Singapore Raptor Report Spring Migration, March 2016

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Cathleen Osborne
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Singapore Raptor Report Spring Migration, March 2016 Peregrine Falcon, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 28 Mar 16, by Francis Yap.

The Oriental Honey Buzzard, with 15 birds, reclaimed the top spot from the Black Baza which was represented by 10 birds.

Four Ospreys were recorded; apart from the usual locations along the northern shores and the Central Catchment, one individual was recorded at Marina Bay.

1 Singapore Raptor Report Spring Migration, March 2016 Peregrine Falcon, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 28 Mar 16, by Francis Yap. Summary for migrant species: In March, 41 raptors of 8 migrant species were recorded. The Oriental Honey Buzzard, with 15 birds, reclaimed the top spot from the Black Baza which was represented by 10 birds. Six Japanese Sparrowhawks were recorded but there were no records of the Chinese Sparrowhawk. Four Ospreys were recorded; apart from the usual locations along the northern shores and the Central Catchment, one individual was recorded at Marina Bay. Three Peregrine Falcons were recorded; none of the resident race. The male Common Kestrel wintering at Punggol Barat was still around on the 10th. A rare Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle, a juvenile, was photographed at Springleaf on the 31st. Once again, a Northern Boobook, seemingly on its way back north, was photographed at Tuas South on the 8th, resting in a small stand of low trees surrounded by grassland and factories, not the kind of habitat for the resident Brown Hawk Owl! Addendum to February 2016 Singapore Raptor Report: The Northern Boobook previously reported (seen and photographed) at Pasir Ris Park on 31 Jan, 1 Feb and 2 Feb was also seen and heard on 7 Feb and 9 Feb in the pre-dawn hours by Adrian Silas Tay, Daniel Ong and Jasman. They managed to record the call which was distinct from the "who-up" of the resident Brown Hawk Owl. Page 1 of 6

Highlights for sedentary species: Changeable Hawk Eagle pale morph by Howard Yap. First, notes on four uncommon resident raptors.

Apart from the nesting area at Little Guilin, the Grey-headed Fish Eagle seemed to be more regular at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the Botanic Gardens recently.

There were only two records of the Black-winged Kite, hanging on in the remaining open areas. The common White-bellied Sea Eagle and Brahminy Kite completed the roundup for the month.

2 Highlights for sedentary species: Changeable Hawk Eagle pale morph by Howard Yap. First, notes on four uncommon resident raptors. The Crested Goshawk at Kent Ridge Park was recorded on the 18th & 25th, and was probably the same individual. Apart from the nesting area at Little Guilin, the Grey-headed Fish Eagle seemed to be more regular at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the Botanic Gardens recently. The nesting of the Changeable Hawk-Eagle at Mount Faber progressed well and the eaglet appeared fully grown by end March. There were only two records of the Black-winged Kite, hanging on in the remaining open areas. The common White-bellied Sea Eagle and Brahminy Kite completed the roundup for the month. Table 1 S/N Species No. S/N Species No. 1 Osprey 4 Residents / Sedentary Species 2 Black Baza 10 9 Black-winged Kite 2 3 Oriental Honey Buzzard Brahminy Kite 12 4 Japanese Sparrowhawk 6 11 White-bellied Sea Eagle 12 5 Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle 1 12 Grey-headed Fish Eagle 6 6 Common Kestrel 1 13 Crested Goshawk 1 7 Peregrine Falcon 3 14 Changeable Hawk-Eagle 6 8 Northern Boobook 1 Unidentified 15 Unidentified Raptors 1 16 Unidentified Accipiters 1 Total for Migrants 41 Grand Total 82 Page 2 of 6

