2012 World Migratory Bird Day @ SBWR - 12May2012

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve had organised some guided walks as well as talks in celebration of the World Migratory Bird Day on 12 May 2012.

The theme for 2012 was "Migratory birds and people - together through time".

Excerpts from the WMBD website : http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/

Migratory birds - and the incredible annual journeys they take - have always been a particular inspiration to people around the world. Migratory birds completely ignore national borders along their migration paths, and cross entire countries and even continents. The phenomenon of migration has fascinated people for centuries, and continues to do so today.

The connections between migratory birds and people make them interdependent. To be able to benefit from our important relationships with migratory birds we must be more conscious about how our actions might affect our feathered friends. Migratory birds have served humans in countless ways over the past centuries, and it is important to ensure they can continue to do so.

Many human activities including excessive land use and unsustainable hunting, as well as the impacts of climate change, fisheries by-catch and pollution now gravely threaten migratory bird populations around the world.

Migratory birds are especially vulnerable because they rely on a number of habitats: not only their migration destinations but also the sites they stop at during their journeys. Human beings are the greatest threat to migratory birds; man-made objects and structures such as buildings, power lines and wind turbines, are often barriers to bird migration and make their journeys much more dangerous.

We should consider the consequences of our actions have on migratory birds. Thinking about the importance of migratory birds for us culturally, economically and environmentally can help us remember that not only are there many threats facing migrating birds, but also that we have many important reasons to protect them. Protecting migrating birds and taking care so we can expect to see them return from their migrations each year will ensure that future generations can benefit and enjoy the important connections between migratory birds and people - together through time.

The entrance to the main building from the carpark had already been prepped with informative posters. What a wonderful and simple way to share snippets of information to visitors!

Have a look at the many posters leading into as well as in the reserve :

click on the photos and test your knowledge with the Q&As

At the Visitor Centre, Mendis Tan, one of the SBWR staff officers, was already speaking to a group of 'early bird' visitors before they set off for their guided walk assisted by the SBWR volunteers. There were lots of pictures as well as informative posters.

There was also a small poster on the second edition of the SBWR bird book. It's now available for $15/-. GO grab your copy quick!

 Visitors were treated to a various stations along the routes with experienced volunteers helping to spot birds and other interesting features in the reserve.

Here is a little girl helped by her dad to see one of the resident crocodiles through a spotting scope

 Meanwhile, other visitors spent some time at the Main Hide looking for shorebirds, raptors, monitor lizards and mudskippers et al before moving on to the other parts of the reserve.

Back at the Visitor Centre, David Li, a SBWR staff officer, gave a highly entertaining talk on the WMBD 2012 and the birds which visit Singapore on their migratory route.

Here are some of the many slides presented :

What is WMBD 2012?

Migratory birds visiting Singapore and Sungei Buloh ...

David showed a series of birds which are commonly seen at SBWR.

In addition, he shared with the audience the research tools used internationally to keep track of migratory birds. In particular, he explained about colour tagging.
Each country has its own colour combination of tags.

Did you know that Singapore uses a Green tag on top of a White tag?

He also shared about the importance of the various flyways used by migratory birds all around the world.

Singapore lies within the East Asian-Australasian flyway! and each of the wetland areas within these flyways is crucial to the survival of these migratory birds as they provide a conducive area for the birds to rest and recharge themselves with food.

Some birds can do super-long distance flys!

 There are also threats and pressures on these wetland areas due to ever increasing human impact on the wetlands mainly through land development and food production.

However, thankfully, there are some International Conventions which seek to protect the flyways and the migratory birds.

Watch the WMBD trailer :

http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/

Find out more about the World Migratory Bird Day :

http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2012/04/12-may-sat-world-migratory-bird-day-at.html

There was also a talk by Dr. Daniel Friess on the state of the Singapore Mangroves :
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2012/05/state-of-singapores-mangroves-dan.html

the state of Singapore's Mangroves - Dan Friess @ 12May2012

Attended Dr. Dan Friess' talk on the state of Singapore's mangroves at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 12May2012 in association with the Annual World Migratory Bird Day.

