BIRD WATCH

 Striated Heron (formerly known as Little Heron) 
(Butorides striatus)

(Note: a kind reader pointed out to me that this is the Striated Heron or Little Heron and not the Black-crowned Night Heron)


Revisiting one of my favourite bird watching sites, the Pasir Ris Park, after the Chinese New Year was somewhat of a let-down after all the earlier excitement of seeing the Mangrove Pitta, Spotted Owl and Pied Hornbill there.


It was quite late in the afternoon but the sun was still shining brightly through the mangrove trees with rays of brilliant light piercing the canopy. Not much was in sight except for small crabs and mud skippers, and the call of the kingfishers was in full blast.


Suddenly, a small movement momentarily caught my eyes. Standing still and quietly in order to not startle whatever it was, I spied a skinny hen-sized bird moving among the mangrove roots. Dark bluish on top with a white body and pointy beaks. Through the binoculars, I saw this fairly common water bird, the Striated Heron or Little Heron having a late afternoon snack, pulling long slimy things out of the mud.


Here's a video recording of it.

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