-tailed Bee-eaterBlue-tailed Bee-eater
As I walked by the tall grass, I spotted a bird that flew out from the grass. It was too fast for me to react but I managed to capture a few record shots. Upon reviewing the photos, it turned out to be a Pin-tailed Snipe (lifer), another uncommon migrant to Singapore.
Pin-tailed Snipe
Later, I saw a small group of photographers crowded on the left side of the pond. Apparently, the Taiga Flycatcher was spotted. I took some photographs of the bird however after reviewing the photos at home, it looked like an Asian Brown Flycatcher to me. What do you think?
Asian Brown Flycatcher (?) or Taiga Flycatcher (?)Asian Brown Flycatcher (?) or Taiga Flycatcher (?)
And before I knew it, it was time to pack my gear and call it a day. All in all, it was a satisfyingly productive morning of birding.
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?
The Salaryman Birder 