The July outing started at 6:00am on 16 July 2011. We didn’t expect much as all the pelagic birds show be on their Northern nesting grounds. And sure enough, we saw mainly just resident birds. The usual numbers of swiftlets, a Brahminy Kite, a White Bellied Sea Eagle, several Grey Herons. The only terns seen where several Little Terns and Swift Terns, but there were no terns perched on the usual buoys. The bird of the day was a single Great billed Heron on St. John’s island.
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Written on July 19th, 2011. 0 Comments
The 2010/2011 migration season saw a sharp uptick of interest in the pelagic birds of the Singapore Strait, a few groups organized outings. I was lucky to go on several of these trips. On the 2nd of October 2010, we set off before dawn in the first of a series of outings organized by Colin Poole.
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Written on June 24th, 2011. 0 Comments
The highlight of this trip on 16 Apr 11 was a pod of several Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dophins!
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Written on June 21st, 2011. 0 Comments
While photographing Baya Weavers Ploceus philippinus at a site near Lim Chu Kang in western Singapore during May 2008 certain unexpected observations were made regarding adult male behaviour at the nest.
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Written on June 21st, 2011. 2 Comments
A good day with another new species for Singapore waters on 14 May 11! May was the month we expected the peak passage of Swinhoe’s Storm Petrels and we weren’t to be disappointed, logging about 25 petrels. But on the way back was when we got our best action, usually this portion of the trip is quiet. Close to St. John’s island we were heading into a squall and a large number of petrels were running in front of the squall, and then just behind a group of 8 Short-tailed Shearwaters, which should be a first record for Singapore. The shearwaters were doing what their name implies and putting on a majestic flying display, swooping down close to the waves and then soaring back into the air, all following one another.
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Written on June 21st, 2011. 0 Comments
On the first day of July, 2010, I was on Bunker Trail, when just before 8:00am I noticed a bird fly from tree to tree that gave me the overall impression of a large cuckoo. I was in the car at the time and so I drove to the forest edge and observed, the bird continued to move from branch to branch until to my great fortune it settled on a relatively open perch. It would stay on this perch for an incredible twenty minutes giving me plenty of time to observe it’s behaviour. One of the first things I noticed was the bird was making a very soft call, and then within a few minutes a female White-rumped Shama flew in. As soon as the female was there, the cuckoo started quivering it’s wings.
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Written on June 19th, 2011. 2 Comments
In mid-December 2009 I went to Heliconia Walk at Singapore Botanic Gardens to observe and photograph the sunbirds feeding on the heliconia flowers together with Jean René Croguennec. I had my camera focused on a particularly promising Heliconia psittacorum ‘Lady Di’ flower cluster. Not long after we arrived and to our astonishment, a male Olive-backed Sunbird flew into the flower I was targeting and began his mating display. Although I’d never witnessed this before it was unmistakable what he was doing.
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Written on June 19th, 2011. 1 Comment
In the continuing series of boat trips into the Straits of Singapore organized by Colin Poole, a group of us gather at 1 Degree North yacht club on a stormy Saturday morning 18 Jun 11. We delayed our departure thirty minutes to give the rain a chance to pass, and weren’t bothered by rain the rest of the day. But the sea was very choppy and several of us weren’t feeling in peak form. We got our minute of excitement early in the day, around 8:20am when two Swinhoe’s Storm Petrels were spotted floating on the water. They took off and we gave chase, but it’s wasn’t the best photo opportunity. Anyway, we can confirm a new late date for this species in Singapore waters, what they are still doing here in June is anyone’s guess.
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Written on June 19th, 2011. 0 Comments
Ever since my first trip to what is now Panti Bird Sanctuary, Johor, I have been fascinated with the Rail-babbler. Now six years later I have seen the Rail-babbler on a number of occasions, usually just brief glimpses of the bird walking away through obstructing foliage. But I’ve been quite lucky twice. Once in May 2010 a pair of Rail-babblers simply walked past my vehicle allowing leisurely viewing and several photos taken from inside the car.
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Written on June 16th, 2011. 1 Comment
On Safari in the Masai Mara, departing from Fig Tree camp, we started our morning taking some pictures of the balloons as they were being filled. We were on a two week safari, and this was our next to last day, Sept 10, 2010. Then a few mintues later we came across a pair of Bat-eared Foxes, but the light was still very low at 6:30am. Sunrise wouldn’t be until 6:38am.
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Written on June 15th, 2011. 2 Comments
