Kent Ridge Park, Singapore, May 2013

Clutching my new book in my sweaty palms, I was on my way to a new site this afternoon. Kent Ridge Park is described in “Dragonflies of our Parks and Gardens”, as the best site for ode spotting on the island. The National Parks publication made it sound so enticing that I cut short a visit to the Botanic Gardens in Singapore to make a visit. Foolishly, I made that visit at midday on a steaming hot day. I had brought plenty of water to replace lost liquids, but I struggled to get it in faster than it was coming out. 

My rewards were a good look at a Bronze Flutterer, Rhyothemis obsolescens as my first red-letter ode for a while.

Other odes included a Grenadier, but not for long! The Variegated Green Skimmer caught it and ate it. 

There is a weedy pond and a large deep lake, but by the time I reached them, it was just past midday and the heat was so intense that all I wanted to do was skulk in the shade. Luckily, a pair of White-crested Laughingthrushes were of the same mind and we shared a narrow strip of shadow by the path.

The laughingthrushes had caught or found a small frog. They reared high and slammed their bills down onto the frog. It was certainly dead when I came upon them, but they were still stabbing it ferociously nevertheless.

I didn’t make it to the canopy walkway which was part of the attraction of Kent Ridge Park. That will be my priority for my next visit.

Birds seen;

White-breasted Waterhen 1, Pacific Swallow 5, Yellow-vented Bubul 4, Dark-necked Tailorbird 1, White-crested Laughingthrush 2, Javan Myna 6.

Odonata seen;

Bronze Flutterer, Rhyothemis obsolescens  Variegated Green Skimmer, Orthetrum Sabina, Grenadier, Agrionoptera insignis, Spine-tufted Skimmer, Orthetrum Chrysis, Banded Skimmer,Pseudothemis jorina, Yellow-barred Flutterer, Rhyothemis Phyllis, Blue Dasher, Brachydiplax chalybea, 

To get to Kent Ridge Park, catch the SMRT to Kent Ridge and exit to Bus stop 2. Follow the road uphill and turn left into Science Park Drive. At the bottom of this road is a connector path at Google Earth ref; 1 17 16.53N 103 47 23.40.

This will bring you to the gate by the lakes.

Visit the dedicated Oriental Page for more sites from Singapore.

Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore, May 2013

Singapore Botanic Gardens is a must-visit for anyone with a few hours to spare in Singapore. Eco Pond can be circled in less than 15 mins and is likely to bring Lesser Whistling Duck, White-breasted Waterhen, Pink-necked Green Pigeon and Yellow-vented Bulbul. 

This morning Black-naped Orioles and Blue-rumped Hanging Parrots were also seen. A few exotics include Black Swan which was sitting on a nest today.

A visit to Heliconia Walk always fills me with anticipation. Sunbirds come down to feed from the showy flowers and make for a great photo opportunity. Today they seemed reluctant, so I took a walk beyond the Ginger Garden where a Jacaranda Tree was in bloom attracting Brown-throated Sunbirds.

A formal water garden often has water lilies in bloom and odonata like to use them as perches. On this occasion, one of Singapore’s most common damselflies, the Blue Sprite, Pseudagrion microcephalum was seen.

I came across a great book “Dragonflies of our Parks and Gardens”, a National Parks publication describing Singapore’s odonata and where to go looking for them. The Botanic Gardens are considered to be one of the best places on the island.

The forest was very quiet, but the path brought me back to Heliconia Walk where the sunbird action had picked up with male and female Olive-backed Sunbirds working the flowers.

Birds seen;

Lesser Whistling Duck 19, Yellow Bittern 1, White-breasted Waterhen 8, Spotted Dove 5, Zebra Dove 2, Pink-necked Pigeon 20, Long-tailed Parakeet 2, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 6, Asian Koel 1, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Common Iora 5, Black-naped Oriole 6, Pacific Swallow 5, Yellow-vented Bulbul 12, Common Tailorbird 2, Oriental Magpie-robin 5, Asian Glossy Starling 20, Javan Myna 40, Plain-throated Sunbird 6, Olive-backed Sunbird 4, Crimson Sunbird 2, Eurasian Tree Sparrow 15.

There is an SMRT Station called Botanic Garden. This is sited at the Eco Pond Gate at Google Earth ref; 1 19 19.47N 103 48 55.08E.

For more posts from the Botanic Gardens in Singapore, follow the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/12/singapore-botanical-gardens.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/07/singapore-botanical-gardens-paser-ris.html

http://redgannetsdragonflies.blogspot.com/2009/12/singapore-botanic-gardens.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/singapore-botanic-gardens-february-2012.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/botanic-gardens-in-singapore-june-2012.html

Visit the dedicated Oriental Page for more posts from Singapore including Central Catchment Area and Paser Ris.

Sungei Buloh, Singapore, May 2013

Quick Response Standby requires me to be at the airport and ready to go within 45 minutes, so packing was of the “most likely scenario” style. Trips to USA and India are to be expected in these circumstances and I had brought field guides to suit. A trip to Sydney via Singapore was amongst the less likely itineraries that I may be needed for and the field guides were not easily to hand when the call came in.

