A Babbler's babbles, A Singapore Birding Blog by a Young Singaporean Birder

1st September

After many days of waiting impatiently to finally have time to go down to Sungei Buloh for the recently reported Black-tailed Godwit. I missed it the previous day because I had tuition therefore I was devastated to hear that it did not appear this morning. However seeing as the tide would be high in the afternoon therefore forcing waders to feed in the mudflats of the reserve instead of elsewhere, I made my way down, determined to find the godwit. At the observation screen in front of the main hide, many waders were already there. Flocks of Little Egrets, feral Storks, Whimbrels, Redshanks and Golden Plovers

Little Egrets, Milky Storks, Painted Storks, Whimbrel

Next to the screen, a pair of Malayan Water Monitors were fighting

At the main hide, a flock of Common Redshanks flew in to the left of the main hide. After scanning briefly, I spotted a Terek Sandpiper within the flock. It was distinctively different with yellowish legs instead of orange and red legs. Its upturned bill, small size and lightish plumage made it stand out from the group of Redshanks.

Common Redshank

Terek Sandpiper

The Redshanks then flew back to the other side of the mudflats joining the whimbrels. A black dog walked past causing all the waders to fly over to observation screen at the sluice gate to the left of the main hide.

Common Redshanks, Whimbrels and Little Egret

At the mangrove boardwalk before the start of the main bridge, Copper Throated Sunbirds were calling and prancing around the boardwalk. Fortunately, it stood still for a few seconds and showed off its beautiful copper throat. At the bridge, Pacific Swallows were perching on the railings providing great views.

Copper Throated Sunbird

Pacific Swallow

At the boardwalk from the wetland center returning back to the car park, the Buffy Fish Owl was in the open although the lighting was very poor. At the carpark, the flowering plants attracted a few Brown Throated Sunbirds which gave good views.

Buffy Fish Owl

Brown Throated Sunbird

2nd September

A trip down to Yishun Dam, proved a waste of time as I missed the Greater Sand Plover by a few minutes a few days ago. The only birds present were 3 Lesser Sand Plovers and a pair of Common Sandpipers. At Yishun Dam, the probability of seeing shorebirds is based mainly on the tide. If the tide is too low. For example below 1.1, they will be feeding at the mudflats at khatib bongsu which is way too far away. However at 1.3-1.5, the waders will arrive at the mudflats right next to the road. Allowing for close views. If the tide is above that, the mudflats will be too covered and no waders will come. Here are the tide-timings. There is also an app called mytidetimes which allows you to see more accurately at which areas would the tide be at that level. Once the tide went higher to 1.3, a flock of Lesser Sand Plovers flew in, however no Greater Sand Plovers were among the flock.

Common Sandpiper

Lesser sand Plovers

4th September

Once again, another visit to Sungei Buloh. At the main hide, a flock of Common Greenshank were well camouflaged and despite sitting there for quite some time, none of the photographers in the hide noticed them until they started moving.

Common Greenshanks

At hide 1C, B5! The Terek Sandpiper showed well along with a flock of golden plovers, whimbrels and redshanks

B5 the Terek Sandpiper

Back at the main hide, a flock of storks and Eastern Cattle Egrets were foraging at the grass patch separating the mudflats.

Eastern Cattle Egret- photobombed by a bee

At platform 1, the rare Lesser Adjutant showed slightly better than the other times I have seen it. This bird always feeds extremely far away at river mouths or flying high up in the sky. This time it was perched 200m away at a stone island easily viewed from platform 1. After perching for quite some time it flew off. At platform 2, a Great Billed Heron showed well wading through the water looking for fish.

Lesser Adjutant- King of the tower!

Great-Billed Heron

A notification from my phone alerted me, a Greater Sand Plover was reported at Yishun Dam. Seeing as the tide would be 1.5 by the time I reach. I figured I would still have a chance despite the intermittent weather. A 25 minute drive later, I carried a yellow raincoat as I ran from Rower's Bay Park and impatiently waited for the stop light to turn green before running to the dam. At first the plovers were quite far away. Luckily, a part of the flock flew nearer. Upon closer inspection, one of them was relatively larger. However the feature that stood out the most was its impressive thick bill and greenish-yellow legs! These features made it distinctively different from the flock. Finally another year bird!

