9 Dec 2008

Grey-tailed Tattler

by | posted in: Waders | 0

Foo Sai Khoon was at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on 20th November 2008 and sent in this:

“I happened to be at Hide 1c (to look for the Nordmann’s Greenshank) in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR) when staff of SBWR was doing bird count yesterday evening (about 5pm). One of them spotted this gem among the waders. It the same bird that Mendis mentioned. I find it strange that under different lighting situations, the colour of the feathers looked different. The 3 heavily cropped images enclosed are of the same bird.”

The Grey-tailed Tattler (Heteroscelus brevipes) is an uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant to Singapore. The first record was on 11th September 1923 after which it was not recorded again until 8th November 1967 at Changi. This uncommon visitor is not seen annually.

The main migration route from the north passes further east of Singapore, through the Philippines.

The earliest and latest sightings are 31st August and 21st April respectively.

Reference:
Wang, L.K. & C. J. Hails, 2007. An annotated checklist of birds of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 15: 1-179.

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Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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