sgbeachbum: October 2015

Saturday, October 24, 2015

flagged redshanks @ SBWR - 24Oct2015

A selection of flagged redshanks seen at the main hide in the afternoon of 24Oct2015 when there was a period of low tide. The water in the pool at the main hide had just drained out following the falling tide.

There was a group of about 30 redshanks, 1 terek sandpiper, 1 marsh sandpiper, 1 greenshank and 3 black tailed godwits.

Redshanks seen : SE, JM, BF, EP, C2, RU
(note : JM is more than 20 yrs old having been tagged in 1996 and RU is more than 16 yrs old having been tagged in 2000).

flagged redshanks @ SBWR-24Oct2015 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

godwits & friends @ SBWR - 24Oct2015 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Across at the adjacent pool which had some water, a flock of greenshanks and some redshanks flew in at about 6pm (when the tide must have started rising at the open mudflats close to the reserve) and 3 godwits were with them. These stayed in the shallow water near some mangrove saplings near where the resident milky storks were resting.

Monday, October 19, 2015

preening common kingfisher @ SBWR - Oct2015

Common Kingfishers are usually seen in a flash of blue as they zoom by. Although they are named 'Common', these little kingfishers are not very common in Singapore as they are not considered residents but migrants more often seen in Singapore during the Northern Hemisphere's colder months from September to April.

Looking at the slightly reddish lower bill, this could be an adult female.
preening common kingfisher @ SBWR - Oct 2015 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Read about the Common Kingfisher :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_kingfisher
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Alcedo_atthis.htm
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22683027

and SBWR :
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr
http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/sbwr.htm
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/birds.htm

Sunday, October 18, 2015

pekan quarry otters @ ubin -17Oct2015

A late afternoon at Ubin's Pekan Quarry proved a good spot for birdwatching. The usual suspects showed up. A grey headed fish eagle, stork-billed kingfisher, two common kingfishers, a dollarbird, barn swallows, bee-eaters, a flock of asian glossy starlings, a white bellied sea-eagle, a couple of brahminy kites, a pair of straw headed bulbuls, two oriental magpie robins, an oriental pied hornbill and lots of grey herons.

Common Kingfisher

Barn Swallow

Stork-Billed Kingfisher

The endangered Grey Headed Fish Eagle

Grey Herons loving the first installation of the new floating wetlands at Pekan Quarry.

Grey Heron with Common Kingfisher

Oriental Pied Hornbill

The grey herons were enjoying the new floating wetlands installation. There were 4 to 5 islands of rafts lined with coconut husk fibres mat with some planted vegetation. Some of the herons, presumably juveniles, were actively picking at the reeds. This might be to practise their targeting skills.

The floating wetlands were also a hit with a group (about five) of visiting otters, (likely smooth-coated otters). Otters have only occasionally been seen at Pekan Quarry and it was great to see them using the newly installed floating wetlands. It also looked like 2 of the otters were spraying the coconut husk matting with their faeces which may be a sign that they are claiming the area as theirs.

pekan quarry otters @ ubin -17Oct2015 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Hope the otters like the wetlands enough to make it a permanent home.

Find out more about the Pekan Quarry wetlands and other Pulau Ubin projects :

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/news/2015/6/factsheet-updates-on-the-ubin-project-initiatives-june-2015

http://www.mnd.gov.sg/mndlink/2015/2015_Jul-Aug/ubin-day-2015.htm

http://www.tnp.sg/news/5-new-things-look-forward-pulau-ubin

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-biodiversity-research/1913778.html

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/nparks-to-build-homes-on-pulau-ubin-for-bats-birds-and-other-creatures

Pulau Ubin :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/ubin/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulau_Ubin

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/pulau-ubin-and-chek-jawa

http://www.littledayout.com/article/day-tripping-to-pulau-ubin-planning.html

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

5 Terek Sandpipers @ Seletar - 24Sep2015

The newly exposed mudflats showed a surprising 5 Terek Sandpipers together with some Lesser sandplovers, 3 Common Greenshanks and a lone Whimbrel. (There could have been a sixth Terek as the few were running about quite a bit over the mudflat and I was a long way off).

These birds are not normally resident in Singapore....so what are they doing here?

Find out about the East Asian Flyway :

http://www.eaaflyway.net/about/the-flyway/

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/sowb/flyways/8_EastAsia_Australasia_NEW.pdf

5 Terek Sandpipers @ Seletar - 24Sep2015 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about the Terek Sandpiper :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terek_sandpiper
birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3026
environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=59300
audubon.org/field-guide/bird/terek-sandpiper
nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/terek-sandpiper
birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=057025

Find out more about the Common Greenshank :
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Tringa_nebularia.htm
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22693220
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_greenshank
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/common-greenshank

Find out more about the Lesser Sandplover (a.k.a. Mongolian Plover) :
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Charadrius_mongolus.htm
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3138
http://www.arkive.org/lesser-sand-plover/charadrius-mongolus/
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22693855/0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_sand_plover
http://www.wetlands.org/Portals/0/publications/Book/lesser%20sand%20plover.pdf
http://birdingfrontiers.com/2013/07/29/mongolian-lesser-and-greater-sand-plovers/

Find out more about the Whimbrel :
http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Numenius_phaeopus.htm
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22693178
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whimbrel
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Whimbrel/id
http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/w/whimbrel/
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/whimbrel

Monday, October 5, 2015

Terek Sandpiper @ SBWR - 04Oct2015

This Terek Sandpiper was amongst two seen at the wetland reserve's main pond on 4Oct2015. It kept running along the shoreline occasionally wading into the water close to the edge looking for food. It was about a third the size of a common redshank. Keeping it company were some Pacific Golden Plovers, Lesser Sand Plovers, lots of Common Greenshanks, lots of Common Redshanks, lots of whimbrels, a lone Eurasian Curlew, a lone Bar-Tailed Godwit and a couple of Black-Tailed Godwits. And also about 20 Painted Storks and about 45 Little Herons and an Great Egret along with the Reserve's more common resident birds.

The Terek Sandpiper looks quite a bit like the Common Redshanks although quite a bit smaller and with much shorter bright orange-yellow legs. It also has a rather long (for its size) bill which is slightly upturned. One of its characteristic traits is the short run along the water's edge or shore and probing with its long bill into the soft mud for food items. This time it managed to locate a tiny crab which it carried into the water away from the other birds where it carefully manoeuvred the crab in its bill as if to try to either stun it or despatch the crab's pincers. Finally after a short drop in the water, it picked it up before swallowing it whole. The Redshank behind it also managed to pick up something although I am not able to make out what it is.

Find out more about the East Asian Flyway :

http://www.eaaflyway.net/about/the-flyway/

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/sowb/flyways/8_EastAsia_Australasia_NEW.pdf

About the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve : https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbwr