20th Fall Migration Bird Census Report (2023)

The 20th Fall Migration Bird Census (FMBC) coordinated by the NSS Bird Group was conducted during the weekend of 14-15 October 2023, involving 41 volunteers who covered 24 sites.

Altogether 5,400 birds of 132 species were recorded. Of these, 752 birds of 34 species were migrants, with 4648 resident birds of 98 species. Compared with the Mid-Year Bird Census in July 2023, the top 4 placings remained the same – Asian Glossy Starling (1st) with a doubling of numbers to 917, followed by the Javan Myna (2nd) with 389 birds counted, the Pink-necked Green Pigeon (3rd) with 213 birds counted, and the Yellow-vented Bulbul (4th) with 178 birds counted. The House Crow was displaced from 5th by the migrant Common Redshank with 176 birds. The top twenty species are shown in the table below.

The top 10 migrant species recorded included the Common Redshank, Eurasian Whimbrel, Pacific Golden Plover, etc (see chart below):

Looking at the top 10 species (excluding the migrants), across the Annual Bird Census, Mid-Year Bird Census and Fall Migration Bird Census for 2023:

• the top 3 spots went to the Asian Glossy Starling, Javan Myna and Pink-necked Green Pigeon, in slightly different order
• the 4th spot was consistently the Yellow-vented Bulbul
• the 5th spot was consistently the House Crow
• the 7th & 8th spots were held by the Red Junglefowl and Spotted Dove

The sites with the most species were Kranji Marsh with 55 species, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve route 2 with 48 species, Malcolm Park, Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve route 1 all three with 40 species. The sites ranked by species are shown in the table below.

The sites with the most number of birds were Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve route 1 with 584 birds, followed by Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve route 2 with 563 birds, Bukit Brown Cemetery with 445 birds, Kranji Marsh with 399 birds, and Malcolm Park with 361 birds. The sites ranked by number of birds are shown in the table below.

Species recorded in small numbers during the FMBC included:
1 Greater Green Leafbird at Dairy Farm Nature Park
1 Short-tailed Babbler at Dairy Farm Nature Park
1 Lanceolated Warbler at Kranji Marsh
1 Terek Sandpiper at SBWR route 2
1 Chinese Egret at Chek Jawa, Ubin
1 Siberian Blue Robin at Dairy Farm Nature Park
and for the globally critically endangered Straw-headed Bulbul:
52 Straw-headed Bulbuls over 14 sites

Thanks to all the volunteers for their tireless efforts for the census.

Adam Brown	Lim Kim Seng	Steven Shields
Alan OwYong	Megan O’Connor McNeill	Susan Knight
Angus Lamont	Meng-Hsuan Chou	Tan Kok Hui
Atsuko Kawasaki	Mithilesh Mishra	Tay Meijin Stella
Betty Shaw	Murugesen Shanmugavel	Teo Kah Ming
Diya Mishra	MY Chan	Toh Yoke Wang
Florence Lian	Nessie Khoo	Veronica Foo
Geoff Lim	Prakash	Wing Chong
Jane Rogers	Rob Arnold	Wong Chung Chung
Jimmy Lee	Roger McNeill	Wong Nai Seng
John Spencer	Rowan Sham	Yap Wee Jin
KP Teh	Sarada Bulchand	Yeo Seng Beng
Lee Bee Yong	Spencer Yau	Yong Yik Shih
Lim Kim Keang	Stella Tay

Surveying Pulau Ubin Central for the 2023 Mid-Year Bird Census

by Yap Wee Jin

White-rumped Shama, Pulau Ubin seems to be the stronghold of the species

The morning census on Sunday, 9 July 2023, started off at 7.30am in relatively warm weather under partly cloudy conditions with 2/5 cloud cover. From the end of Jalan Nordin on the central part of Pulau Ubin, the first 9 species heard and sighted were:

1\ Asian Glossy Starling
2\ White-Rumped Shama
3\ Blue-throated Bee-eater
4\ Ashy Tailorbird
5\ Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker
6\ Straw-Headed Bulbul
7\ Collared Kingfisher
8\ Olive-Winged Bulbul
9\ Pink-Necked Green Pigeon
10\ Swiftlets

As I passed the rubber plantation, the number of bird counted dipped (monocultures are known to support less diversity). Commonly seen and heard are Pink-necked Green Pigeons and Olive-winged Bulbuls.

