Contributed by Doreen Ang.
This is an edited version.
AH and I birded briefly at Tuas today starting from 0830h. The heavy pre-dawn rain messed up our original plan to bird with NK at 0730h. We managed only a straight walk in and out, i.e. no deviation to the extreme left or right due to time constraints. It drizzled lightly for a brief moment when we were there. AH looked smashing in her new wellingtons!
I was pleasantly surprised to see the 'straight path' totally covered with patches of yellow mimosa. As expected, puddles of water had formed after a few days' rain. A bund clearly demarcates the left and right fields. No sign of any bull dozers which is a good sign!
Our list:-
- 7 red-wattled lapwings - noisy birds, flying in 2 distinct groups across the field towards the back end.
- 40+ mixed flock of black-headed and scaly-breasted munias - adults and juveniles. Feeding.
- 5-6 white-headed munias - not as sociable as the earlier species. Kept to themselves. Outstanding white head.
- several paddyfield pipits - distinct white outer tail feathers evident as it flew, and just before landing.
- plaintive cuckoo - silent. Perched on a bush. Black eye and bill. Striped undertail. No distinct supercilium. Brownish all over. Juvenile?
- 2 savannah nightjars - accidentally flushed two on the gravel patch. Flew close past us on both occasions. Silent. Had good views of unbroken white outer tail feathers (on one - obviously a male) and white patch on wing. A lifer for AH!
- several zitting cisticolas - one puffed up individual reminded AH of a white golf ball!
- house crows.
- a pair of sunda pygmy woodpeckers - chasing each other on a blooming acacia tree. A different harsh call was heard.
- a pair of golden-bellied gerygones - on the same acacia tree. One of the smallest birds in Singapore with a unique bird song to match.
- 6 pink-necked green pigeons - males and females. Perched together, drying their wet feathers.
- 1 blue-throated bee-eater - dark brownish head contrasting with body. Still around in mid Sept?
- 1 pied triller - brilliant black and white seen clearly even at a distance.
- 1 spotted dove.
- egret sp - in the sky far away.
- snipe sp - two accidentally flushed. Flew off a short distance to the left field. Typical fattish snipe jizz. Silent.
- common goldenback - heard only.
- shrike sp - heard.
- 1 common tailorbird – further away from the plaintive cuckoo.
- black-naped oriole.
- white-vented myna.
- yellow-vented bulbul.
- a small flock of asian glossy starlings.
- swiftlet sp.
- barn swallows.
- crake/rail sp - AH spotted one uniform darkish bird disappearing deeper into thicket.
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