3 1. Osprey Pandion haliaetus (4) 3 1 Marina Bay, evening Anthony Collerton 4 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Timothy Chua Jia Yao 4 1 Upper Pierce Reservoir, 6:40pm to 7:15pm Stephen Beng 5 2 Kranji Dam Alfred Chia 7 1 Kranji Marsh, 6:30pm Stephen Beng 10 1 Central Catchment Timothy Chua Jia Yao 17 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Raphael Siah 26 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Francis Yap 27 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Lee Chiun Ming 27 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Francis Yap 28 2 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, evening Francis Yap 30 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, evening Howard Yap 2. Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes (10) 6 1 Bidadari Tan Gim Cheong 8 2 Sengkang Tan Kok Hui 9 1 Tampines Eco-Green Alvin Seng 11 1 Bidadari, morning Francis Yap 15 1 Botanic Gardens John Ascher 12 1 Bukit Batok Town Park Timothy Chua Jia Yao 23 4 Bukit Brown Alan OwYong 3. Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus (15) -- 1 Singapore, pale morph orientalis Birder Dawn 2 1 Tampines Eco Green, juvenile orientalis Anish Banerjee 4 1 Bukit Batok Street 25, flying south, 5:53pm Kerry Pereira 4 2 Owen Road, juvenile pale morph orientalis, 5pm Stephen Beng 5 1 Jelutong Tower, Central Catchment Nicholas Tan 6 2 Krani Marsh Fadzrun A. 8 1 Tuas South, immature dark morph orientalis Tan Gim Cheong 13 3 Keppel Bay, orientalis Jonathan Tan 17 1 Pasir Ris Park Ted Lee 17 1 Botanic Gardens, morning Fadzrun A Chinese Garden Sylvain Megy 19 1 Jelutong Tower, Central Catchment Tan Kok Hui, Danny Lau 19 1 Pasir Ris Boardwalk, 2:34pm Stephen Beng 22 1 Toa Payoh East, juvenile orientalis, 8:28am Henrietta Woo 27 1 Chinese Garden, during Annual Bird Census, Kenneth Kee morning 27 1 Kranji Marsh, juvenile pale morph orientalis Richard Lim 27 1 Istana Geoff Lim Page 3 of 6

4. Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis (6) -- 1 Bidadari, adult female Birder Dawn 15 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Cindy Yeo 15 1 Punggol Waterway Park, adult male, flying east, Kerry Pereira

4 4. Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis (6) -- 1 Bidadari, adult female Birder Dawn 15 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Cindy Yeo 15 1 Punggol Waterway Park, adult male, flying east, Kerry Pereira 6:15pm 17 1 Botanic Gardens, morning Fadzrun A Kent Ridge Park, during Annual Bird Census, Alan OwYong morning 29 1 Lorong Halus, adult female, morning Lawrence Cher 5. Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle Lophotriorchis kienerii (1) 31 1 Springleaf Park, juvenile Leslie Fung 6. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (1) 10 1 Punggol Barat, adult male Alfred Ng 7. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (3) 5 1 Satay by the Bay, evening Birder Dawn 14 1 Bishan Lena Chow 26 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Francis Yap 28 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve evening Francis Yap 8. Northern Boobook Ninox japonica (1) 8 1 Tuas South Tan Gim Cheong Northern Boobook, Tuas South, 8 Mar 16, by Tan Gim Cheong. Page 4 of 6

