Birding Singapore

10/02/2025

Spent the weekend with birders from India and the USA. It was generally dry except for Sunday afternoon where we encountered showers.

Interesting residents included Red Junglefowl, Large-tailed Nightjar, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Red-collared Dove, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-crowned Night Heron, Purple Heron, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Buffy Fish Owl, Oriental Dollarbird, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Banded Woodpecker, Long-tailed Parakeet, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Straw-headed Bulbul and Copper-throated Sunbird.

There was a local invasion of Asian Openbills the past few weeks and we saw them again at Sungei Buloh and Kranji Marshes. Other migrants/visitors included Pacific Golden Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Black Bittern, Little, Great, Eastern Cattle and Medium Egrets, Common Kingfisher, Oriental Reed Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other than birds, we also encountered some interesting animals. These included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Plantain Squirrel, Common Fruit Bat, Asian Water Monitor, Striped Kukri Snake, King Cobra and Giant Mudskipper.

Thanks to Pankaj & Arturo for joining me on this birding adventure. See you again next time!

02/02/2025

Spent the first day of February with two birders from the USA. We were blessed with good weather and managed to explore five different sites all over Singapore.

Residents of note included Red Junglefowl, Savanna Nightjar, Black-crowned Night Heron, Purple Heron, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Oriental Dollarbird, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Banded Woodpecker, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Long-tailed Shrike, Straw-headed Bulbul, and Copper-throated and Crimson Sunbirds.

We also logged quite a few migrants/visitors and these included Pacific Golden Plover, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Asian Openbill, Lesser Adjutant, Von Schrenck’s Bittern, Little, Great and Medium Egrets, Crested Honey Buzzard, Common Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, Arctic Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other than birds, we also encountered other interesting animals. It was fitting that we saw four snakes of three species (Oriental Whipsnake, Painted Bronzeback and the awesome King Cobra) on the fourth day of the Year of the Snake, all at Sungei Buloh!. The rest of the cast included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Plantain Squirrel, Common Fruit Bat, Estuarine Crocodile, Asian Water Monitor, Common Sun Skink and Giant Mudskipper.

Thanks to Ben and Cory for being part of the birding adventure. Our top birds for the day were the surprise Von Schrenck’s Bittern, which gave crippling views, the spectacular Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and the charismatic Oriental Pied Hornbill. See you next time!

21/01/2025

Spent the last two days with friends from India and the UK. The skies could have been bluer but it turned out well in the end as we saw most of our targets. Below are just some of the highlights of our adventure around Singapore's wild places. Thanks to Chinmoy and Darren for the pleasure of your company! See you again next time!

20/01/2025

Estuarine (Saltwater) Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) swallowing a large dead fish off Kranji Coast, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve this morning. This individual was about 3 metres long and was hunting for some time before it gulped this fish. Can anyone ID it?

16/01/2025

Spent a full day birding with two birders from the UK. The weather was kind to us. It stayed dry until we had done our last site and then it poured! We covered five sites and clocked 75 species.

Residents of interest included Red Junglefowl, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Yellow Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great-billed Heron, Black-winged Kite, Brown Boobook, Buffy Fish Owl, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Lineated Barbet, Common Flameback, Long-tailed Parakeet, Straw-headed Bulbul, Common Hill Myna and Copper-throated and Crimson Sunbirds.

Migrants and visitors comprised Common Sandpiper, Oriental Darter, Little, Great and Medium Egrets, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Crow-billed Drongo, Barn Swallow, Asian House Martin, Arctic Warbler, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Eastern Yellow Wagtail.

Other wildlife of note included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Sunda Colugo, Plantain Squirrel, Common Fruit Bat, Asian Water Monitor, Common Sun Skink, Red-eared Terrapin, Brown Anole and Asian Toad.

Thanks goes to Tom and Mary for the pleasure of their company. See you both next time!

14/01/2025

Spent two mornings with birders from Canada and Israel. Our greatest challenge was the extremely wet weather but we managed to find breaks in between.

Avian highlights included Red Junglefowl, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-crowned Night Heron, Spotted Wood Owl, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Laced Woodpecker, Tanimbar Corella, Long-tailed, Rose-ringed and Red-breasted Parakeets, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Straw-headed Bulbul and Copper-throated Sunbird.

Migrants/visitors were also present and we managed to see Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Little, Great and Medium Egrets, Oriental Darter, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Asian House Martin, Barn Swallow and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other wildlife encountered included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Slender and Plantain Squirrels, Asian Water Monitor and Common Birdwing.

Grateful thanks to Kevin, Kala and Oded for being such a great company. See you next time!

