Category Archives: Birds

Grey Wagtail in Singapore

The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a widely distributed wagtail species that spends the summer months in the Paleartic region. In winter, they migrate to Asia and Africa. One of the destination in Asia is Singapore, where the species is listed as an uncommon winter visitor.

It is one of the earliest migrant, with reports of the birds appearance as early as mid-July. In the field, they are quite likely to be confused with the commoner Eastern Yellow Wagtails. Yet, they differ from that species both morphologically as well as behaviourally. Unlike the Yellow Wagtails, the Grey Wagtails have grey upperparts. The underparts is white in non breeding plumage but turns yellow in breeding plumage. The male has a diagnostic black throat and breast. The vent is yellow throughout. Behaviourally, this wagtail prefers to hang around streams and drains, with fast moving shallow water, in contrast to the Yellow Wagtails that are more land based.

So in order to see them, one has to check streams, ponds, drains and canals. Since they tend to come back to the same place year after year, they can be quite easy to track down if one knows about previous season sightings. There is one canal at Bukit Batok West that almost always have 1-2 Grey Wagtails at the right time of the year. Other recent sightings include the small pond in Jurong Lake Garden and the canal just outside of Buona Vista MRT station.

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Grey Parrot at Malcolm Park

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The Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) also known as the African Grey Parrot is a parrot native to Africa. It is also a very popular caged bird, due to its sensitivity, intelligence and ability to mimic human speech.

Due to its popularity, intelligence and high maintenance, it is just a matter of time before one escape or is released by its owner. In land-scarce Singapore, there are not many places suitable for the parrot to live in the wild. One such place is Malcolm Park where tall trees and ample supply of food made it a haven for parrots of all sorts. There were native parrots and parakeets such as the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots and Long-tailed Parakeets, as well as introduced species like the Red-breasted Parakeets, Rose-ringed Parakeets, Coconut Lorikeets, Tanimbar Corellas, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo as well as a single Grey Parrot.

This Grey Parrot has been reported at the vicinity since at least 2005. One day in August 2011, I finally managed to see it on a walkabout. The parrot was first observed perched very high up on a tall tree. Eventually it did come down to a lower tree permitting photography and video. On closer examination, this is the subspecies erithacus, also known as Congo African Grey Parrot. It is bigger in size and have a red tail, in comparison to another equally popular parrot called the Timneh Parrot (Psittacus erithacus timneh)

In the video below, the bird was very concerned due to the commotion and noise caused by Tanimbar Corellas actively defending their roosting hole from a Clouded Monitor.

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Pied Myna in Singapore

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The Pied Myna (Gracupica contra) or Asian Pied Starling is a bird species in the starling family that is native to South and South-east Asia. In South-east Asia, they are found in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia (subspecies floweri), and Indonesia (subspecies jalla)

In Singapore, the Pied Myna is believed to be an introduced species with no known breeding record. However they have been seen a few times near Neo Tiew/Kranji area over a period of a few years. In early 2012, a few of them were sighted at Kranji near a golf course. Closer examination of their facial features revealed they are likely to be the subspecies floweri, originally from northern South-east Asia.

Subsequently observation revealed at least three birds as well as a nest, at a tree next to the golf course. The Pied Mynas were feeding on the lawn of the golf course, together with a mixed flock of Javan Mynas, Common Mynas and wintering Eastern Yellow Wagtails.

Of the three birds, two were observed to be close and believed to be the pair that built the nest, while the third seems to be fond of attacking the pair. This happened quite frequently, both at the feeding area as well as at the nest. Due to the lack of observers, the nest was not monitored daily. Subsequently the nest was abandoned, with the mynas disappearing as well. Speculation was that the constant harassment of the pair by the third myna contributed to the abandonment.

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Crested Goshawk carrying nesting material

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In January 2012, I received news that a pair of Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus) were nest building at Japanese Garden in Singapore.

As the Crested Goshawk was a rare resident species, I was excited to have a look and get some photos of the pair. A few avid photographer friends have observed that the birds tend to make their way from the adjacent Chinese Garden to Japanese Garden in the early morning with twigs for their nest.

