Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Fun But Organized



Just returned from 8 days in Singapore, where we went for a wedding (a beautiful affair, congratulations and best wishes to Wilson and Siew Ping!).  Photos of our trip are on my flickr site: bit.ly/1esGNgy.

"Fun but organized" was a phrase I read in the text accompanying an exhibit at the Singapore Flyer (World's Largest Giant Observational Wheel, FYI) and it seems like an apt description for the country as a whole.  We had a great time seeing friends, doing touristy things (National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, the aforementioned Flyer, the Marina Bay Sands (big mistake), lots of restaurants and shopping), and birding.

Oh, the birding! We booked a private birding guide (the amazing Kim Seng: http://birdingsingapore.com/) for two hot, somewhat grueling, incredibly productive days in Singapore and Malaysia.   List of birds right here Please note that Brian and I would never claim to have ID'd each of these birds ourselves, but we did actually see each of them and relied on Kim Seng's identifications. Also please note that these are not complete lists for each location, as I've only listed the first sighting of each bird - we saw many species in multiple places.

October 8, 2013, Central Catchment Area near MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore:
Collared Scops Owl (H)
Pink-necked Green Pigeon
Thick-billed Pigeon
Tiger Shrike
Red-crowned Barbet
Olive-winged Bulbul
Striped Tit Babbler
Magpie Robin
Brown-throated Sunbird
Asian Glossy Starling
Long-tailed Parakeet
Raquet-tailed Drongo
Stork-billed Kingfisher
Brahminy Kite
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Pacific Swallow
Arctic Warbler
Hill Myna

Butik Batok Park, Singapore 10/8/13:
Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
Dollar Bird
Blue-throated Bee-eater
Crimson Sunbird
Duck-necked Tailorbird
White-crested Laughingthrush
Common Golden-backed Woodpecker
Laced Woodpecker
Banded Woodpecker
Lineated Barbet
Glossy Swiftlet
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
Changeable Hawk-Eagle
White-throated Kingfisher
Straw-headed Bulbul
Common Myna
Java Myna

Sungei Buloh Wetland Preserve, Singapore 10/8/13:
Long-tailed Shrike
Grey Heron
Common Sandpiper
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Emerald Dove
Black-naped Oriole
Copper-throated Sunbird
Collared Kingfisher

Kranji Marsh, Singapore 10/8/13:
Red-breasted Parakeet
Zebra Dove
Rose-winged Parakeet
Iora
Ruddy-breasted Crake (H)
Pied Triller
Black Koel

Panti Forest Preserve, Malaysia 10/9/13:
Little Green Pigeon
Buff-vented Bulbul
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter
Red-rumped Swallow
Rufous Woodpecker
Black-headed Bulbul
Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
Raffles' Malkoha
Black-naped Monarch
Tree Swift
Barn Swallow
Black Magpie
Yellow-vented Tailorbird
Hairy-backed Bulbul
Red-eyed Bulbul
Crested Serpent Eagle
Asian Fairy Bluebird

Pasir Ris Park, Singapore 10/9/13:
While Bellied Waterhen
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Red Junglefowl
Golden-fronted Gerygone
Citron-crested Cockatiel (exotic)
Little Egret
Long-tailed Shrike
White-bellied Sea Eagle

Lorone-Holus Wetlands, Singapore 10/9/13:
Whiskered Tern
White-winged Tern
Purple Heron
Scaly Brown Muna
Baya Weaver
Pacific Golden Plover

Other critters encountered:
Plantain Squirrel
Three striped ground squirrel
Long-tailed macaque
Leaf monkey
Water Monitor
Clouded Monitor
Flying Lemur
Giant Mudskipper
Crocodile
Gibbon (H)
Tapir
Changeable Lizard
Flying Lizard

(H = heard, not seen.)