Green-backed Flycatcher at Singapore Botanic Gardens

Rare Sighting of the Green-backed Flycatcher

Having bought a second Nikon EN-EL20A battery for my Nikon Coolpix P1000, I was ready for an evening of bird watching even after being out the whole morning at Gardens by the Bay. What started out as a dreary, rainy morning turned out to be the happiest bird watching outing to date.

📢 I spotted the rare Green-backed Flycatcher at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Rare sighting of the female Green-backed Flycatcher at Singapore Botanic Gardens

Right Place at the Right Time

I arrived at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG) slightly after 2:30 PM, and randomly strolled around while waiting for my husband to meet up with me. I strolled towards the direction of Nassim Gate, and was silently cursing the weather when it started to drizzle again. I was wondering if I should keep my camera when a small bird flew across my path into the trees. I thought it might be a sunbird or sparrow based on the size when it flitted past me.

I stepped off the path and followed it into the trees. I guess passer-bys must have been wondering why someone would use the muddy path instead of the nice tar road to walk through the Gardens. The tiny bird was in a low tree, hiding from the rain. I took as many shots as I could before it flew off. I did not recognize the bird, and at that point I had zero clue I had spotted a "rare winter visitor and passage migrant" ^[1].

Female Green-backed Flycatcher at Singapore Botanic Gardens

From my photographs, my parents thought it looked like a Flycatcher. My mum said it might be the Narcissus Flycatcher, but some Googling seemed to indicate it was the Green-backed Flycatcher. So I consulted the Singapore Bird Group to help confirm the bird's identity, and they informed me *drumrolls* it was the Green-backed Flycatcher. Woohoo!

Beautiful Sunbird

I felt quite jubilant the rest of the weekend, having been fortunate and lucky enough to get a rare sighting of the visiting Flycatcher. It was a happy outing for me, as I also finally managed to capture the female Brown-throated Sunbird at SBG.