On the morning I had some free time to check them out, I waited at the Japanese Garden side nearer to the nest, but they did not turn up. Fortunately, the birds were later seen landing at Chinese Garden near the bridge joining these two locales. Rushing there, I managed to find them after a short search. There was enough time to see them mating, but unfortunately my camera settings were not ideal, so the mating pictures turned out blurry.

I observed that they were cutting tree branches, and anticipated they will fly away to their nest location. Positioning myself near the bridge, I managed to capture one of them flying relatively low across water. Thankfully the weather was ideal and the flight path was relatively clear.

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Green-tailed Sunbird of Bhutan

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The Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) is a commonly found sunbird species that ranges from the northern parts of South-east Asia to the Himalayan region of South Asia.

Like most of the sunbirds, the male and female are exhibit sexual dimorphism (male and female of the same species look different). The male is attractively coloured while the female is rather drab looking.

I had the opportunity to see a few of these sunbirds in Bhutan and the thing that struck me was the name of the bird and its actual colour. As the name implies, one should expect a sunbird with a green tail. Yet on closer examination, the colour of the tail as well as crown and throat is actually iridescent blue with only hints of green at certain angles. At first, I thought I had problem with my eyes and camera, but a casual check on other pictures in the Internet shows the same colouration.

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A Tale of Two Plovers

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Every autumn, at the shoreline of the reclaimed land next to Changi Airport, waders or shorebirds come to escape the harsh winter up north. They stay a few months before returning home to breed during springtime.

Among them is a species currently called Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus). Yet on closer examination, there are two distinct looking forms of this species mingling there. In a series of papers and articles^(1,2,3) in the reference section below, the story unfolds about the rediscovery of the White-faced Plovers or Swinhoe’s Plovers that winters together with the more commonly recognised Kentish Plovers. The gist of these papers (which is worth reading for background information) is that the Swinhoe’s Plovers were ‘lost’ and found again, and when carefully observed are clearly different based on morphological (shape) and behavioural ground, and that their breeding region differs as well compared to the Kentish Plovers. The articles suggest that these plovers are possibly two species.

Yet, despite these publications, the Swinhoe’s Plover is still currently regarded as a subspecies of the Kentish Plover. Why it that? And will that change in the future?

A newer paper came out in 2011 on the status of the Kentish and the Swinhoe’s Plover again⁴. In it, scientific evidence based on genetic analysis suggest that these two very different looking birds are too alike genetically to be considered as separate species. This is somewhat akin to how in the dog world, the Chihuahuas and St. Bernard though very different in looks, size and behaviour, are very much the same species, as the genetic material that make them different are tiny compared to what make them alike.

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Blood Pheasants of Bhutan

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The Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) is a species of pheasant roughly the size of chickens and are quite commonly found inhabiting the Himalayan range from Nepal, Bhutan, India, Tibet and across Myanmar to south-central China. The male and female differs in their plumage with the female being drab brown, and the male a showy bird with ashy upperparts, and with streaks of reds on the breast, collectively resembling dashes of blood, hence their name.

I had the opportunity to photograph and observed them while on a trip to Bhutan in April and May 2013.

In Bhutan, there are two subspecies of Blood Pheasants. The subspecies cruentus is found at the northwestern part of the country, and I first saw a pair in Chelela Pass. There are some authorities that believe this should be the subspecies affinis, but no matter. I am following IOC range distribution. We will let the taxonomist sort this out later.

Subspecies tibetanus occurs in the eastern part of Bhutan and I managed to see a few of them at Thrumshingla Pass. The fact that these two places are passes give you a clue as to their habitat, mountainous region near the snowline. The difference between the two subspecies is mainly the amount of red streaking on their chest, with the tibetanus subspecies more striking visually. You can see these subspecies in the photo gallery below.

Birding in Bhutan is mainly done by the road. Since the roads there are seldom busy, we ride slowly and hope to hear or see the birds along the way. The pheasants will oftentimes come up to the roadside to feed, and we will very slowly get our of the car from a distance away to observe them.

