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Forest birds

on 7th March 2009

“The sub-adult Black-backed Kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca) that frequents one of the Central Reserves boardwalk trails isn’t the only bird of interest in the area (above left). A little further down, the trail forms a hairpin that encircles a streamlet which flows into the reservoir. There, another black-backed kingfisher is known to appear, but at later hours and only for a brief period. With another photographer, I saw it perching on a branch above the water and taking regular dips into the water before returning to the perch to shake off the droplets (above right). It did not feed and after the bath, disappeared as quickly as it had turned up.

“Earlier, a small group of Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus) (above left) and Short-tailed Babblers (Malacocincla malaccensis) (above right) were having their bath at the streamlet when a crake, likely to be the Slaty-legged (Rallina fasciata), poked around by the vegetation on the slope below the boardwalk. A larger body about the size of the small dog could also be heard and seen moving through the forest, which was probably the mousedeer that some visitors had regularly sighted in the week before. And in the undergrowth around the streamlet, there were 3-4 small brown birds moving about close to the ground. It’s unclear though if they were the same species as one which wandered close enough to the boardwalk for a quick snapshot. I thought it some warbler and Albert Low and Yong Ding Li suspect that it’s a Pale-legged Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus tenellipes), an unconfirmed vagrant. It seems such ‘watering holes’ offer excellent spots to catch birds and other animals in their daily routine before the night.”

Marcus Ng
The Annotated Budak
1st March 2009

Note: Black-backed Kingfisher is now known as Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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