Upon reaching the NPCC gate, there is a relatively open area. Here, I was able to see and count species that fly over the open field in the NPCC compound. Abbott’s Babbler can heard quite often from this area. Previously, many birds used to perch over the cables over the NPCC compound. However, on this day, the species count was not so high compared to previous counts.

Further along this road, approaching the mangrove area, notable calls from the Mangrove Pittas and Blue-Winged Pittas can be heard. The calls are similar but can be differentiated after spending much time in the field.

By 0920am, walking towards Belatok Hut (near the former headman’s house), the sky turned dark. The birds seem quiet for a while. Luckily, about twenty minutes later, the dark clouds passed as the sun comes out again.

Soon, I reached the Sensory Trail pond’s open area. Species sighted and heard here were:

1\ Brown-throated Sunbird (very common here)
2\ Common Tailorbird
3\ White-throated Kingfisher
4\ Yellow-vented Bulbul
5\ White-breasted Waterhen
6\ House Crow (begins to be sighted)

After the mangrove patch, a lone Oriental Dollarbird was seen perched on a bare branch at the top of a tree, probably overlooking the Sensory Trail pond.

At the Vegetables, Herbs and Spices Garden, I was pleasantly surprised to see a pair of Dark-necked Tailorbirds looking for breakfast underneath the leaves of a tree nearby. It was an adult male with its characteristic dark neck with a juvenile. Both were making their characteristic calls. It was my first observation seeing them foraging close to the village centre.

Nearing the Police Post, House Crows were easily sighted. They were seen picking on scraps left on the beach nearby. The Olive-backed Sunbird was also sighted here.

At about 1030am, the count ended at the Police Post. Strangely, not a single raptor was seen or sighted during this census. Nevertheless, 263 birds were counted, with 33 species represented, plus the ever present swiftlets.

24th Mid-Year Bird Census Report (2023)

The 24th Mid-Year Bird Census (MYBC) coordinated by the NSS Bird Group was conducted during the weekend of 8-9 July 2023, involving 31 volunteers who covered 23 sites.

Altogether 4,610 birds of 109 species were recorded. Compared with the Annual Bird Census in March 2023, the Asian Glossy Starling leapfrogged the next two species to become the most abundant species with 458 birds counted. It is followed by the Javan Myna with 338 birds counted, and the Pink-necked Green Pigeon with 244 birds counted. The Yellow-vented Bulbul (229 birds counted) maintained its placing, as did the House Crow which also saw an increase in numbers to 223 birds counted (from 175 birds in the Annual Bird Census in March 2023). The top twenty species are shown in the table below.

The sites with the most species were Sungei Serangoon with 46 species, followed by Kranji Marsh with 43 species, Dairy Farm Nature Park with 42 species, Admiralty Park with 39 species and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve route 1 with 37 species. The top fifteen sites by species are shown in the table below.

The sites with the most number of birds were Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve route 1 with 369 birds, followed by Kranji Marsh with 322 birds, Dairy Farm Nature Park with 307 birds, the Botanic Gardens with 272 birds, and Pulau Ubin Central with 263 birds. The top fifteen sites by number of birds are shown in the table below.

Species recorded in small numbers during the MYBC included:
1 Greater Green Leafbird at Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park
1 Chestnut-bellied Malkoha at Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR)
2 Plaintive Cuckoo (1 at CCNR & 1 at USR Park)
2 Greater Coucal (1 at Admiralty Park & 1 at SBWR route 2)
2 Eurasian Whimbrel at Pulau Ubin East
2 Banded Bay Cuckoo (1 at Sungei Serangoon & 1 at Pulau Ubin East)
and for the globally critically endangered Straw-headed Bulbul:
40 Straw-headed Bulbuls over 11 sites

Thanks to all the volunteers for their tireless efforts for the census.

Adam Brown	KP Teh	Phua Lao
Alan OwYong	Lee Ee Ling	Spencer Yau
Alex Lim	Lee Poh Ling	Susan Knight
Alyce Ang	Lim Hui Choo	Tan Gim Cheong
B.R. Prakash	Lim Kim Keang	Tan Kok Hui
Cheryl Lao	Lim Kim Seng	Wing Chong
Florence Lian	Lim Kim Chuah	Wong Chung Cheong
Geoff Lim	Mithilesh Mishra	Yap Wee Jin
Goh Yue Yun	MY Chan	Yeo Seng Beng
Jane Rogers	Nessie Khoo
John Spencer	Ng Chay Tuan

38th Annual Bird Census Report (2023)

*26 Jun 2023 – report updated with the count at Lower Seletar Reservoir & Canal

The 38th Annual Bird Census (ABC) coordinated by the NSS Bird Group was conducted during the last week of March 2023, involving 36 volunteers who covered 23 sites.

