A Leisurely BY 2022 from Herman and Kit

[Kitsafari]

409. Little Tern, Kallang Riverside/Marina east

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

410. Asian Golden Weaver, Tampines Eco-green

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

411. Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo, Lorong Halus

 

[Kitsafari]

412. Crow-billed Drongo, Eastwood 

 

It was a first sighting in our neighbourhood and it got us pretty excited. This is an uncommon migrant and it was probably seeking the lost wooded Bedok forest that is being decimated for more and more housing units. a few photos of this first ever record in Eastwood!

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

413. Greater Spotted Eagle, Mt Faber

 

The seasonal raptor watch got all the birders excited with the rare flyby of this large eagle which is on the IUCN's vulnerable list and a very rare migrant to our shores. 

 

[Kitsafari]

414. Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Singapore Botanic Gardens

 

[Kitsafari]

125. Oriental Pratincole, Marina East

 

Already in the Cambodian count, but the pratincole is a uncommon visitor to Singapore. 

 

[Kitsafari]

415. Daurian Starling, Simei town

 

[Kitsafari]

416. White-shouldered Starling, Simei

 

an unusual migrant to our shores, this starling species was mixing with the Daurian starlings and look very similar to its cousin except for the white patch on its wings. 

 

[Kitsafari]

417. Black-rumped Waxbill, Bishan-AMK Park

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

121. Common Kingfisher, Marina East

 

the migratory kingfishers are back in town. The common kingfisher was in my Cambodia list. 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

418. Ruddy Kingfisher, Berlayer Creek

 

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

419. Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Windsor

 

[michael-ibk]

Love the Kingfishers - but all photos are beautiful. Greater Spotted Eagle is very cool.

[Kitsafari]

thanks @michael-ibk the oriental dwarf kingfisher wasn't that a great shot - there was only a tiny window and the space was taken up by photographers and their tripods and few wanted to make way. one person gave up his spot to Herman but herman wanted to take only a few shots and get out of that crowd!

 

[PeterHG]

Agree on the kingfishers, really beautiful, also the dwarf kingfisher. Yes, it sometimes seems very hard for people realize that perhaps somebody else would also like a chance at a photo. Herman did well with his moment, though!

[Dave Williams]

Oriental Dwarf is on my all time wish list. One day perhaps but hopefully not in a crowd either!

[Peter Connan]

Wonderful stuff!

[Kitsafari]

Thank you @PeterHG @Dave Williams @Peter Connan

 

 

[xelas]

How is that photo of Dwarf kingfisher not an excellent one?!

i have just learned that Indian paradise flycatcher comes also in color white! A nightmare to get the exposure correct 😅.

[Kitsafari]

3 hours ago, xelas said:

How is that photo of Dwarf kingfisher not an excellent one?!

i have just learned that Indian paradise flycatcher comes also in color white! A nightmare to get the exposure correct 😅.

 

I think almost all the Paradise flycatchers come in white morphs. Just unsure about the Japanese paradise flycatcher. 

[TonyQ]

Excellent new additions and superb photos. The kingfishers are lovely

[Galana]

Still they keep coming to entertain us less fortunates. All Kingfishers make worthy subjects and I like the expression on the Ruddy version.

Ditto about 'window hogs'. Being of a certain size some hogs might think they have left the Lens cap on when I feel it is my turn.

[Kitsafari]

Work and some travelling got in the way and now I'm left with only 3 weeks to hopefully finish this year's BY count. 

 

Between September and November, Herman and I made three very short trips to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

 

Vietnam's international shipping port Danang was in our calendar in 2019 to celebrate a milestone 60th birthday for me but at that time, my last surviving dog fell very ill and we cancelled the trip. Once Covid was out of the way and vietnam opened its borders, we quickly decided to relaunch our plans for Danang. This time, with the bosses suddenly realising that you can be productive and geuninely working even if you are located in a foreign country, I tagged on a few days of work before the holiday proper began. and of course, we couldn't do without a couple of days birding in a new country.

Danang is close to Bach Ma mountains which reported to have over 300 bird species during the winter migratory time. I was a little doubtful if we could even hit 50 species since @inyathi 's TR on his Vietnam trip had hinted at the vanishing species of both birds and mammals. But my top top target was the red-shanked douc langgurs sightings of which are quite reliable in Son Tra, a little further from the Lang Co Bay where we were staying. Son Tra is thought to hold the second largest population in Vietnam of this primate - only 200 estimated in 2010. The critically endangered primate is however (hopefully) getting a stronger lease of life because thanks to private and government support, the local residents are realising more and more about the importance to protect this species from severe hunting.

To get this out of the way - It's a bird thread after all! - we took four hours up and down the roads before I spotted the langgurs. we had a second sighting later on, making me a very very happy person. These must be one of the most beautiful primates in the world. 

 

A young male adult came out deliberately to check us out and gave us plenty of time to admire his handsome face

 

the immature in the second group was snarling at his much larger and tougher looking father climbing up to where he was 

 

The father watching us. 

  

 

We were also very stoked to see the Assamese Macaque (near threatened species) - a rather large monkey with a stumpy tail 

 

 

An immature macaque with one blind eye

[Kitsafari]

We spent a full day at Bach Ma and half a day in Son Tra and the remaining half at a beach. Herman had another almost full day at Bach Ma. The mountains were misty and quiet as the skies were grey but fortunately, there was no rain when we were at the mountains.

 

420. Necklaced Barbet, Bach Ma

 

This species was calling the entire time we were at Bach Ma - it must have been a few of them - and it was very elusive until our guide Minh (who by the way, is a co-author of the Birds of Vietnam and who was formerly head of guides and rangers at the Bach Ma park, and is a really wonderful guy) found it hanging around an abandoned building. 

The Necklaced barbet is an Annamite specialty and found only in southern Vietnam and southeastern Laos with favourite locations in hill and montane forests. Its calls remind me of the pitta calls. 

 

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