Singapore - MacRitchie Reservoir - Raptor saves the day!

This morning I took the short journey to MacRitchie Reservoir which is part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The yellow trail around the reservoir is around eleven km and features the Treetop Walk and the Jelutong Tower.

The Treetop Walk is 250m long and wide enough for one person it also bounces slightly when there are many people on it. For obvious reasons the route is one way. There is a fantastic view of the canopy but if it is busy then the opportunities to stop are limited. The Jelutong Towers top two levels are up in the canopy and there is seating on the second level. This is more suitable for a stake out particularly when the trees are in flower or during migration.

Forest birding is always tough and many of the species today were not budging making viewing very difficult. I considered going off piste but decided against it with a dense leaf litter wearing shorts and trainers! I walked the yellow trail which covers the perimeter and concluded the route would have been more productive completed in reverse.

A pair of Banded Woodpecker was the most stationary birds I came across at one point I wondered who was observing who!

I had a couple of sightings of Greater Racket Tailed Drongo and managed a closer encounter on the golf course side of the forest. 

I also caught up with some squabbling Arctic Warblers in a similar location to the Drongo. The light gives the appearance of a yellowish belly but other pictures suggest otherwise. Note dark eye stripe.

The open water featured Pacific and Asian Palm Swift with infrequent Grey Rumped Treeswift thrown into the mix. 

A Brahminy Kite was also present circling high over the open water. 

To end the tour a juvenile raptor no moult or barring through primaries or secondaries, with a broad wing through the hand, darker outer primaries, seven fingers. An interesting bird which after studying my photos I have concluded is a Changeable Hawk Eagle. I initially thought it was a Crested Honey Buzzard which incidentally is referred to as a confusion species in the field. 

ref:  Naturalists Guide To Birds of Singapore by Li ,Chuah and Khee, Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa , Middle East by Forsman, google images.