November…..

We had a pleasant drive to Bt Tinggi and stayed a couple of days at Colmar Tropicale and while we did not get to see the Silver-breasted Broadbill we saw lots of birdlife at the Botanic Gardens and other parts of the Berjaya Hills development. The star bird must be the "resident" Blythe's Hawk-eagle that was sighted over the 3 days we were there.

Friends from Houston visited on their way home from their 2-week diving trip to Manado and Sorong  in Indonesia, we took them to P. Ubin for a glimpse of Singapore as it was in the 1960’s.  It was a nice dry day and the friendly wild boars and oriental pied hornbills were out and about to the delight of Ross & Terri.  

    

On 7th at Telok Blangah Hill, one of the NSS third Raptor Watch sites, there was a lot of cloud cover, that reduced our sightings considerably. Even though the raptors were few there were many other birds active in the vicinity.

A friend mentioned he spotted the Spotted Wood Owl at the SBG so we met at the Jacob Ballas car park and were amazed to see this beautiful bird snoozing up in the tree.

While many different birds have been earlier recorded feeding on the fruits of the Ficus benjamina at the Bukit Timah summit our trip on 23rd was not so fruitful as only a few bulbuls were seen picking on the few remaining figs.  However on the way up we sighted the Black-bearded Gliding Lizard and a female Colugo hugging a tree.   Nearing the summit we heard loud bird calls and found 2 White-Bellied Sea eagles on a romantic rendezvous.   Unfortunately in the heat of activity the male fell off leaving the female disappointed.

On Thursday, as we were leaving Bidadari park at 8.30am we heard a few loud bird calls, looking up we saw about 4 barbets flying onto a tree,  followed by 3 larger birds that turned out to be the Oriental Pied Hornbills.  With such a good view and camera ready, we took many shots.  One of the Hornbills was trying to feed a female who did not show interest in the fig that was offered, while a 3rd bird was on another branch looking also not too interested in the male OPH.   For a few minutes the activity on this tree increased with a White Throated Kingfisher and some Yellow-Vented Bulbuls joining the congregation.   On the ground the Variable Squirrel that we had sighted earlier was busy eating.  We have not seen this species in other forest areas  that we have been and on checking we read this Variable Squirrel which is also known as Finlayson's squirrel could be escapees or released by pet owners.

October….

was a busy month which left little time to update our blog until now. In the first week of October we were out early in the mornings helping with a bird count along the Southern Ridges and learned a bit more on bird calls and managed to capture a few images of some of these flitting birds that are commonly heard but hard to see.

We made a trip to other bird spots in Tuas West and were thrilled to see a pair of Sunda Pygmy Woodpeckers and some migratory birds.

On a morning walk in SBG, a Crimson Sunbird was confronting its reflection.

Earlier this year we had visited the temples in Borobodur and Prambana that were built in the 9th century AD.  As we were keen to follow up with a visit to the ancient temples of Angkor we took a trip on 12th to 16th October to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to visit the Angkor temples that were built in the 12th century AD.  While the Borobdur and Prambana temples were older, we found similarities at Angkor an example being the Ramayana stories carved into the stone blocks.   While Borobodur was built as a Buddhist temple and Prambana a Hindu temple, the Angkor temples had both Hindu and Buddhist influences as the times changed.  Of the Angkor temples uncovered, the most intact is Angkor Wat which is  the most well known.  We spent one day visiting the Angkor Thom temple complex and the Royal Enclosures where what remain are the Terrace of Elephants and the cut-off limbs of the statue that gave it the name of the Leper King. The next day we explored the famed Angkor Wat complex and also visited the Ta Prohm Temple and spent the late afternoon on the Bakheng Hill enjoying a sunset view of the Angkor Wat.  Apart from visiting the Angkor temples we also took a cruise on the lake, Tonle Sap, the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia and finished our trip with a visit to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

Back home we took part in the NSS Bird Race on Ubin where we were able to sight 25 species while others found more than 50 species in the 7-hour race.  It was tiring in the hot sun but an interesting new experience.