A synopsis of the talk :

Southeast Asia is a global hotspot for mangrove biodiversity, an ecosystem which provides crucial environmental and socio-economic services. However, the mangroves of Singapore have experienced severe decline in extent over the last century. Land reclamation and reservoir construction have fragmented Singapore’s original mangrove cover and greatly increased the distance between habitat patches. Habitat fragmentation is an important issue for all ecosystems, as it can significantly reduce habitat connectivity and the flow of pollinators, seeds and genetic material that cannot cross the increasing divide. This may eventually influence the long-term sustainability of Singapore’s mangrove systems. A new and novel study with NUS and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is integrating traditional field biology methods with cutting-edge hydrodynamic current modelling and genetic techniques to answer the question: are Singapore’s fragmented mangroves able to exchange enough propagules to remain ecologically-sustainable over the long-term?

Dr Dan was introduced by SBWR's How Choon Beng. Here is the talk.
(Well most of it anyway... apologies for  about a 10 second break in audio due to a technical fault at about 29:49). 

If you would like to volunteer for the mangrove study, do sign up at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Email them at info@sbwr.org.sg or call 67941401 for more information.

Find out more about the talk here : 

http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2012/04/12-may-sat-mangrove-talk-by-dr-dan.html.

little grebes @ lorong halus - 01may2012

Checked on the little grebes in the northern pond. The distinctive burgundy necks were gone replaced by mottled greyish plumage. Presumably, these little grebes had shed their breeding plumage. There were only two adults in this pond. No juveniles were seen.

(long clip = 6.49 mins)

read more about the little grebe ;

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2012/01/two-little-grebes-lorong-halus-jan2012.html

http://www.besgroup.org/2012/04/13/a-family-of-little-grebes-2/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Grebe

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/littlegrebe/index.aspx

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3628

http://www.besgroup.org/?s=little+grebe&x=0&y=0

http://www.besgroup.org/2010/04/24/courtship-ritual-of-the-little-grebe/

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/07/04/little-grebe-feeding-on-fish/

http://www.besgroup.org/2010/12/23/little-grebe-struggling-with-a-large-fish/

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/01/08/little-grebe-at-the-singapore-quarry/

http://www.besgroup.org/2008/09/28/little-grebe-piggybacking-chicks/

http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/03/little-grebe-going-out-with-fight.html

crimson-rumped waxbill @ lorong halus - 01 May 2012

Spotted movement in the long grass lining the sides of the reservoir near the northern pond. I had never seen this little bird before and it's bright red eye-band was a real eye-catcher. It did not mind my prescence about 2 metres away and kept flying in and out of the long grass. It seemed to be gathering thin grass stems and then flying off to a spot lower down the granite retaining wall. I just needed to wait less than 30 seconds each time it disappeared for the bird to return to two main areas about 5 metres apart. One spot was deep in the midst of a clump of long grass and the other was in the upper half of another clump of long grass about 5 metres away. Undoubtedly, it was gathering nesting material and was somehow undeterred by me being closeby on the adjacent gravel trail.

I had initially thought it was some kind of shrike but could not find any entry in my copy of Craig Robson's Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. A check with a friend, (GPH), suggested that it was a crimson-rumped waxbill which was not native to not only Singapore but also South-East Asia.

This bird is actually native to Africa and in particular Eastern Africa. How did it get here? Probably through the pet bird trade as it is not known to be a migratory species(?). It may have escaped from its cage or been 'released' into the skies around Singapore. 

Read more about this beautiful bird here :

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/02/16/crimson-rumped-waxbill-another-exotic-canary/

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/crimson-rumped-waxbill-estrilda-rhodopyga

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=8653

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson-rumped_Waxbill

http://chopo.pntic.mec.es/biolmol/publicaciones/Estrildinae_finches_2009.pdf

tree fa// @ changi coastal park - 06may2012

I'll let the video and the pics show you what happened :

Apparently the winds peaked at 78km/hr at about 1.10pm.

The pics and vidclip were taken at about 6.30pm.

at least 4 trees fell across the beach

some snapped mid-way

the central part was most impacted

chopsticks!

the trees which fell here totally covered up the path

some trees were uprooted whereas some were broken like chopsticks

most of the snaps occurred close to the base of the trees

another section of the path totally covered up

this drink kiosk at the end of Carpark 7 narrowly escaped serious damage.

most of the trees which were uprooted or which snapped were Casuarinas.
Read more about Casuarinas here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/coastal/casuarina/equisetifolia.htm

More information about the storm and its effects :

http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2012/05/about-100-trees-fall-in-changi-beach.html

Location : the boulevard between Changi Carparks 6 and 7.