Kit's Fledgling BY

[Kitsafari]

 

127: Blue-throated bee eater, Eastwood vicinity/Tampines Eco-Green

 

 

 

 

 

There are two species of bee eaters that are native to Singapore - the blue-throated and the blue-tailed. I had been hoping for better photos of both bee eaters in a more natural environment, but we haven't had much luck in the parks! The blue-throated bee eaters have appeared rather often in my home vicinity, hence the capture of them using the antenna as a lookout point. given the lack of tall trees (all chopped down, I fear), the bee eaters have adapted well to the urban areas, using man-made structures to hunt. 

Edited June 3, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

128: Blue-tailed bee eaters, Eastwood vicinity

 

 

A flock of the blue-tailed bee eaters was seen roosting at a tree a few roads away from my home. I think they were displaced by the government's moves to clear two nearby forested areas for building residential homes. I've only seen the blue-tailed around my home a couple of times. 

[Kitsafari]

129: Lineated Barbet, Dairy Farm Nature Park, May 1

 

 

Yes, EBCs!! we had gone to this park in search of a mysterious, elusive Jambu Fruit Dove, which I assure you is most beautiful. It only came out of the thick forest to eat fruits from a tree that was just outside. I made three visits but all yielded no jambu fruit dove. Instead, this lineated barbet flew out and HP managed to just snap a couple of shots before it disappeared from view. as for me - embarassing! i had forgotten to put back the card into the camera. 

this is one of three species found in Singapore. Lineated barbets were introduced into singapore and are now thriving. 

[Kitsafari]

130: Greater green leaf bird, Dairy Farm Nature park, May 2

 

 

I might not have gotten the rare jambu fruit dove at this park, but I scored another rare bird - the greater green leafbird! This bird is in rapid declines in Asia, as the species is heavily poached for the cage bird trade. Found mainly in the Sunda region (which essentially covers all of Southeast Asia), at one point, it was estimated that some 5,000 of the greater green leaf birds a month were exported from Sarawak. sad indeed. ICUN lists the species as vulnerable. This is the largest of the leafbird species. It blended into the leaves so well, it was a challenge to see it. 

[Peter Connan]

You really have some beautiful birds!

[TonyQ]

Lots of beautiful birds but I especially like the Pied Triller - and a splendid name.

Your photos are getting better and better!

[marg]

@Kitsafari....really enjoying your photos and commentary.  Question...are you going to areas that you have not previously visited in your search for birds?    The next time we come to Singapore we must skip dinner and go birding!

[michael-ibk]

How cool you have Bee-Eaters close to home, Kit!

[Kitsafari]

On 6/4/2018 at 2:42 AM, Peter Connan said:

You really have some beautiful birds!

 

@Peter Connan I'm also just discovering that this year, thanks to BY!

 

On 6/4/2018 at 2:58 AM, TonyQ said:

Lots of beautiful birds but I especially like the Pied Triller - and a splendid name.

Your photos are getting better and better!

 

@TonyQ you should see those that were dumped. the digital cameras have been a great invention.

 

 

On 6/4/2018 at 5:19 AM, marg said:

@Kitsafari....really enjoying your photos and commentary.  Question...are you going to areas that you have not previously visited in your search for birds?    The next time we come to Singapore we must skip dinner and go birding!

 

@marg absolutely - both in Singapore and now exploring neighbouring countries now I roughly know where the better parks are for birds in SIngapore, so I'm prepared when you next fly in here. 

 

On 6/6/2018 at 4:06 AM, michael-ibk said:

How cool you have Bee-Eaters close to home, Kit!

 

@michael-ibk It is!

[Kitsafari]

131. Common Tailorbird, West coast Park, May 14

 

 

This is a resident tailorbird in Singapore and looks like the Ashy tailorbird except that only the crown is reddish, and its tail is longer. It is a tiny bird but its calls are very loud and it was its calls that alerted me to its presence.  what is remarkable is how they earned their name. I am in such awe at their beautiful handiwork.

below is a clip that shows how they build their nests: 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

132: Scaly-breasted Munia, Changi Business Park/West Coast Park

 

 

Although each time we saw the scaly breasted munia on its own, it actually likes to be in a flock. I've seen one hanging around a flock of white-headed munias. These are open grassland birds, and are part of the Estrildidae family group 

[Kitsafari]

133. White-headed Munia, Eastwood vicinity

 

Juveniles

 

Parent feeding juveniles

 

In mid-May, a flock of white-headed munias appeared to take residence in a neighbour's mango and bamboo trees. The flock was pretty large of about 40-50and included several juveniles. They would emerge from the bamboo grove onto the mango tree early in the morning, then  would fly off for feeding on grasslands, fly back in the late evening and then would vanish into the bamboo grove. Since then, i've not seen the flock that often and when I last saw them, the group has reduced to maybe 8-10. It''s in the same family as the scaly-breasted munia but I loved watching them as they  would float briefly before they would land on the branch. this is a resident species. 

[Kitsafari]

134: Rock/Common Pigeon

 

 

Does a common pigeon count to the BY? this was such a pretty common pigeon I just had to add it in. The common pigeons come in all sorts of variations and must be one of the most prolific species that have adapted well to living with humans. 

Edited June 8, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

135. Green Imperial Pigeon, Changi Business Park, April 29

 

 

Darn those twigs. This is yet another shy forest pigeon, but is a beautiful deep metallic green on its body with a white belly, neck and head. It is a rare breeder in Singapore.

[Soukous]

6 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

134: Rock/Common Pigeon

Does a common pigeon count to the BY? this was such a pretty common pigeon I just had to add it in. The common pigeons come in all sorts of variations and must be one of the most prolific species that have adapted well to living with humans. 

