A Babbler's babbles, A Singapore Birding Blog by a Young Singaporean Birder : My first Pelagic trip...and the depressing day before it

15th October

2 days ago, at the abandoned pond-filled construction site in Tuas South, two rare waders were spotted. In hopes of spotting any noteworthy waders, we made our way down to the site despite knowing very little of how to enter it. After some searching, we found a large grassland which led to the gates of the construction site. In the grasslands, many munias flocked together with a few "plastic" Zanzibar Red Bishops which were a sight to behold.

Zanzibar Red Bishop

Much to our dismay, the gate was locked and there were only a few small holes through the gate to peer through. The habitat was breathtaking. It was the first time I had laid my eyes upon such a new unfamiliar place. Through the small hole I managed to see a Common Moorhen but it was just too small a window to get any photographs. Out of desperation, I climbed through the hole beneath the gate leaving my bag behind and barely managing to fit my lens and binoculars. At the site, many wood sandpipers were flying around and a smaller bird caught my eye. After a burst of shutters, it was a year bird that had eluded me the entire year, the Little Ringed Plover.

Wood Sandpiper

Little Ringed Plover

Suddenly, the sky turned from bright blue to an ominous dark grey as heaps of rain clouds threatened to pour down. With no umbrella as I left my bag in the car and separated from my mother who was trying to find an alternate entrance, I was caught in extremely heavy rain. I never felt so pathetic and utterly dejected as I ran through the rain dropping my binoculars and letting sand enter my camera and lens as I frantically scampered under the gate. I hid inside a portable toilet as I waited for my mother to arrive. The water from the rain entered my lens and I was unable to take anything. I was extremely distraught as I had a pelagic trip just the next day. Fortunately, since Singapore's birding community is so well connected, I managed to borrow a lens from Daryl Yeo. Although I was quite unhappy, I learned that I should never let go of my umbrella.

As of writing this, the site is now inaccessible

16th October

This was the day that motivated me to study hard and was what kept me alive during the exam period. Imagine my disappointment when I woke up to see it raining. Although, the weather was forecasted to persist for 3 hours, we persevered and continued with our trip. We started off the first hour with two good lifers. Aleutian Tern and Lesser Crested Tern. Greater Crested Tern were also quite numerous.

Lesser Crested Tern

Greater Crested Tern

Aleutian Tern

In the second hour, activity slowed down with only a few White Winged Terns. However, in the third hour, activity peaked with flocks of terns flying past. Highlights included a Common Tern and Bridled Tern both way too far for even record shots.

White Winged Tern

Bridled Tern

Out of the blue, our boat slowly came to a halt, we were confused at first until the rocking waves lowered and the brownish cap of the Bridled Terns slowly emerged as though they were being teleported. It was such an experience to witness this pair of birds balancing on a piece of wood. Soon after we also spotted 3 Aleutian Terns lining up on a piece of flotsam. A Greater Crested Tern and White Winged also provided phenomenal views as it flew around the boat precisely catching fish.