Singapore Raptor Report Autumn Migration, December 2012
Summary for migrant species:
The star raptor for December 2012 must have been the Short-toed Snake Eagle that put in a fine performance on the 23rd at Changi for a small group of extremely lucky birders, namely Alan Owyong, Jimmy Lee, Lim Kim Keang, Yong Yik Shih, as well as photographer Francis Yap, who captured some stunning images of the rare raptor in flight. The record also extended the ‘late date’ from 11 Dec to 23 Dec. Other goodies such as the Greater Spotted Eagle, Grey-faced Buzzard, Jerdon’s Baza and Booted Eagle brought a fine closure to 2012.
Short-toed Snake Eagle, at Changi, 231212, by Francis Yap.
A total of 89 migrant raptors of 14 species were recorded, the highest species count so far this season. The Black Baza was most numerous migrant raptor again, with 36 birds. The Oriental Honey Buzzard maintained the second placing with 18 birds. The third most common migrant raptor was the Jerdon’s Baza (surprise!) with 7 birds.
The single Greater Spotted Eagle for December, a juvenile, showed up at Seletar North Link on the 29th. This was the third bird of this species for this winter. Unfortunately, it was mobbed in flight by a pale morph Booted Eagle and flew north across the straits to Johor to escape the smaller raptor! – a spectacle witnessed by Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau and Tan Kok Hui. An adult Grey-faced Buzzard showed up at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the 5th, perched on a tree, and was photographed by Lee How Sung.
Page 1 of 11 For the Jerdon’s Baza, there were quite a number of records. 2 were at Lorong Halus in the early part of the month – photographed by Aldwin Recinto, 1 of which probably stayed till the 24th and was recorded by Fance & Jimmy Lee; 1 was photographed in flight at Telok Blangah Hill Park on the 17th – much to the delight of Terry & Jane Heppell; and 4 were at Tampines biking trail on the 23rd – recorded/photographed by Yang Weixing. The Tampines group could have moved over to Changi where 3 were recorded by Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui on the 29th.
The Booted Eagles were out in force at Seletar North Link, where 4 birds – 2 pale morphs and 2 dark morphs – were recorded! A few lucky photographers, including Michael Tay, managed to get close-up perched shots of these raptors which are more often seen soaring high up.
Booted Eagle, pale morph, at Seletar North Link, 241212, by Michael Tay.
Changi continued to be a reliable site for the Common Buzzard and the harriers. There were 2 Common Buzzards – a pale morph and a dark morph. The harriers included 3 Eastern Marsh Harriers and a female Pied Harrier.
For the Accipiters, 5 Japanese Sparrowhawks and 4 Chinese Sparrowhawks were recorded. There were 4 Ospreys – 2 at Seletar North Link and 2 at Sungei Buloh / Neo Tiew area. Only 1 Peregrine Falcon, a juvenile, was recorded.
Highlights for sedentary species: Nil! Only the usual resident raptors were recorded.
