When I first purchased a telephoto lens and camera in April 2010, the main goal was to have a walk around set up in the neighbourhood and documenting the wildlife that inhabit it. Soon my focus turned specifically to birds.
Years ago, when I bought a DSLR to photograph my growing child, I had started learning about photographic techniques in a local photographic forum. I must have browsed through many photos in the forum looking for inspiration. Among them were truly well taken photos of birds from a small group of local wildlife photographers that travelled around the entire island looking for our feathered friends. I wished then that I had that luxury of time to pursue such a hobby.
Once I started focussing on birds myself, it was not long before I started doing the same chase. Neighbourhood walks turned to long car drives and then long treks. A handful of birds turned into 50 and then 100 birds within a few months. Months soon turned to years and my photo collection grew. Five and a half years later, I have photographed 303 wild bird species.
That’s not a big number. In Peru, a team of committed and well prepared birders saw a total of 354 species in a day! Nonetheless, I am pleased to break the 300 species mark in Singapore itself. There is no big celebration or announcement. I have participated in two Big Year competition against other birders in 2012 and in 2014, but this one was different. It’s a quiet personal journey with no definite time frame. I hope to and will work on seeing more birds in the future, one new species at a time.
Random Photo Gallery
Punggol Barat
Juvenile, Seletar Dam
Punggol Barat
Male, NTL2
Male, NSRCC
Male, Punggol Barat
Loyang
Dairy Farm
Breeding plumage, Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Male, Jelutong Tower
Bidadari
Punggol Barat
Lorong Halus
Tanah Merah
Bidadari
Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin
Straits of Singapore
Male, Bidadari
Japanese Garden
Lorong Halus
Punggol Waterway
Seletar Dam
SBWR
SEletar Dam
SBWR
LOrong Halus
SBWR
SBWR
Straits of Singapore
Bidadari
Macritchie Reservoir
Pasir Ris Park
Lorong Halus
Male, Pasir Ris Park
West Coast Park
Chinese Garden
Chinese Garden
Changi
Lorong Halus
Tuas Grassland
Lorong Halus
Lorong Halus
Tuas Grassland
Venus Drive
Seletar Dam
SBWR
Sentosa
Changi Cove
Straits of Singapore
Male, Tanah Merah
Seletar Dam
Changi Cove
Bishan
Sengkang
Jurong West
Ubin
Changi Cove
Pasir Ris
SBG
Pasir Panjang
Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Male, Bidadari
Breeding plumage, Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Jelutong Tower
Jelutong Tower
Venus Drive
Jelutong Tower
Straits of Singapore
Straits of Singapore
Venus Drive
Jelutong Tower
Male, Jelutong Tower
Jelutong Tower
Lorong Halus
Punggol
SBWR
Jelutong Tower
Changi Cove
Bidadari
Male, Jelutong Tower
Jelutong Tower
Seletar Aerospace
Punggol Barat
Jelutong Tower
Seletar Dam
Seletar Dam
Jelutong Tower
Pasir Ris Park
Pasir Ris Park
Lower Peirce
Japanese Garden
Female, Bukit Timah Summit
Juvenile, Bidadari
Jurong West
SBWR
Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Jelutong Tower
Male, Pasir Ris Park
SBG
Tampines Bike Trail
Jelutong Tower
Sengkang
Marina Barrage
Pulau Ubin
Straits of Singapore
Lorong Halus
Sengkang
Straits of Singapore
Female, Lorong Halus
Kent Ridge Park
Pasir Ris Park
SBG
Kent Ridge Park
Bidadari
Seletar Dam
Torquatus race, Dillenia Hut
Bukit Timah Summit
Jelutong Tower
Bidadari
SBWR
Lorong Halus
Faber Hill
SBWR
Lorong Halus
Bukit Timah summit
Mandai Mudflats
Punggol Barat
Juvenile, Pasir Ris Park
Bidadari
Bukit Brown
Male, Jelutong Tower
Straits of Singapore
Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Tanah Merah
Tuas South
Tuas South
Pasir Ris Farmway 3
Eng Neo Ave
Bukit Timah summit
Adult, Lorong Halus
Male, Jelutong Tower
Jelutong Tower
Saddle Club
Lorong Halus
Jelutong Tower
Venus Drive
Bidadari
Sengkang Floating Wetland
Lorong Halus
Saddle Club
SBWR
Bukit Timah summit
Punggol Barat
Bukit Timah summit
Punggol Barat
Punggol Barat
Punggol Barat
Sengkang
Chinese Garden
Venus Drive
Rifle Range Link
SBG
Dairy Farm
Lorong Halus
Macritchie Reservoir
Lower Peirce
SBWR
Bidadari
Sengkang
Chinese Garden
Pasir Ris Park
Lower Peirce
Bidadari
Sentosa
Bidadari
Venus Drive
Nee Soon Swampforest
Satay by the Bay
Strait of Singapore
Pulau Hantu
Changi Village
Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin
Bidadari
Bidadari
Malcolm Park
Seletar Dam
Mandai Mudflats
Singapore Strait
Singapore Strait
Rifle Range Link
Sungei Serangoon
Jelutong Tower
Singapore Strait
Kent Ridge Park
Kent Ridge Park
Lorong Halus
Jelutong Tower
Singapore Strait
Tuas South
Dillenia Hut
Tuas South
Kent Ridge Park
Dairy Farm Nature Park
Jurong Eco Garden
Kent Ridge Park
Jurong Eco Garden
Sungei Serangoon
Sungei Serangoon
Jelutong Tower
Pasir Ris Park
Pasir Ris Park
Jurong West Street 22
Kent Ridge Park
Tuas South
Mount Faber
Mount Faber
Mount Faber
Juvenile, Bidadari
Bidadari
SBWR
Pulau Hantu
Rifle Range Link
Hindhede Park
Bidadari
Rifle Range Link
Lorong Halus
Bukit Gombak
Bidadari
Jelutong Tower
Bidadari
Bidadari
Faber Hill
Prime reeding plumage, Lim Chu Kang
Rifle Range Link
Female, Rifle Range Link
Sg Serangoon
Male Mangrove Blue Flycatcher at Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin
Crested Serpent Eagle at Japanese Garden
Male, Lower Peirce
Common Buzzard at Changi Cove. Race vulpinus, also known as Steppe Buzzard
Punggol Barat
Lorong Halus
Changi
Bidadari
Glossy Swiftlet at Bukit Batok Nature Park
Common Myna at Lorong Halus
Javan Myna at Bidadari
Male Red Avadavat at Punggol Barat
Bidadari
Scaly-breasted Munia at Lorong Halus
Male and female King Quails at Punggol Barat
Pin-striped Tit-Babbler at Rifle Range Link
Stork-billed Kingfisher at Pekan Quarry, Ubin
Female Pied Triller at Lorong Halus
Eurasian Curlew at SBWR
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat
Juvenile Japanese Sparrowhawk at Changi
Adult White-bellied Sea Eagle at Lorong Halus
Dairy Farm Nature Park
Pied Harrier at Turut Track
Jelutong Tower
Juvenile Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle at Bukit Timah summit
Paddyfield Pipit at NSRCC
Lesser Sand Plover at Seletar Dam
Western Osprey at Punggol
Asian Glossy Starling at Lorong Halus
House Swift at Lorong Halus
Blue-winged Pitta at Macritchie Boardwalk
Zebra Dove at Pasir Ris Park
Greater Sand Plover at Seletar Dam
Female Greater Painted-snipe at Jurong West
Ferruginous Flycatcher at Bidadari
Male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker at Jelutong Tower
Pasir Ris Park
Male Zappey’s Flycatcher at Bidadari
Arctic Warbler at Tuas South
Crow-billed Drongo at Bidadari
Pacific Swift at Jelutong Tower
Amur Paradise Flycatcher at Bidadari
Kentish Plover at Changi Cove
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo at Jelutong Tower
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha at Jelutong Tower
Oriental Paradise Flycatcher at Tuas South
Greater Spotted Eagle at Tuas South
Francis Yap Nature Photography 