Greater Sand vs Lesser Sand Plover

Greater Sand Plover- #year bird 236

In the evening, my mother was very excited to have a look at the juvenile Sunda Scops Owl at Pasir Ris Park. At Pasir Ris Park car park B, there was a small pond behind the toilets. At that pond a few large trees was a day roost for the Sunda Scops Owl. Both the adult and juvenile Scops Owls were luckily present and showed quite well.

Sunda Scops Owl

Nearby, at Lorong Halus Wetlands, a flock of Golden Backed Weavers with a few Baya Weavers were foraging next to the road on the seeds of a row of plants. Surprisingly no males were seen and all of them were females.

Female Golden Backed Weaver

5th September

A pair of Common Kingfishers had recently been reported at Singapore Botanical Gardens. Upon reaching Symphony Lake, the kingfishers were nowhere in sight. However, a huge Grey-Headed Fish Eagle was on an open perch of a humongous tree overlooking the lake.

Grey Headed Fish Eagle

In the evening, a trip to Sungei Buloh was thwarted by an incoming heavy thunderstorm. The weather forecast is not very reliable at times. After checking the parts of Singapore which were not currently pouring, we decided to go south to Jurong Lake Gardens to look for early migrants. Due to the absence of people and the wet grass, the crakes and buttonquails were extremely active and obliging. Squatting down and waiting, the birds will eventually approach you. At one point, the buttonquails were right in front of my lens!

Ruddy-breasted Crake

female

Running in unison

Barred Buttonquail-male

As the light started to fade, a Slaty Breasted Rail appeared but stayed hidden in vegetation most of the time. Ironically, this usually obliging bird was the most skittish bird today even though usually the quail and crakes are usually the skittish ones.

Slaty-breasted Rail

6th September

A flock of Marsh Sandpipers were seen recently at Sungei Buloh. However the tide was too high at the sluice gate and main hide. So Hide 1D should be where the plovers were. While walking towards the hide, my dad spotted an Asian Emerald Dove on the path. This was the first time I have seen it at Sungei Buloh.

Asian Emerald Dove

As I predicted, all the waders were at hide 1D with an accurate count of 49 Whimbrels, 6 greenshanks, 1 Terek Sandpiper and many Redshanks. The birds were very obliging with the redshanks coming right next to the hide.

Common Redshank

Whimbrel

Terek Sandpiper

On the way out, the courtship display of the Great Billed Heron was witnessed by my father while I only managed to hear its dinosaur sounding calls. At the same observation screen near platform 1, a milky and painted stork hybrid appeared.

In the morning, I attempted to find any rare waders and terns at Marina East Drive. Parking along the road at Marina East Drive could be risky as you might get threatened with a fine. However it saved 20 minutes of walking from the Marina Barrage. We headed down to the breakwaters to find a male Malaysian Plover providing good views.

Malaysian Plover-male

A lone Pacific Golden Plover was a surprise and my first time encountering it at Marina East Drive. Its golden plumage makes it much more unique compared to the other waders.

Pacific Golden Plover

At the grasslands which had been drastically impacted by the cutting of vegetation, a few egrets foraged. An Intermediate Egret gave distant views before flying off. It can be differentiated from the Great Egret by its black-tipped bill and gape which does not pass the eye.

A Purple Heron and Little Egret also made a distant appearance. Nearby, on a street lamp, A White-throated Kingfisher showed well.

7th September

Another trip to Sungei Buloh, another attempt for the Marsh Sandpiper. At the sluice gate. The island which was a popular spot for herons and egrets hosted a Purple Heron juvenile. Nearby, a Stork Billed Kingfisher showed very well and dived twice!