Altogether 4,874 birds of 132 species were recorded, similar to the 37th ABC (4846 birds of 134 species across 23 sites). The Javan Myna remained the most abundant species with 428 birds. The Pink-necked Green Pigeon with 392 birds overtook the Asian Glossy Starling which dropped one place to third, with 354 birds. The Yellow-vented Bulbul maintained its fourth placing with 250 birds. While the House Crow jumped from 8th last year to 5th spot with 175 birds. The top twenty species are shown in the table below.

The sites with the most species were Kranji Marshes with 60 species, followed by Lower Seletar Reservoir & Canal with 47 species, followed by Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Route 2 and Admiralty Park both with 44 species each, and the Botanic Gardens, Malcolm Park and Nee Soon Swamp Forest all three sites with 42 species each. The top fifteen sites by species are shown in the table below.

The sites with the most number of birds were Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Route 2 with 441 birds, followed by the Botanic Gardens and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Route 1 both with 355 birds, Bukit Brown Cemetery with 352 birds and Kranji Marsh with 317 birds. The top fifteen sites by number of birds are shown in the table below.

Scarce species recorded during the census included :
1 Bar-tailed Godwit at Ubin East,
6 Chinese Egrets at Ubin East,
3 Blue-rumped Parrots (1 at CCNR & 2 at Nee Soon SF),
2 Green-backed Flycatchers (1 at DFNP & 1 at Nee Soon SF),
1 Grey Nightjar at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve,
1 Javan Pond Heron at Pasir Ris Park,
5 Mangrove Pittas on Pulau Ubin,
3 Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve,
1 Dark-sided Flycatcher at Lower Seletar Res & Canal,
40 Straw-headed Bulbuls over 10 sites.

Thanks to all the bird counters for their tireless efforts for the census, and to NParks for their help.

Adam Brown	John Spencer	Rowan Sham
Alan OwYong	Kim Arnold	Samuel
Angus Lamont	KP Teh	Stella Tay
Atsuko Kawasaki	Lee Ee Ling	Steven Shields
Betty Shaw	Lim Kim Keang	Tan Gim Cheong
Cheryl Lau	Lim Kim Seng	Tan Kok Hui
Fadhli	Mithilesh Mishra	Veronica Foo
Fattah	MY Chan	Wing Chong
Florence Lian	Nessie Khoo	Yap Wee Jin
Ghufran	Ng Chay Tuan	Yee Tien
Goh Yue Yun	Prakash	Yong Ding Li
Ian Rickword	Rob Arnold	Yong Yik Shih

The Role of the NSS Bird Group Records Committee in the Documentation and Conservation of Wild Birds in Singapore

By Lim Kim Seng. Chair Bird Group Records Committee.

With the many recent new bird arrivals in Singapore the inevitable question of the origins of these new species, specifically if they are wild, released or escapees comes up. Many would like to know who evaluate their status and how is it done?

The quick answer is the Bird Records Committee of the country and in Singapore it is the Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group Records Committee, or NSSBGRC, that had been doing this for the past three decades, with regular meetings several times a year.

The groundwork laid by then Malayan Nature Society Singapore Bird Group in the late 1970s and early 1980s by various pioneers such as Ng Soon Chye, Hugh Buck and Clive Briffett led to Chris Hails being appointed as the recorder for Singapore and the first bird checklist for the country being published in 1984. Chris left Singapore in 1988 and kick-started the formation of Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group Records Committee (or NSSBGRC) in 1988 whose members included Clive Briffett, Lim Kim Keang, Lim Kim Seng and R. Subaraj. The current head is Lim Kim Seng who has over 40 years of birding experience in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The committee also includes Benjamin Lee from National Parks Board, Yong Ding Li from Birdlife International, Tan Kok Hui, current and past Bird Group Chairs, Tan Gim Cheong and Lim Kim Keang.

The task of NSSBGRC is not just to evaluate and verify new and rare records and submissions but more importantly to determine its status and assign a category to them. To do this, the RC consults with an advisory panel of global bird experts including Dr Nigel Collar, Dave Bakewell, Dr Phil Round, Dr David Wells, Dr Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, Mike Chong, Peter Kennerley and Uthai Treesucon.

