Southeast Asia Map

Southeast Asia Map

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Jurong Bird Park (Singapore)


This is definitely one of Singapore's highlights, especially for someone not used to seeing an incredible number of tropical birds all at once! The park is located more than an hour away from town but It was very easy to get there. We took the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit train) most of the way and transferred to a local bus for the final 3.3kms (about 2 miles). The whole journey cost less than S$2.00 each. We're really impressed with the quality of public transportation; it's clean, fast and priced in such a way that many locals prefer to use it over walking even a short distance. We opted to get an 'ez-link' card and load it up with cash to cover all our transport costs. Now we can tap on and off trains and buses without worrying about calculating individual fares or buying tickets each time. It's very much like MRT systems around the world except it appears Singapore has taken it one step further; here it can also be used to pay for taxis! Highly efficient.

The entrance fee to the bird park was S$20.00 each, great value for almost six hours of extraordinary entertainment. The aviaries are large, up to two hectares in size and house a number of common as well as endangered species. There's a lot of opportunity for interaction and daily shows to impress one even further. Almost immediately we entered, the mandarin ducks begged to be photographed - they are so attractive.


The pelicans had us in stitches at feeding time, jostling each other for best position.


This guy stood regally above the mayhem.


The crested pigeon is bigger than a chicken!


We learned something new about penguins. The black spots on their tummies are like fingerprints - each and every one is different! Newborn chicks identify their mothers this way, and vice versa.


The macaws are not only beautiful but clever too!


This waterfall is in the largest aviary. You'd think no-one was around but I just got lucky with this shot. The foliage is too dense to spot birds at anything other than close range.


Guinea Fowl. A reminder of home (Africa) - one of my favourite birds but they are so silly!


"Hey dude! Don't you realize there are people watching? Stop mooning them!"


This kingfisher sat perfectly still for me!


The Lory Loft provided plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal. This little Asian boy was enthralled with the birds and very gentle in his approach. 


It wasn't long before Dennis had a few friends too!


As for me, this outing produced a couple of close calls; on one occasion a bird wing brushed my cheek as it flew by and on another, bird poop landed on my hat and splashed my t-shirt! Whoa, glad I wore my hat! The park was also filled with beautiful flowers, the precisely intricate orchids never ceasing to catch my attention!


Note on current exchange rate: SGD$1.00 is about US$0.80 is about ZAR8.00

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