Walking full circle around Singapore Botanic Garden

Despite walking at the Botanic Garden daily, we walk partially of the garden each time. Yesterday, March 16, 2024, I woke up early and decided to walk to every major point of interests in the garden without repeating my track. In the end, it took me 2 hour 55 minutes to achieve the goal, and the full loop was 11.4km long. I stopped frequently to enjoy a scenery or watch birds, as indicated by the dark blue color in the following tracked trail.

I started tracking my walk right outside my home, which is about 500m from Tangling Gate of the Garden, at 6:45am. It was still dark, nothing much to see but a chorus of bird chirps to hear.

Entering the garden through Tangling Gate, I maintained a steady pace until I reached Swan Lake, marking the first kilometer of my journey. The rising sun cast its gentle light upon a lone swan gracefully gliding across the serene waters.

a flowering tree under morning light

Walking around the lake, and crossing the boardwalk over the Keppel wetland (by mile marker 2), I was on top of the pedestrian bridge over the wetland, enjoying the peaceful surrounding and looking for a chirping bird.

Blooming Kock's Bauhinia (flower) on the rail of the bridge

It was not so easy to locate the female cowbird (?)

It was around 7:15am when I reached HPL Canopy Link, the time Sunrose above the horizon. 

cloud blocked the rising Sun but the light shone through

Canopy starts to form around the bridge

Through the link, I walked into the Gallop extension of the Singapore Botanic Garden. A group was having wedding photo shots by the Forest Discovery Center - the first building one encounters when walking into the extension.

A group having wedding photo shots

Amidst the lush foliage of Gallop Extension, the air was filled with the melodious calls of Yellow-Vented Bulbuls and the distinctive cries of Collared Kingfishers. Long-tailed Parakeets added to the symphony, their vibrant plumage a fleeting glimpse amidst the canopy.

Visual features of yellow vented bulbuls include - yellow bottom, black/white eye patch, collared kingfishers have blue plumage and a white collar, the long tailed parakeets have long tails and green plumage. It was hard to see their colors when sunlight was dimmed by clouds.

A yellow vented bulbul singing from the top of a tree

A collared Kingfisher

A long tail parakeet was about land on a tree branch

Cat's whiskers

A highlight of my journey unfolded amidst the switchbacks northwest of Pangium Restaurant, where the unmistakable calls of oriental pied hornbills resonated through the trees. 

Looking up a few times, I finally located two hornbills, making noises from tree branches near the top of a tall tree, jumping around, and eventually perched on a bare branch, preening and making call alternatively. After a while, they moved apart, and still making loud noises occasionally.  The bird show lasted about 10 minutes until they flew away. Witnessing their playful antics brought a moment of pure delight, a fleeting glimpse into the wonders of nature.

A pair of oriental pied hornbills

Short flight from the tress and then return

can you see a hornbill in this picture?

 

 Afterwards I walked to the Symphony Lake via the Palm Valley Lawn, a pair of pink pigeons on top of a pam tree, and a olive backed sunbird on another tree top caught my eyes.

a sunbird at top of the palm tree

The sunbird in flight

Shaw Symphony Stage and the lawn

Lotus Flowers

The next stop was the evolution garden, which is around mile marker 6 in the trail map. The evolution garden has a landscape of ancient time, with educational signs outline the natural history of the earth. I took a group photo for three tourists before ventured into the garden, enjoyed the tranquility and solitude in the shaded path.

Walking pass the Bee's Knee restaurant,  I ventured into Foliage garden, which has steel mesh for part of its trail. Walking pass the ethnobotany garden, and bamboo garden,  I took a detour to Trellis Garden, before circling around the Echo lake. The lake was in sad state right now, with overgrown water grasses covering a large portion of the lake. The lively bird populations there alleviated my despair. 

A lesser whistling duck ( a new species to me)  flew toward me on the viewing platform on the north side of the lake, and landed in the water near the platform.

A lesser whistling duck in flight

the duck landed in the lake where overgrown water grasses took over

an endearing yellow vented bulbul attracted my attention with its pleasant chirp

Exiting the echo lake area, I walked to the healing garden via the red brick path. On the way I was pleased to hear the sweet song from a magpie robin, and to see a pair bright colored common hill mynahs.

Along the way I encountered a couple of large groups of senior citizens 

magpie Robin

common hill mynah

Instead of exiting the Botanic garden from Nassim gate, my usual route if I get in from Tanglin gate, I passed the Nassim gate, and walked on a path by the Palm valley, on the east side of the Symphony lake, turned on the music player by Chopin's statue, and arrived at the court yard of Orchid Garden. It passed 9am by then, the Orchid garden was open, and free admission for residents for the week. 

I skipped the Orchid garden, and entered the rainforest (the inverted U above the mile maker 10) to complete my grand circle of the botanic garden, and exit from the Tanglin gate from the souvenir store there, where a group people was practicing yoga, and an art exhibit was on in front of the store.

As I concluded my journey, I reflected on the beauty and tranquility that surrounded me, grateful for the opportunity to experience the Botanic Garden in its entirety

A sculpture near rainforest trailhead

yoga practice

Ripples  - art exhibit 

Note

The chirp from Yellow Vented Bulbul is smooth "bubbling" sound, and a collared Kingfisher makes “kek-kek-kek-kek" call. The long tailed parakeets call with a high pitched  “kyeh” sound repeatedly during flight.