LATEST SHOOTS

MONTH OF DECEMBER 2022

31 Dec 2022. My last two shots for 2022 – the owlets of Buffy Fish Owl (fledged today) and Spotted Wood Owl (fell to the ground today yet again)

Super rare vagrant from China – the Red-billed Starling

Purple Heron in for a Feast

Buffy Fish Owl – yet another successful addition. Mummy with juve, daddy and mummy

Cattle Egret with Eel. Once the Egrets and Herons were feeding far away in the open field. However, more rain created small pools nearer where we stood. The birds soon found out that the previously unvisited areas were home to a number of freshwater eels.

Made a trip to Coney Island on Christmas Day to get a glimpse of the Chinese Sparrowhawk (male). My last trip was more than 10 years ago.

Island has more than 2,000 casuarina trees (most unusual).

Lesser Whistling Ducks at Hampstead Gardens. Two familes of ducks and they often take off when they get on each other’s nerves. Mummy Buffy standing guard over the juvenile nearby.

Intermediate Egret finding critters in an open field (Seletar Aerospace)

Bearded Barbet (due for a major shift)

THE TIGER STRIKES AGAIN – Tiger Shrike at S’pore Botanical Gardens. Friendly, it watches us and we watch the bird close-up.

At SBG, the Viloet Cuckoo and Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo had a feast on caterpillars. This one survived the onslaught.

The Banded Bay Cuckoo, Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo and Rusty-breasted Cuckoo were competing with the Violet Cuckoo for the caterpillars.

Its time for the Blue-tailed Bee eater in December. The field at Seletar Aerospace were teeming with dragonflies.

MONTH OF NOV 2022

AT WINDSOR NATURE PARK – the Happening Place

Black-naped Oriole, Buffy fish Owl and Stock-billed Kf

Going Cuckoo

Hodgson Hawk Cuckoo – always in the thickets, having a nice background is a challenge.

Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo – lured by the exubearance of caterpillars

Hampstead Gardens

With the crowd encircling the Chestnut Winged Cuckoo, the bird never quite get a good rest. Certainly an annual crowd favourite. After two days, it was gone for good.

The Meadows

Collared Kf on a hunt

Seems like its favourite catch is lizards and there must be quite a population at the Meadows.

MONTH OF OCTOBER 2022

Windsor Nature Park

VII. The Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher has been drawing hordes of photographers to the former Venus Drive. My initial images were dismal as there were no clear views and i waited for the crowd to thin out further. Hopefully there will be enough food for the ODKf to remain in the same area.

2nd visit

3rd visit – Missing for the past 7 hours and the light under the canopy was low as it was 5.20pm under very cloudy skies. But suddenly a flash of yellow. The king had arrived. Only a super, tiny opening and on a far away palm frond. Very challenging to photograph.

VI. Often the Emerald Dove is seen foraging and it flies off abruptly when in proximity with; making photography challenging to say the least. But it rests, the moments off the ground are the photographer’s dream.

V. At the Meadows
Japanese Sparrowhawk and Yellow-fronted Canary

The Yellow-fronted Canary has been reported in Singapore since 2009 and is believed to be an escapee or released from the pet trade.

The Japanese Sparrow is a common winter migrant and looks similar to the Crested Goshawk, Chinese Sparrowhawk and Besra, Shikra

SINGAPORE BOTANICAL GARDENS
IV. Blue-rumped Parrots join the Glossy Starlings, LT Parakeets and Hill Mynas to feast on the fruiting trees.

Male and female Blue-rumped Parrots

III. Black-winged Kites at Garden by the Bay (the Meadows)

With food on its claws – the number of rats caught on a regular basis is food for thought. With 3 chicks to feed, my guess is, at least 6 rats per day need to be caught. How it finds them in the day is beyond me.

MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2022

II. White-shouldered Starlings at Simei