wild happenings in singapore

3 Nov (Sat): Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

Free guided nature walk along the Mangrove boardwalk under shady mangrove trees. Spot mudskippers, crabs and other marine life, learn about our mangroves, enjoy views of the Johor straits.

Suitable for young children.

Registration is not required for small walk-in groups. But each walk is limited to 15 persons per guide and is on a first-come-first-served basis. The walks are weather permitting and may merge with other activities at the Reserve. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.

More about the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the wildsingapore website and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is held every Saturday.

Time: 9.30am for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One to one-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children.
Entry charges: While the walk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

3 Nov (Sat): WHOOO is awake at night? A night walk in the Botanic Gardens Jungle

We explore one of Singapore's oldest jungle patches at night at the Singapore Botanic Gardens jungle boardwalk trail to see what really goes "bump in the dark"! Nocturnal wildlife still to be found living inside this jungle include owls, the Red-legged Crake, Four-lined Tree frog, Whip Scorpion and other unique creepie-crawlies.

Suitable for kids 5 years and above.

Bring torchlight and batteries, poncho or raincoat, packed dinner, water in your refillable water bottle, herbal mosquito repellent. Please wear long pants, tee-shirt, socks and covered shoes. Long-sleeved shirt is recommended.

To register email Celine Low at contact@cicadatree.org.sg giving participants' names, ages and a mobile no.

Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $13 per kid. No charge for 1 accompanying adult per kid.
Venue: Singapore Botanic Gardens (meet at Visitor Centre, 1 Cluny Road. junction of Cluny Road and Evans Road) map
Website: http://www.cicadatree.org.sg/

22-28 Oct: Highlights of the week ahead

For kids and the family

Sara goes Carbon Footprinting

Wild walks

Other events

Paint along with Pui San at Sungei Buloh

For Nature Society (Singapore) members only

Birdwatching at Bidadari

28 Oct (Sun): Paint along with Pui San at Sungei Buloh

Free art-and-nature appreciation at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

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Tham Pui San, a volunteer of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, is an avid artist who expresses his passion for nature through his art work.

Pui San welcomes artists of all ages or anyone who wants to learn. His objective is to encourage creativity while enjoying nature at the same time. Bring along your favourite drawing or painting supplies and enjoy learning different drawing techniques at Sungei Buloh.

More in the art in the wetlands blog.

Time: 8.30-11.30am, meet at Information Counter, Visitor Centre.
Admission charges:While the art session is free, usual admission charges to Reserve apply. $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://artinwetlands.wordpress.com/
Contact: Tham Pui Sam at thampuisan@hotmail.com or the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve at info@sbwr.org.sgor call 6794 1401

28 Oct (Sun): Birdwatching at Bidadari

For Nature Society (Singapore) members only

The former Bidadari Cemetery, bounded by Bartley Road and Upper Serangoon Road, has proven to be an interesting site for migrants and visitors in recent years. Notable sightings include the Hooded Pitta, Ruddy Kingfisher, Crow-billed Drongo, as well as various Cuckoos and Flycatchers. HDB development work will start at Bidadari by year end, so join Sutari in exploring this spot while it is still a peaceful bird haven.

Time: 7.30-11am
Venue: Meet Sutari Supari by Woodleigh MRT station.
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg/
Contact: Goh Ter Yang at teryang@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

27 Oct (Sat): Birdwatching along the Railway Corridor

For Nature Society (Singapore) members only

We will explore the Maju Camp Forest. These dense woods hug the Jurong Line after Clementi Road. As this is a little explored area, it should prove to be an exciting excursion for birds and other wildlife. Do note that this is rough trek, not along the old Jurong railway, but along a trail that is hilly and seldom used. Interesting possibilities include the Rufous Woodpecker, Straw-headed Bulbul, Oriental Magpie Robin, Greater Coucal and Grey-rumped Treeswift.

Time: 7.45-11am
Venue: Meet Dr Ho Hua Chew at Clementi Neighbourhood Park. This is near Blk 116 Sunset Way, located off Clementi Road.
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg/
Contact: Goh Ter Yang at teryang@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

27 Oct (Sat): HortPark Butterfly Garden guided tour

HortPark's Butterfly Garden is a 150-sqm landscaped theme garden comprising an enclosure and an outdoor garden. Providing a visual feast of tropical plants and nearly 20 species of native butterflies, the Butterfly Garden enables visitors to learn about the different stages of metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar into butterfly. Within the enclosure, visitors are greeted with an up close and personal encounter with these flying jewels and can observe how pupae emerge into adult butterflies before taking their maiden flight.

The Butterfly Garden also serves as an experimental garden for National Parks Board to work on a Butterfly Species Recovery Programme to research on suitable nectar and host plants for breeding a variety of butterfly species, including locally extinct species such as Clipper (Parthenos sylvia) and Common Sergeant (Athyma perius).

Get up close and personal with the flying jewels, and learn their different stages of metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar into butterfly. Observe how pupae emerge into adult butterflies before taking their maiden flight within HortPark's Butterfly Garden.

This walk is free and is held every last Saturday of the month.

Time: 9-11am, please gather at the Butterfly Garden for the tour
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: 6471 5601

27 Oct (Sat): Sara goes Carbon Footprinting

Part of Clean and Green Week, join Sara, the Botanicosaurus, and her new friend, Rana the Frog in this tour and learn about carbon footprints and the many little but important things that all of us can do to make a difference for our home, Planet Earth! Young participants will also be introduced to some useful and multi-purpose trees!

For enquiry and registration, please contact the Education at 64719961 or nparks_sbg_edu@nparks.gov.sg. Online registration is available on www.sbg.org.sg (under "Education")

Suitable for children in K1 - P6 levels

Time: 10-11am
Venue: Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, Bukit Timah Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Fee: $8.50 per child (includes $2.50 “Sara Goes Carbon Footprinting" workbook) and $6 per accompanying adult
Website: http://www.sbg.org.sg
Contact: 64719961 or nparks_sbg_edu@nparks.gov.sg

27 Oct (Sat): Evolution Garden guided walk

A free guided walk of the Evolution Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a 1.5-hectare area dedicated to telling the amazing story of how plants gave us life, and how, long before we humans arrived, they started to evolve into the myriad complex life forms that we see today.

Take a journey through time, from the fiery planet that our world was in ancient times before memory, through the planet of dinosaurs, and into the modern world of 250,000 different flowering plants we enjoy today.

Journey through time with our volunteer guides in this one-hour tour.

Suitable for kids.

This walk is held every fourth Saturday of the month. Please register 15 minutes before the tour. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis at the Visitor Centre.

Time: 9am
Venue: Register at Visitor Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens before the tour starts.
Website and contact: http://www.sbg.org.sg/ Visitor Services 6471 7361