MacRitchie Reservoir, Revisited
Second time visiting MacRitchie Reservoir with my Nikon Coolpix P1000 camera. This time we went to the main entrance near the carpark instead of the Tree Top Walk area previously. Despite the Covid-19 situation, the place was packed, many people in large groups, and with masks off since everyone is out to exercise. To be honest, I always prefer being paranoid than sorry, so I kept my mask on and really tried to stay away from most people.
Stroke of Luck
I was fortunate enough to spot the Banded Woodpecker for the very first time while trekking back to the car park from the boardwalk. I was actually trying to confirm if another bird I saw (which flew off before I was certain!) was the male Asian Koel, sitting on a branch pretty low to the ground. It was the shaded part of the trail, so I had to squint around to see if it was still around, and I happened to spot the Banded Woodpecker, less than 3 meters away. It was surprisingly quiet; I honestly thought I would be able to hear it pecking away at the tree. I think the Banded Woodpecker looks like such a hip, modern bird: just look at the fiery red hair!
What Birds Can You Spot at MacRitchie Reservoir?
It was a pretty unfruitful day, bird-wise. I noticed the Brahminy Kite soaring above but the Nikon Coolpix P1000 does not perform well with faraway moving subjects. The Blue-tailed Bee-eaters were spotted also but they did not stay put on a branch long enough for me to zoom in.
Anyway, next time you head over to MacRitchie Reservoir, see if you can spot the following:
- Banded Woodpecker
- Asian Brown Flycatcher
- Brahminy Kite
- Blue-tailed Bee-eater
- Asian Glossy Starling
- Javan Mynah
- Pink-necked Green Pigeon
