Sungei Buloh, Singapore, May 2013

Quick Response Standby requires me to be at the airport and ready to go within 45 minutes, so packing was of the “most likely scenario” style. Trips to USA and India are to be expected in these circumstances and I had brought field guides to suit. A trip to Sydney via Singapore was amongst the less likely itineraries that I may be needed for and the field guides were not easily to hand when the call came in.

Without a plan or a field guide, I had to fall back on my knowledge and experience, both of which were hopelessly inadequate. But if Singapore’s birds complied in some way with the natural urge to surge northwards in May, I reasoned, then perhaps Sungei Buloh would be a good bet. As the island’s premier birding hotspot, the managed pond and mangrove habitat is a joy to visit at any time of year and I felt confident that it would make a good plan for the first day.

The bus dropped me at the car park by Kranji Dam and I walked the half mile to the entrance of the reserve. For the purposes of eBird entries, I submitted the walk-in along Neo Tiew Crescent separately as there were almost as many birds seen here as in the actual reserve. A couple of notable birds that were seen on the short walk but not in the reserve included Pygmy Sunda Woodpecker, Pied Triller and Brown Shrike. Asian Glossy Starlings appeared reliably on both lists

There was a fruiting tree at the entrance to Sungei Buloh and a small flock were feeding here. As I crossed the bridge over the river, 3 Oriental Pied Hornbills flew by, stopping in a tree inland from the bridge. By the water’s edge, a Purple Heron was watching for fish being brought in and flushed from the mangroves by the incoming tide.

The tide was rising and due to reach its highest point at around 10.00 today. The incoming surge is managed by sluice gates and the water levels in the reserve are monitored and controlled. This visit coincided with a high-water management phase.
The trails around the mangroves are well maintained and screens and hides provided a vantage to look out across empty expanses of mud and water. During the winter, the area teems with Pacific Golden Plovers and Greater Sand Plovers, but today there were merely a few Whimbrel, Common Redshank and Common Greenshank.

A Crocodile was seen from the path leading from the mangrove boardwalk. It was necessary to retrace my steps back past this spot a short while later and the croc was nowhere to be seen. Pink-necked Pigeons called from the fruiting mangroves close by.

A couple of raptors soared above the freshwater ponds, but without a field guide I was hesitant in identifying them right away and had to wait until I got home to confirm that they were a juvenile and adult Changeable Hawk-eagle.

In the centre of the reserve is an observation tower known as The Eerie. From four stories high, it was possible to get a great view over the mangroves. The tide was at its highest mark now, but nothing had been pushed in from the flooded Johor Strait.

The best birds of the day came as I had almost completed my clockwise circuit. An Ashy Tailorbird called strongly and sat out long enough to have his picture taken. The male Copper-throated Sunbird was less cooperative, but the female stayed still, just for a moment.

Given that the crocodile was still unaccounted for, this Monitor Lizard had found a good way to sit out the high tide.

It might have been missing out however as the tide had brought in a dead fish which was eagerly seized by a smaller lizard.

Back at the visitor centre, the Oriental Pied Hornbills had found a convenient roost right by the entrance boardwalk. I assumed that these were the same birds as I had seen earlier. There were only two now and they sat closely together preening one another.

Birds seen; 42

Milky Stork 1, Yellow Bittern 1, Grey Heron 8, Purple Heron 2, Little Egret 60, Striated Heron 3, White-bellied Sea-Eagle 1, White-breasted Waterhen 4, Common Greenshank 8, Common Redshank 22, Whimbrel 28, Red Collared Dove 1, Spotted Dove 11, Zebra Dove 5, Pink-necked Pigeon 14 Asian Koel 3, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Collared Kingfisher 11, Blue-throated Bee-eater 2, Oriental Pied Hornbill 3, Coppersmith Barbet 1, Brown-capped Woodpecker 1, Common Flameback 1, Common Iora 2, Pied Triller 3, Brown Shrike 1, Black-naped Oriole 16, Pied Fantail 1, Pacific Swallow 1, Yellow-vented Bulbul 18, Common Tailorbird 2, Dark-necked Tailorbird 2, Ashy Tailorbird 6, Asian Glossy Starling 60, Javan Myna 60, Common Myna 2, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker 3, Plain-throated Sunbird 1, Copper-throated Sunbird 2, Olive-backed Sunbird 8, Crimson Sunbird 1, Eurasian Tree Sparrow 5.

