Singapore Raptor Report – Feb 2021
Singapore Raptor Report February 2021
Brown Fish Owl, at Hindhede Nature Park, 17 Feb 2021, by Jackie Yeo
The highlight for February 2021 must have been the incredible sighting of the first Brown Fish Owl in Singapore, and the Black-thighed Falconet which had not been seen for decades, more on these later.
Summary for migrant species:
In February 2021, 139 raptors of eight migrant species were recorded. The only Rufous- bellied Eagle wintering in Singapore was recorded at Dairy Farm Nature Park on the 1st, Woodlands on the 6th, and Hillview MRT vicinity on the 21st. Only two Chinese Sparrowhawks were recorded, the wintering female at Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West on the 12th and 13th, and a male at Lorong Halus Wetlands on the 20th.
Five Jerdon’s Bazas were recorded, singles at Pulau Ubin, Changi Business Park, Pasir Ris Park, Tampines Eco Green, and Lorong Halus-Punggol Waterway area. There were also five Western Ospreys and they were recorded at Changi Business Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Upper Seletar Reservoir, Jelutong Tower, and Hindhede Nature Park. Fourteen Peregrine Falcons were recorded, often perched on buildings. There were also 22 Japanese Sparrowhawks, 39 Black Bazas, and 51 Oriental Honey Buzzards.
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Highlights for sedentary species:
Jackie Yeo was at Hindhede Nature Park on 17 Feb 2021 when he photographed an unusual- looking large brown owl that proved to be a Brown Fish Owl, the first sighting of the species in Singapore. The nearest known population is at northern Peninsular Malaysia, some 500- 600 kilometres away. More incredibly, the next day, Vincent Yip photographed the Brown Fish Owl perching next to an almost fully grown hybrid owlet that looked mostly like a young Buffy Fish Owl. Subsequently, the Brown Fish Owl was seen perched next to an adult Buffy Fish Owl, presumably its mate. The mystery deepens when Jan Tan checked her photos of an unusual-looking owl taken at nearby Singapore Quarry on 3 Aug 2019, one and a half years ago, and discovered that it was a Brown Fish Owl!
The other amazing occurrence was that of a juvenile Black-thighed Falconet that was found by Lee Lay Na, perched on the parapet of an HDB flat in Yishun Street 71, on 12 Feb 2021, as if to welcome the first day of the Lunar New Year. The last confirmed record for the falconet was more than 30 years ago.
Black-thighed Falconet, perched on HDB parapet at Yishun Street 71, 12 Feb 2021, by Lee Lay Na.
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Breeding-related activities were noted for three other species. At least one chick was observed in the nest of a pair of Black-winged Kites at Seletar on the 28th. Separate pairs of White-bellied Sea Eagles were observed on their respective nests at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the 6th, and Fort Canning on the 20th. For the Buffy Fish Owl, a fledgling was observed with its parents at Yishun on the 4th & 9th, another owlet at Jurong Lake Gardens had fledged from its nest (a Bird’s Nest Fern) by the 6th, and yet another owlet was observed in its nest (another Bird’s Nest Fern) along Hampstead Gardens on the 6th and 8th.
One adult ernesti Peregrine Falcon was recorded in the vicinity of the Botanic Gardens on the 25th. There were four records of the Crested Serpent Eagle - at SBWR, Chek Jawa, Goldhill Avenue, and Kent Ridge Park. Ten Grey-headed Fish Eagles, 12 Black-winged Kites, 17 Crested Goshawks, and eight Changeable Hawk-Eagles were also recorded. Finally, one Barred Eagle Owl was recorded at Rifle Range Link, while one Spotted Wood Owl was recorded at Goldhill Avenue, Satay by the Bay, and Pasir Ris Park.