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Vernal Hanging Parrot at Kaeng Krachan National Park

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While in Thailand for a birding holiday in July 2013, I had a chance to photograph some Vernal Hanging Parrots (Loriculus vernalis) at Kaeng Krachan National Park. With a bit of free time left for the day, the guide brought me to a rambutan orchard that was fruiting at the moment.

In between snacking on rambutans, the guide and I surveyed the area for the parrots. He was surprised I could sense their presence. I told him the calls these parrots make are pretty similar to the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots back in Singapore.

Every now and then, a group of 3-5 birds will buzz around and land on some bare branches. This afforded me the opportunity to take some pictures. Then a few will feast on the rambutans before flying off.

The Vernal Hanging Parrots like their cousins the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots are small sized short-tailed, and primarily green-plumaged parrots. This species is found in Burma, southern and southeastern India and southeastern Thailand. Like the other hanging parrots, they have the ability to sleep upside down, from which their name is derived. Their diet is similar to the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots as well.

Below are some of the pictures I took. Unlike the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots, I am not familiar with their various characteristics. In general, they have red to orange bills unlike the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots. The breeding adults have white eyes and the male have light blue throat area. The juveniles are lighter in colour, with darker eyes, duller legs and feet.

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Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot in Singapore

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The Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot (Loriculus galgulus) is a small parrot found in South-east Asia from southern Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.

It Singapore they are more commonly found in the forest reserves, Singapore Botanical Gardens, and gardens where fruiting trees are present. There have been reports of sightings in the city centre but one is not likely to find them all that often there.

In my early days of birding, this was one of the harder to find species, and it took me quite some time before finally photographing a few of them at Malcolm Park. They were fond of the oil palm fruits and the African Tulip flowers that were abundant there. The problem with finding the birds are two-fold. They are small in size (13cm in length) and they are green, which meant that they are well camouflaged.

There are of course easy ways to find them if you know their behaviour. They are fond of ripe fruits. A fruiting rambutan tree, or oil palm or a myriad others ripe fruits in the garden tend to attract them. So houses with ripening fruit trees near the forest reserves are likely to have them around. The other give-away of their presence is the sound they make while flying. A very shrill and high pitch “tsi” that once you recognise, will indicate their presence nearby.

A very good place to see them flying about is Jelutong Tower at the Central Catchment Nature Reserves. Every morning, there will be little torpedo-like little green birds flying straight and rather low, with their calls emanating loudly. If you are lucky, they will perch on a nearby tree, giving you better views.

Below are some pictures in the gallery with more information on separating the sexes and also a video of a juvenile feeding on a bunch of African Tulip flowers.

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Brown Hawk-Owls at Venus Loop

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The Brown Hawk-Owl (Ninox scutulata) or Brown Boobook is an owl which found in South Asia, South China to South-east Asia. It owes its name to its hawk-like appearance.

It is a commonly heard owl in Singapore, but less commonly seen. It has a distinct repeated and soft ‘ooup-ooup’ call at dusk and dawn that once you remember, will be rather easily heard in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve or Bukit Timah. On one of my recent trek through 1.6 km of Rifle Range Link, I heard at least six of them calling just before dawn.

Before 2014, most of my encounter with the owl species was either knowing where it roosted, or there was a deliberate attempt to call it out at a known location. However this year, I decided to actually learn local bird calls and rely more on my hearing senses to track birds. That would proved very useful later in the year. But that is another story for another time.

So on an evening in late February 2014, I decided to explore Venus Loop after work. As I recall, I was looking specifically for a Von Schrenck’s Bittern that I have seen a few days earlier but did not manage to photograph. But there was no bittern that evening, and I decided to walk out. It was past 7pm and it was getting dark.

Halfway through my exit, I heard a very soft call. I couldn’t exactly make out what it was, so I stood still and waited. Another call, and it confirmed my suspicion. There was a distant Brown Hawk-Owl calling. My response was to take out my phone and look through my bird calls library and play a known bird call back to confirm. I did that and then I raised the volume of the phone so that it rang louder. I was hoping to lure the bird out closer. But it would have none of that. It stopped and then started calling again at the same volume and position.

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