Another aspect of the work of the NSSBGRC is to keep tap of the status and taxonomic changes of the birds in Singapore. These changes include its abundance and status, i.e. abundant, common, uncommon or rare and status, i.e. resident breeder, winter visitor, passage migrant, non-breeding visitor or vagrant. The NSSBGRC also evaluates its breeding or non-breeding status based on available evidence.

The NSSBGRC also assigns a national threat status to every affected species and lists its IUCN global threat status. All this was made possible with the extensive and invaluable data from more than three decades of bird censuses, counts, surveys and studies conducted by the Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group with the help of fellow birdwatchers and in collaboration with government agencies such as the National Parks Board.

All these classifications proved to be extremely useful for assessing the biodiversity importance of a nature site for conservation in Singapore, e.g. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the Rail Corridor, and listings on nationally threatened birds in the Singapore Red Data Book. 

Besides publishing and updating the rarities list, the NSSBGRC also publish a fully up-to-date annotated checklist at regular intervals. It has published updated checklists in 1991, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 beginning with 284 species up to the current 407 species. The NSSBGRC also published a complete avifauna of Singapore in 2009 that captured its work in evaluation and documentation of wild birds as well as those of the early collectors since the 1800s.

The role of the NSSBGRC will always be to inform birdwatchers, observers and agencies of the latest updates by publishing an accurate and up-to-date national bird checklist, adopting the best practices in reviewing records of rarities and new species, and sharing them on suitable online platforms.

The NSSBGRC seeks experienced birders with in-depth knowledge of local and regional birds to carry on the work which must be transparent and democratic. It will continue to look to field experts, taxonomists, academics and ornithologists from across the globe for their advice. We wish to thank past and present members for their contributions in helping the committee to carry out this important work.

We hope that all birdwatchers in Singapore recognise the importance of their records and share them for the benefit of everyone, to obtain an accurate picture of the avifauna of Singapore with the ultimate objective of conserving our wild bird populations and its habitat.

Report on the 35th Annual Bird Census

Report on the 35^th Annual Bird Census

By Lim Kim Seng

Five Asian Openbill Storks foraging at Kranji Marshes. Photo: Lim Kim Chuah.

The 35^th Annual Bird Census (ABC) was conducted on 29^th March 2020 just before the nation-wide “circuit breaker” kicked in. Organized by the NSS Bird Group, it saw the involvement of 39 members and volunteers at 26 sites all around Singapore. This is an improvement from last year when 39 counters covered 20 sites. Altogether, ABC 2020 logged a total of 6,342 birds and 147 species, an overall increase from 2019’s 5,496 birds and 143 species. This could be due to more sites been counted in 2020 as compared to 2019.

So what’s Singapore most abundant bird? If you are guessing Javan Myna, you’re wrong! It is the Asian Glossy Starling which scored 847 birds to beat Javan Myna, with 737 birds, into second place. Third was Pink-necked Green Pigeon (358), followed by a resurgent House Crow (256) and Yellow-vented Bulbul (250). The rest of the Top Ten species are Little Egret (186), Common Redshank (170), Black-naped Oriole (164), Spotted Dove (152) and the nationally threatened Grey Heron (149).

Last year’s fifth placing Pacific Golden Plover came in at 11^th with 136 birds, down from 198 in 2020. In 12^th position was Collared Kingfisher (124), followed by Olive-backed Sunbird (113), Olive-winged Bulbul (108), Pin-striped Tit-babbler (107), Common Iora (103), Rock Dove (101) and the globally near-threatened Long-tailed Parakeet (100). In 19^th place was the Asian Openbill (98) that only invaded Singapore in huge numbers in late 2019. In 20^th place was the ever-increasing introduced Red-breasted Parakeet (80).

The Top Twenty Species of 2020 are provided below:

What about the sites? The most species diverse sites were Kranji Marshes with 70 species. The mixed habitats of marshland, grassland and open woodland provided at Kranji for a high biodiversity. Coming a distant second was Sungei Buloh Route 2 which had 56 species and third was Kranji Dam, with 47 species. The least species diverse sites were Lower Seletar Dam (27), followed by Chinese Garden, Mount Faber and Pasir Ris Park, all with 28 species.

