Stopover in Singapore - birding report
On my way home from a 4-week work trip to China I had a 3-day birding
stopover in Singapore from 14-18th August 1998. Using advice from
birding-aus and other sources I spent a day each at the Sungei Buloh and
Bukit Timah Nature Parks (and another day recovering from China!). A
brief report on each follows:
Sungei Buloh
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This reserve is on the northern coast of Singapore and consists of remnant
mangroves and reclaimed prawn ponds. The whole area is well laid out with
tracks and numerous hides. The visitors centre is quite good and entry is
S$1.00 only and I would urge most birders to make an additional donation
as the whole place is really well managed. I picked up about thirty
species here in about 6 hours. Several others remain unidentified.
Highlights were:
Magpie-Robin - I had an audubon squeaker with me and I've never seen a
bird respond like these did. They must have been nesting because the male
bird flew directly at my face, screaming like a maniac and only veered
away at the last second. Otherwise very engaging birds, like large, plump
Hooded Robins. Almost wiped out by cagebird collectors in Singapore they
are now recovering and I saw them in a few other places.
Common Redshank - A lifer for me and some excellent close views of small
flocks from the hides.
Little Ringed Plover - Another lifer. Three together.
Common Iora - A beautiful little yellow robin-like bird with a double
white wingbar.
Bukit Timah
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The highest point on Singapore and one of the few remaining rainforest
areas. An excellent visitor centre and the place to buy fieldguides.
Unfortunately I arrived far to late in the morning and few birds were
active. Highlights:
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - 3 individuals seen.
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha - 1 seen. This is a large cuckoo and it sort of
crawls through the canopy eating huge caterpillars.
Crimson Sunbird - a tiny jewel
Squirrels - common and distracting
Other places visited were the Botanical Gardens and a small reserve near
Chinatown called Pearl's Hill City Park.
Full bird list: (Sibley and Monroe)
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Barred Button-quail Turnix suscitator
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris
Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
House Swift Apus nipalensis
Oriental Turtledove Streptopelia orientalis
Zebra Dove Geopelia striata
White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Common Redshank Tringa totanus
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Great Egret Casmerodius albus
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Striated Heron Butorides striatus
House Crow Corvus splendens (introduced)
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos
Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis
Pied Triller Lalage nigra
Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus
Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis
White-vented Myna Acridotheres grandis (introduced)
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica
Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier
Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus
Ashy Tailorbird Orthotomus ruficeps
Olive-backed Sunbird Nectarinia jugularis
Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata
(40 species, 25 lifers)
Cheers
Steve
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Stephen Clark
Agriculture Victoria, Pastoral & Veterinary Institute
Private Bag 105 HAMILTON 3300 Australia
Phone 0355 730 977 Fax 0355 711 523
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