Uncommon Wildlife Encounters at Singapore Botanic Garden

Singapore Botanic Garden (SBG) is known for its diverse bird and animal species, with common sightings including Java Mynahs, Pigeons, and Olive Backed Sunbirds, Yellow vented Bulbuls, Asian Glossy Starlings (red eye black birds), Black-nape orioles, long tail parakeets,  kingfishers, Drongo (white eye black bird with long tails), Pacific Swallow, water hen, jungle roosters. Other commonly seen animals include the pair of resident swans at Swan lake, turtles at Symphony lake, monitor lizards in ponds and on lands. Less frequent but not rare, we saw oriental-pied hornbills, smooth skin otters, and black swans at Echo lake.

However, there are also rare and uncommon sightings that offer unique experiences. Here is summary of our recent unexpected encounters within the garden.

Nightjars

While strolling by Keppel Wetland at dusk (~ 7pm) a few weeks ago,  a bird rested on top of a night light post caught our attention. It looked like a sparrow but quite a bit larger. It looked so lethargic, we thought that it might be injured. When I approached to take a closer look, it flew away and rested on another night light post a couple meters away. This was the first time we saw this bird at SBG in the past two years.

It turned out to be a large tailed nightjar - a nocturnal bird. Checking its chirp sound, we realized that we heard nightjar calls regularly before. We mistaken its distinctive chirping for insect sounds, which added to the fascination of this rare sighting.

Common Palm Civet

In January 9th, 2023, around 8pm, as we walked along the eastern side of the garden, near Tangling gate, I heard some noise in the bush by the road side. A mysterious creature resembling a cat but with a raccoon-like body emerged from the bushes. I snaped a few pictures after staring at it for a few seconds - the best I got was this blurred image of the nocturnal animal. Checking Singapore national park service website, I found out that this creature is most likely a common palm civet, a shy nocturnal omnivore mammal. This brief encounter provided me a glimpse into the elusive life of this fascinating creature.

Common Palm Civet

Nocturnal birds or animals are hard to spot even they are common. There are also some diurnal birds or animals that are not commonly seen.

Plaintive Cuckoo

On the morning of February 18th, 2023, I was walking by Keppel Wetland, and heard this smooth loud bird call , but I could not locate the location of it. An old woman with a camera, was nearby, and looking into woods. With her tip, I finally spotted it. I was captivated by its smooth calls and beautiful plumage. 

Plaintive Cuckoo

A turtle with golden head

While observing the surroundings of Echo Lake earlier this week, we were surprised to come across a turtle with a golden head. Though uncertain if it was an optical illusion, the unique sighting left us intrigued.

A turtle with Golden head

A monitor lizard climbing tree

There are many monitor lizards at SBG. One time we saw ~ 10 of them swimming in the Symphony lake. Recently we saw many small monitor lizards wandering around the garden on the ground. 

But we did see a monitor lizard climbing a tree by the rainforest trail's eastern trailhead. This tree has a big cavity about 5 meters above ground.

Why do water lizards climb trees? According to internet, the lizards climb trees to look for food - such as bird eggs, bird chicks, or other small animals. Another reason is that small young monitor lizard try to escape from adult monitor lizards which actually eat small monitor lizards.

While monitor lizards are a common sight at SBG, witnessing one climb a tree near the rainforest trail's eastern trailhead was a captivating experience. Discovering their arboreal behavior added to our understanding of these fascinating creatures.

A monitor lizard climbed to a tall tree by Rainforest Trail - eastern trail head

A red legged Rake

Red-legged crakes are typically secretive and elusive birds. They are skilled at hiding in dense vegetation and rarely venture out into the open. However, on March 9th, we saw two red legged rakes venturing out of dense bush by Tyersall service desk area in bright daylight, this one in the photo actually ran across the pavement to the bushes on the other side of the road. 

Exploring the Singapore Botanic Garden brings opportunities to witness not only the commonly seen birds and animals but also rare and interesting encounters. From nightjars and palm civets to golden head turtles and climbing monitor lizards, these uncommon sightings offer a glimpse into the hidden wonders at the Garden.