How about numbers? Well, the sites with the most number of birds counted were Sungei Buloh Route 1 with 495 birds counted followed by Sungei Buloh Route 2 (460) and Kranji Marshes (456). The sites with the least number of birds were Lower Peirce Reservoir with 80 birds, followed by Sime Track, Central Catchment Nature Reserve (130) and Bukit Batok Nature Park (137).

Rare and interesting migratory species found during ABC2020 included Peregrine Falcon, Grey Plover, Drongo Cuckoo, Indian Cuckoo, Blue-winged Pitta, Red-rumped Swallow, Yellow-browed Warbler. Eastern Crowned Warbler and Black-browed Reed Warbler. Globally threatened species included Lesser Adjutant (2 birds at Mandai Estuary), Straw-headed Bulbul (national count of 77 birds) and Greater Green Leafbird (2).

Nationally threatened specialties included Little Grebe (2 birds), Great-billed Heron (5), Changeable Hawk Eagle (9), Red-wattled Lapwing (11), Rusty-breasted Cuckoo (3), Mangrove Pitta (2 birds on Pulau Ubin), Asian Red-eyed Bulbul (7), Chestnut-winged Babbler (2), Oriental Magpie-robin (30) and White-rumped Shama (18)

This census would not have been possible if not for the counters who braved the elements and helped us to complete our 35^th year of census. So, our grateful thanks to 39 volunteers.

Alan OwYong	KP Teh	Sin Yong Chee Keita
Alfred Chia	Lee Bee Yong	Steven Shields
Andrew Chow	Leung Wei Kee	Susan Knight
Atsuko Kawasaki	Lim Kim Chuah	Tan Kok Hui
Betty Shaw	Lim Kim Keang	Terry Heppell
Con Foley	Martin Kennewell	Twang Fangqi
Ding Li Yong	Morten Strange	Veronica Foo
Erika, Michelle	Movin Nyanasengeran	Willie Foo
Esther Kong	MY Chan	Wing Chong
Eunice Kong	Nessie Khoo	Yan Jiejun
Jane Heppell	Ng Bee Choo	Yap Wee Jin
John Spencer	Ng Chay Tuan	Yap Wee Jin
Kim Seng Lim	Seng Beng Yeo	Yong Yik Shih

Hope to see all of you again in 2021!

Asia’s Shorebirds in Decline

Asia’s shorebirds in decline.

Common Redshanks roosting in the mangroves at Sungei Buloh during high tides. Fortunately their yearly numbers are still good.

Many of Asia’s migratory shorebirds are in decline. This is especially so for species migrating along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a major migratory corridor that includes Singapore. In the past decade, conservationists have identified the loss of coastal wetland habitats, especially in eastern Asia as among the key reasons driving the decline of migratory shorebirds. Illegal and unsustainable hunting across many parts of the region is also a major threat to migratory species.

The Nature Society (Singapore), in a recent interview on Channel News Asia’s “Singapore Today”, highlighted the decline of migratory shorebirds in Singapore, and more broadly in the region, based on the data collected from our bird censuses. Many viewers were alarmed by the absolute low numbers displayed for the Pacific Golden Plovers, Lesser Sand Plovers and Whimbrels.

The first Annual Bird Census was conducted by the Nature Society in March 1986 and had been faithfully carried out every March since. These single day counts from sites surveyed across Singapore provided us with 33 years of continuous data to determine the population trends of the country’s bird fauna.

Every year about 200 Whimbrels winter over at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

 

Together with the data from the Annual Waterbird Census, which started in 1990, the declining numbers of shorebirds such as the Pacific Golden Plovers, Marsh Sandpipers, Lesser Sand Plovers and Curlew Sandpipers are very clear to field observers. The loss of Serangoon Estuary and Senoko Wetlands is thought to have contributed to the decline of many shorebirds in Singapore. The Common Redshank has suffered less, and there are still good numbers annually, fortunately. 

Some Pacific Golden Plovers choose to roost inland or even on the fish farms at the Straits of Johor instead of the dry ponds at Sungei Buloh.

Their numbers were in the thousands in the 1990s, but the counts were in their tens or low hundreds during recent surveys.

 

Figure 1. Abundance trends for Pacific Golden Plover (1997-2017) based on Annual Bird Census data.

Figure 2. Abundance trends for Marsh Sandpiper (1997-2017) based on Annual Bird Census data.

Figure 3. Abundance trends for Common Redshanks (1997-2017) based on Annual Bird Census data.

Rich coastal ecosytems like the Seletar mudflats must be conserved as they are irreplaceable.

