Bird watching in Singapore - February 2025

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

February 2025

Sunday 23 ^rd of February 2025 and my alarm goes off at 4 thirty. I snooze util 5 o'clock when I go up to make a bucket of Earl Grey tea.

My toe do not look very good, but no pain. I took on my new shoe and I tested to walk around and it was a painful. I had my tea and cheese and I went to bed for another 30 minutes.

My toe do not look good

My toe do not look good

The boredom drove me crazy and I went down to book a GRAB and I will go to have a look at the eBird hotspot: Kranji Marshes This hot spot is very close to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

They have spotted Asian Openbills yesterday and even if there are thousands of thousands of Asian Openbills in Thailand it is a RARE BIRD ALERT in Singapore.

Bad toe or not, I will go to have a look for birds at the Kranji Marshes.

Getting out of the GRAB at Kranji Marshes and I start my eBird app at 10:24. There is one car on the parking lot and the visitor centre looks to be closed.

Reaching Kranji Marshes

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

Listen to the Common Iora

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my mobile phone using my JBL microphone with the Merlin app. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.

Walking towards the marshes and I walk by one White-bellied Sea-Eagle sitting in a tree. Far away but picture is good enough for ID purpose.

Walking along a narrow road with forest on both side and you were actually feeling like you are in the wilderness. But less than 50 meters to my left-hand side we have an industrial sit. On my right-hand side, we have something looking like pipe lines.

But it is nice to walk around and you can imagine that you are in the middle of a forest.

I can hear a lot of birds and I manage to record one Coming Iora on my way to the marshes. I reach the marshes and what I think is the research center turns out to be a pumping station, and this explains the pipelines.

There is the Raptor Tower, but no way I am going to climb up there. It is very hot and the raptors will be very far away. I got to check out the bridge over the marshes that I have seen on the map before coming here.

But there is a gate blocking the access to the area so I go to sit in the bird hide. And there is exactly ZERO birds to see.

Raptor Watch Tower

A locked gate and no access to the marshes

Not one single bird seen from the bird hide

Not one single bird seen from the bird hide

No birds. well, there was one kingfisher flying across the marsh, very far away so no proper ID. I was sitting there enjoying the sights when two birders joined me. The two birders that had been in the Raptor Watching Tower.

I told them that the area was a disappointment. I had expected to go explore the marshes and they told me that it is a research area and they do not want people to enter the area.

They informed me about a second bird hide and that there were Asian Openbills. Asian Openbills, there are millions of them in Thailand, but in Singapore it is a Rare Bird Alert. And for sure, there would be more birds than I had seen in this very hide.

Crossing a bridge with the crocodile warning

Reaching the bird hide

View from the bird hide

Warnings everywhere

Asian Openbill

Asian Openbill

Red-wattled Lapwing

Listen to the Red-wattled Lapwing

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my mobile phone using my JBL microphone with the Merlin app. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.

Two first calls from the bird standing and the last call is when the bird take off.

Asian Openbill

Singapore Rare Bird Alert

There wa snot many birds, well, no birds except the Asian Openbill and Red-wattled Lapwing. I managed to get a recording of the Red-wattled Lapwing. I was joined by an elderly couple and I think it was their first time bird watching.

They told me that they had picked up the hobby and they knew nothing. So, we were talking about bird watching in the bird hide. I suggest that they should visit the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Centre just a kilometre away.

And I explained where to see the sunbirds and if lucky, the Schrenck's Bittern in the small pond behind the house.

I start to walk back to the gate, no sign of the eagle, but I spotted one Asian Glossy Starling and one White-breasted Waterhen on my way back to the gate.

Asian Glossy Starling

Walking back to the gate

Walking back to the gate

It was not very pleasant to walk back as my toes was hurting, but it was not as bad as I had expected. A little bit of limping, and I was thirsty and I hope there is a vending machine.

Reaching the visitor centre at the gate and I was lucky, not only a vending machine, but there were diet drinks in the machine.

Buying a bottle of water and a can of diet drink and I took my seat in front of a small pond in the garden. There had been some birds when I arrived so I might get lucky.

One Yellow-vented Bulbul and some mynas was what I could see before the sky opened up and it started to pour down.

There is a vending machine

I have some refreshments

Yellow-vented Bulbul

eBird Report

Kranji Marsh, Singapore, SG
Feb 23, 2025 10:24 - 12:54
Protocol: Traveling
2.69 kilometer(s)
18 species (+2 other taxa)

Spotted Dove 1
Asian Koel 1
White-breasted Waterhen 1
Red-wattled Lapwing 6
Asian Openbill 8 Resting in the marsh, two taking off when I arrive leaving 6 behind
Little Egret 1
Brahminy Kite 1 Mobbed by crow
White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1
bee-eater sp. 1 Poor picture so no proper ID
Collared Kingfisher 2
Coppersmith Barbet 1
parakeet sp. 1 Fly over, too far away for proper ID
Black-naped Oriole 1
Common Iora 1
House Crow 4
Common Tailorbird 1
Yellow-vented Bulbul 2
Asian Glossy Starling 1
Javan Myna 3
Oriental Magpie-Robin 3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S214950973

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Kranji Marshes

I turn off my eBird app and I book a GRAB. No cars available and it took well over an hour before I got a car. And this was only because he had a passenger to drop next to the Kranji Marshes.

Running low on diet drinks and I went to FAIR PRICE supermarket at the shopping mall next to Bliss Hotel. Of course, I pass a Japanese restaurant and I go inside to have a look. DARN! I will soon have to carry more cheese back to Thailand than I brought to Singapore.

But DARN! It was good food, actually very good. I was full when I went down one floor to the FAIR PRICE supermarket. I bought a few bottles of refreshment and I was very unlucky going to the cashier to pay for my refreshments.

I slip and I felt in to the chocolate aisle and a couple of chocolate bars felt in to my hand.

Preparing for my last night at Bliss Hotel and I will go to Singapore Botanical Garden tomorrow morning to look for birds before going to the airport.

Click HERE to find out if I see any birds in the Botanical Garden tomorrow.

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