A Her-man BY with Kit 2021

[Dave Williams]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59592355

 

Birding in Singapore isn't without danger!!!

[Kitsafari]

12 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59592355

 

Birding in Singapore isn't without danger!!!

 

@Dave Williams i despair at humans. they were told time and again to keep a distance from otters. they are not cuddly, they are not pets, they are not subjects for selfies or wefies. the jogger jogged right through them and the unfortunate guy who was bitten was quite close to them. the otters, especially those with young ones, have been time and again surrounded by humans getting closer and closer to get better photos with their mobiles! of course they feel closed in and defensive. now some people are calling to cull them. sigh. I despair.  

[Galana]

7 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

I despair. 

I share your despair.

It happens everywhere. I blame the person who decided that a phone was incomplete if it did not take photos too as much as the idiot taking the photo.

[Peter Connan]

On 12/11/2021 at 5:33 AM, Kitsafari said:

 now some people are calling to cull them. sigh. I despair.  

 

Seems like a great idea!

The people, not the otters...

[Kitsafari]

268. Amur Falcon, Lorong Halus

 

while in Spain, we had heard that the very rare vagrant Amur Falcon had landed on our shores - only the fourth time seen in Singapore. We gave up hope it would linger after our return, but surprise surprise, the falcon decided it had found a great feasting place as it would catch insects after insects day after day and roosted on an unfinished public housing block. So we were very happy to find it still around (it apparently is still here) on our return.

The falcon is resident in Eastern SIberia and northern Asia and typically winters in sub-Saharan Africa, northern Indian subcontinent,, Indochina and the Thai-Malay peninsular without going further south. 

 

A few shots from Herman

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

269. Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo, Jurong Lake Gardens

 

An uncommon winter migrant.

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

270. Siberian Blue Robin, Bukit Timah Hill

 

Another skulky winter migrant.

 

[Kitsafari]

271. Orange-headed Thrush, Dairy Farm Nature Park

 

A rather pretty rare migrant from the Indian subcontinent, Southern China and Indochina to our shores. 

 

[Kitsafari]

Catalunya was awesome. It was cold. It was insanely windy. Just as our luck would have it, the Arwen arctic storm hit us on our second day in Spain. The strong and chilly winds made it difficult for me to even open my side of the door in the vehicle. And we could feel our vehicle sway in the cross winds as we drove through the valleys. It brought snow to the lower reaches of the Pyrenees. It kept skies grey and light awful for photography.

And it kept plenty of passerines hidden, and those which were present were extremely nervous in the winds. On our last day of the 7-day birding tour, the morning opened dark and forbidding but after a couple of hours, the sun shone through, promising a gorgeous day, but we were speeding back to Barcelona.

Such is the life of privileged travellers who were lucky enough to get out of our shores, navigate the numerous covid-19 immigration hurdles and sit in hours of enclosed flying metal machines. It was our first time outside of our country in two years. 

 

So I shall not complain.

 

we had a marvellous time in Spain despite the weather. Besides, it brought snow! that's quite exciting for tropical people like us.  and the landscapes in the region were just stunning. I'm sure the rest of Spain is just as lovely. It just means we have to return, during spring and during migration.

 

We are still processing the photos, with plenty of EBCs from me and clearer shots from Herman, naturally!

 

The first bird we photographed when we landed was...

 

271/SPN01 Black Redstart, farmland near Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport/ Pasir Panjang, Singapore

 

We saw it very often throughout our trip, but often in a distance so we never had a good shot of it.

 

Well, that was until we returned to Singapore, and a few days later learned that a Black Redstart was seen for the first time ever in our country! This incredibly rare vagrant is suspected to be a subspecies Eastern Black Redstart - either phoenicuroides or rufiventris, with the former breeding in central Asia and migrating to Arabian peninsular, Africa and south Asia, and the latter breeding in China and wintering in southern Asia. This Redstart seems to have settled well in a drainage alley between rows of houses and more accommodating to humans than its Spanish cousins!

 

Catalonia

 

 

Pasir Panjang, singapore 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

272. Black Kite, Neo Tiew Lane Singapore

 

This should have been listed before I started the Spain count. We missed this raptor in Spain as it was past its migration season, but it unexpectedly turned up when we were birding back in Singapore with a group of photographers searching for another rare migrant the red-billed starling (which we missed sadly). It flew with a Brahminy Kite high in the sky and the only difference between the two kites was the square tail of the Black Kite vs the rounded tail of the Brahminy. the rare migrant is still flying around the Kranji area, so hunting is probably good but competitive as there are black-winged kites, the Brahminies, and the white-bellied sea eagles that patrol in that territory. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

126/SPN02 Rose-ringed Parakeet, Farmland at Barcelona Airport

 

Like in Singapore, a non-native species to Spain. 

 

[Kitsafari]

42/SPN03 White Wagtail, Farmland at Barcelona Airport

 

Already in the count, the wagtails were regularly seen during the trip. 

 

[Kitsafari]

273/SPN04 Eurasian Jay, Farms at Airport

 

An incredibly shy and nervous bird, i think we saw the jays only in this area but often zipping past us or landing for a split second and taking off especially when it spied us walking towards it. Herman missed a shot altogether so you have to make do with my average shot.

 

[PeterHG]

Unfortunately the weather was not in your favour, but I’m glad you enjoyed the trip anyway. And it got you some good additions. Great photos of the Amur Falcon by Herman! 

[Kitsafari]

Herman's been very tied up so he won't be able to process a lot of his photos in time as I'm hoping to put up the bulk by the end of December 31 (though I doubt that I can). So you all are stuck with my very average shots but I'll try to avoid first-class quality EBCs as I  know @michael-ibk is angling for that award. 

 

274/SP5 : Eurasian Hoopoe, Llobregat area

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

275/SP6 Eurasian Treecreeper, Llobregat Delta

 

This was the only place we heard it and locating it was a challenge. Trying to shoot it while this tiny black blob climbed at such a fast pace was an even bigger challenge. 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

276/SP7 Greylag Goose, Llobregat Delta

 

This, we couldn't miss!

 

[Kitsafari]

277/SP8 Mallard, Llobregat Delta

 

I had seen so many images of Mallards in the other BY threads that I knew what it was when I saw the birds. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

278/SP9 Northern Lapwings, Llobregat Delta

 

One of the birds we had wanted very much to see after seeing this beautiful lapwing in the other BY threads. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

279/SP10 Great Cormorant, Llobregat Delta

 

 

[Kitsafari]

Already in the count at

 

59/SP11 Grey Heron, Llobregat Delta

182/SP12 Great Egret, Llobregat Delta

 

Fraternising with the greylags and cormorants at a far distance

 

 

[Kitsafari]

280/SP13 Eurasian Moorhen, Llobregat Delta

 

[Kitsafari]

281/SP14. Little Grebe Llobregat Delta

 

This was the afternoon we arrived in Barcelona and the weather was just perfect - calm and cool and the birds were out in force at the lagoon. Even the little grebe cruised quite close to the hide where we were.   

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

282/ SP15 Water Pipit, Llobregat Delta

 

The pipit suddenly appeared right under the hide but the angle made it challenging to get its full frontal. Herman was at the other end of the hide and by the time he came over, the pipit went under the ledge. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

283/SP16 Shelduck, Llobregat Delta