feral dogs, river dogs, a croc (five actually), 35 redshanks & 2 common sandpipers @ SBWR - 12Aug2018

feral dogs, river dogs, a croc (five actually), 35 redshanks & 2 common sandpipers @ SBWR - 12Aug2018 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

These feral dogs were furiously barking at some unseen target whilst another within their group was swimming towards them after apparently investigating two otters which made a fast sprint past it underwater towards the main bridge. The dogs were sufficiently distracted long enough for the otters to make it away safely without being chased. (Dogs have been seen to chase after and attack otters. Although the otters are in their element in water, they can be cornered on land.)

The unseen element eventually showed itself as it peeked out from the shallows. Although it did not seem like it was of significant length, it was enough to prevent the dogs from going after it. The one that had swum after the otters was lucky to run the gauntlet of crocs in the shallows. Stumpy croc would have been somewhere nearby too.

The two otters had been seen exiting the river earlier in the morning and they must have explored a good part of the North-Western coastline the whole day as they only returned as the sun was setting. They swam to a spot about 20m just before the main bridge to survey the surrounding mudflats no doubt to see if the dogs had followed them. Seeing that it was safe to carry on, the otters swam past the main bridge much to the delight of visitors who had already been treated to observing Tailless and another smaller (but still formidable) croc waiting patiently in the lagoon near the sluice gate by the bridge.

The otters must have been tired as they did not stop to say hello to the two crocs. Instead, they swam straight past the bridge under water and towards the central sandbar in the river before running up the sandbar and crossing it before returning to the safety of the water and disappearing out of sight around the bend away from another set of gnarly teeth in the shallows to the left of the sandbar and watched by the line of common redshanks which had only recently arrived from their Northern summer grounds. (Can you spot the two common sandpipers flying off?).

The dog-croc-otter relationship triangle is a complicated one but Sungei Buloh can certainly do without invasive feral dogs. Let's hope the two otters decide, despite the dogs, that it is safe enough to start a family. Sungei Buloh has not seen any resident otter families for a few years now and this is likely due not because of the crocs but because of the dogs which can track down the otters to their holts which are necessarily above ground.

Sand Plover @ SBWR 9 Aug2018

Lesser or Greater?

Sand Plover @ SBWR Hide 1D - 9Aug2018 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Had a bit of a problem identifying this sand plover. The weight of opinion seems to be that this is a Lesser Sand Plover. It's got a rounded crown, legs which are not quite grey but slightly yellow-green. The feet were black but this could be due to being soaked in dark mud. The bill is also not as long as it should be if it was a "Greater SP'. Without a better picture, it'll have to be an LSP.

chain reaction fish wave @ Eagle Point, SBWR - 3 Dec2017

The tide was out and the water level around the Eagle Point observation deck was very low. The little egrets and striated herons were stationed at both ends of the circular stand of sticks and they were making quick work picking out the tiny fish which had been corralled within the vertical sticks. The mounds of tiny clams which had fallen off the sticks and accumulated at the base of the sticks were effectively a wall keeping the fish within the circular patch. There were only a few gaps through which the fish could escape.

chain reaction fish wave @ Eagle Point, SBWR - 3Dec2017 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Everyone at the Eagle Point observation deck were surprised by the fish wave which started from the right and moved towards the left and then repeated itself in a counter-clockwise manner as the fish kept jumping no doubt in panic. This lasted for a few minutes before the fish settled down. Is there a moral to this fish tale? Perhaps not all types of schooling is good :p.

greenshanks & a murder @ SBWR - Nov2017

The crows had a few moments ago ganged up against the visiting whimbrels successfully causing them to flee for fear of being clawed at. This time it was the greenshanks' turn (and a hapless common sandpiper who thought the greenies were safe to hang around with). With the crows being repeatedly concentrated within the safe refuge of the wetland reserve due to the crow-culling team shooters regularly lingering outside the boundary of the protected wetland reserve, their numbers have increased to such a level that any species even remotely competitive would eventually be harassed away by the relentless murders of crows. This change in the avian dynamics within Singapore's only wetland reserve seems inevitable given the persistent crow culling just outside. The crows have also begun their taste experiments with organisms within the muddy mangrove substrate. No doubt they had plenty of opportunity to watch and learn from their shorebird cousins. This puts them in direct competition with the shorebirds which unfortunately have a much less aggressive disposition as compared to the average marauding murder of house crows. This perhaps explains why the crows harass the shorebirds.

greenshanks & a murder @ SBWR - Nov2017 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Bar-Tailed Godwit & Whimbrels @ Pulau Sekudu

Ventured to Chek Jawa on 23Sep2017 a bit too late as the tide was fast rising. Some shorebirds had flown to Pulau Sekudu to roost on the granite boulders. There were a handful of about 15 whimbrels and a lone bar-tailed godwit along with some common sandpipers and what could be a grey plover. The video clip shows the bar-tailed godwit amongst the whimbrels as the wind picked up before a sudden downpour. The birds moved to another part of the island to avoid the worst of the strong winds which preceded the rain.

Bar-Tailed Godwit & Whimbrels @ Pulau Sekudu from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Yishun Dam shorebird primer @ 9Aug2017 PM

The Yishun Dam sees quite a number of shorebirds throughout the July to April months. Hearing that there were lesser sand plovers and whimbrels reported at the dam, i paid the dam a visit in the evening of 9Aug2017. It was a moderate low tide of about 1.0m at about 6.15pm and there was a bit of the mudflat exposed.

An average of two counts gave a number of 65 lesser sand plovers and 1 little egret on the mudflat near the dam. There were no whimbrels though. The presence of fishermen wading about at the shore area to the left of the mudflat was enough for some of the LSPs to take flight towards the right at first and then across the bay.

Looking beyond the bay towards the eastern tip of the military training area, there is a sandbar with eastern part of Pulau Seletar in the background. This is about 1250m away (measured via Google Earth) and one can just about make out some birds on the sandbar with a scope.

At this distance, any positive ID of the smaller shorebirds is purely a guess. I'm guessing there were about 70 to 90 LSPs (it was easy to lose count due to the distance and the birds flying about in small groups) at the sandbar. I also saw 3 whimbrels with their distinctive curved bills. I could not make out any redshanks or greenshanks. There were also two great-billed herons walking about looking for food. Discounting what most likely were mynahs, the sandbar seemed to house a rather large number of shorebirds. A conservative LSPs count alone for both the mudflat and sandbar should be between at least 135 to 155.

It is possible that the mangroves and shore area closer to the western tip of Pulau Seletar may also house a good many shorebirds. It is a pity this area is difficult to access....anyone got a boat?

Given the number of fishermen at the mudflat in front of the dam that evening, it looked like the birds were mostly avoiding the mudflat and preferring instead to stay at the faraway (and pretty isolated) sandbar.

Assuming that there would have been a much lower number of fishermen in the morning, perhaps a weekday low tide visit would see more of the shorebirds on the mudflat instead of on the faraway mudflat.

Given the lack of sandbars, mudflats and mangrove areas on both the eastern and western shores of mainland Singapore, the Yishun Dam mudflat and adjacent sandbars serve a very important role in feeding these yearly avian visitors much like how the Mandai mudflat (beside the Causeway) is on the western shore.

One has to ask why the shorebirds frequent these shores? What do these shores have that other shore areas do not have?


Yishun Dam primer @  9Aug2017 PM from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.