Singapore Birding Trip Report - Day 2 (Saturday 26th August 2017) - Pasir Ris Park

Our four week trip concluded with a second stopover in Singapore, this time with a slightly less accommodating time scale as our flight in from Cairns didn’t arrive at Changi airport until half 3pm local time, with our flight back to Manchester 11 hours later at just after 2am in the morning. This never the less provided a few hours for birding before dusk, and as soon as having changed in the airport (once again getting fully deeted up) we got a taxi out to the nearby biding spot of Pasir Ris Park. Identified on e-bird for its variety of species different to those we had seen previously at Singapore Botanic Gardens, our main target here was the impressive Oriental Pied Hornbill, as well as any other species we could find in our couple of hours at the park before dusk fell.

Pasir Ris Park

Getting dropped off at Car Park C, we were immediately met by new birds as several Ashy Tailorbirds foraged in the thick fleshy leaves by the entrance to the park, their bright orange faces distinguishing them from the Common Tailorbirds we had seen in the botanic gardens a month earlier. 

Ashy Tailorbird

Common Ioras and Plain-throated Sunbirds were much more numerous here than at the botanic gardens as well, while a small family party of Laced Woodpeckers feeding by the side of the boardwalk gave us a second opportunity for photography.

Plain-throated Sunbird

Laced Woodpecker

Walking further in to the park but surprisingly seeing very few birds, a female Pink-necked Green Pigeon perched high up in a tree saw us scratching our heads for an ID temporarily, before our next new bird materialised in the form of a House Crow calling loudly in a stand of trees near the Tribal Council. 

Female Pink-necked Green Pigeon

House Crow

Asian Koel was next to hit our lists, our only bird of the trip after being far too early for any Pacific Koels in Australia, while an Oriental Magpie Robin briefly gave us the run-around in the branches of a nearby bush. 

Asian Koel

Oriental Magpie Robin

Heading over to the Sungei Api Api river and the bridge crossing over it to search for Kingfishers resulted in partial success in the form of a Collared Kingfisher (now split from the Torresian Kingfisher we had seen in Cairns) but there was sadly no sign of our hoped for White-throated or Stork-billed Kingfishers along the muddy banks, just a solitary Striated Heron stalking fish amongst the twisting tree roots. 

Striated Heron

With the afternoon pressing on we followed a track down the side of the river, a handful of both new and repeat birds presenting themselves in quick succession. The bright flash of yellow of a handsome male Black-naped Oriole grabbed our attention, swiftly followed by a Little Bronze Cuckoo perching obligingly at eye-level for a split second before darting off, the fiery scarlet diagnostic eye ring clearly visible when checking my camera back to determine what species we’d just seen.

Black-naped Oriole

Little Bronze Cuckoo

Germain's Swiflets were also a common sight overhead

In a stroke of luck, on further investigation an unusual noise on the opposite side of the river turned out to be our much sought after Oriental Pied Hornbill, calling loudly and giving great views perched at the top of the trees. A species high up on both of our wish lists, it was a relief to connect, particularly as many of our other hoped for birds in Pasir Ris had failed to put in an appearance. 

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Once native to Singapore, Oriental Pied Hornbills sadly became extinct as a breeding species in the country many years ago, but have since made a remarkable comeback thanks to a concerted breeding and conservation programme. 

Heading further down the river, two Malaysian Pied Fantails flitted around the lower branches hanging in to the water, while the distinctive black and white of a male Pied Triller caught my eye above. 

Malaysian Pied Fantail hiding behind a leaf!

Pied Triller - also hiding behind a leaf!

Getting Alex on the bird before it disappeared, it soon transpired that he’d initially set eyes on a Sunda Woodpecker, which by the time he had thought to mention it had long since gone. Cue *SundaWoodpeckerGate* and a frantic search of the vicinity in an attempt to re-find it before the last of the light disappeared. 

Luckily, after a tense quarter of an hour of nothing, talking to a local birder revealed that a pair of Sunda Woodpeckers were nesting in some trees further down in the park near the Native Lawn. Hurrying over to where he had pointed (he also showed us the trees where the Spotted Owls usually roost – sadly they weren’t present on our visit) two more Collared Kingfishers allowed for the briefest of record shots before powering off back towards the river, while a movement above our heads on one of the trunks proved to be… not a Sunda but rather (surprisingly) the much larger and scarcer Rufous Woodpecker, oblivious to us as we stood below as it bored in to the bark.

Collared Kingfisher

Rufous Woodpecker

Thankfully (to both mine and Alex’s relief!) I didn’t leave Singapore empty handed on the Sunda Woodpecker front, as just as the light was fading a single bird materialised out of nowhere on the branches in front of us, scurrying up the bark and posing before vanishing off towards the river. 

Sunda Woodpecker

The perfect end to our birding journey in what had been an exceptional four weeks of travel. With the light now making it impossible to see properly and with bats starting to emerge around the street lights, we headed over to a snack kiosk to order a taxi, quenching our thirst while we waited with what turned out to be an absolutely vile grape juice concoction. 

Asian Glossy Starlings on the rooftops near the snack kiosk

It would have been rude (and a travesty almost) to visit Singapore without making a trip to the world famous Gardens by the Bay, and as night fell we stopped off to admire these amazing iconic trees in all their glory, lit up spectacularly against the backdrop of the city and timing our visit just right to coincide with the nightly musical performance. Absolutely breath-taking and an amazing finish to what had been an incredible four weeks. 

With a few hours left to kill before our flight back to Manchester we headed back to the airport happy, tucking in to a dish of tasty Singapore noodles in what turned out to be the only airport restaurant still open at 11pm before waiting until the early hours to board.

Despite just having a few short hours in the country, Singapore had proved to be a revelation, hosting fantastically clean open spaces and parks, great facilities and most importantly, incredible birds. From the impressive Racket-tailed Drongos of the rainforest boardwalks and the stately Oriental Pied Hornbills of the open parks to the dainty jewel like Crimson Sunbirds hovering in the flowers, Singapore had proved to be a fascinating first taste of Asia in what was a very time-limited airport stopover – the ideal introduction in to a whole new continent of birding full of fascinating culture, wildlife and experiences. 

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Crimson Sunbird

For birders looking to get a brief taste of Singapore on an extended airport layover, taxis at the arrivals exit and an in-airport storage facility for excess baggage make exploring this fascinating country as easy as possible.  Several of the country's laidback birding sites are within a quick 20 minute drive of Changi Airport and hold a large number of the commoner species. For those with a bit more time on their hands and previous experience of Singapore birds, guides are readily available for a few hours birding in some of the more remote locations.