Page 2 of 11 Table 1 S/N Species No. S/N Species No. 1 Osprey 4 2 Jerdon’s Baza 7 Residents / Sedentary Species 3 Black Baza 36 15 Black-winged Kite 9 4 Oriental Honey Buzzard 18 16 Brahminy Kite 18 5 Short-toed Snake Eagle 1 17 White-bellied Sea Eagle 16 6 Eastern Marsh Harrier 3 18 Changeable Hawk-eagle 9 7 Pied Harrier 1 8 Chinese Sparrowhawk 4 9 Japanese Sparrowhawk 5 10 Grey-faced Buzzard 1 11 Common Buzzard 2 Unidentified 12 Greater Spotted Eagle 1 19 Unidentified Raptors 1 13 Booted Eagle 5 20 Unidentified Accipiters 3 14 Peregrine Falcon 1 Total for Migrants 89 Grand Total 145
Page 3 of 11 1. Osprey Pandion haliaetus (4)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 2 2 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Horst Flotow 8 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 9 1 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 19 1 Pulau Punggol Barat (Seletar North Link) Yong Ding Li 26 2 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 1 Seletar North Link See Toh Yew Wai 30 2 Neo Tiew Lane Yong Ding Li
2. Jerdon’s Baza Aviceda jerdoni (7)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By Early 2 Lorong Halus, 1 juvenile, 1 adult with prey Aldwin Recinto Dec (Changeable Lizard), both photographed 17 1 Telok Blangah Hill Park, photographed in flight Terry & Jane Heppell 23 4 Tampines Biking Trail, at least 1 juvenile Yang Weixing (photographed) 24 1 Lorong Halus Fance & Jimmy Lee 29 3 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui
3. Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes (36)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 6 1 Bidadari Alan Ng 8 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 8 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 9 4 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 17 3 Telok Blangah Hill Park Terry & Jane Heppell 20 8 Sunset Way Horst Flotow 24 5 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 26 5 Changi Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 5 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 27 7 Sunset Way Horst Flotow 29 8 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 14 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 3 Changi Horst Flotow
Page 4 of 11 4. Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus (18)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 8 1 Bidadari Mike To 9 1 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 12 1 Balestier Road, rooftop of HDB block Koel Lim 14 4 Bukit Timah Hilltop Lau Jia Sheng 15 1 Changi, juvenile dark morph Danny Lau, Lau Jia Sheng & Tan Kok Hui 17 1 Telok Blangah Hill Park, dark morph Terry & Jane Heppell 18 2 Bukit Purmei, adult males Terry & Jane Heppell 23 2 Changi Alan Owyong, Francis Yap, Jimmy Lee, Lim Kim Keang & Yong Yik Shih 24 1 Changi Lee Tiah Khee 24 1 Mount Faber, adult female Yap Eu Hian 24 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 24 1 Turut Track, juvenile Eddy Lee 26 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 4 Changi, including 1 dark morph male Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 3 Seletar North Link, 1 male, 2 juveniles Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 1 Seletar North Link, juvenile pale morph See Toh Yew Wai 30 1 Changi Horst Flotow 30 2 Changi Alan Owyong, Wong Chung Cheong & Lim Kim Keang 31 2 Commonwealth Avenue, circling Alan Owyong
5. Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 23 1 Changi, 11am, photographed in flight Francis Yap, Alan Owyong, Jimmy Lee, Lim Kim Keang & Yong Yik Shih
6. Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus (3)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 3 1 Changi South Yong Ding Li 23 2 Changi, males Alan Owyong, Francis Yap, Jimmy Lee, Lim Kim Keang & Yong Yik Shih 24 1 Changi, male Lau Jia Sheng
Page 5 of 11 26 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 1 Changi, adult male Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 3 Changi Horst Flotow 30 1 Changi Alan Owyong, Wong Chung Cheong & Lim Kim Keang
7. Pied Harrier Circus melanoleucos (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 24 1 Changi, female Lau Jia Sheng
8. Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis (4)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 8 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 8 1 Seletar North Link, adult male Lau Jia Sheng 9 1 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 15 1 Changi, adult female Danny Lau, Lau Jia Sheng & Tan Kok Hui 23 1 Seletar North Link, heard only Lau Jia Sheng 25 1 Bidadari Jimmy Lee 26 2 Changi, 1 adult male & 1 adult female Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 1 Seletar North Link, adult male Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 1 Changi Horst Flotow 30 1 Seletar North Link, adult See Toh Yew Wai
Chinese Sparrowhawk, female, at Changi, on 151212, by Lau Jia Sheng
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9. Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis (5)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 7 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, juvenile, David Li mistnetted 8 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 16 1 Mount Faber, juvenile Danny Lau 29 1 Changi, adult female Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 1 Seletar North Link, adult male Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui
10. Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 5 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, adult, Yap Eu Hian & photographed Lee How Sung
11. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo (2)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 8 2 Changi, 1 dark morph Lau Jia Sheng 24 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 26 2 Changi, 1 dark morph and 1 pale morph Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 2 Changi Alan Owyong, Wong Chung Cheong & Lim Kim Keang
12. Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 29 1 Seletar North Link, juvenile, dive-bombed by a Lau Jia Sheng, Booted Eagle and then flew towards Johor Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui
Page 7 of 11 Greater Spotted Eagle, mobbed by Booted Eagle (right), at Seletar North Link, on 291212, by Lau Jia Sheng
13. Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus (5)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 8 1 Seletar North Link, pale morph Lau Jia Sheng 19 2 Pulau Punggol Barat (Seletar North Link), both Yong Ding Li pale morphs, perched 19 1 Seletar North Link, pale morph Michael Tay 22 2 Seletar North Link Fance & Jimmy Lee 23 1 Seletar North Link, pale morph Michael Tay 23 1 Seletar North Link, pale morph Lau Jia Sheng 24 1 Seletar North Link, pale morph Michael Tay 25 1 Seletar North Link, dark morph Michael Tay 26 1 Seletar North Link, dark morph Danny Lau & Lau Jia Sheng 29 2 Seletar North Link, 1 pale morph which dive- Lau Jia Sheng, Danny bombed a Greater Spotted Eagle, & 1 dark morph Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 1 Changi, dark morph Horst Flotow 30 2 Seletar North Link, pale and dark morph See Toh Yew Wai
Page 8 of 11 14. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 8 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 9 1 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 17 1 Pulau Punggol Barat (Seletar North Link) Yong Ding Li 29 1 Seletar North Link, juvenile Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui
Resident raptors
15. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (9)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 2 2 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Horst Flotow 8 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 8 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 9 2 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 12 2 Seletar Ponds Alan Owyong 23 3 Changi Alan Owyong, Francis Yap, Jimmy Lee, Lim Kim Keang & Yong Yik Shih 24 3 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 26 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 4 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 5 Changi Horst Flotow 30 4 Changi Alan Owyong, Wong Chung Cheong & Lim Kim Keang
Page 9 of 11 16. Brahminy Kite Haliastur Indus (18)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 2 3 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Horst Flotow 8 5 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 9 6 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 14 2 Bukit Timah Hilltop Lau Jia Sheng 23 3 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 24 8 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 26 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 1 Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 6 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 3 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 2 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 10 Changi Horst Flotow
17. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster (16)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 2 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Horst Flotow 8 2 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 9 1 Seletar North Link Horst Flotow 12 1 Seletar Ponds, immature Alan Owyong 23 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 24 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 26 5 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 10 Changi Horst Flotow
18. Changeable Hawk-eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus (9)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 8 2 Changi Lau Jia Sheng 8 2 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng 11 1 Changi, pale morph Alan Owyong & Lim Kim Keang 12 2 Seletar Ponds, pale morphs Alan Owyong 16 1 Mount Faber, dark morph Danny Lau 17 1 Mount Faber, pale morph Con Foley 23 1 Hindhede Quarry, dark morph Yap Eu Hian 24 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng
Page 10 of 11 26 2 Changi to Bukit Timah, pale morphs Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 1 Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, juvenile pale morph Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 29 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 29 1 Seletar North Link, juvenile Lau Jia Sheng, Danny Lau & Tan Kok Hui 30 1 Changi Alan Owyong, Wong Chung Cheong & Lim Kim Keang
19. Unidentified Raptors (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 26 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau
20. Unidentified Accipiters (3)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 26 1 Changi Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 1 Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau 26 1 Seletar North Link Lau Jia Sheng & Danny Lau
Compiled by Tan Gim Cheong
Note: The numbers in brackets beside the bird names indicates the total number seen for this month. Different reports of the same raptors from the same area have been discounted to prevent duplication. Many thanks to everyone who had sent in their reports and especially to Francis Yap, Michael Tay and Lau Jia Sheng for the use of their photos.
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