When i was still a kid, there were two main reasons for going to Jurong Bird Park.
,+Singapore+(Large).jpg)
One, to watch the birds (including the super cute waddling penguins) and two, to take in the sight of the man-made waterfall located within the world's largest walk-in aviary since Singapore has no natural one to call her own.
Okay, i am not sure how true the tags of world's largest aviary and world's tallest man-made waterfall are but what matters more is the experience of walking right into a cage without getting the impression you are actually in one.
At least i can confirm you will get to see birds other than the common pigeons, mynahs, crows, swiftlets and sparrows. Try to spot the kookaburra African roller [correction made according to an anonymous reader] in the above picture!
The walk in wasn't treacherous although there are different level of challenges. And don't worry about time; even though it is apparently the world's largest aviary, you can probably stroll into the aviary, walk to the waterfall, take a few pictures and step out of the aviary within a conservative fifteen minutes!
But if you are someone who likes to stalk out the numerous feeding posts for our feathered friends, a longer time and a bit of patience are recommended.
Should you prefer to make full use of your itinerary where you can see as many birds as possible in the African waterfall aviary, please note the feeding times at 10.30am and 2.30pm.
Apology for the blurred photograph that was taken during non feeding times. And what the heck is that mynah doing here?! Sneaky fellow must have gotten news of this paradise where food never ceases.
This picture is much better. And there was a kookaburra an African roller [correction made according to an anonymous reader] too! Remember this nursery rhyme "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. Merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!"?
Without further ado, let me present to you "the" waterfall.
At 30 meters high, this man-made waterfall is officially known as Jurong Falls and was in fact built over a natural cliff. Bet most Singaporeans have no idea about this.
Second 'floor' of the aviary - this suspension bridge links up the two observation huts by the side of the waterfall and has the advantage of providing an elevated frontal view of Jurong Falls.
Frankly, i like this section of the aviary best as i get to have a bird's eye view of the made-to-be-natural rainforest surrounding.
View of the ground 'floor'. Does anyone remember an iconic 'love' bridge in this aviary? I could not seem to find it anyway! The memory of couples jostling to take pictures with the red-coloured bridge remains fresh in my mind!
Observation hut - the highest point in the aviary. Two options are available; steep or gentle path depending on how fast you want to reach the hut. Given my impatience, i selected the steep path without much consideration.
Kind of regretted my decision when i came to the flight of stairs...
Nevertheless, it's not as torturing as the ones at Tian Men Shan and i literally bounced up to the top of the stairs within twenty seconds!
Empty and devoid of any people. An opportunity for me to take a breather, enjoy the peace and serenity and hopefully be able to catch a few bird sightings.
Tropical fruits like bananas and papayas were placed at strategic points to entice the birdies to the hut. Not that it was a great success since the last feeding was a mere half an hour ago.
Look at the beak marks! Guess i should have reached earlier when every bird was competing for the fleshier top portion.
The environment must have been pretty comfortable for the birds to build a nest of their own instead of using the wooden ones provided by the bird park.
Side view of the waterfall; definitely the least impressive at this angle.
Gentle path was chosen for my way down; longer time required to reach the ground level but there is a danger should you want to sprint.
This would suddenly walked into your path and despite having a much smaller body, totally ignored your presence! Damn, i should have cooked it for dinner.
======
Website
Additional Information
Click HERE for my post on Penguin Coast
Click HERE for my post on Lory Loft
Click HERE for my post on Birdz of Play
Hi, those birds aren't kookaburras. They're called Rollers, native to Africa. Kookaburras are from Australia, you can find one at the Bird Park's Lory Loft.
ReplyDeletedamn! i know it can't be such a lucky guess! i am thankful i didn't indicate them as kingfishers due to the beak though. hahaha.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, i am very grateful for your notification, regardless of your name and shall make the amendment.
Once again, thanks alot!