Viator (Mike Hooper)'s 2009 List (1 Viewer)

[viator]

This is my second year recording my year list on bird forum and whilst I don't expect it to come anywhere near last year's 611 we'll see how we go. Edit Aug: this expectation has now been reset higher!

As of Dec 19 the total for 2009 stands at 669.

For comparison purposes:
Country 2008 2009
Singapore 234 210
USA 207
Australia 170 123
Malaysia 122 392
Indonesia 26
Hong Kong 1
Thailand 0 222

 

[viator]

Jan 1

The year starts with the continuation of a family holiday in the Port Macquarie area, NSW, Australia.

The first day of the year was a family picnic to Wilson's River Picnic Area in Willi Willi National Park. The birds below were either seen en-route from Wauchope or at the picnic area.

1. Galah
2. Welcome Swallow
3. Magpie Lark
4. Australasian Figbird
5. Common Myna
6. Dollarbird
7. Rainbow Lorikeet
8. Crested Pigeon
9. Red-browed Finch
10. Tree Martin
11. Fairy Martin
12. Variegated Fairy-wren
13. Forest Raven
14. Laughing Kookaburra
15. Spectacled Monarch
16. White-browed Scrubwren
17. Silvereye
18. Pied Currawong
19. Brown Cuckoo Dove
20. Brown Thornbill
21. Pale-yellow Robin
22. Australian Logrunner
23. Grey Fantail
24. Brown Goshawk
25. Rufous Fantail
26. Black-faced Monarch
27. Rufous Scrub-bird
28. Large-billed Scrubwren
29. Yellow-faced Honeyeater
30. Azure Kingfisher
31. Australian King Parrot
32. Regent Bowerbird
33. Purple Swamphen
34. Dusky Moorhen
35. Pacific Black Duck
36. Australian Wood Duck
37. Masked Lapwing
38. Australian Magpie
39. Sacred Kingfisher
40. White-breasted Woodswallow
41. Pheasant Coucal
42. White-necked Heron
43. Willie Wagtail
44. Little Corella
45. Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
46. Bar-shouldered Dove
47. Torresian Crow
48. Australian Raven
49. Little Lorikeet
50. Black-shouldered Kite
51. Eastern Osprey
52. Grey Butcherbird

 

[viator]

Jan 2
A cool, windy cloudy day that was still spent at a couple of different beaches to the north of Port Macquarie. Most of the birds below were seen whilst driving with the exception of the few coastal birds.

53. Satin Bowerbird
54. Eastern Cattle Egret
55. White-bellied Sea-Eagle
56. Silvereye
57. Noisy Friarbird
58. Noisy Miner
59. Little Wattlebird
60. Little Black Cormorant
61. Tawny-crowned Honeyeater
62. Spotted Turtle Dove
63. House Sparrow
64. Great Crested Tern
65. White-headed Pigeon
66. White-eared Honeyeater
67. Rainbow Bee-eater
68. Wedge-tailed Eagle
69. Common Starling
70. Grey Teal
71. Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
72. Eurasian Coot
73. Australian Darter
74. Pied Cormorant
75. White-faced Heron
76. Pied Butcherbird
77. Brown Falcon
78. Silver Gull
79. Australian Pelican
80. Lewin's Honeyeater
81. Great Cormorant
82. Little Pied Cormorant
83. Black-necked Stork
84. Australian White Ibis
85. Australian Pipit
86. White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike
87. Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
88. Crimson Rosella
89. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

 

[viator]

Jan 3

Countryside around Wauchope
90. Rock Dove
91. Striated Thornbill
92. Mistletoebird
93. Yellow Thornbill
94. Eastern Whipbird
95. Brown Honeyeater
96. Mallard
97. Pacific Koel
98. Superb Fairy-wren
99. Eastern Rosella
100. Spotted Turtle Dove
101. Straw-necked Ibis
102. Olive Whistler
103. Jacky Winter
104. Eastern Yellow Robin
105. Grey Shrike-thrush
106. White-naped Honeyeater
107. Scarlet Honeyeater
108. Red-backed Fairy-wren
109. Eastern Spinebill
110. Green Catbird

Port Macquarie breakwater
111. Little Tern
112. Common Tern
113. Whiskered Tern
114. Little Heron

Back on the outskirts of Wauchope.
115. Wonga Pigeon

 

[viator]

Jan 4
The following birds were seen on the drive down to Sydney to catch our late afternoon flight back to Singapore.

116. Swamp Harrier
117. Little Eagle
118. Brahminy Kite
119. Little Egret
120. Eastern Great Egret
121. Black Swan
122. Royal Spoonbill
123. Red Wattlebird

The Royal Spoonbill brought the trip total to 179 species.

