grey-headed fish eagles @ SBWR - 23Jan2016

The sight of a large raptor flying to rest in a nearby tree at the carpark of the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Extension was a pleasant surprise. But it was followed by another which came to rest very close to where the first one was perched.

The initial thought was that these were both the ubiquitous brahminy kites but a sneak of white showed at the tail and this piqued my interest more. Walking slowly towards the more visible bird, it was soon clear that it was a grey-headed fish eagle. The frontal lower legs of the other bird was also visible and it was then clear that both were adult grey-headed fish eagles.

Both stood firm despite the strong winds. Lets hope they are able to find a suitable tree nearby to nest in. This is a cause for concern as there has been much clearing of the tall albizias in adjacent areas.


grey-headed fish eagles @ SBWR - 23Jan2016 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

grey-headed fish eagle squawk & flight @ SBWR - Feb 2015

Was fortunate to come across one of Singapore's endangered birds, a large bird of prey no less, at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. It was a breezy February afternoon and the bird let out a characteristic squawk (at about 00:17). This, i'm guessing, was a territorial call of some sort. There was unfortunately no return call from a distant corner. There were other raptors resident in the area, namely the more commonly seen, and largest raptor in Singapore, the White Bellied Sea Eagle and also the ubiquitous Brahminy Kite. It waited for about a minute and a half before calling out again. (I had changed positions to find a better vantage point).  It was finally forced off its perch by the strong February winds and it flew off to find another tree where perhaps it would have more luck with a return call.

The clip from 01:46 shows what is possibly the same GHFE taking off from another tree. 

I hope this critically endangered species survives endangerment and thrives in Singapore. As a fish eagle, it does require a decent pool of water well stocked with fish and sufficiently tall trees to build a nest in. It needs an ecosystem. Can Singapore maintain this beautiful large raptor for the next generation? We need to maintain our forested areas near water bodies. 

Find out more about our spectacular raptors :

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3368

https://nusavifauna.wordpress.com/category/eagles/

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Haliaeetus_leucogaster.htm

nesting grey-headed fish eagle @ neo tiew - Nov2012

Was wishfully looking at a clump of trees along a road hoping to see a nest of some kind when I did see a nest of some kind. It was kind of largish but it seemed incomplete. My guess is that the nest was still being built and was 'under construction'. Despite the pitter patter of the rain and the windy conditions moving the Albizia trunks quite a bit, there was something else with a distinctive shape close to the nest. It was only when I zoomed in that I was able to see the characteristic terminal black band on the white tail.  This was not the commonly seen white-bellied sea eagle but the more rarely seen grey-headed fish eagle. I had only seen this species at the nearby SBWR just a handful of times. From reports by others, it seems that there was a pair of GHFEs in the area. The nest is clear evidence that a pair of eagles had settled into the area.

This particular bird just sat out the rain and was not frazzled by the much larger jet-powered thunder birds roaring closeby. 

Hopefully, the birds do complete building their nest and have chicks soon enough. It's important that locally found species find a foothold wherever they can.

grey-headed fish eagle @ sg buloh wetland reserve - Oct2012

It was about 1030 am when I spotted a raptor quite far off flying in tight circular. It was only when I got a faraway glimpse of the top edge of its tail that I knew what it was...a rare grey-headed fish eagle. (There was a distinctive black edge to the white tail). This was my second time seeing it at SBWR. The first was in July 2012 when it flew almost directly overhead the main bridge giving me a fabulous short clip. (see this post from July 2012).

The eagle was flying somewhere near the outdoor classroom area beyond the main tower aerie. It kept to a tight circle for a few minutes before flying off towards the coast. It seemed as if it was somehow interested in the area below its flight circle. Hopefully it was scouting out a roost or fishing spot.

grey-headed fish eagle @ sg buloh wetland reserve - Oct2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Good to know that the grey-headed fish eagles are finding SBWR suitable. I hope they stay.

Towards the mid-afternoon whilst I was occupying a quiet gazebo at the mangrove boardwalk area when the air was interrupted by the unmistakable squawking of white-bellied fish eagles coming from the direction of the currently closed (for renovations) Kranji Nature Trail. I hope the renovations do not inconvenience the WBSEs too much.  Let's hope they stay too!

grey-headed fish eagle @ sg buloh - 29July2012

It was just after 6 pm when most of the weekend's visitors to the reserve had already left. The hornbills were somewhere towards the front of Sungei Buloh Besar and started cackling loudly. I turned towards them to see what i thought was one of them flying towards the main bridge. However, the flying style of this bird was noticeably different from that of a regular oriental-pied hornbill. It was a raptor and I initially thought it was a white-bellied sea eagle (or white-bellied fish eagle as it is also known by). As it got closer, i saw that the head was noticeably grey. This was my first time seeing the grey-headed fish eagle up close. I had a fleeting glance of one on Pulau Ubin some months ago but this one was headed my way and flying rather low. I lost track of it when it was just past overhead and it flew into some trees. A quick reposition on the bridge showed it atop a tree looking around. It was there for about a minute before flying off towards the pond on the left of the main hide. Hope it finds a favourite tree at Sungei Buloh to take up residence!

Global status : near threatened

grey-headed fish eagle @ sg buloh - 29July2012 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Read more about this rarely seen eagle :
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3368
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-headed_Fish_Eagle
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/106003368/0

http://www.arkive.org/grey-headed-fish-eagle/ichthyophaga-ichthyaetus/

http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-grey-headed-fish-eagle.html

http://iyb2010singapore.blogspot.sg/2011/01/study-on-endangered-raptors-in.html

http://www.npss.org.sg/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2954

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/01/11/calls-of-the-grey-headed-fish-eagle/

http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=3322

http://www.mangoverde.com/birdsound/spec/spec30-43.html

http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=869

http://singaporebirds.net/npassers_04/npassers_04.html

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Icthyophaga-ichthyaetus

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/648820/majestic_greyheaded_fish_eagle_goes_hunting_at_little_guilin.html