This record was submitted by Lee Chien Nien on 26 Aug 2024. All user submissions will be reviewed by the Records Committee. Entries listed here may be edited for brevity and clarity while the original record is left unchanged.
This record was submitted to the Records Committee for review.
The Records Committee began deliberating on this record.
The Records Committee completed its review and finalised its verdict.
| Species | Buff-rumped Woodpecker Meiglyptes grammithorax |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 10852 |
| Date | 26 Aug 2024 |
| Location | Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve |
| Count | 1 individual |
| Date added | 26 Aug 2024 |
This record has not been accepted by the Records Committee. For more details, see below.
| Background |
|---|
| For a species of such rarity, the committee agreed that in the absence of visual confirmation (and associated photos/visual descriptions), audio recordings would be required to confirm the identification. |
| Vote results | Against: 5, For: 1 Wild: 1 |
|---|---|
| Verdict | Not accepted (Verifiable) |
| Identification |
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| I was leaving SBWR and had crossed the main bridge and had turned right towards the wetland centre. That is when I heard very loud drumming that caught my attention. I normally have more difficulty hearing the local woodpeckers drum but this was much louder. I stopped in my tracks but it did not drum again for about a minute. I took a few steps to continue my walk out and that is when I heard the drumming 2 more times. This is when I realised that this was a bird that might be interesting. I turned around and followed the drumming. I turned right onto the mangrove boardwalk (left would be to main bridge) and walked about 20 to 30 metres. When I got to this part of the boardwalk, I tried to spot the bird but was unable to and it had also stopped drumming. In total I heard it drum about 5 to 6 times. About a minute later is when I heard the bird call. It was not as close as the drumming so it may have moved but I believe it was the call of a Buff Rumped Woodpecker (BRW). The reason I believe so is because I have 3 BRW calls downloaded into my phone. Over the last 3 years, these calls are played every time I go to Ubin where the BRW was seen previously. I also play the calls at home or in the car to familiarise myself. As such, when I heard the call, I knew that I knew what call it was but it just took me a a bit of time to come to the realisation that it was a BRW. I tried to record the call but by this time the bird had stopped calling. I played back BRW calls but there was no response. It is likely that the bird was already moving away. For reference as to what I heard, in xeno canto it is the call recorded by Frank Lambert, XC114407 on 2012-12-03 that lasts 0:33. As far as I know, none of the resident woodpeckers have this call. I have not included the BRW in my ebird checklist (yet). I am not sure I can explain why but I do not want to be seen as dubious or just trying too hard. So although I am sure of what I heard, I will await the committee's decision. |
| Viewing conditions |
|---|
| Quiet with the occasional oriole, pink necked green pigeon and ashy tailorbird calling |
| Observer's experience |
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| Have seen and heard BRW in Malaysia |
| Observer's experience w/similar species |
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| Am familiar with resident woodpeckers and their calls. I am quite confident In being able to ID them by call most of the time. |
Bird Society of Singapore. (2024). Record 10852: Buff-rumped Woodpecker Meiglyptes grammithorax. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://records.singaporebirds.com/record/10852/.