Feathers

Date: 18 January 2026, Sunday
Location: Chinese Gardens, Jurong Lake Gardens
Start time: ~10am

Total no. of species recorded: 18
List of Species recorded (in no order): Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Pink-necked Green-Pigeon, Pied Imperial-Pigeon, Yellow Bittern, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Black-naped Oriole, Ashy Tailorbird, Pacific Swallow, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Asian Glossy Starling, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Ornate Sunbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, House Crow
Lifer, Year Bird (2026)

Overview:
My 2nd birding adventure with Pops. We took our time exploring the area, and spent extra time at a few locations based on prior bird records to find the cuckoos and also to record birds on video. Certain species, like the cuckoos, were not observed in the morning – possibly due to the humidity and recent tree trimmings near Cloud pagoda. We could not find any cuckoos near the Eden Restaurant too; slightly jaded because Pops has not seen cuckoos since last year.

Observation conditions:
Observations were made in the morning, approx. 10am, under sunny and humid conditions. Bird activity was lower than expected, possibly influenced by the humidity and higher levels of human-activity.

Species recorded (in no particular order)

1. Pied Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula bicolor)

🐦 A Pied Imperial-Pigeon was observed roosting quietly in a tall tree along Ficus Lawn, Chinese Gardens. No visible movement for the next 10-15minutes around 10:30am, possibly due to the humid conditions, as I moved on to spot other birds.

2. Pacific swallow (Hirundo tahitica)

🐦 A pair of Pacific swallows was observed perched on a lone branch overlooking Jurong lake around 11am. Notably small in size as compared to the Common Kingfisher, one bird remained perched on top of the branch while the other flew off intermittently before returning. Both birds departed after some disturbances among nearby bushes.

3. Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)

🐦 A lone Yellow Bittern was spotted hunting for food. It stood patiently atop a bed of Common Water Hyacinth, treading carefully and remaining still for some time. The bird extended its neck several times, possibly assessing its distance between the prey and water depth, before attempting a strike. However, it was unsuccessful.
It subsequently moved to higher ground, hiding itself behind more foliage and succeeded in foraging on larvae.

4. Scarlet-backed flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum)

🐦 At approximately 10:30am, 2 female Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers were observed calling loudly while moving quickly through the foliage near the Cloud Pagoda, Chinese Gardens. Pops spotted the couple first. I was not able to obtain a clear photo of the bird as they were fast moving. Both birds did not linger too long on the tree; flew off quickly after a brief perch. Identification was based on the visible reddish rump and reference images from Google.