So how can we stop or reverse these trends for our declining shorebirds? For a start we must continue work to conserve all our remaining wetlands like the rich coastal ecosystems at Mandai Mudflats, Seletar and Chek Java, which are highly irreplaceable. More importantly, we would need to continue with our long term monitoring work through bird censuses as tools to guide our ongoing and future conservation efforts.

Reference. NSS Bird Group Annual Bird Census 1995-2019.

2019 ANNUAL BIRD CENSUS REPORT

By Lim Kim Chuah

Asian Openbill at SBWR, 24 March 2019, by Geoff Lim

The 2019 Annual Bird Census (ABC) was conducted on 24 March. Weather was generally fine at all the 17 sites covered. Another three sites on Ubin which were counted on 10 March as part of the Comprehensive Ubin Survey Monthly Survey were also added. This brings the number of sites counted to 20. The three sites counted on Ubin represented the sites which were traditionally counted during the ABC.

A total of 5,575 birds was counted, a 66% increase (2,207) compared to 2018. The number of species counted was 143 species, an increase compared to 137 species in 2018. The increases in both numbers and species counted in 2019 compared to 2018 could be due to the increase in the number of sites counted, 20 versus 17.

Some highlights from this year’s census include:

• Asian Openbill – 1 at Buloh Route 1
• Ashy Drongo – 1 at Telok Blangah
• Black Bittern – 1 each at Bishan Park and Dairy Farm Nature Park
• Black-browed Reed-Warbler – 1 at Kranji Marsh
• Blue-rumped Parrot – 4 at Bukit Batok West (Sadly, this is likely to be the last year that this site will be covered as the place is currently being developed into the Tengah New Town)
• Blue-winged Pitta – 1 at Lower Pierce and at Bukit Batok West and 3 at Poyan
• Chestnut-bellied Malkoha – 1 at Poyan
• Chestnut-winged Cuckoo – 1 at Halus
• Cinnamon Bittern – 1 at Buloh Route 2 and 1 at Kranji Marsh
• Crested Serpent Eagle – 1 at Malcolm Park
• Dark-sided Flycatcher – 1 at Lower Pierce Reservoir
• Great-billed Heron – 2 at Buloh Route 1, 1 at Buloh 2, 1 at Lower Seletar, 2 at Ubin East
• Green Imperial Pigeon – 1 at Pasir Ris Park
• Large Hawk Cuckoo – 1 at Pasir Ris Park
• Lesser Adjutant – 2 at Buloh Route 1 and 1 at Kranji Marsh
• Lesser Whistling Duck – 11 at Buloh Route 2
• Little Grebe – 2 at Lorong Halus and 1 at Ubin East
• Oriental Pratincole – 2 at Ubin West
• Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler – 1 at Kranji Marsh
• Straw-headed Bulbul – 46 counted at 8 locations with most of them from Ubin
• Violet Cuckoo – 2 at Poyan
• Watercock – 1 at Kranji Marsh

Despite the increase in number of birds counted this year compared to 2018, the total is still below the last 10 years’ average of 7,356. This could be attributed to the lesser number of sites counted due largely to the lack of manpower which meant some key sites like Sungei Mandai had to be left out in 2019.

Chart below shows the total number of birds and species counted from 2010-19:

Chinese Garden turned out to be the site with the highest number of birds counted (432). And Kranji Marsh remained the site with the highest number of species counted (73).

Chart below shows the number of birds counted at each site:

Chart below shows the number of species counted at each site:

And again, it was not surprising that our ubiquitous Javan Myna is the most numerous birds counted, reclaiming its position from the Asian Glossy Starling which it relinquished to in 2018.

NSS Bird Group would like to thank the following volunteers for participating and helping with the census. Without their support, we would not have been able to continue to monitor the state of the birdlife here in Singapore all these years.

Lee Ee Ling, KP Teh, Alfred Chia, Veronica Foo, Wing Chong, John Spencer, Keita Sin, Danny Lau, Nessie Khoo, Alvin Seng, Terry and Jane Heppell, Francis Chia, Betty Shaw, Steven Shields, Alan Owyong, Con Foley, Yan Jiejun, Tan Kok Hui, Eunice Kong, Lee Bee Yong, Milton Tan, Beh Swee Hua, John Marriott, Woo Lai Choo, Cheng Li Ai, Pary Sivaraman, Arasu Sivaraman, Gahyatree Arasu, Lena Chow, Kong Lai Peng, Anandaraman Sivakumar, Patricia Lorenz, Jean-Marc Chavatte, Yong Jun Zer, Lim Jia Xuan and Lim Li Fang.

