From: "Daubeney, Giles" <>
To: BIRDING-AUS <>
Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Singapore Birding (long)
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 07:33:26 +0800
Many thanks to all those who replied and offered advice.
At short notice I had a work trip to Singapore Sat 15th - Tuesday 18th.
I arrived late Saturday night (15thNov). At 7 am I was met at the hotel by
Kenneth Kee ( a local birder) who was participating in a survey at Sungei
Buloh (a large wetland on the NE of the island) We met many other birders
in
a car park just outside the park (Kranji Dam?) where I managed to see
common
sandpiper, purple heron, collared kingfisher, brown capped woodpecker
(Sunda
woodpecker),golden bellied gerygone,little egret, black winged kite, little
swift and many pink necked pigeons. We then drove into Sungei Buloh Car
park. From the car park I saw brown shrike, black naped oriole, Asian
glossy
starlings, Asian Koel, and yellow vented bulbul. Kenneth was very good at
picking up the calls.
The wetlands are a series of inlets, ponds with many walkways,bridges, some
excellent bird hides.
From the first bridge over an inlet with the tide out I saw common
redshank,
whitebreasted waterhen, storkbilled kingfisher, little egret and common
sandpiper. this was followed by a couple of black bazas settling into some
trees. A large water monitor was moving about in amonst the mangrove roots
near a striated heron. We moved to a large hide overlooking some mud flats.
We counted approx 240 curlew sandpipers and several greenshank. Also seen
were blue tailed bee eaters, oriental magpie robin and many pacific golden
plovers.
In the bushes alongside the trail, Kenneth picked out brown throated
sunbird, common iora, and ashy tailorbird. At the next hide overlooking an
open area, I saw scaly breasted mannikin (chestnut breasted ?), an immature
tiger shrike and a female laced woodpecker. The next hide over looked a
large mudflat that was teaming with pacific golden plover, in amongst them
were a couple of mongolian sandpiper and a single whimbrel. Off the trail
we
saw a pied fantail. The next hide overlooked more mudflats and water. It
was
a waders paradise, with marsh, curlew, and terek sandpipers, redshank,
greenshank, whimbrel and bar tailed godwit. Many at close range.
As we returned to the exit I saw a pacific swallow, and back at the
entrance
kenneth showed me a pair of javan munias.
Kenneth then left and as I waited for Victor Yue, I went for a walk out
past
the carpark and in the scrub was red junglefowl ( okay it was a chicken,
but
it was wandering around in the wild ;) .
Victor took me across the island to Changi ( behind the airport) from here
we took a ferry across to Palau Ubin ( a small island). From the ferry we
saw white bellied sea eagle and grey heron.
.
We walked around the island for about 3 hours and saw the following olive
backed sunbird, brahminy kite, osprey, dollarbird, white throated
kingfisher, black capped kingfisher, red breasted parakeet, long tailed
parakeet, pied fantail, common flameback.
I managed to identify almost all the birds by myself, but would never have
got to these places or had as much time without Kenneth and Victors' help.
The next day (Monday) was a work day (the whole reason for being there!!).
I
still managed brahmniny kite and tanimbar cockatoo from my hotelroom. After
work I took a taxi to the botanical gardens and got an hour before dark. I
saw many birds that I had already seen, but just as it was getting dark
managed a yellow bittern skulking in the reeds at the edge of a pond. As I
started to walk out of the gardens I saw a large bird fly over a large open
space - it was a spotted wood-owl. What a lucky sighting.
The next day was some more work until lunchtime. I then had a couple of
hours at Bukit Timah. This is a rainforest covered hill. I walked about 2
hours in the rain forest and came up with 3 greater raquet tailed drongos.
In the gardens near the entrance I managed many more birds including white
crested laughing thrush, straw headed bulbul, scarlet backed flowerpecker,
laced woodpecker and barn swallow. I also saw may swiflets (edible nest or
blacknest - indistinguishable in the field). I also many house crows
everywhere and a single changeable hawl eagle near tyhe airport.
65 species seen.
Regards,
Giles Daubeney
> Giles Daubeney
> Customer Engineering Support Manager
> John Crane Australia
> (P) + 61 3 9289 4777
> (F) + 61 3 9289 4788
> email
>
>
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