 

of course it counts - but only once 

 

yup, you're definitely hooked

Edited June 8, 2018 by Soukous

[Kitsafari]

36 minutes ago, Soukous said:

 

yup, you're definitely hooked

 

@Soukoushook, line and sinker - all the works. 

Edited June 8, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

136: Milky Storks, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, April 14

137: Painted Storks, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, April 14

005: Little Egret, SBWR, April 14

138: Intermediate Egret, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, April 14

139: Great egret, SBWR, April 14

 

Milky storks at centrestage and at the top right

 

Painted storks at the centrestage

 

Egrets: 

 

 

Great Egret fishing (with a striated heron photobombing)

 

The milky stork has a restricted distribution in southeast Asia, and has seen sharp declines in numbers such that it is now listed endangered in the IUCN list, while the painted stork is near threatened in the IUCN list. Both are breeding residents in Singapore , descended from free-flying birds from the Jurong Bird Park a little to the south. Both the milky storks and painted storks flock together and are thought to have given rise to hybrid storks. The hybrid painted stork has a pink rather than an orange bill and head. 

 

[Kitsafari]

140: Whimbrels, SBWR, April 14

 

 

Each year, it is estimated that more than 2,000 Arctic migratory birds from over 30 species make a stopover at Sungei Buloh Wetlands. when we went to the wetlands in April, it was the tailend of the migration for the waders and waterbirds, so what we saw was a portion of what had been there earlier. whimbrels are a common migrant to Singapore and have been coming for years. One whimbrel that was tagged in 1995 was seen again in the wetlands in 2014 - an incredible 19 years it has been making the annual journey! the flock of whimbrels were scared away by the egrets while some crows were harassing them as well, which explained why they were looking so alert. Just loved their thin curvy bills. 

[Kitsafari]

141: Common Redshank, SBWR, April 14

 

 

Another EBC at work. Like the whimbrel, the common redshank is a migratory bird, and this was probably a straggler. Using the tags for records, it has been found that the redshanks breed in the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, while recaptured juveniles stayed in Singapore or travelled to Thailand. 

[Kitsafari]

142: Common sandpiper: SBWR, Changi Business Park

 

 

The common sandpiper is a passage migrant as well, and a winter visitor. Hordes of them start to arrive in August and most are gone by March, although a few stragglers seem to linger, perhaps they enjoy the heat and humidity here. 

 

A note on migratory birds: I attended a nature talk recently on waterbirds of Asean, and while there, I learned about flyways - There are nine migratory waterbird flyways in the world, and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is the largest of them. 

(here: http://eaaflyway.net/about-us/the-flyway/flyway-site-network/). Over 50 million migratory waterbirds from over 250 populations use this flyway and these include 32 globally threatened species and 19 near threatened species. Southeast Asia is somewhat smack in the middle between the north and south, hence it's a favourite stopovers for the birds, but waterlands are shrinking in every country, and may be disruptive for the migratory birds. It's pretty imperative that each country's authorities continue to protect and preserve these wetlands. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

143. White-Collared Kingfisher,  Eastwood vicinity/Pasir Ris Park

 

A sequence of feeding an almost fully grown juvenile: 

 

Ooh Food. 

 

Gimme gimme

 

A big juicy lizard.

 

Yum.

 

Flipping it for the right side to eat it. 

 

Did I catch it?

 

Oooops. 

 

Mummy?

 

This a very friendly kingfisher, rather common and found often inland  as well. They seem adaptable to urban areas, and one is always calling near my residential home area. It is one of eight kingfishers found in Singapore. it's clearly breeding well, and made it onto one of Singapore dollar notes. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

144: Large-tailed nightjar, Singapore Botanic Gardens, May 21

 

Parent with 2 juveniles

 

The large-tailed nightjars are one of four species of nightjars found in Singapore. They blend in so well into the leaves on the ground that you could just pass them without a glance. These are the most common in our country, and more often than not, show a preference for cemetries - I'm guessing there's less disturbance from the live humankind. These are nocturnal birds, so when found in the daylight hours they are likely to stay in that area for the day. They also display a "broken-wing" strategy when protecting their young. this parent however was so chilled that it merely opened its eyes to watch us as we quietly moved around them at a distance. However, not 700m away was this young monitor lizard scratching away at leaves for food. fortunately the juveniles are up and running so I'm sure they'll survive. 

 

[Kitsafari]

145: Scarlet-backed flowerpecker, Eastwood vicinity

 

 

This is a beautiful tiny bird, one of five species of flowerpeckers found in Singapore. It is fast, flighty has a melodious song, and so tricky to get a clear full picture of. Flowerpeckers drink nectar from flowers but also feed on insects. This scarlet-backed flowerpecker has a splash of brilliant red strip from head to tail. It is very common and found all over Singapore, provided you can spot it fast enough. 

 

[Kitsafari]

146: Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Dairy Farm Nature Park,  May 1

 

Male

 

Female

 

a batch of EBCs. I spent Labour Day looking for the mysterious jambu fruit dove  which never showed. while waiting for the dove, I walked around and found this flitting little bird. the light was low among the treetops, so the shots aren't good at all. Still, EBC, right? Like its cousin, the orange-bellied flowerpecker is pretty common in Singapore. The trick is being quick enough to spot it and shoot it. easier said than done for a slowhand. This flowerpecker is found mainly in forested areas, the male spots a large orange belly while the female is duller.

 

[Soukous]

It's amazing how much bird life is out there when you start looking for it @Kitsafari