It was pretty late, close to 1.30am, when there came a screeching sound like "screeeet screet!" and a huge flapping of wings over the canal. I could see immediately that it was a pretty large bird and got really excited.
It was only when the bird stood still on a fence and swivelled its head around that i then realised that i was looking at an owl. Wow! My first sighting of an owl in Singapore!
I couldn't take a good close look as it flew away shortly after but my guess is that it's a Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
Apparently it's quite common in Singapore (since the 1980s) and have adapted quite well to urban environments, roosting and nesting in abandoned buildings as well as in trees.
I wished I could have gotten a camera shot of it!
