Saturday, 18 May 2013

Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore, May 2013

Singapore Botanic Gardens is a must-visit for anyone with a few hours to spare in Singapore. Eco Pond can be circled in less than 15 mins and is likely to bring Lesser Whistling Duck, White-breasted Waterhen, Pink-necked Green Pigeon and Yellow-vented Bulbul


This morning Black-naped Orioles and Blue-rumped Hanging Parrots were also seen. A few exotics include Black Swan which was sitting on a nest today.

A visit to Heliconia Walk always fills me with anticipation. Sunbirds come down to feed from the showy flowers and make for a great photo opportunity. Today they seemed reluctant, so I took a walk beyond the Ginger Garden where a Jacaranda Tree was in bloom attracting Brown-throated Sunbirds.

A formal water garden often has water lilies in bloom and odonata like to use them as perches. On this occasion, one of Singapore’s most common damselflies, the Blue Sprite, Pseudagrion microcephalum was seen.

I came across a great book “Dragonflies of our Parks and Gardens”, a National Parks publication describing Singapore’s odonata and where to go looking for them. The Botanic Gardens are considered to be one of the best places on the island.

The forest was very quiet, but the path brought me back to Heliconia Walk where the sunbird action had picked up with male and female Olive-backed Sunbirds working the flowers.

Birds seen;
Lesser Whistling Duck 19, Yellow Bittern 1, White-breasted Waterhen 8, Spotted Dove 5, Zebra Dove 2, Pink-necked Pigeon 20, Long-tailed Parakeet 2, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot 6, Asian Koel 1, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Common Iora 5, Black-naped Oriole 6, Pacific Swallow 5, Yellow-vented Bulbul 12, Common Tailorbird 2, Oriental Magpie-robin 5, Asian Glossy Starling 20, Javan Myna 40, Plain-throated Sunbird 6, Olive-backed Sunbird 4, Crimson Sunbird 2, Eurasian Tree Sparrow 15.


There is an SMRT Station called Botanic Garden. This is sited at the Eco Pond Gate at Google Earth ref; 1 19 19.47N 103 48 55.08E.
For more posts from the Botanic Gardens in Singapore, follow the links below;
Visit the dedicated Oriental Page for more posts from Singapore including Central Catchment Area and Paser Ris.

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