14/01/2025

Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 13 Jan 2025. A rare find on a gloomy Monday morning. It's my first record from this site and also my first of this species for 2025. Has it been recorded here before? David Li, any idea?

09/01/2025

Spent a full day birding with a friend from Australia. The weather was excellent, and we managed to cover five sites, producing a total of 65 species of birds as well as other wildlife and natural spectacles like the mass flowering of Pigeon Orchids.

Avian highlights included Red Junglefowl, Savanna Nightjar, Spotted Wood Owl, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker, Tanimbar Corella, Red-breasted Parakeet, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Long-tailed Shrike, Straw-headed and Sooty-headed Bulbuls, White-crested Laughingthrush, Baya Weaver, and Chestnut and White-headed Munias.

Migrants/visitors were rather quiet but we managed to see Crested Honey Buzzard, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Brown Shrike, Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Arctic Warbler, Oriental Reed Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher as well as the highlight of the day – Amur Stonechat!

Other wildlife encountered included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Slender and Plantain Squirrels, and Changeable Lizard.

Grateful thanks to Zoe for being such a great sport. Enjoy your stay and see you again!

04/01/2025

Happy to kick off the birding program for 2025 with a quick-fire morning tour to four places with a couple from the US. Below were some of the highlights of the day. Thanks once again to Rob and Paula. Have a great cruise and see you again!

01/01/2025

Here are just some photos to remember 2024. Thanks to everyone for your support and here's to an even more fantastic year ahead.
BIRDING SINGAPORE
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25/12/2024

Spent four memorable days with birders from England, Finland, South Korea and Hongkong. It was mostly dry the whole time except for brief showers on Christmas Eve.

Highlights included Lesser Whistling-duck, Red Junglefowl, Savanna Nightjar, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Green and Pied Imperial Pigeons, Red-wattled Lapwing, Yellow Bittern, Purple Heron, Buffy Fish Owl, Spotted Wood Owl, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Banded Woodpecker, Straw-headed Bulbul and Copper-throated Sunbird.

There were migrants/visitors aplenty as well and the stellar cast included an array of cuckoos – Chestnut-winged, Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo and Large Hawk-cuckoo, Pacific Golden Plover, Whimbrel, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Black Bittern, Crested Honey Buzzard, Jerdon’s Baza, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Common Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Ashy Minivet, Brown Shrike, Arctic Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other wildlife encountered included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Slender and Plantain Squirrels, Common Fruit Bat, Smooth-coated Otter, Estuarine Crocodile, Asian Water Monitor, Changeable Lizard and Oriental Whipsnake.

Grateful thanks to Richard, Young Gul, Young Sun, Gyorgy, Ivan and Chester for being such great company birding in rain and sunshine. Merry Christmas and see you all next time!

22/11/2024

Spent three days with two bird photographers from Poland. It was a pretty wet affair but we managed to achieve most of our targets.

Highlights included Red Junglefowl, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Green Imperial Pigeon, Barred Buttonquail, Lesser Adjutant, Oriental Darter, Great-billed Heron, Crested Serpent Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Buffy Fish Owl, Spotted Wood Owl, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Red-crowned Barbet, Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker, Blue-rumped Parrot, Straw-headed and Cinereous Bulbuls, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Oriental Magpie-robin and Crimson Sunbird.

Migrants included White-faced Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Crested Honey Buzzard, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Common Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Brown Shrike, Barn Swallow, Arctic Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

Other wildlife encountered included Long-tailed Macaque, Common Treeshrew, Slender and Plantain Squirrels, Common Fruit Bat, Estuarine Crocodile, Asian Water and Clouded Monitors, Changeable and Green Crested Lizards, and Mangrove Pit Viper.

Thanks to Piotr and Rafal for the pleasure of your company. Have a great trip to NZ and see you next time!

11/11/2024

Spent an exciting weekend with birders from Italy and the UK. The rainy weather posed quite a challenge but we managed to see some cool birds.

Highlights of the tour included Savanna Nightjar, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Red-wattled Lapwing, Lesser Adjutant, Great-billed Heron, Crested Goshawk, Buffy Fish Owl, Spotted Wood Owl, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Banded Woodpecker, Straw-headed Bulbul, Common Hill Myna, and Copper-throated and Crimson Sunbird.

Migrants included Pacific Golden Plover, Whimbrel, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Eastern Cattle Egret, Crested Honey Buzzard, Common Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Barn Swallow and Ferruginous Flycatcher.

Other interesting wildlife included Long-tailed Macaque, Smooth-coated Otter, Plantain Squirrel, Common Fruit Bat, Asian Water Monitor, Estuarine Crocodile and Common Birdwing.