 

[viator]

Back in Singapore and the first few common birds seen going to and from work

Jan 5

124. Asian Koel
125. Black-naped Oriole
126. House Crow
127. Javan Myna
128. Zebra Dove
129. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
130. Olive-backed Sunbird
131. Germain's Swiftlet
132. Asian Brown Flycatcher
133. Pacific Swallow
134. Yellow-vented Bulbul
135. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
136. House Swift

Jan 6

137. Asian Glossy Starling
138. Barn Swallow
139. Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker
140. Common Iora
141. Paddyfield Pipit
142. Glossy Swiftlet

Jan 7

143. Chinese Pond Heron
144. Long-tailed Parakeet
145. Arctic Warbler
146. White-breasted Waterhen

 

[viator]

Jan 8

Heading into the office on the bus yielded a couple of new 2009 birds at Kallang River.

147. Grey Heron
148. Collared Kingfisher

As we arrived in the city centre a Peregrine Falcon was hunting amongst the office towers

149. Peregrine Falcon

A lunch time walk to Marina South - which is rapidly getting developed/destroyed depending on your viewpoint - added the following birds to my 2009 list

150. Brown Shrike
151. White-throated Kingfisher
152. Yellow-bellied Prinia
153. Common Tailorbird
154. Ashy Tailorbird
155. Common Sandpiper

This means I've now got 1 more bird in the first 8 days of Jan 2009 than I got for all of Jan in 2008!

 

[viator]

Jan 9

A first visit to my local patch at Marina East to discover that in the 4 or 5 weeks since my last visit its been largely destroyed - most trees felled and swampy areas filled in with roads being put in. Given I ignored guards to get in this could be the last visit since whilst its never really been an area open to the public the guards are no longer friendly....

With all the work no surprise that there was a very small number of species seen (33 when would expect 50-60) and all species in very small numbers.

156. Asian Palm Swift
157. Blue-tailed Bee-eater
158. Common Kingfisher
159. Large-tailed Nightjar
160. Ruddy-breasted Crake
161. Scaly-breasted Munia
162. Chestnut Munia
163. White-headed Munia
164. Red-rumped Swallow
165. Pied Fantail
166. Common Snipe
167. Oriental Reed Warbler
168. Pintail Snipe
169. Wood Sandpiper
170. Savanna Nightjar
171. Lanceolated Warbler
172. Yellow Bittern
173. Pink-necked Green Pigeon

 

[viator]

Jan 10
Spent a morning with my son going to Pulau Ubin for a hike. Started adding new birds from the taxi before we caught the ferry from Changi Village.

Changi Airport

174. Common Buzzard
175. Eastern Marsh Harrier

Changi Village
176. Tanimbar Corella
177. Red-breasted Parakeet
178. Purple-backed Starling

Pulau Ubin
179. Lesser Crested Tern
180. Red-legged Crake
181. Straw-headed Bulbul
182. Mangrove Whistler
183. Brown-throated Sunbird
184. Golden-bellied Gerygone
185. Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
186. Red Collared Dove
187. Common Flameback
188. Black Baza
189. Dark-necked Tailorbird
190. Large-billed Crow
191. Copper-throated Sunbird
192. Red Junglefowl
193. White-rumped Shama
194. Olive-winged Bulbul
195. Crimson Sunbird
196. Whimbrel
197. Pacific Golden Plover
198. Common Greenshank
199. Intermediate Egret
200. Oriental Magpie Robin

 

[viator]

Jan 11

Bhukit Timah/Hindehede Park

201. Oriental Honey Buzzard
202. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
203. Ashy Minivet
204. Himalayan Swiftlet
205. Black-nest Swiftlet
206. White-crested Laughing-thrush
207. Hill Myna
208. Grey-rumped Treeswift

 

[viator]

Jan 12

Walking from the bus stop to my office this morning was surprised to see a Chinese Sparrowhawk fly by very low.

209. Chinese Sparrowhawk

 

[viator]

Jan 15

Had a day off and took the opportunity to go to Changi Cove with the primary target being the White-faced Plover, South East Asia's mystery plover species which a recent paper described as Charadrius dealbatus. With the now enforced closure to the public of Marina East a chance to also add to my 2009 with grassland species and the other commoner plover species.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the three White-faced Plovers on the sand spit but my first visit to Changi Cove also brought a satisfactory list of 63 species. The new ones for 2009 being below.