Without a plan or a field guide, I had to fall back on my knowledge and experience, both of which were hopelessly inadequate. But if Singapore’s birds complied in some way with the natural urge to surge northwards in May, I reasoned, then perhaps Sungei Buloh would be a good bet. As the island’s premier birding hotspot, the managed pond and mangrove habitat is a joy to visit at any time of year and I felt confident that it would make a good plan for the first day.

The bus dropped me at the car park by Kranji Dam and I walked the half mile to the entrance of the reserve. For the purposes of eBird entries, I submitted the walk-in along Neo Tiew Crescent separately as there were almost as many birds seen here as in the actual reserve. A couple of notable birds that were seen on the short walk but not in the reserve included Pygmy Sunda Woodpecker, Pied Triller and Brown Shrike. Asian Glossy Starlings appeared reliably on both lists

There was a fruiting tree at the entrance to Sungei Buloh and a small flock were feeding here. As I crossed the bridge over the river, 3 Oriental Pied Hornbills flew by, stopping in a tree inland from the bridge. By the water’s edge, a Purple Heron was watching for fish being brought in and flushed from the mangroves by the incoming tide.

The tide was rising and due to reach its highest point at around 10.00 today. The incoming surge is managed by sluice gates and the water levels in the reserve are monitored and controlled. This visit coincided with a high-water management phase.
The trails around the mangroves are well maintained and screens and hides provided a vantage to look out across empty expanses of mud and water. During the winter, the area teems with Pacific Golden Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers, but today there were merely a few Whimbrel, Common Redshank and Common Greenshank.

A Crocodile was seen from the path leading from the mangrove boardwalk. It was necessary to retrace my steps back past this spot a short while later and the croc was nowhere to be seen. Pink-necked Pigeons called from the fruiting mangroves close by.

A couple of raptors soared above the freshwater ponds, but without a field guide I was hesitant in identifying them right away and had to wait until I got home to confirm that they were a juvenile and adult Changeable Hawk-eagle.

In the centre of the reserve is an observation tower known as The Eerie. From four stories high, it was possible to get a great view over the mangroves. The tide was at its highest mark now, but nothing had been pushed in from the flooded Johor Strait.

The best birds of the day came as I had almost completed my clockwise circuit. An Ashy Tailorbird called strongly and sat out long enough to have his picture taken. The male Copper-throated Sunbird was less cooperative, but the female stayed still, just for a moment.

Given that the crocodile was still unaccounted for, this Monitor Lizard had found a good way to sit out the high tide.

It might have been missing out however as the tide had brought in a dead fish which was eagerly seized by a smaller lizard.

Back at the visitor centre, the Oriental Pied Hornbills had found a convenient roost right by the entrance boardwalk. I assumed that these were the same birds as I had seen earlier. There were only two now and they sat closely together preening one another.

Birds seen; 42

Milky Stork 1, Yellow Bittern 1, Grey Heron 8, Purple Heron 2, Little Egret 60, Striated Heron 3, White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1, White-breasted Waterhen 4, Common Greenshank 8, Common Redshank 22, Whimbrel 28, Red Collared Dove 1, Spotted Dove 11, Zebra Dove 5, Pink-necked Pigeon 14 Asian Koel 3, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Collared Kingfisher 11, Blue-throated Bee-eater 2, Oriental Pied Hornbill 3, Coppersmith Barbet 1, Brown-capped Woodpecker 1, Common Flameback 1, Common Iora 2, Pied Triller 3, Brown Shrike 1, Black-naped Oriole 16, Pied Fantail 1, Pacific Swallow 1, Yellow-vented Bulbul 18, Common Tailorbird 2, Dark-necked Tailorbird 2, Ashy Tailorbird 6, Asian Glossy Starling 60, Javan Myna 60, Common Myna 2, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker 3, Plain-throated Sunbird 1, Copper-throated Sunbird 2, Olive-backed Sunbird 8, Crimson Sunbird 1, Eurasian Tree Sparrow 5.

Getting to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve;

Take the SMRT (North/South, Red Line) train to Kranji. There is a bus and taxi rank immediately outside.

Bus 925 passes through an industrial estate before crossing the causeway between the dam and the Johor Strait. On weekdays its closest approach to the reserve is when it pulls into the car park (Google Earth ref; 1 26 17.37N 103 44 7.93E) just beyond the causeway. Walk from here by continuing along Kranji Way for 400m and turn right onto Neo Tiew Crescent. The reserve is 1km further on the right. On Sundays only, the bus continues to the reserve and stops right outside.
A taxi from Kranji SMRT Station will take less than 10 minutes, but there is no taxi rank at the reserve for the return journey.

Facilities at the reserve include a visitor centre with a small restaurant, toilets, library and interpretative exhibit. Hides, screens, boardwalks, a tower and directions are liberally scattered along the routes.

