2008 December 14 - Pulau Ubin

Nessie, Ian, Freda, Doreen & I arranged to visit Pulau Ubin.
As it was raining, we went for breakfast after meeting at the carpark.
It was still raining after breakfast, so Nessie, Ian & Freda decided to skip the walk.

Despite the rain, Doreen & I managed to record the following species:

1. Oriental Pied Hornbill ##
2. Oriental Dollarbird
3. Stork-billed Kingfisher
4. White-throated Kingfisher
5. Collared Kingfisher
6. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
7. Asian Drongo-cuckoo ##
8. Asian Koel
9. Red-breasted Parakeet
10. Long-tailed Parakeet *
11. Spotted Dove
12. Red Turtle Dove
13. Common Emerald Dove
14. Pink-necked Green Pigeon
15. White-breasted Waterhen
16. Common Sandpiper
17. Black Baza, 1 perched on canopy at Ubin Quarry.
18. White-bellied Sea Eagle, 2 adults perched and calling from canopy at Pekan Quarry at 0845hrs.  A final scan from the jetty before we depart at almost 1400hrs got us 2 adults and 1 immature around the fish farm near Chek Jawa.  The adults may be the same birds seen in the morning.
19. Peregrine Falcon, a fluffed up adult perched on the Telecoms Tower at 1330hrs.
20. Grey Heron ##
21. Yellow-billed Egret
22. Cattle Egret
23. Striated Heron
24. Black-crowned Night Heron ##
25. House Crow
26. Black-naped Oriole
27. Ashy Minivet
28. Common Iora
29. Asian Glossy Starling
30. Common Myna
31. White-vented Myna
32. Pacific Swallow
33. Yellow-vented Bulbul
34. Olive-winged Bulbul
35. Yellow-bellied Prinia
36. Common Tailorbird
37. Brown-throated Sunbird
38. Olive-backed Sunbird
39. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
40. Scaly-breasted Munia
41. Swiftlet spp.

2008 December 7 - Neo Tiew Lane 2

On November 23, we arranged to visit NTL2 on December 7.
It was only on December 6 that we realised Nature Society (Singapore) is also having a walk at the same location and timing.
Not wanting to disappoint some classmates, we went ahead as planned.

Doreen picked me up at our usual pick-up point and we arrived at the meeting place to find a large group of participants for the NSS walk.
We waited for our classmates while the NSS group moved ahead.

Our walk was very slow and leisure. Giving everyone a chance to see the bird whenever it is spotted.
This is the most impressive walk we have had, recording a total of 61 species.
Full list of species recorded:

1. Red Junglefowl ## - heard only
2. Laced Woodpecker – Female
3. Common Goldenback – 1 Male & 2 Females
4. Oriental Dollarbird
5. Common Kingfisher
6. White-throated Kingfisher
7. Blue-throated Bee-eater - juvenile
8. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
9. Asian Koel - Male & Female
10. Greater Coucal
11. Lesser Coucal
12. Red-breasted Parakeet
13. Long-tailed Parakeet * - heard only
14. Spotted Dove
15. Red Turtle Dove - Male
16. Zebra Dove
17. Pink-Necked Green Pigeon
18. White-breasted Waterhen
19. Purple Swamphen #
20. Little Tern ##
21. Osprey
22. Black Baza
23. Black-winged Kite
24. Brahminy Kite
25. White-bellied Sea Eagle
26. Little Egret
27. Grey Heron ##
28. Purple Heron ##
29. Yellow-billed Egret
30. Cattle Egret
31. Yellow Bittern
32. Golden-bellied Gerygone – heard only
33. Tiger Shrike
34. Brown Shrike
35. House Crow
36. Large-billed Crow
37. Black-naped Oriole
38. Pied Triller
39. Ashy Minivet – seen by gang but not me
40. Crow-billed Drongo
41. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo – seen by gang but not me
42. Asian Paradise Flycatcher – seen by gang but not me
43. Common Iora
44. Asian Brown Flycatcher
45. Asian Glossy Starling
46. Common Myna
47. White-vented Myna
48. Barn Swallow
49. Pacific Swallow
50. Yellow-vented Bulbul
51. Zitting Cisticola – heard only
52. Yellow-bellied Prinia
53. Oriental Reed Warbler – heard only
54. Common Tailorbird – heard only
55. Dark-necked Tailorbird – heard only
56. Ashy Tailorbird
57. White-crested Laughingthrush – seen by gang but not me
58. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
59. Olive-backed Sunbird
60. Baya Weaver
61. Swiftlet Spp

Vietnam - 2008 November 25 till December 2

List of birds recorded:

1. Black Kite 黑鸢 Milvus migrans - common at Halong Bay
2. Brown-breasted Bulbul 黄臀鹎 Pycnonotus xanthorrhous - Ham Rong botanical gardens, Sapa
3. Chinese Pond Heron 池鹭 Ardeola bacchus - Halong Bay
4. Common Tailorbird 长尾缝叶莺 Orthotomus sutorius - West Lake, Hanoi; He Kou, Lao Cai-China border
5. Eurasian Tree Sparrow 树麻雀 Passer montanus - common everywhere
6. Great Tit 大山雀 Parus major commixtus - West Lake, Hanoi; He Kou, Lao Cai-China border
7. Japanese White-eye 暗绿绣眼鸟 Zosterops japonicus - fairly common everywhere
8. Large-billed Crow 大嘴乌鸦 Corvus macrorhynchos - common at Halong Bay
9. Little Forktail 小燕尾 Enicurus scouleri - Silver Waterfall, Sapa
10. Oriental Magpie Robin 鹊鸲 Copsychus saularis - male & female at compound of HCM museum, Hanoi
11. Plumbeous Water Redstart 红尾水鸲 Rhyacomis fuliginosus - male & female at Silver Waterfall, Sapa
12. Red-whiskered Bulbul 红耳鹎 Pycnonotus jocosus - common in Hanoi
13. Spotted Dove 珠颈斑鸠 Streptopelia chinensis - compound of HCM museum, Hanoi
14. White-throated Kingfisher 白胸翡翠 Halcyon smyrnensis - Halong Bay
15. Drongo - on the way from Hanoi to Halong Bay
16. Egret - on the way from Hanoi to Halong Bay; on the way from Cat Ba island to Hai Phong
17. Shrike - compound of HCM museum, Hanoi
18. Swift - compound of HCM museum, Hanoi
19. Warbler - West Lake, Hanoi

Silver Waterfall, Sapa, Vietnam

2008 November 28 till 30 - Sapa

Fansipan mountain range and terraced rice fields.

Silver Waterfall, where we saw a Little Forktail and a pair of Plumbeous Water Redstart.

2008 November 27 - Cat Ba island

view from Holiday View Hotel on Cat Ba island, Vietnam.

2008 November 25 - Hanoi, Vietnam

view of Hoan Kiem Lake (还剑湖) from Golden Sun Hotel.