NSS Pelagic Survey-September 2019.

We could not have asked for a better day to do the autumn pelagic on Saturday 28 September 2019. The sea was calm, with a light breeze blowing. The sun was shining through as the month-long haze seemed to have dissipated, in part due to the change in direction of the monsoon winds.

Our first bird of the day, a crested tern flying over. We were blessed with good weather and calm seas today.

On the boat was also Audrey Tan, Environment Correspondent at the Straits Times, and her photo journalist Lim Yaohui. They had joined us on this trip to learn more about the research which the Nature Society (Singapore) and the National Parks Board are conducting to survey and study the seabirds which use the Strait of Singapore on their annual autumn and spring migrations.

The happy NSS survey team at the end of the trip at Sentosa Cove. 

Three hours into the boat trip and we were cruising north of Batam Island when we saw a small flock of dark-shaped birds floating on the waters just ahead of us. They looked like the storm petrels which we had been seeing flying in small flocks westwards on their way to the Indian Ocean earlier. In total, we would have seen 118 of these Swinhoe’s Storm Petrels, Oceanodroma monorhis, when we finished the trip that day. This was a far cry from the 532 which we had on a similar pelagic last September.

Part of a flock of 11 Red-necked Phalaropes we found floating on the waves. Photo: Lim Kim Keang.

The dark-shaped birds flew up as we got nearer, their white underwings and bodies gleaming in the bright sun. Kim Keang, our leader for the trip, shouted “Phalarope!” but it was lost to those on board!

We got very close to these three Red-necked Phalaropes as they were busy feeding on the small marine crustaceans among the sea grasses. Photo: Lim Kim Keang. Their habit of swimming around in small circles helps to pool the food to the center for easy pickings.

Floating further on the water were 11 Red-necked Phalaropes, Phalaropus lobatus, while another 3 were much closer, allowing all on board to have good close-up views. As they were feeding and flying around the boat, there were ample opportunities to photograph them. This was the first sighting of multiple phalaropes in a flock as the previous three sightings were of single birds. Interestingly all were juveniles.

The Red-necked Phalarope foraging among a sea of floating sea grasses out in the Straits. Photo: Shruti.

Terns also put up a good show. There were 55 Bridled Terns, Sterna anaethetus, with two flocks  of 18 and 7 flying eastwards in the direction of Horsburgh Lighthouse.

A breeding Bridled Tern resting on a plank by Wilson Leung. The head pattern is similiar to the Aleutian but the dark plumage of the Bridled Tern is a good identification feature for this tern.

Aleutian Terns, Sterna aleutica, that migrated all the way from Alaska was a species which we hope we could show to the members on board. They did not disappoint. 15 adults, 8 of them still in their breeding plumage and a juvenile were present.

An Aleutian Tern in breeding plumage. They are often seen resting on flotsams. Presence of a small wintering population recorded at the Karimun Islands in 1998.

Aleutian Tern in non-breeding plumage showing the dark trailing edge of the secondaries, a good identification feature for this tern.

Also seen were 4 Common Terns, Sterna hirundo, comprising two adults and two juveniles. These uncommon terns (despite their name) were resting on flotsam and all were happy to manage close-up shots of them.

One of the four Common Terns we saw during the trip. This one is in breeding plumage.

As the Crested Terns were in flight and at a distance, it took a while before they were separated and counted. There were 24 Swift Terns, Thalasseus bergii, (formerly Great Crested) and 10 Lesser Crested Terns, Thalasseus bengalensis, with four being unidentified. 6 Little Terns, Sterna albifrons, were also seen on the trip and these may be winter visitors.

A hazy looking Swift Tern. It is a large tern that can be found flying along the Straits of Johor. Photo: Alan OwYong.

Other birds seen on the trip include a Great-billed Heron, Ardea sumatrana, on Sister’s Island, 5 Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica, flying south, an Intermediate Egret, Egretta intermedia, and a soaring Chinese Sparrowhawk, Accipiter soloensis.

A Bridled Tern flying in the same direction of the tanker towards Horsburgh Lighthouse, where seven specimens were collected in October 1921, our first record of this tern.

A big thank you to Alfred Chia for making all the arrangements for this trip and to everyone for helping out with the count.

