2006 January 7

Contributed by Doreen Ang.
This is an edited version.


One week into the New Year, AH, NK and I decided to recce some ponds, namely the ones in Marina City Park (site 1) and Tampines Mountain Biking Trail (site 2). Date - Saturday, 7th January 2006.

Site 1:Weather was overcast with light drizzle. Less than a dozen people were around. Only noise pollution was the ear-blasting handheld 'leaf-blower' - thankfully that didn't last long!

On arrival at 0745h, we heard the calling of the Golden-bellied Gerygone, Asian Koel, Collared Kingfisher and the Spotted Dove. One and a half hours spent at this site produced 30 Lesser Whistling-Ducks, 6 Wandering Whistling-Ducks, 2 Brahminy Kites in flight, a Grey Heron, a Purple Heron, Pink-necked Green-Pigeons, White-throated and Collared Kingfishers, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Yellow-vented Bulbuls, House crows, White-breasted Waterhen, a sub-adult Common Moorhen among the whistling ducks, Yellow Bitterns (1 juvenile and 1 adult) and a male Asian Koel busy picking Indian cherries. Of interest was a Black-capped Kingfisher which AH first spotted as it flew across the pond at 0850h. Unmistakeable - black cap and red bill.

Over at the Marina South MRT bus-stop, there were a few Common Mynas, a Sunda Woodpecker and a Common Tailorbird.

Site 2:Weather - drizzle to light rain. Grounds very wet with puddles of water in many areas. No bikers save for some plane enthusiasts. Continuous dull droning of vehicles from the adjacent Tampines Expressway.

Site 2 was disappointing. Although the TMBT took us slightly over an hour and a half on foot (1010 - 1145), the walk produced only a pair of Common Flameback (male and female), White-throated Kingfishers, a Pied Fantail (calling aloud), Yellow-vented Bulbuls, Spotted Doves, Javan Mynas, a flock of 10 House Crows in flight, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, White-breasted Waterhen, a Sunda Woodpecker, 2 Ashy Tailorbirds, Black-naped Orioles, 1 Purple Heron in flight and an adult White-bellied Fish-Eagle perched on a bare tree. We could not make a positive i.d. of an accipiter which suddenly shot across our path in what looked like a bird chase. A search for ducks at the 2 main ponds (on the left and right) yielded nothing.