That’s a wrap for the fourth edition of Raptor Watch at Henderson Waves! We have spent the past three Sundays (26 Oct, 2 Nov, 9 Nov) baking under the hot sun in an attempt to spot some of the migrants passing through our shores.
Let’s dive right in to one of the best birds that was spotted for this season of Raptor Watch — the Steppe Eagle! This was only our 7th record of this species in Singapore and the first since 1999. After a sudden downpour had chased away all but the most ardent birders, the Steppe Eagle decided to make its appearance and was quickly picked up by the remaining birders on site (while the rest of us kicked ourselves for leaving early). What is even more amazing is that this particular individual was then spotted again in Java, Indonesia about two weeks later, which you can read about more in our article here.
Steppe Eagle at Henderson Waves. Photo credit: Adrian Silas Tay.
Apart from the Steppe Eagle, migrant activity was relatively slow and we spotted many of the usual suspects — including Japanese Sparrowhawks, Chinese Sparrowhawks, Crested Honey Buzzards and Pacific Swifts. Some less common migrants observed include the White-throated Needletail, Booted Eagle, Grey-faced Buzzard and Asian House Martin. We had great fun pointing out the small dots in the sky to interested passers-by (what are you looking at?) and sharing more about raptor migration and identification in Singapore.
Asian House Martin at Henderson Waves. Photo credit: Jared Tan.
We hope that you enjoyed this year’s Raptor Watch as much as we did and stay tuned for next year’s edition and new merch coming your way!
Photo credit: Adrian Silas Tay.