Getting to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve;

Take the SMRT (North/South, Red Line) train to Kranji. There is a bus and taxi rank immediately outside.

Bus 925 passes through an industrial estate before crossing the causeway between the dam and the Johor Strait. On weekdays its closest approach to the reserve is when it pulls into the car park (Google Earth ref; 1 26 17.37N 103 44 7.93E) just beyond the causeway. Walk from here by continuing along Kranji Way for 400m and turn right onto Neo Tiew Crescent. The reserve is 1km further on the right. On Sundays only, the bus continues to the reserve and stops right outside.
A taxi from Kranji SMRT Station will take less than 10 minutes, but there is no taxi rank at the reserve for the return journey.

Facilities at the reserve include a visitor centre with a small restaurant, toilets, library and interpretative exhibit. Hides, screens, boardwalks, a tower and directions are liberally scattered along the routes.

For previous posts from Sungei Buloh, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/05/singapore-dragons-and-dragonflies.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/sungei-buloh-singapore-january-2012.html

Visit the dedicated Oriental Page for more posts from Singapore, including Singapore Botanic Gardens and Paser Ris.

Sungei Buloh, Singapore, January 2012

Sungei Buloh is Singapore’s premier dedicated nature reserve and wetland. It is ironic that the bus from Kranji MRT Station continues on to the reserve only at weekends, but on this Sunday morning, I chose to alight a mile short where the bus normally turns round and heads back.

The Singaporean chapter of the Big Lens Club were pointing their tackle at a tree in Kranji Beach Battlefield Park (Gogle Earth ref; 01 26 20N 103 44 15E). I pressed the button and jumped from the bus to see what they had found. It was a Brahminy Kite, posing as if it had nothing better to do with the day.

Rather than walk the remaining mile on a morning that was already oppressively hot, I wasted some time until the bus passed again by watching a Pied Triller in the car park. Also seen here were Collared Kingfisher, Striated Heron, Common Sandpiper and Asian Glossy Starling.

At the entrance to the visitor centre (Google Earth ref; 01 26 42N 103 43 48), more cameras were arranged as a battery pointing at an Olive-backed Sunbirds’ nest. The pair had been building for a couple of weeks at this point and they were just adding the final touches before the female began laying.

The tide was low as I crossed the bridge into the reserve. A tide of 3.2 meters was expected at 15.00, but I cannot say how that compares to average high tides.  More than two dozen viewing hides, screens and towers circle the managed mangrove wetland and the freshwater ponds.

My intention to head for the freshwater area beyond the mangrove boardwalk was thwarted, as usual, by my weakness for distraction. A crocodile was basking on a sand bar and a large monitor lizard kept its distance as it passed.

At hide 2D, Little Egrets, a Great Egret, Lesser Sand Plovers, and a couple of Marsh Sandpipers were all outnumbered by Common Redshank. I had intended to leave the waders until the tide pushed more of them into the reserve, but they were such a pleasure to watch and the hide was comfortable and cool. A narrow rivulet runs just in front of the hide and gave the redshank somewhere to bathe.

The sun had climbed high now and the heat and humidity was sapping. By the time I reached the freshwater area most sentient life had crawled off to sleep in the shade and nothing was moving there except for some mad dogs, this Englishman and a daft Blue-tailed Bee-eater. Pink-necked Green Pigeons were common, feeding in fruiting trees near the boardwalk. 

The tide eventually pushed the birds off the mud and beaches along the Straits of Johor and up into the reserve. A large flock of Whimbrel joined Common Greenshank and Pacific Golden Plover in the managed areas. A Milky Stork that is often seen at the reserve is said to be an escapee, but sometimes more than one is seen. On this occasion a singleton must be assumed to be the fugitive and will not count towards the year list (unless things get tight towards the end).

The best sighting of the day was a Yellow Bittern which put on a show at the freshwater pond back at the visitor centre by the entrance. It suspended itself between two reeds as it watched for prey in the weeds and water beneath.

As I watched the bittern a movement in the weeds provoked some excitement and I readied myself for a crake or somesuch to emerge. The movement was caused by the most abundant of Singapore's Rallids however, a White-breasted Waterhen.

