Bird Song Quiz #14

Another youtube video from the guys at "wildbirdvideos".

They've been posting a new video at least once a week - which is pretty amazing considering the quality of these videos!

This should be good practice for the imminent rush of birds into Ontario and Newfoundland (end everywhere in between)!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com | SnapApp Quiz Apps

And as usual, if you suspect I've mis-ID'd something, please let me know!

Hindhede

After finishing my last exam I went to Hindhede park for a quickie.
It was nice to finally get some proper exercise and see some birds other than the usuals from my window!

My main target was a Blue-eared Kingfisher that is apparently on breeding territory at the park. I also have a thing for Kingfishers, so it was an easy choice to look for this bird.

It turns out that I wasn't the only one looking for the bird. I row of local photographers had already claimed the best vantage points to photograph the bird... if and when it comes into view.

Not long after I arrived I heard it calling very close by. The bird flew right underneath our feet (almost literally - we were on a raised platform) and hid in some bushes nearby.
A few minutes later it popped out, caught a fish, rested on this log for a mere 5 seconds and quickly disappeared, never to be seen again:

Olive-winged Bulbuls were nearby:

It's a rather common species here in SG, but for some reason they're usually seen in the distance or at the top of a tree.

Anyway, I had hoped to get some decent photos today, but came up empty handed. Both birds were in fairly dark spots so there wasn't enough light to get a 'crisp' image.

One week to go

... and one more exam to go.

I managed to get out for some birding this afternoon. The local grasslands were beckoning. I branded this spot as my patch within my first month in S'pore, but have been really slacking with coverage lately.

Although I did manage to find a Common Kestrel there a few weeks ago. I heard it was only the 2nd record in Western SG, and the only one recorded so far this year. I didn't realize their status when I found it, luckily I did grab a few distant shots - no one believed me when I first claimed this bird without showing pics ;)  (I would say the status is equivalent to a Swainson's Hawk in Ontario) :

Luckily some other birders managed to see the bird a few days later.

Raptors are actually rather common in Singapore. Probably the most common is the Brahminy Kite:

Blue-throated Bee-eaters are beautiful resident birds in SG:

And of course there are plenty of butterflies. I haven't put any effort to identify many of them though.

I'll try to post some more pictures of the local insects before I return to Canada!