Thanks to Gennaro, Viola, Henry and Sarah for being such enjoyable company! See you next time!

04/11/2024

Spent a fun-filled weekend with two birders from the USA. They were on their way to Sri Lanka and it was decided to bird two half days allowing for some rest and relaxation.

We started the tour with a trip to the Singapore Botanic Gardens where we spent time locating birds in the beautifully landscaped surroundings of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Highlights included a trio of raptors, Crested Goshawk, Brahminy Kite and Crested Honey Buzzard, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Oriental Magpie-robin, a trio of sunbirds, Brown-throated, Ornate and Crimson, and Swinhoe’s White-eye. Migrants were represented by a Crow-billed Drongo and Asian Brown Flycatcher. Next was Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve where we saw Oriental Pied Hornbill, Milky and Painted Storks, Grey Heron, egrets, Whimbrel, Common Redshank and Common Sandpiper quite close due to the ponds being mostly flooded.

The second morning started with a trip to the rainforest at Dairy Farm Nature Park where we saw Banded Woodpecker, not one but two species of leafbirds (Greater Green and Blue-winged), hundreds of Pink-necked Green Pigeons and Asian Glossy Starlings at a fruiting fig tree, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, White-crested Laughingthrush, Arctic and Eastern Crowned Warblers, and Pin-striped Tit-babblers. It was breakfast at Changi Village next and we had a satisfying Indian meal followed by a quick birding session in the area with up to 12 Oriental Pied Hornbills, a noisy squabble between a hornbill and two Tanimbar Corellas for a nest hole and a single Yellow-crested Cockatoo being the highlights.

Our final site for the weekend was Pasir Ris Park. As the sky darkened rapidly, we didn’t linger but did enough to end off the tour with sightings of Crested Goshawk, Spotted Wood Owl, Buffy Fish Owl and Collared and White-throated Kingfishers to finish with a flourish.

Thanks to Jenise and Deborah for being such great company! Enjoy your trip and see you again!

23/10/2024

Spent a memorable day with a friend from the UK. We covered four sites at a leisurely pace in dry but warm weather. Our first site was Telok Blangah Hill Park where an attempt to see a Brown-breasted Flycatcher failed but we got good, close looks at Red Junglefowl, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Black-naped Oriole. Jurong Lake Gardens was next and it lived up to expectations with 37 species in just two hours. Highlights here included two migrating Crested Honey Buzzards, Common Flameback, Lineated Barbet and some migrants hiding in a fig tree that included Amur Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Ashy Minivet.

After lunch, we dropped by Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and we recorded the usual waterbirds – Pacific Golden Plover, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper and Common Redshanks as well as Milky and Painted Storks, Black-crowned Night Heron, Grey and Purple Herons and three species of egrets. A pair of Copper-throated Sunbirds completed the visit. Our last stop was Pasir Ris Park where highlights were undoubtedly the two big owls – Spotted Wood Owl and Buffy Fish Owl.

Other wildlife highlights included Common Fruit Bat, Plantain Squirrel, Asian Water Monitor and two large butterflies – Palm King and Common BIrdwing. Interesting plants included a number of beautiful flowering orchids – Bulbophyllum vaginatum, Cymbidium finlaysonianum and Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi.

Thanks to Graham for the pleasure of his company. See you next time!

10/10/2024

Spent the morning birding with two birders from Germany. The day started promisingly with a visit to Dairy Farm Nature Park. Both Lineated and Red-crowned Barbets were actively calling but only the former was seen. Likewise, Straw-headed and Olive-winged Bulbuls were heard but not seen; only the Red-eyed was cooperative. There was also some migrant activity with Yellow-rumped Flycatchers very noticeable while the Siberian Blue Robin, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Arctic Warbler remained unseen. There was a moment of excitement when we heard what sounded like Sakhalin/Pale-legged Leaf Warbler but the call stopped before a recording could be made. The highlight of the morning was not a bird though. It was the sighting of two critically endangered Raffles' Banded Langur. In total, 29 species of birds were recorded.

Our second site was Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Rain made it challenging but we did well enough to record 30 species despite the poor weather. Highlights included over 100 Pacific Golden Plovers, the usual three egrets, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great-billed Heron, Yellow-rumped and Asian Brown Flycatchers, Arctic Warbler and my first encounter of White-crested Laughingthrushes at the wetland supported by hordes of Common Fruit Bat, Asian Water Monitor, Estuarine Crocodile, Plantain Squirrel and Giant Mudskippers.

Thanks to Matthias and Connor for this short but fun adventure with nature. See you next time!

02/10/2024

A report from yesterday's birding around Singapore.

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02/10/2024

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