Many thanks to Lim Kim Keang, Alan OwYong, Shruti and Wilson Leung for the use of their photos.

Reference: A Field Guide to the Waterbirds of Asia. Wild Birds Society of Japan.          Lim Kim Seng. The Avifauna of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore) 2009.

8th Annual Parrot Count 2018

8^th Annual Parrot Count 2018

Authors: Albert Low and Alan OwYong

Introduction

The World Parrot Count was initiated eight years ago by Michael Braun and Roelant Jonker from the parrot researchers’ group of the International Ornithological Union (IOU). A key objective of the study was to document the status and abundance of feral and non-native parrots in urban environments globally where populations are established. Being part of this study provides an excellent opportunity for us to also monitor native parrot abundance and diversity in Singapore beyond our nature reserves. Given that some species such as the non-native Red-breasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri) have increased in abundance across Singapore, it is also timely to identify areas where these species are concentrated and their roost sites.

Results and Conclusions

Coordinated annually by the Bird Group since 2011, this year’s Parrot Count took place on 24 February 2018. 11 sites across mainland Singapore were counted this year. This year’s total of 1,770 parrots of 9 species was much lower than the 2,621 parrots of 9 species recorded last year.

This year, the site with the highest species richness was Bukit Brown Cemetery with a total of six species of parrot recorded including an escapee Red Lory (Eos bornea). The Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) was the most numerous parrot recorded during the count, with a total of 899 individuals seen, making up 50.8% of all parrots recorded during the count. However, this was a significant decrease from 2017’s total of 1,521 individuals, the 1,837 individuals in 2016 and the high count of 2,059 observed in 2015. 738 Red-breasted Parakeets were also recorded, making up the bulk (41.7%) of the remaining parrots recorded. Other species recorded include small numbers of Tanimbar Corellas (Cacatua goffiniana), Coconut Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus), Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri), Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots (Loriculus galgulus) and Yellow-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea).

During the census, parrot numbers peaked between 7 pm and 7.30 pm where 965 parrots were counted.  The largest parakeet flocks mainly arrive at last light, with counters at many sites managing to observe the noisy spectacle of flocks of parakeets returning to their roosting trees just before complete darkness.

Of particular interest is the significant decline in the total number of Long-tailed Parakeets recorded during this year’s count. Despite similar weather conditions to last year and no visible changes to existing counting sites, the large flocks of Long-tailed Parakeets that stage and roost around Yishun appear to have disappeared from the area. While this is undoubtedly a cause for concern, equally unusual was the unexpected appearance of large numbers of Long-tailed Parakeets at counting sites in western Singapore. Counters at Clementi and Jurong West, roosting sites that traditionally supported only Red-breasted Parakeets, reported more than a hundred (in the case of Jurong West 462!) Long-tailed Parakeets roosting alongside their Red-breasted counterparts (Table 1).

This is the first time in the count’s eight year history that large flocks of both parakeet species have been recorded roosting together at certain urban roost sites, seemingly disproving the hypothesis that urban parakeet roosts in Singapore were segregated by species. It is unclear whether the decline in Long-tailed Parakeet numbers around Yishun and their appearance at previously unused roosting sites in Western Singapore are linked. However, it shows that the roosting behaviour of Singapore’s urban-adapted parakeets are potentially very fluid in a constantly changing urban landscape. As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to find that Yishun’s parakeet flocks may also have shifted to new staging and roosting sites, potentially in adjacent areas such as Sembawang. It is hoped that birdwatchers will continue to report parakeet roosts within their neighbourhoods, so that a more complete picture of Singapore’s urban parakeet population can be obtained and unusual observations in roosting ecology documented through regular surveys such as this count.

Acknowledgements

On behalf of the Bird Group, we would like to thank the following for their willingness to carry out parrot monitoring on a weekend evening – Site Leaders: Anuj Jain, Yong Ding Li, Winston Chong, Lim Kim Keang, Lee Ee Ling, Jane Rogers, Nessie Khoo, Marcel Finlay, Ng Bee Choo, Morten Strange, Angus Lamont, and Richard White. Assisting Counters: Florence Ipert, Ernest Lee, Hui Choo, Alex Lim, Joyce Ang, Heather Pong, Kelly Ng, Yen Ting, Carmen Choong, Yanna Graham, Lee Whye Guan, and Tang Zhe. Finally we also thank Roelant and Michael for inviting us to be part of this study.