A Babbler's babbles, A Singapore Birding Blog by a Young Singaporean Birder : Migration has started! Birding in August

1st August

After an uneventful July, A sighting of a Brown Streaked Flycatcher at Jurong Lake Gardens was a great sign that migration had begun. We reached early and immediately went to the grasslands at the Oval, hoping to get improvement shots of the Barred Buttonquail. Upon arrival, I climbed up one of the small knolls that littered the grassland. It was a great vantage point to see any birds perching atop the tall grass. An elusive Slaty Breasted Rail emerged next to the knoll. It briefly appeared and gave unsatisfactory views.

Slaty-Breasted Rail

The knoll proved to be a great vantage point as Javan Munias flocked to feed on seeds of the long grasses next to it. My mother also spotted a Lesser Coucal basking in the sun.

Javan Munia

Lesser Coucal

Afterward, we explored the grassland, slowly walking through the long grass, a Barred Buttonquail and Ruddy Breasted Crake were strolling across the gravel path. These birds are extremely elusive and incredibly difficult to photograph.

Barred Buttonquail

Next to the lake, at the viewing platform at Alstonia Island, a juvenile White Breasted Waterhen showed well and a flock of Long-tailed Parakeets landed close by. A juvenile parakeet was being fed by an adult.

White-Breasted Waterhen

Long-tailed Parakeet

At the old Japanese Garden entrance, a noisy Tanimbar Corella made an appearance. Upon closer inspection, it had a chain tied to its leg. So this is possibly an escapee and not part of the feral population. The Coppersmith Barbets which were calling incessantly throughout the park made a very far away appearance.

Tanimbar Corella

Coppersmith Barbet

At the forest ramble playground, many common garden birds were flying around and calling. After looking meticulously at the dense bushes, I managed to spot a Large-tailed Nightjar through a small window in the bush. Its eyes occasionally opened widely probably disturbed by the loud children. After returning to the old Japanese Garden entrance, the Brown Streaked Flycatcher finally appeared. I got my first Brown Streaked Flycatcher last year at the same spot so I was elated to get improvement shots.

Large-tailed Nightjar

Brown-streaked Flycatcher

5th August

After a long and tiring day in school, I went down to my neighborhood park to take a break from studying. The calls of Hill Mynahs resonated through the forest of Chua Chu Kang Park and a pair showed nicely next to the road.

Common Hill Mynah

At the bridge to the right of the park's toilet, a family of Javan Munia was preening in a small tree and nearby a Malaysian Pied Fantail hawked for insects at the short trees next to the toilet.

Javan Munia

Malaysian Pied Fantail

At the skateboarding plaza. There was a row of fruiting trees attracting many starlings and koels. A single juvenile sunbird was seen in the trees. In the short trees around the skateboarding plaza, 2 fantails were frantically feeding.

Olive Backed Sunbird-Juvenile

Malaysian Pied Fantail

While trying to locate a female Koel, I saw a small brown bird dart past me and into the tree beside me. Thinking it was nothing special, I almost walked away but realized the way it flew reminded me of a Flycatcher. Inside a flowering tree, the flycatcher showed its rich tertials and marked throat. Features that rule out other muscicapa Flycatchers. Its lower mandible was also quite orange. All these features pointed to a Brown Streaked Flycatcher and ruled out the similar-looking Asian Brown Flycatcher. What an experience to find this uncommon migrant in an urban park.

The Brown Streaked Flycatcher

At the allotment gardens, a new bird for my neighborhood park called loudly as they foraged on a tall tree. It was the dazzling Coconut Lorikeet. A high-pitched chirp from the allotment gardens lead me to a gorgeous male Olive Backed Sunbird

Coconut Lorikeet- 81st bird for my neighborhood park list

male Olive Backed Sunbird

6th August

A very disappointing trip to Yishun Dam yielded no plovers and many many crows and mynahs. However, an otter with 2 pups and an obliging Striated Heron entertained us as we waited for the plovers to come.

Smooth-coated Otters

Striated Heron

7th August

A trip to Singapore Botanical Gardens for early migrants proved to be a waste of time. Visiting in October or November would give better results. However, the Olive Winged Bulbuls and Lesser Whistling Ducks provided good views.

Pair of Whistling Ducks

After hearing the news that the flycatcher I found at Chua Chu Kang was extremely obliging, I made a return trip there to get improvement shots. It was such an experience to see this migrant sometimes right next to me.

Brown Streaked Flycatcher

Although the best find that day would be the Straw Headed bulbul. I could hear it calling from a nearby tree at the fitness corner near the skating plaza. After a short wait, it appeared in the open. This was very memorable find to find a critically endangered bird in a park near my house. This also reinforces that Singapore is one of the last remaining strongholds for this bird.

Straw Headed Bulbul

27th August

This was my last remaining trip in August and I had yet to find any year birds for my Big Year, Knowing that a White Browed Crake has been showing up reliably at a pond behind River Five Fish Farm along Neo Tiew Crescent, I decided to attempt to add this extremely difficult bird to my Big Year list. We reached at 7:45 and parked along Neo Tiew Crescent. We walked along the canal and peered through the gate into the pond. After a few minutes of scanning, my dad spotted the crake happily foraging for 30 minutes. Although it was very far away, this was my first lifer in 2 months.

White Browed Crake- 60m away

We then made our way to Bollywood Veggies for breakfast where they served good Nasi Lemak and breakfast meals. On our way towards Sungei Buloh. We made a quick stop at Kranji Marsh to find the Rusty Breasted Cuckoo parasitizing off a fantail. When we arrived, we heard its begging call and managed to track it down. Although it was scared away by photographers before we could witness it being fed by its fantail "foster parents".

Rusty-breasted Cuckoo Juvenile

At Sungei Buloh's mangrove boardwalk, many Ashy Tailorbirds and Copper-throated Sunbirds were flitting about, occasionally stopping. At one point, the Copper-throated Sunbird even perched on the railing of the boardwalk.

Ashy Tailorbird

male Copper-throated Sunbird

At the main bridge, I heard a faint 2-note call that resembled a Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher, following the call lead me to the second-year bird of the day, the Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher. It was an extremely skittish bird, rarely giving open perches before launching back into the dense foliage. It stopped at the canopy of a tall tree to preen for a few seconds before continuing its previous behavior. It can be identified as Blyth's because they arrive earlier than Amur and also through binoculars, it was observed to have no clear demarcation between the head and breast meaning the dark blue slowly faded into light blue instead of a sudden change.

At the main hide, a group of redshanks and 3 greenshanks were feeding on the mudflats and a juvenile Ashy Tailorbird called from above us. On the way out, a Buffy Fish Owl gave very blocked views at the boardwalk from the wetland center to the neo view crescent car park.

Ashy Tailorbird

Common Redshanks

Common Greenshank

On 28th August, An Asian Dowitcher was reported at Marina East Drive, a mad rush down to the site was in vain as there was no sign of it and the fields were completely barren of avifauna only having spotted doves and mynahs. At the breakwaters, a Little Tern, Lesser Sand and Malaysian Plover gave distant views. Not a great way to end the month.