Kit's Fledgling BY

[Kitsafari]

176: Pied Imperial Pigeon, West Coast Park, June 15

 

 

This is one of the largest pigeon species in SIngapore and is an uncommon resident, although free-flying birds from the Jurong Bird Park help augment the local population. The Pied Imperial Pigeon is found in the Nicobar Islands, through Andaman Islands down to South-east Asia. Some of the black and white rock pigeons look like the pied pigeons except that the latter is much larger and seldom found on the ground as it much prefers to be up on the palm trees looking for fruits. 

[Kitsafari]

177: Western Barn Owl, Punggol waterfront Promenade , June 9

 

 

 

On June 9 in Singapore, the authorities and the police had their hands full as US President Trump and North Korea's Kim flew into the island city for a historic summit scheduled for June 12. Roads were closed and large areas were cordoned off. But for a group of 100 or so photographers, we had a a bigger VVIP - the uncommon Barn Owl. It had been sighted two days earlier  in the vicinity and photographers were out seeking it. A jogger kindly pointed it out, and through the day, the group gathered to take photos of one of the rarer birds seen in our country.  When we arrived in late afternoon, the large owl was still in the same position, hidden behind some leaves, fast asleep and ignoring all the buzz and chatter below it. It was the only day the owl made an appearance as it was not seen since. with a heart-shaped face, it is undoubtedly one of the prettiest owls found in Singapore. 

 

Edited July 17, 2018 by Kitsafari

[TonyQ]

You certainly get a great variety of birds in Singapore. What a fantastic photo of the Barn Owl (and some very big lenses!)

[Kitsafari]

36 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

You certainly get a great variety of birds in Singapore. What a fantastic photo of the Barn Owl (and some very big lenses!)

 

@TonyQ thank you. we were very pleased to have sighted the barn owl. 

those huge lenses were quite intimidating, especially for me. I've been impressed by these photographers lugging the tripod and camera from spot to spot while we searched for some of the birds. 

[Dave Williams]

I'm very envious! barn Owl is the very top of my wish list to photograph, they are not common in my part of the UK. You got some excellent images too.

However, I wouldn't want to be part of that group of photo twitchers, not my scene!

[Galana]

Me too. I would love a really clear shot of one. Still trying. Maybe this year.

Ten minutes with a Barn Owl or all day with The Donald?  No contest.

[Kitsafari]

1 hour ago, Galana said:

Me too. I would love a really clear shot of one. Still trying. Maybe this year.

Ten minutes with a Barn Owl or all day with The Donald?  No contest.

 

I'll rather a day with a real duck

Edited July 17, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

178: Crimson Sunbird, Dairy Farm Nature Park, July 14

 

Moulting male

 

females

 

Juveniles

 

Since this is the unofficial "national bird" of Singapore, I had to throw in a few more pictures of the Crimson Sunbird. In 2002, members of the Nature Society of Singapore overwhelmingly voted for the sunbird to be the national bird. although the government has yet to sanction the title, the Nature Society decided in 2015 to announce it as its national bird for the country. our photos don't do it justice as the skies were cloudy and we saw them just after a downpour. The male's forehead and tail are luminous purple, the breast, body and inner wings are bright crimson while the rump is yellow. When we were there, there were 2 families of the crimson sunbirds. at one point, the females and juveniles were fluttering at a corner and we wondered why they were doing so, until another photographer noticed a snake there.

 

the sunbirds didn't attract a huge crowd the day we were there, thankfully. only five of us were there. The species is found in the Indian sub-continent, southern China and Southeast Asia.

[Galana]

Lovely Sunbirds.

[PeterHG]

That’s a real beauty for a national bird!

 

[Kitsafari]

179: Van Hasselt's Sunbird, Dairy Farm Nature Reserve, July 14

 

 

Our photos don't do this little sunbird justice as its colours are vibrant and luminous in the right lighting. the Van Hasselt's sunbird was only just recently split from the purple-throated sunbird. It is commonly seen in wooded areas and forests and mangroves but can be mistaken for the other sunbirds in the dark foliage. It is found in Indian sub-continent through southern China and down through Southeast Asia. 