At the end of October we drove across to Tanjong Piai with Alyce to checkout the most southern tip of mainland Asia. We found Tg Piai’s mangrove boardwalk a worthwhile location for a future trip.

Inter-tidal walk – 10.10.10

On this special day we joined some 76 participants at the “Semakau Landfill” who were coming for a walk “between the tides” that would occur between 5 to 7 pm.  This afternoon we were guiding for RH who arranges the inter-tidal walks.  On arrival at the Landfill, half the group went for a presentation on the story of Semakau Landfill, a solution to manage Singapore’s solid waste taking into account of our limited land space.  The other half were taken on the buses for the landfill tour.

  At around 5 pm we were ready for the walk and the bus took us to the entrance of the forest trail to the mudflat.   Exiting the trail the view of the exposed mudflat, sea grass lagoon and reef beckoned. Everyone initially was looking down as they carefully stepped on the mud, but soon  the movements of little marine creatures caught their attention and their interest was aroused, muddy shoes forgotten. 

The many marine creatures exposed during low tide, kept the visitors busy snapping photographs or taking a closer look at the wonders of nature.  All too soon as the sun set, and the huge complex of Pulau Bukom became illuminated, we were once again reminded how close the marine life is to human’s industrial activities.   The presentation on The Semakau Landfill Story in conjunction with the inter-tidal walk, remind us of our impact on the environment and ways to protect it.

Marine lives at Semakau Shores

Fraser’s Hill, 24th-26th Sept. 2010

The CN Volunteers trip for 2010 to Fraser’s Hill was an early start with the bus moving off at 6:30am from Newton Food Centre.  After breakfast and lunch stops on the way, we reached the Gap at 3:15pm, just in time to catch the “up” traffic.  The 40-seater bus was not easy to manoeuvre round the tight bends that were built 90 years ago for much smaller vehicles. Our bus captain William made it look easy. Arriving at the iconic Clock Tower we were greeted by the bird chorus, cool air and our expert local guide Mr K. S. Durei waiting at the Shahzan Inn.  After a quick check-in, we had a briefing on our program which was to kick off with a night walk starting at 8pm. The night walk along the Hemmant trail opened our eyes to nightlife of the forest. Huge toads, a fern that glows in the dark after it has died, trapdoor spiders, and tarantulas. The following morning after breakfast we had a Birdwatching Workshop on the basics of participating in a Bird Race. After our briefing our “mini” Bird Race got underway at 10am and was to last 24 hours until 10am Sunday. Teams were formed in 2’s or 3’s, our team was ourselves and Kok Seng.  Most of us had already seen some of the more common residents, the Oriental Magpie Robin, Streaked Spiderhunter, Long-tailed Sibia and the beautiful Black-throated Sunbird. Our team started along Jln. Lady Maxwell down to Jln. Semantan and onto the Rompin Trail. While we recorded many birds, we also picked up some uninvited guests, namely leeches. Some of which were not discovered until later having lunch at The Smokehouse, when a couple were found nice and fat on the floor. After a short rest our team resumed the bird race at 4pm along Jln. Lady Guillemard and a short way on Jln. Girdle, but heavy rain cut our afternoon birding.  The rain stopped when we met for a BBQ dinner at Punchak Inn and it was followed by a presentation on nature trips at Kenong Rimba Park  by the Pahang Tourism office. Next morning after breakfast we met Kok Seng at 8am and headed for Jln Mager where we saw 3 species of Barbet near Kindersley Trail. As cut-off time was approaching we took a short cut down the trail, where Kok Seng picked up another leech but managed to dislodge it before it could start feeding. After the tally had been completed and Durei had judged everyone’s submission the results were announced.  Our team managed to make 4th place with 22 birds which was better than we had hoped for. A “new” bird was seen by Gerard’s team, a Diard’s Trogon which they photographed.  We left at noon for our long ride to Singapore, stopping for dinner at Jusco, Bukit Indah, 20 minutes from the 2nd Link. We had a great time and we thank everyone involved in organising the trip.