Purple Heron

Stork Billed Kingfisher

At hide 1.11, there was an airshow, as crows chased the White-Bellied Sea Eagles, which in turn, flushed the shorebirds. The sky was a canvas of colour, it was such a wonderful experience. However no Marsh Sandpipers were seen in the flock.

Whimbrels and Pacific Golden Plover

White Bellied Sea Eagle

At screen 1.11, a few egrets showed well. An intermediate egret came close to show its black-tipped bill and eyeline. The Little Egret's distinct yellow toes were also seen. At the wetland center, many fruiting and flowering plants attracted crimson sunbirds and this spectacular Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker.

Little Egret

Intermediate Egret

Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker

8th September

Today was a very exciting trip where I finally got a lifer I have been trying to get since last year. We started the day at the sluice game where a Collared Kingfisher showed well as a flock of greenshanks foraged alongside the usual Common Redshanks

Collared Kingfisher

Common Greenshank

At observation screen 1.12, the commonly heard Ashy Tailorbird made an appearance. At the mudflats, a group of redshanks were foraging. once again, B5 appeared! Up in the sky, a flock of Cattle Egrets drifted pass.

Ashy Tailorbird

Terek Sandpiper

Cattle Egret

At Platform 1, A Lesser Adjutant showed again, they seem to inhabit the stretch of river from platform 1 to Hide 1D.

Lesser Adjutant

Just as we were about to leave, I noticed a flock of Redshanks and Cattle Egrets at the sluice gate. Scanning through the flock, I noticed one that was smaller than the redshanks. At first, I was very confused but upon closer inspection of its sharp thin bill, white supercilium, yellowish legs and size, I confidently identified it as Marsh Sandpiper. Finally! After missing it by a few minutes multiple times, I finally got this increasingly uncommon lifer! Running from the sluice gate to observation screen 1.11 proved to be a good use of time as it was 10 times more closer!

Marsh Sandpiper and Cattle Egret

Marsh Sandpiper- year bird 237!

9th September

It was the long awaited day, me and my friend Joshua had been planning to find waders at Chek Jawa on this date. However the tide will only be low at 4:30pm. While on the bumboat ($4 per person), I spotted a Great Crested Tern. Another year bird. We then visited the Living Lab first, which is a reliable spot for the Cinnamon Headed Green Pigeon. The melodious songs of the White-rumped Shama, were everywhere. Tracking a close-by individual, we got a good view of one. Along Jalan Wat Siam, a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher hawked in the undergrowth as a Mangrove Pitta called deep within the mangroves

White-Rumped Shama

Yellow Rumped Flycatcher

At Jalan Noordin, Joshua briefly saw the resident subspecies of the Ruddy Kingfisher and it called very faintly. Shortly afterwards, a Rufous woodpecker flew in and gave good views. My first sighting of a male! You can see the red patch beneath its eye to tell it apart from a female.

Rufous Woodpecker

After a good lunch at the Jetty, it started to rain heavily. After waiting for the rain to stop. We took the van taxi to Chek Jawa($15 for 4 people). At Pulua Seduku, a colony of nesting herons were seen. A whimbrel was also seen extremely far away. At Jejawi Tower, a Daurian Starling within a flock of hundreds of asian Glossy Starlings and an Oriental Pied Hornbill showed well. At the mudflats, grey plovers, whimbrels and Common Sandpipers were seen. A disappointing trip but still a high count of 76 common species and 2 year birds were more than enough the end the day.

Grey Heron

Daurian Starling

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Common Sandpiper

10th September

A post on the facebook group Bird Sightings stated that more than a hundred Grey Wagtails were recently seen at a wagtail roost. Hoping for a forest Wagtail, me and my mother went to Yishun Street 11 attempting to find one. At 6.10pm, we went up to block 154 and started to see a few Grey Wagtails flying onto the rooftops. They appeared on top of Block 156, 153, and 154 with most of them congregating on top of the red roof of 156. At 6.40pm, they started flying down to the palm trees next to block 153. Although we did not spot any Forest Wagtails, the wondrous sight of hundreds of wagtails was a great way to end the holidays.

Grey Wagtail

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.