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 :