Trip Photos

Birdwatching at Semakau with Dr Ho Hua Chew

Another early Sunday wake up as we met at 7:30am at West Coast Pier for a NSS birding trip to Semakau Landfill.  Dr Ho Hua Chew led the trip and we started our walk along the 7 km bund.  In the sky the  Brahminy Kite was soaring overhead, and numerous Swiftlets flying above the grasslands with Pacific Swallows and the occasional Barn Swallow. A White-breasted Waterhen scurried away, next we spotted Scaly-breasted Munias among the grasses and glimpsed the Zitting Cisticola as it "zinged" by.  The Paddyfield Pipit and the Yellow-vented Bulbul were seen as were the Spotted Doves along the walk.  On a tall tree a Black-winged Kite was perching while above a White-bellied Sea Eagle drifted in the warm air.  Nearing the re-planted mangroves, a Grey Heron accompanied by a Pacific Reef Egret were leisurly feeding, with a lone Common Sandpiper. Hua Chew explained the difference between the more stationary Reef Egret and the fast moving Chinese Egret.  An excited whisper was heard from Ee Ling when she sighted close by on the rocks of the bund a pair of Malaysian Plovers. Further in the distance we spotted 4 Wimbrels while a White-throated Kingfisher flew into the mangrove. As we neared the wet Cell 3, there were more Wimbrels and a small group of Greenshanks. We then walked into the forest trail, braving the gauntlet of the voracious mosquitoes disturbing another Brahminy Kite that had been resting in the trees at the forest edge, we also flushed an Oriental Magpie Robin which quickly disappeared back into the undergrowth.  Along the beach we heard a pair of of Brown-throated Sunbirds and stopped to take a look.  A Collared Kingfisher flew by.  As it was past noon and becoming very hot not many birds were in sight.  At this western part of Semakau island, Dr Ho pointed out the islands of Hantu, Salu, Sudong, Pawai, Senang and Raffles Lighthouse in the distance. We then finished our walk and took a welcome ride back in the waiting air-conditioned  bus.  Our boat was arriving at 12.30pm and took our group of 11 back to the West Coast Pier. Thanks to Hua Chew and everyone for a good trip.

Birdwatching at Semakau with Dr Ho Hua Chew

Birding Panti Encore

After our last trip to Panti, we could not resist one more trip, as it seems there is always something new for us to see. We met up with two friends at the start of the Bunker Trail at 7am and off we went. The weather was clear and dry, perfect for a nice morning with nature. We were not disappointed as new (to us) species were seen. The Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, Raffles Malkoha, Grey-bellied Bulbul and the Spectacled Spiderhunter were all new to us. So we enjoyed another good day in Panti. After lunch in Kota Tinggi it was off home, feeling well fed and a little sleepy but very satisfied with our trip.

Birding Panti Encore

Birding with friends

Last weekend we met up with some friends at Sungei Buloh to take at look at the migratory birds. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative as it rained most of the morning, but even so we managed to get some shots of the different shore birds that came to feed. 

Sungei Buloh

Towards midday when the rain stopped we moved on to the Kranji Marsh area where we were greeted by a Black-shouldered Kite perched on a nearby tree. Walking along the track we saw a beautiful Changeable Hawk and at the reservoir's pumping station a Grey-headed Fish Eagle was balancing on a low post.

Near Kranji Marsh

On Monday we went to Panti with the same friends for a change of scene. We were surprised but pleased to have the forest practically to ourselves. On this trip we saw some different species from our previous visits which goes to show that Panti may still have a good population of birds. The weather was good in the morning, but when we returned after lunch it changed and became quite stormy with strong winds. This was our cue to head south, and it rained very heavily on our drive home.

Panti