A Lesser Big Year - for Kit&Herman 2020

[shazdwn]

Just now, Kitsafari said:

Next time you come around @shazdwn (at least after this dire Covid is over), give me a nudge!

 

Sure will, thanks. Hoping that this virus won’t screw up all travel this year 🤞

[Kitsafari]

76/SG76 : Common Sandpiper, Kallang River/Sungei Bedok

 

Everyone knows this bird, though not everyone (me) can ID this bird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

38 minutes ago, xelas said:

 

Don't even answer, @Kitsafari! There are families where daily tasks are equally shared between the partners .

 

 

And that too! 

 

[xelas]

59 minutes ago, Soukous said:

Zvezda photographs the wildlife whilst you photograph the bathrooms. 

 

It is all in the specialisation . You know, wildlife photographers, wedding photographers, street photographers ... and bathroom photographers .

Edited March 14, 2020 by xelas

[Galana]

1 hour ago, xelas said:

and bathroom photographers .

And it could be said that some folks know their place.

 

Some more lovely photos @Kitsafari and commiseration on the poor pooch!

Don't worry about them White Wagtails. You can only count them once!

[Peter Connan]

Sorry to hear about your dog Kit! 

 

Herman's photos are really great!

[Kitsafari]

after a long interlude dealing with work+Jasper+Covid, in that order, I'm back to continue with the count. Seeing how the lockdown is everywhere around the world, Herman and I will be lucky if we can hit 150 this year, unless by some miracle, the coronavirus dies down immediately by the order of the TRUMP-I-don't-take-responsibility cult, and we can travel again!

 

so back to the birds....

 

77/SG77 :  Pied Triller,  Changi Business Park

 

A rather shy bird about the size of yellow-vented bulbul, it is an uncommon resident on our island. We used to see one at our neighbourhood, but I've not seen it in recent months. 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

78/SG78: Greater Painted Snipe, Singapore Botanic Gardens

 

A resident but not commonly seen, the greater painted snipe is also distributed in Africa, Indian sub-continent, China, southern Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia. 

this snipe was very territorial and fierce - sniping at the lesser whistling ducks and at a river monitor lizard!

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

79/SG79 : Jerdon's Baza, Changi Business Park

 

another stunning baza that regularly comes through Singapore during its winter migration  from south and east Asia, and from northern parts of southeast Asia. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

80/SG80 : Yellow Bittern, Satay by the Bay/Kallang Waterfront 

 

The most common of the bitterns found in Singapore, with most of them wintering on our shres from northern Asia. Many a time, this bittern has fooled birders (namely, us!) into thinking they had gotten the cinnamon bittern of the von schrenk's bittern. 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

81/SG81 :Von Schrenck's Bittern, Singapore Botanic Gardens

 

Another winter migrant from the lands of Siberia, Korea, Japan and eastern China. It is a rare visitor, but in recent years, sightings have been fairly good. 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

82/SG82 : Yellow-fronted Canary, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park

 

An introduced species from Africa that has done well in Singapore. 

 (I'm never sure why Herman's photo always appear like a giant image, particularly this one! but if you click the image, it comes out better)

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

Nice to have your birds back here, @Kitsafari. Pre-corona or you are allowed to get out?

 

As for the size, I resize them all to 1000 pix longer edge. If they are uploaded larger, I think that they are automatically resized to 1250 pix; in both cases they are also compressed.

But on your photos, no lack of image quality is noticed!!

[Kitsafari]

83/SG83 : Crested Serpent Eagle, Goldhill Avenue Park

 

A resident at this park, it is quite used to humans and sometimes, if one was lucky, it would appear on the ground or perch on low branches.   the crested serpent eagle is an uncommon resident, and sometimes some would fly in from outside our shores. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

Just now, xelas said:

Nice to have your birds back here, @Kitsafari. Pre-corona or you are allowed to get out?

 

Thanks @xelas - most are pre-corona, but a handful are post-corona. The coronavirus outbreak started in late January for us in Asia, but the second wave from Europe, especially the UK, and the US has hit us very badly. Our numbers have surged from 200+ in mid-March to nearly 2,000 now. Partial lockdown started on Tuesday, but we are allowed (alone or with immediate family members) to go to the parks for short walks (sneaking in bird photos), and to go out to get food and groceries. All non-essential businesses and schools are closed,and everyone has to stay home.

 

 

[xelas]

I wish you will get out of the turbulent situation quickly. Stay safe and stay home!

[Kitsafari]

84/SG84 : Cattle Egret, Marina East

 

[Kitsafari]

85/SG85: Chinese Pond Heron, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

 

A rather regular winter visitor from, naturally, mainly East China. its colours are very cool when it is in breeding plumage, or what we call "ripe". when the pond heron is not yet "ripe", it is impossible to tell the difference between the Javan and Chinese pond herons. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

86/SG86 : Javan Pond Heron, Kallang waterfront/ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park

 

A less common winter migrant from the other Southeast Asian region, the Javan pond heron is more colourful than its Chinese cousin and is much-sought after in Singapore. The most uncommon pond heron species is the Indian pond heron, which is not regularly seen, and nope, we don't have a sighting of it, yet. 

 

[PeterHG]

An absolutely wonderful set of images by Herman! Sad to hear you were hit so badly by the second covid wave. Stay safe and I do hope you will be able to sneak in some more photos.

[TonyQ]

Excellent additions in very difficult circumstances.

Good to see you can still get some photos.

Both of you stay safe and look after yourselves

[michael-ibk]

Beautiful pictures Kit and Herman, excellent!

[Dave Williams]

Some lovely additions, especially good to see the different Pond Herons and Bitterns.

Seems virtually the whole world is in lockdown scenario now. Some are worse off than others, especially those that live in cities but the people you most feel sorry for are those that live in poverty in close proximity to neighbours and with no private bathroom facilities. The danger to their health is frightening.

Keep safe and hopefully we'll all still be around for many BY's to come.

[Kitsafari]

Thanks @PeterHG @TonyQ @michael-ibk @Dave Williams

 

Interesting that you said that Dave. OUr government was so focussed on the returnees that they completely dropped the ball with our massive migrant workforce. more than a third of  Singapore's population is made up of foreigners. Tens of thousands of these are work permit holders who work in jobs shunned by the citizens, especially in construction and fabrication industry. These tens of thousands are housed in purpose-built dormitories, which squeezes an average 8-12 persons to a large room, sharing toilet and cooking facilities - and creating breeding grounds for the virus. in the last one week, hundreds are found sick with the virus and the government is scrambling now to get the healthy workers away from the sick ones before the spread gets into the thousands.  

It's a terrifying situation for these workers to be in, but the hospitalisation costs are the least of their problems as I believe the government - that is us as taxpayers - is bearing the costs. which is only fair as these workers work their butts off to earn money for their families, and who build the homes and offices that we live and work in. 

 

[Kitsafari]

87/SG87: Lineated Barbet, Ghim Moh

 

An introduced species, the lineated barbet has done so well that it is breeding successfully in our wooded areas. Not surprising, as the barbet comes from similar climates as it is native to India, China and Southeast Asia.