5 Resident raptors 9. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (2) 2 1 Bidadari Chan Boon Hong 11 1 Kranji Marsh Timothy Chua Jia Yao 18 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Cindy Yeo 27 1 Neo Tiew Road Sathiananthen 10. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus (12) 3 2 Pasir Panjang (Plant) Nursery, juveniles, 11:40am Henrietta Woo 4 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Timothy Chua Jia Yao 5 1 Kranji Marsh Abbott Chong 10 1 Forest patch near MINDEF/Phoenix Height, seen Ulf Remahl from Rail Corridor, 9:15am 14 1 Seringat-Kias, adult Jonathan Tan 17 1 Clementi Woods Park, 10:14am Jaime Tan 17 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, adult Raphael Siah 19 2 Pulau Ubin Jetty, 1 adult, 1 juvenile, 9:25am Kerry Pereira 19 1 West Coast Park, 7:10pm Jaime Tan 26 1 Caldecott MRT Station, 10:38am Henrietta Woo 27 2 Chinese Garden, juveniles, during Annual Bird Kenneth Kee Census, morning 27 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, during Annual Wong Chung Cheong Bird Census, morning 27 2 Kranji Marsh, 1 adult 1 juvenile Richard Lim 11. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster (12) 4 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Timothy Chua Jia Yao 6 1 Gardens by the Bay Zhang Licong 11 1 Kranji Marsh Timothy Chua Jia Yao 12 1 Bukit Batok Town Park Timothy Chua Jia Yao 14 2 Punggol Barat, 1 adult, 1 immature Alvin Seng 17 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, adult Raphael Siah 19 1 Pulau Ubin Jetty, 9:25am Kerry Pereira 19 1 Pulau Ubin Sensory Garden, juvenile, 11:05am Kerry Pereira 24 2 Pasir Ris Park, 1 adult 1 immature Alvin Seng 25 1 Forest patch near MINDEF/Phoenix Height, seen Ulf Remahl from Rail Corridor, morning 27 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, juvenile Francis Yap 27 1 Chinese Garden, during Annual Bird Census Kenneth Kee 27 2 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, during Annual Wong Chung Cheong Bird Census 27 1 Kranji Marsh, adult Richard Lim 27 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, adult Zhang Licong Page 5 of 6

6 27 1 Kent Ridge Park, adult, during Annual Bird Census Alan OwYong 29 2 Waterway Woodcress, 2:56pm Kerry Pereira 30 1 Johor Straits Lee Tiah Khee 12. Grey-headed Fish Eagle Haliaeetus ichthyaetus (6) 4 1 Bukit Batok Town Park (Little Guilin), 12:50pm Ulf Remahl 5 3 Bukit Batok Town Park (Little Guilin), 2 adults, 1 Ulf Remahl eaglet, 7:10am to 8:30am 10 1 Central Catchment Timothy Chua Jia Yao 12 1 Bukit Batok Town Park (Little Guilin) Timothy Chua Jia Yao 17 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, adult Raphael Siah 19 1 Botanic Gardens, adult, evening Tony Chua 29 1 Bukit Batok Town Park (Little Guilin), 8:30am Ulf Remahl 13. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus (1) 18 1 Kent Ridge Park Chua Yingzhi 25 1 Kent Ridge Park, adult Lee Li Er 14. Changeable Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus (6) 1 1 Kent Ridge Park, noon, heard only Henrietta Woo 1 1 Singapore KC Ling 11 1 Bidadari, juvenile pale morph Edwin Choy 12 1 Mount Faber, almost fully grown eaglet on nest Howard Yap 17 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, juvenile Raphael Siah 20 1 Rifle Range Road, juvenile Lee Chiun Ming 25 1 Forest patch near MINDEF/Phoenix Height, heard Ulf Remahl from Rail Corridor, morning 26 1 Mount Faber, eaglet on nest Howard Yap 26 1 Mount Pleasant, adult pale morph Zahidi Hamid 15. Unidentified Raptors (1) 26 1 French Embassy, 11am Henrietta Woo 16. Unidentified Accipiters (1) 4 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Tan Gim Cheong Compiled by Tan Gim Cheong Note: The numbers in brackets beside the bird names indicates the month's total number. Reports of the same raptors from the same area have been discounted to avoid duplication. Many thanks to everyone who had reported their sightings in one way or another, and especially to Francis Yap and Howard Yap for the use of their photos. Page 6 of 6

Singapore Raptor Report October 2017

Singapore Raptor Report October 2017 Japanese Sparrowhawk, juvenile, at Jelutong Tower on 25 Oct 2017, by Francis Yap. Interestingly, this individual has dark and pale tailbands that appear equal in width,