[Kitsafari]

180: Red-Legged Crake, Satay By the Bay, July 13

 

 

A very secretive and shy bird, the red-legged crake is part of the rail family.this species is found in northeast India and Southeast Asia, but mostly seen in Singapore and west Thailand. its nest is found on the ground but its chicks are fully fledged once they hatch, presumably because predation risks on the ground are extremely high. The bird was hiding but started to run across the path when it thought no one was there. 

[Kitsafari]

181: Yellow Bittern, Satay by the Bay, June 6

 

 

The yellow bittern is distributed in the Indian sub-continent, East Asia and southeast Asia. Winter migrants head down to SEA.  

[Kitsafari]

182: Oriental Honey Buzzard, Satay by the Bay, June 8 

 

 

This is a migrant species to Southeast Asia, and comes mainly from Russia and northern China. the migration period is typically August to May, and in the past, flocks could be seen in the skies. I can't wait for more migratory raptors to appear! this is not the easiest raptor to ID when it is still. 

[Kitsafari]

183: Straw-Headed Bulbul, Dairy Farm Nature Park, July 14

 

 

There are only 600-1500 of straw-headed bulbuls left in the world and we were staring at one of them. A rather unremarkable bird, it is its voice and songs that has been its major undoing. A massive poaching for the caged bird trade has decimated this songbird species across its range,  and hunted to extinction in Thailand and near extinction in Indonesia. So it is a surprise that its last global stronghold is in Singapore where an estimated 250 birds can be found, with BirdLife suggesting that the single biggest population of the IUCN endangered species is in the island city.  there's an interesting article here: https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/tiny-corner-asia-where-endangered-songbird-thriving

 

Edited July 20, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Dave Williams]

Looking at your shots from Satay in the Bay I'm beginning to regret being distracted by a beer tower! Nice one with the Straw-headed Bulbul too. You really are building an impressive count here.

[Peter Connan]

Lots of hard work is paying off here Kit!

[Galana]

Great work and I sense 200 won't be long in coming. Have you saved us anything special?

[Kitsafari]

2 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Looking at your shots from Satay in the Bay I'm beginning to regret being distracted by a beer tower! Nice one with the Straw-headed Bulbul too. You really are building an impressive count here.

 

Thank you @Dave Williams. There were chestnut munias too but that day i didn't bring my camera! ?

[Kitsafari]

Thanks @Peter Connan and @Galana. 

 

Galana, you'll just have to wait..... ?

[TonyQ]

You really are progressing rapidly with some really nice birds.

[Kitsafari]

I've nearly exhausted my list of birds in Singapore with a few more being sorted out. Herman and I were scheduled to leave for Frasers Hill in Malaysia to catch some trogons and broadbills but my older dog is not doing well and we decided to pull out from the trip and are staying put to watch over her. with the migratory birds only expected to fly into our island from middle to end of august, I'll just put up my list from my southern Thailand trip to fill in the time. 

 

Before I do that, here are some better photos of a few previous counts. 

 

104: Male laced woodpecker - the bird was drilling into the what looked like an oil barrel that's filled with cement. 

 

 

 

105: Baya weaver - a male preparing a new nest. so incredible to watch it fly off to fetch a new reed, then weaving it into the nest.

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

on to thailand then. 

 

184: Red-and-Black Broadbill, Ao Phang Nga National Park June 13

 

a small bird that fluttered around so fast that slowhand here wasn't quick enough to snap photos. besides those branches and leaves weren't very cooperative. The red-and-black broadbill is found in Indochina, Thailand down to Malaysia and Borneo. It likes to hang out in forests, swampy areas or mangroves. It has disappeared from Singapore since 1950s - a real shame that. 

[Kitsafari]

185: Streaked-breasted Woodpecker, Ao Phang Nga NP, June 13

 

Male basking in the light

 

unfortunately, not for the female

 

Also known as the Myanmar scaly-bellied woodpecker, the streak-breasted WP is distributed mainly in its native Myanmar and Thailand. It looks almost like the laced woodpecker except for the streaks on its chest and belly. The female has a black cap while the male has a brighter red cap. 

[Kitsafari]

186: Striped-throated Bulbul, Ao Phang Nga NP/Krung Ching Waterfall, June 13

 

 

Like most bulbuls, this species is a little dull except for the yellow patches marked with streaks on the top of its head and under its neck. It is found in southern China down to Indochina and Malaysia. It is a songbird.