Birds seen; 31

Grey Heron 4, Purple Heron 1, Great Egret 1, Little Egret 40, Striated Heron 3, Yellow Bittern 1, Milky Stork 1, Brahminy Kite 1, White-bellied Sea Eagle 1, White-breasted Waterhen 6, Pacific Golden Plover 40, Lesser Sand Plover 25, Asiatic Whimbrel 150, Common Redshank 60, Marsh Sandpiper 4, Common Greenshank 60, Common Sandpiper 4, Spotted Dove 4, Pink-necked Green Pigeon 12, Stork-billed Kingfisher 1, Collared Kingfisher 6, Blue-tailed Bee-Eater 2, Pacific Swallow 35, Pied Triller 1, Common Tailorbird 2, Ashy Tailorbird 1, Plain-backed Sunbird 2, Olive-backed Sunbird 4, Black-naped Oriole 6, Asian Glossy Starling 25, Javan Myna 30.

For a previous post and directions to Sungei Buloh, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/05/singapore-dragons-and-dragonflies.html

Visit the dedicated Asia page for more posts from Singapore, including Paser Ris, Botanical Gardens and Central Catchment Area.
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Singapore. Dragons and Dragonflies.

Sungei Buloh offers migratory birds the chance to rest and refuel on their visit for the Northern Summer. It is an area of mangroves and old prawnponds which has been transformed into one of Singapore's premier wildlife reserves. Usually the most conspicuous birds are the waders that feed from the managed mudflats. Sluices maintain the desired water level or allow the tide to wash through as the management plan dictates. My visit coincided with a high water plan, so there was very little exposed mud. I had chosen to walk anti-clockwise around the reserve and found that the expected mudflats had been allowed to flood and that the water level was being kept high. So no waders. A tropical downpour trapped me in one of the hides for over an hour., but at least that kept the temperature down. Sungei Buloh can normally be expected to provide a profusion of birds such as waders, herons and egrets, kingfishers, etc, but today was quiet, except for the school party.
The sightings list below shows 37 birds, which is low for this reserve. Even the birds that I did see were subdued and none of them showed really well.
It was not until I had almost completed the entire circle that I found some mud. Here were a couple of Grey Herons and Little Egrets
On my return to the visitors centre, I called in at the cafeteria. While I ate the fish and chips, a huge Monitor Lizard began cruising around the adjacent pond. At last, after carrying the camera all around the reserve, I had something to take pictures of. The visitors Centre also comprises a delightful interpretative exhibit. Through the window, dragonflies flitted back and forth over the water hyacinth beds. One settled closeby and I took his picture. Once I started, I could not stop and shot over 400 frames. A different species, came by and now I was warming to the task. With my limited experience, I think I saw 8 different species of dragonflies and damselflies, but was only able to name one, the Red Chaser, at the time of writing.

To reach Sungei Buloh, take the MRT to Kranji. From Kranji MRT, bus 925 operates as far as the reservoir and drops at the car park beyond the causeway. Continue on foot300m and turn left the reserve is a further 800m on the right. On Sundays and public holidays the 925 extends it's service to the park gates.
Kranji Express operates a minibus bus service every 90 minutes, but is not always reliable.
A taxi from Kranji to Sungei Buloh costs $10 Singapore, but cannot be relied upon for the return.
Entrance to Sungei Buloh is free and opening hours are 07.30 until 19.00

Great Egret 2, Grey Heron 6, Purple Heron 1, Cattle Egret 1, Striated Heron 2, Milky Stork 1, Brahminy Kite 1, Red Jungle Fowl 2, White-bellied Waterhen 2, Pink-necked Green Pigeon 20, Zebra Dove 3, Spotted Dove 1, Asian Koel 3, Lesser Coucal 1, Stork-billed Kingfisher 1, Collared Kingfisher 6, Blue-throated Bee-eater 2, Common Goldenback 1, Pacific Swallow 4, Barn Swallow 8, Common Iora 4, Yellow-vented Bulbul 20, Black-naped Oriole 3, Large-billed Crow 12, Arctic Warbler 1, Common Tailorbird 1, Dark-necked Tailorbird 1, Pied Fantail 1, Javan Myna 20, Asian Glossy Starling 10, Plain-throated Sunbird 2, Olive-backed Sunbird 6, Copper-throated Sunbird 2, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker 4, Black-headed Munia 2 Scaly-breasted Munia 6, Tree Sparrow 4