For previous posts from Sungei Buloh, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/05/singapore-dragons-and-dragonflies.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/sungei-buloh-singapore-january-2012.html

Visit the dedicated Oriental Page for more posts from Singapore, including Singapore Botanic Gardens and Paser Ris.

SYD/SIN/QRS

The call came in from the airport standby desk (I do so look forward to our little chats). They wanted me for the Australia trip. Two nights in Singapore on the way down, one in Sydney and another two in Singapore on the way home was the gist of the itinerary.
 

I had anticipated that I may be used to operate to India or USA and had the corresponding field guides. Space in the suitcase is limited and going to SYD via SIN without a field guide to either, was going to be a challenge. So while I plough through some identification issues and reacquaint myself with my family, here is a quick summary to be going on with.

Sungei Buloh is Singapore’s Premier birding reserves. It is a series of managed ponds and mangroves at the top of the island looking across to Malaysia.

The post from Singapore’s Botanic Gardens will naturally feature a quick stop via Heliconia Walk.

A visit to Kent Ridge Park was intended as an oding expedition, but the highlight was a pair of White-crested Laughingthrushes.

In Sydney, my trip to Bi-Centennial Park and Powell’s Creek Park was so good that despite their closeness, they may end up as two posts.

The Oloolu Trail in Royal National Park, south of Sydney, is a eucalypt and coastal heath habitat that produced as many honeyeaters as I have ever seen.

Finally, an accidental turn and a fortuitous discovery brought a snake and my only red letter bird of the trip in the form of a Blue-eared Kingfisher at Singapore Quarry.

All the links will be made as the posts are published, but first, some sleep.

Central Park, New York, May 2013

Central Park on the first day of May; I could almost taste the migrants! I had been looking forward to this trip and built it up in my head to such an extent that this quietest of quiet days came as a bit of a shock. No Swifts, no swallows, no thrushes (apart from the American Robin), not even a Gray Catbird!

I caught the bus to 68^th St and crossed to Falconer’s Hill (Google Earth ref: ). This has proved to be very productive for me in the past and I was hoping for great things. There were nesting American Robins and House Sparrows everywhere, but no sign of any warblers. The southwest lobe of the Boating Lake and on across Bow Bridge to The Oven were similarly warbler-free.

It was not until I reached Azalea Pond in the Ramble that I finally found a Yellow-rumped Warbler. American Goldfinches high in the tree florescences drew the eye. A Prairie Warbler was heard singing and was quickly found, giving me the hope that things were starting to pick up. The warbler’s calls drew in groups from all around and suddenly there were about 40 people looking through binoculars at just one bird.

It showed well and may have been hanging around the pond for a couple of days according to other observers, but so many birders concentrating on one warbler did not bode well.

The groups drifted off in search of more to see and I stopped by the pond with a couple of local birders and lamented how quiet the day had been. A Black and White Warbler made a close, quick pass and a Northern Parula was found through its call high in a tree to the west of the pond.

Despite walking as far as the Pinetum, I was unable to add to the list. “Pishing” Bob was chasing a Pine Warbler along the lower path in Shakespeare’s Garden. I was at the top of the steps and could see a bird keeping just ahead of the group, but didn’t get a good identifying look at it. Another Yellow-rump and a couple of Parulas were the only warblers seen along here and around Turtle Pond, so I returned to Azalea Pond where the Parula had come lower, within range of the camera.

Despite the lack of seasonal birds, there were plenty of the old favourites The American Robin population grows dramatically during the spring and Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays can still be easily seen. Even without the birds, it was a glorious day to be in the park. And they call this work!

A few theories were put forward to explain the dearth of migrants today. A high pressure system to the north is “like flying into a wall” and the wind coming in from the ocean could have pushed the birds inland, according to another source.

I really must sit down and get to grips with the logistics and mechanics of migration. When I retire, I will stay in one spot for the rest of my life and watch the seasons sweep back and forth, until then, I am resigned to catching little snatches here and there and failing to understand the whole process.

The warblers seen today are often among the first to move north and were possibly the harbingers for a late movement. The trees were not carrying much leaf yet. Word may have got back that spring is dragging its feet and the migrants may have been holding back and getting ready for a big push as the season blossoms.

Eastern Towhee

Birds seen; 30

Canada Goose 8, Mallard 6, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Black-crowned Night-heron 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, American Kestrel 1, Herring Gull 3, Mourning Dove 6, Red-bellied Woodpecker 4, Downy Woodpecker 3, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Blue Jay 25, American Crow 1, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2, American Robin 50, European Starling 20, Black-and-White Warbler 1, Northern Parula 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 2, Prairie Warbler 2, Eastern Towhee 2, Chipping Sparrow 5, White-throated Sparrow 60, Northern Cardinal 20, Red-winged Blackbird 4, Common Grackle 40, Brown-headed Cowbird 3, American Goldfinch 8, House Sparrow 120.

Double-crested Cormorant