Kent Ridge Park, Singapore, May 2013

Clutching my new book in my sweaty palms, I was on my way to a new site this afternoon. Kent Ridge Park is described in “Dragonflies of our Parks and Gardens”, as the best site for ode spotting on the island. The National Parks publication made it sound so enticing that I cut short a visit to the Botanic Gardens in Singapore to make a visit. Foolishly, I made that visit at midday on a steaming hot day. I had brought plenty of water to replace lost liquids, but I struggled to get it in faster than it was coming out. 

My rewards were a good look at a Bronze Flutterer, Rhyothemis obsolescens as my first red-letter ode for a while.

Other odes included a Grenadier, but not for long! The Variegated Green Skimmer caught it and ate it. 

There is a weedy pond and a large deep lake, but by the time I reached them, it was just past midday and the heat was so intense that all I wanted to do was skulk in the shade. Luckily, a pair of White-crested Laughingthrushes were of the same mind and we shared a narrow strip of shadow by the path.

The laughingthrushes had caught or found a small frog. They reared high and slammed their bills down onto the frog. It was certainly dead when I came upon them, but they were still stabbing it ferociously nevertheless.

I didn’t make it to the canopy walkway which was part of the attraction of Kent Ridge Park. That will be my priority for my next visit.

Birds seen;

White-breasted Waterhen 1, Pacific Swallow 5, Yellow-vented Bubul 4, Dark-necked Tailorbird 1, White-crested Laughingthrush 2, Javan Myna 6.

Odonata seen;

Bronze Flutterer, Rhyothemis obsolescens  Variegated Green Skimmer, Orthetrum Sabina, Grenadier, Agrionoptera insignis, Spine-tufted Skimmer, Orthetrum Chrysis, Banded Skimmer,Pseudothemis jorina, Yellow-barred Flutterer, Rhyothemis Phyllis, Blue Dasher, Brachydiplax chalybea, 

To get to Kent Ridge Park, catch the SMRT to Kent Ridge and exit to Bus stop 2. Follow the road uphill and turn left into Science Park Drive. At the bottom of this road is a connector path at Google Earth ref; 1 17 16.53N 103 47 23.40.

This will bring you to the gate by the lakes.

Visit the dedicated Oriental Page for more sites from Singapore.