Table 1 S/N Species No. S/N Species No. 1 Western Osprey 5 Residents / Sedentary Species 2 Jerdon's Baza 5 9 Black-winged Kite 12 3 Black Baza 39 10 Brahminy Kite C* 4 Oriental Honey Buzzard 51 11 White-bellied Sea Eagle C* 5 Chinese Sparrowhawk 2 12 Grey-headed Fish Eagle 10 6 Japanese Sparrowhawk 22 13 Crested Serpent Eagle 4 7 Rufous-bellied Eagle 1 14 Crested Goshawk 17 8 Peregrine Falcon 14 15 Changeable Hawk-Eagle 8 16 Black-thighed Falconet 1
Nocturnal Raptors 17 Barred Eagle Owl 1 18 Brown Fish Owl 1 19 Buffy Fish Owl 10 20 Spotted Wood Owl 3
Total for Migrants 139 Grand Total 206
* C = Common
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1. Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus (5)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 4 1 CBP, in flight with a fish SB Lim 6 2 SBWR Darren Leow 13 1 Upper Seletar Reservoir Kwok Tuck Loong 17 1 Jelutong Tower, with catch Yip Jen Wei 19 1 Hindhede Nature Park Yap Bao Shen
2. Jerdon's Baza Aviceda jerdoni (5)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 1 1 TEG Oliver Tan 5 1 Ubin Mike Hooper 8 1 CBP Yeong WaiKai 16 1 CBP Ramesh T. 18 1 Lorong Halus Wetlands Herman Phua 22 1 PRP Yeong WaiKai 27 1 Punggol Waterway Vidya Shankararaman
3. Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes (39)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 3 6 PRP, flying towards Ubin Alvin Seng 4 3 PRP Philip Chua 6 1 CBP Herman Phua 6 1 PRP Derrick Wong 6 1 PRP, 11:42am Lee Chin Pong 6 9 PRP Han YK 8 3 CBP Ramesh T. 15 1 TBHP, 3:55pm Chen Boon Chong 16 1 Lim Chu Kang Lane 3 Meena Vathyam 20 8 Woodleigh Park Waterworks Raj Bhatt 26 2 Malcolm Road Yi-Fan Chen 27 3 KM, 8am Wai Heng Lua 27 1 Goldhill Avenue, 5pm Wai Heng Lua 27 2 SBWR Yip Jen Wei 28 1 SBWR, harassed by 2 crows Betty Shaw
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Black Baza, 15 Feb 2021, Telok Blangah Hill Park, by Chen Boon Chong.
4. Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus (51) orientalis unless indicated otherwise
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 2 1 Hampstead, juvenile pale morph SB Lim 3 2 CBP, 1 dark morph orientalis, 1 ruficollis Yeong WaiKai 4 1 Jurong West, immature pale morph Philip Toh 5 1 CBP, juvenile pale morph ruficollis Tan Eng Boo 6 1 Woodlands, adult male Joy Kutty 6 1 Yishun Pond, adult female pale morph, 2:43pm Angie Cheong 6 2 Sentosa Low Zhi Hao 7 2 KM Martin Kennewell 8 1 CBP, dark morph Yeong WaiKai 8 1 Jurong West, pale morph female Philip Toh 8 1 JLG, immature pale morph Brenda Chua 9 2 TBHP, dark morph male, juvenile pale morph Alex Kang
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11 1 Hampstead Wetlands, pale morph Meena Vathyam 12 1 Toa Payoh Veronica Foo 12 3 CBP, 1 adult male pale morph, 1 immature dark Herman Phua morph, 1 pale morph 12 1 HWL, 1 juvenile dark morph Sudip Kumar Saha 13 1 MED, pale morph Norhafiani A Majid 13 1 Andy Road, pale morph Yip Jen Wei 14 1 Jurong West, immature pale morph Philip Toh 14 1 Marsiling, female pale morph Meena Vathyam 14 1 SBTB Fadzrun A. 15 1 Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, adult male Art Toh 16 1 Alexandra Arch, female Ros Qian 17 1 Whampoa Drive, pale morph Keith Hutton 18 2 Jurong West, pale morphs Philip Toh 18 1 Ang Mo Kio, immature pale morph Philip Ng 20 1 Yishun Park Veronica Foo 20 1 Jurong West, male dark morph Philip Toh 21 1 Opera Estate, juvenile pale morph SB Lim 22 2 CBP, 1 adult male orientalis, 1 ruficollis Yeong WaiKai 23 1 SBG vicinity, adult male Cheng Li Ai 23 1 SBTB, immature dark morph Art Toh 23 1 Pasir Ris Town Park, adult male dark morph Alvin Seng 23 1 Jurong West, pale morph Philip Toh 24 2 PRP, 1 adult dark morph male, morning Alvin Seng 24 2 West coast Drive Tay Kian Guan 27 4 Marsiling Park Fadzrun A. 28 1 Jelutong Tower, immature dark morph Art Toh
5. Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis (2)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 12 1 Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, adult female Norhafiani A Majid 13 1 Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West, adult female Kwok Tuck Loong 20 1 Halus Wetland, male Martin Kennewell
6. Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis (22)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 6 1 SBWR Fadzrun A. 7 1 Yishun Dam, immature male Yeong WaiKai 10 1 TBHP Zac C 11 1 Jurong West Philip Toh 13 1 Upper Seletar Reservoir Kwok Tuck Loong 13 1 Marina South Fitri Adnan 14 1 Lim Chu Kang Lim Kim Chuah 14 1 Hampstead Wetlands Park, adult male Fadzrun A. 14 2 Bukit Brown cemetery Martin Kennewell 17 1 Jelutong Tower, adult female Yip Jen Wei
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20 1 JLG Martti Siponen 20 1 Sentosa Russell Boyman 21 1 Bukit Brown, adult female Darren Leow 23 2 NUS Sreekar Rachakonda 24 3 Jelutong Tower Yip Jen Wei 26 1 DFNP Fadzrun A. 28 1 Jelutong Tower, female Lee Chin Pong 28 1 SBTB Sreekar Rachakonda
7. Rufous-bellied Eagle Lophotriorchis kienerii (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 1 1 DFNP Neo Jinju 6 1 Woodlands Ave 12, juvenile Fadzrun A. 21 1 Hillview MRT station Siew Mun
8. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (13+1) migrants unless otherwise stated
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 1 2 Jurong West Philip Toh 1 1 TPY Town Park, adult japonensis Yeong WaiKai 1 2 Marsiling, juveniles sparring in flight Tuck Loong 3 1 Bedok South, adult japonensis Herman Phua 3 1 Blk 125 Geylang East Ave 1 Max Khoo 4 1 Bedok South Ave 2, adult japonensis, 12:10pm Ash Foo 4 1 Bedok South, adult japonensis Keith Hutton 7 1 Bedok South, adult japonensis Wong Sangmen 8 1 Bedok South Ave 2, adult japonensis Desmond Yap 9 1 Geylang East Tuck Loong 9 1 Blk 336B Yishun, 6:58pm Khoo MeiLin 10 1 TBHP Zac C 11 1 Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, immature, 9:10am Veronica Foo 13 1 Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West Esther Ong 15 1 Bishan, juvenile japonensis Art Toh 15 2 Whampoa Drive Sylvester Goh 21 1 Blk 335 Yishun, adult japonensis Art Toh 21 1 Pulau Punggol Tan Kok Hui 22 1 Jurong West, juvenile japonensis with prey (Javan Philip Toh Myna) 22 1 Yishun Blk 316C, juvenile, 5:30pm Ash Foo 23 1 Yishun Ave 6, adult, dusk Keith Hutton 25 1 SBG vicinity, ernesti adult, 6:40pm – 7pm Cheng Li Ai 26 1 Bedok South, adult japonensis Chan YingLoong
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Peregrine Falcon, 7 Feb 2021, Bedok South, by Wong Sangmen.
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Resident raptors
9. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (12)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 2 1 Tanah Merah Coast Road Evan Landy 6 1 Tanah Merah Coast Road Wang HM 6 2 CBP Wong Chung Cheong 7 1 Halus Wetlands Max Khoo 11 1 JLG, juvenile Yip Jen Wei 14 1 NTHL MArtti Siponen 20 1 Tuas Bay Street Raghav N. 21 3 JLG Martin Kennewell 21 1 Hampstead Wetlands Rachel Oh 24 1 Central Boulevard Kwok Tuck Loong 28 1 Seletar, chick on nest Danny Khoo
10. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
Date No. Location and Details Reported By -- Common raptor --
11. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
Date No. Location and Details Reported By -- Common raptor -- 6 2 SBWR, adult on nest, another adult flew in with Clarinda Yap food 20 2 Fort canning, 2 adults on nest Khoo MeiLin 27 1 GBTB, flying with a Banded File Snake Siew Mun
12. Grey-headed Fish Eagle Haliaeetus ichthyaetus (10)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 5 1 Ubin Mike Hooper 6 1 Admiralty Park, adult Fadzrun A. 7 2 Clementi Forest Lukasz Wojciech 8 1 SBWR Kwok Tuck Loong 9 2 Jurong West, 1 adult, 1 juvenile Philip Toh 12 1 BBNP Krishna G. 17 1 MacRitchie, adult Yip Jen Wei 17 1 Ulu Pandan, adult TM Ng 18 2 Ulu Pandan park connector Philip Howell 19 1 Hindhede Nature Park, juvenile Ramesh T. 19 2 DFNP Richard White 20 1 JLG Martin Kennewell 24 1 SBG Kwok Tuck Loong
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13. Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela (4)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 5 1 SBWR, adult, morning Veronica Foo 6 1 Chek Jawa, Ubin, adult Robin Arnold 12 1 Goldhill Avenue Justin Jing Liang 26 1 Goldhill Avenue, adult Desmond Yap 26 1 Goldhill Avenue, adult Jack Lai 27 1 Goldhill Avenue, adult Chan YingLoong 27 1 Goldhill Avenue, adult, caught a black snake APS Kumar 27 1 KRP Martin Kennewell
14. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus (17)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 1 2 Sin Ming Wong Chung Cheong 3 1 Sin Ming, juvenile flying with a rat Derrick Wong 5 2 1 fledgling found dead after eating rats Alfred Beh 6 3 WCP Peng Ah Huay 11 1 TBHP, juvenile Steven Cheong, Chen Boon Chong 13 2 JLG Alok Mishra 14 1 Sentosa John Marriott 16 1 Sin Ming, female Tan Gim Cheong 16 2 TBHP Chen Boon Chong 16 1 BAMK park Philip Howell 20 1 TBHP, adult Lee Chin Pong 23 1 WCP, juvenile Dave Koh 27 2 WCP, juveniles Alan OwYong 27 1 SBWR Tan Kok Hui 28 2 Pasir Ris Mangroves Hui Ko
15. Changeable Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus (8)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 6 1 Yishun Pond, juvenile pale morph Angie Cheong 6 1 SBWR Kelvin Leong 9 1 CBD, adult pale morph Alan OwYong 11 1 TBHP, juvenile pale morph Chen Boon Chong 18 1 MED, dark morph Ash Foo, Keith Hutton 21 1 Ulu Pandan park connector, an individual with Tai Ping Ling both pale and dark morph features 21 1 Bukit Brown, dark morph Darren Leow 23 1 DFNP, pale morph adult Tan Hong Kim 25 1 DFNP, pale morph adult Siew Mun
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16. Black-thighed Falconet Microhierax fringillarius (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 12 1 728 Yishun Street 71, a juvenile perched on HDB Lee Lay Na parapet, unusually tame
17. Barred Eagle-Owl Bubo sumatranus (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 7 1 Rifle Range Link, adult Gan Lee Hsia 17 1 Rifle Range Link, adult, dawn Yip Jen Wei 25 1 Rifle Range Link, adult Julie Edgley
18. Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis (1)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 17 1 Hindhede Nature Park Jackie Yeo, Yeak Hwee Lee 18 1 Hindhede Nature Park Andy Chew 20 1 Hindhede Nature Park, adult perched next to full Art Toh grown hybrid Brown-Buffy Fish owlet 22 1 Hindhede Nature Park Tan Gim Cheong 24 1 Hindhede Nature Park Oliver Tan 24 0 Hindhede Nature Park, hybrid Brown-Buffy Fish Danny Khoo owlet fledged 27 1 Hindhede Nature Park Rachel Oh Retrospective 1st reported sighting for Brown Fish Owl was one photographed on 3 August 2019 at Singapore Quarry at 5:22pm by Jan Tan.
Brown Fish Owl, at Singapore Quarry, 3 Aug 2019, by Jan Tan
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19. Buffy Fish Owl Ketupa ketupu (10)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 1 1 Hampstead Wetlands, adult Derrick Wong 4 2 Yishun Ave 9, adult and fledgling Lee Chin Pong 6 3 JLG, owlet out of nest, with 2 adults Lawrence Koh 6 1 Hampstead Gardens, owlet on nest Wendy Lin 8 1 Hampstead Gardens, owlet on nest Ranjan Ramchandani 9 2 Khatib Bongsu Park Connector, one adult feeding Tuck Loong fledgling 22 1 Hampstead Wetlands, adult carrying a rat for the Alfred Ng owlet 22 1 Hindhede Nature Park Tan Gim Cheong
20. Spotted Wood Owl Strix seloputo (3)
Date No. Location and Details Reported By 21 1 Goldhill Avenue Molly Tan 26 1 SBTB BP Chua 27 1 PRP Wong Chung Cheong
Abbreviations CBD – Central Business District CBP – Changi Business Park DFNP – Dairy Farm Nature Park GBTB – Gardens by the Bay JLG – Jurong Lake Gardens KM – Kranji Marsh MED – Marina East Drive NTHL – Neo Tiew Harvest Lane PRP – Pasir Ris Park SBG – Singapore Botanic Gardens SBTB – Satay by the Bay SBWR – Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve TBHP – Telok Blangah Hill Park TEG – Tampines Eco Green WCP – West Coast Park
Compiled by Tan Gim Cheong
Note: The numbers in brackets beside the bird names indicates the month's total number. Reports of the same raptors from the same area have been discounted to avoid duplication.
Many thanks to everyone who had reported their sightings in one way or another, and especially to Jackie Yeo, Lee Lay Na, Chen Boon Chong, Wong Sangmen, and Jan Tan for the use of their photos.
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