210. Sunda Scops Owl
211. Indian Cuckoo
212. Barred Buttonquail
213. Changeable Hawk Eagle
214. Black-winged Kite
215. Lesser Coucal
216. Long-tailed Shrike
217. Zitting Cisticola
218. White-shouldered Starling
219. Purple Heron
220. Great-billed Heron
221. Osprey
222. Red-wattled Lapwing
223. Rusty-rumped Warbler
224. Slaty-breasted Rail
225. Tiger Shrike
226. Dusky Warbler
227. Japanese Sparrowhawk
228. Red-throated Pipit
229. Malaysian Plover
230. White-faced Plover
231. Kentish Plover
232. Grey Plover
233. Ruddy Turnstone
234. Sanderling
235. Lesser Sand Plover
236. Pacific Reef Egret
237. Common Redshank
238. Baya Weaver

 

[viator]

Jan 18

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve/Hindehede Park

A short stay as too many people out for a Sunday morning walk resulted in very few birds being present.

239. Asian Paradise Flycatcher
240. Banded Woodpecker
241. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
242. Oriental White-eye
243. Pin-striped Tit Babbler
244. Coppersmith Barbet

 

[viator]

Jan 19

A very brief stroll in a park near the office at lunchtime added 2 more to my 2009 list - very good considering saw only 14 species!

245. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher
246. Eastern Crowned Warbler

 

[viator]

Jan 25

Spent several hours strolling around in the forest on Pulau Ubin
247. Oriental Pied Hornbill
248. Forest Wagtail
249. Van Hasselt's Sunbird
250. Black-crowned Night Heron
251. Rose-ringed Parakeet

On the boat back from Ubin a single Black-headed Gull - a new bird for my Singapore list

252. Black-headed Gull

On return to Changi Village spotted several Yellow-crested Cockatoo's in amongst the more common Tanimbar Corellas.

253. Yellow-crested Cockatoo

 

[viator]

Jan 29

Walking to catch the bus home from work tonight was very surprised by a cuckoo flying just over my head and landing in a nearby tree. After much looking and walking around the tree was surprised to discover it was a Himalayan Cuckoo - a rare winter visitor/passage migrant - rather than the much more common Indian Cuckoo as I'd expected when it went over.

254. Himalayan Cuckoo

 

[viator]

Feb 1

Started the day with a walk in the Botanical Gardens to try and see the Blue-winged Pitta that has been present for the last few days. Working out where it was was easy with all the photographers around! A few brief views but didn't manage to get any good shots.

255. Crested Goshawk
256. Lesser Whistling Duck
257. Blue-winged Pitta
258. Pied Triller

In the afternoon went for a bike ride in Changi Cove (tide wrong for waders) but happy to get a lifer in a King Quail.

259. King Quail
260. Yellow Wagtail
261. Sand Martin

 

[viator]

Feb 7
Bidadari Cemetery

262. Brown-streaked Flycatcher

 

[viator]

Feb 16

In a small park by the office surprised to see a Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo

263. Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo

 

[viator]

Feb 20
Panti Forest, Johor, Malaysia

Headed over the border from Singapore for 4 days birding in Johor, starting with a couple of days in Panti Forest

First new bird for 2009 was a Grey-headed Fish Eagle just before Kota Tinggi

264. Grey-headed Fish Eagle

Parked the car at the start of the Bunker Trail, Panti Forest and decided to do a long hike rather than take the car and bird small stretches. A decision that meant I wasn't to see the car for 8 1/2 hours!

The first new bird for 2009 was also a lifer, a Fluffy-backed Tit Babbler. It was then a steady procession of new 2009 birds with lifer's thrown in regularly - the highlight of a day surprisingly short on woodpeckers and babblers was a Malaysian Rail Babbler.

265. Fluffy-backed Tit Babbler
266. White-bellied Yuhina
267. Crow-billed Drongo
268. Whiskered Tree Swift
269. Cream-vented Bulbul
270. Red-eyed Bulbul
271. Yellow-bellied Bulbul
272. Hairy-backed Bulbul
273. Grey-cheeked Bulbul
274. Buff-vented Bulbul
275. Puff-backed Bulbul
276. Purple-naped Sunbird
277. Green Iora
278. Blyth's Hawk Eagle
279. Blue-winged Leafbird
280. Spectacled Bulbul
281. Red-crowned Barbet
282. Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike
283. Large Woodshrike
284. Raffle's Malkoha
285. Red-beared Bee-eater
286. Greater Green Leafbird
287. Lesser Green Leafbird
288. Red-throated Barbet
289. Blue-eared Barbet
290. Chestnut-breasted Malkoha
291. Black-bellied Malkoha
292. Chestnut-bellied Malkoha
293. Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker
294. Spotted Fantail
295. Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
296. Malaysian Rail Babbler
297. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
298. Dark-throated Oriole
299. Ashy Bulbul
300. Blue-throated Bee-eater
301. Asian Fairy Bluebird
302. Silver-rumped Needletail
303. Slender-billed Crow
304. Crested Serpent Eagle
305. Sooty-capped Babbler