2008 October 4 - Jurong Lake

Started at 0800hr at Chinese Garden MRT station and walked towards the Chinese Garden gate to find it closed due to Mid Autumn Festival celebration.
Turned right and a short distance away at a lamp-post marked F-4/30, a female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher is perched on a flowering sea-apple tree. In the same bush were Tailorbirds, White-breasted Waterhen, Pink-necked Green Pigeon and a juvenile Tiger Shrike.

About a 100m away, a photographer whom I met earlier, waved for me to approach. It is a Black-crowned Night Heron with a 6 inches long catfish in its beak. We watched for about 10 minutes as the bird moved from branch to branch while holding on to the fish precariously over the water. Then another 2 photographers joined us, and together we watched for another 10 minutes. At times, the bird would hold the fish by its fin and dip it into the water, as if to give it a rinse. Then the bird would align the fish and try to swallow head down. However, at about a quarter lengths of the fish, the bird would spit it out, hold it by the fin, and dip it into the water again. This repeated a few times. And as I was wondering when it will end its antics, the bird swallowed the fish!!!. After a satisfying meal, the heron went further into the branches.

I reached the main entrance of Chinese Garden at about 1030hr. By the side, there is a fruiting fig tree. A female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher in the lower branches, a pair of Asian Koels, 2 adult and 1 juvenile Coppersmith Barbets, a few White-vented Mynas, a male Brown-throated Sunbird, a pair of Common Ioras, a Tailorbird, some Asian Glossy Starlings and a Yellow-vented Bulbul.

Full list of species recorded:
1. Coppersmith Barbet
2. White-throated Kingfisher
3. Asian Koel
4. Lesser Coucal
5. Common Pigeon
6. Spotted Dove
7. Pink-necked Green Pigeon
8. White-breasted Waterhen
9. Brahminy Kite
10. White-bellied Sea Eagle
11. Little Egret
12. Grey Heron ##
13. Purple Heron ##
14. Cattle Egret
15. Striated Heron
16. Black-crowned Night Heron ##
17. Tiger Shrike
18. House Crow
19. Black-naped Oriole
20. Pied Fantail
21. Common Iora
22. Asian Brown Flycatcher
23. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
24. Asian Glossy Starling
25. Common Myna
26. White-vented Myna
27. Pacific Swallow
28. Yellow-vented Bulbul
29. Common Tailorbird
30. Ashy Tailorbird
31. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
32. Brown-throated Sunbird
33. Olive-backed Sunbird
34. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
35. Swiftlet spp