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The recent National Day-Hari Raya Puasa long weekend laid the opportunity to visit some feathered friends that my family last visited in 2005…that’s 8 years ago when my younger daughter was just several months old ! I still remember vividly the great time at Lory Loft which just opened then. It’s about 9 storeys high and is the world’s largest walk-in flight aviary for lories and lorikeets with over 1,000 free-flying lories. For exciting moments, you can offer the lories a unique nectar mixture ($2/then,now $3/per small little cup) and the colourful birds will flock to you…well, more on this later.
We wonder how things have changed at the park….and yes, 8 years is a long time as we quickly discovered while many improvement have been made to the park, inflation have certainly make it’s presence felt. The park also showed some signs of aging – the monorail have ceased to operate since April 2012 and looks forlorn while the waterfall (previously S’pore highest man-made waterfall at 30m) have been eclipsed by it’s 35m high cool indoor cousin at the swanky Cloud Dome at the Gardens by The Bay. But that’s not fair to say the Bird Park is any less fun…it still is a great place to hang out (especially for families with bigger children). The following are some observation that I hope readers will benefit from should they be planning an outing to the bird park….
To maximise on the enjoyment and full value of your tickets, do go early at 9.00am (park opens from 830am to 6pm daily), this is so as to attend the great shows :
(a) King of the Skies Show – Venue: Hawk Walk (10am & 4pm) and
(b) Higher Flyers Show- Venue : Pools Amphitheatre (11am & 3pm)
Weekends and public holiday parking at the gantry carpark is $2/per entry. Going early would avert the loooong queue for tickets (especially during weekends and public Holidays). And after breakfast, secure a good seat at the show theatre (especially The Kings of the Skies at 10am, the 4pm show can get too hot on sunny days – bring umbrella !) and have a great start to the day…
Beautiful orchids blossomed at the path arches enroute to the main entrance..
Certainly a treat for nature and flowers lovers….or anyone with an eye for beauty.
Enchanting path leading to the main entrance….a great alignment with our City in a Garden….
I had a “lousy” start to the day at Bongo Burgers…unless you love deep-fried stuff (8 pieces of chicken nuggets and some fries which set me back $15.90 with a small Coke!…and that’s one of the cheaper items)… then I strongly recommends you to eat at Hawk Cafe (on the left of entrance) where $9.50 gets you your local favorites like –
Laksa – delicious !
Nasi Lemak – pretty good !
Of course, Hawk Cafe have quite a few other items on their menus (like Hainanese Chicken Rice, Macaroni Soup, etc) and their desserts like ice kachang are just $3.90/each…
The Tram ride….at $5 (adult) $3 (children, 3-12 years old)…the price is for only 1 trip (clockwise) round the park. You should hop on at the Main Station, and hop off along the way at your preferred station. After Main Station (near main entrance) , then to No.2 – Lory Station (look around the exhibits) then proceed to No.3- Waterfall Station, from here, it’s back to to the Main Entrance.
Tram last ride : Main Station at 5.30pm , Lory Station at 5.45pm , Waterfall Station at 5.55pm
This is highly recommended as it allows you to cover the park faster without tiring you out. Anyway, this is your only choice as the monorail is not in operation anymore.
Park merchandises -This is great for keepsakes or as gifts for overseas friends…it’s not available elsewhere. But do buy it only at the end of the outing so you do not have to lug it around the entire…and the gift is located just the park entrance/exit… but set aside some time as there may be last minute queue when closing time looms…
The Penguin Coast, near the park entrance is a great way to chill out a little before proceeding to the rest of the park…
Are you up the penguins dress sense ? Lol … the exhibit holds about 100 penguins across 5 species…
Great to see “Happy Feet” from the underside…especially during feeding time at 10.30am and 3.30pm.
Have your pictures taken with tamed parakeets on sticks…unless you buy pictures taken by their staff, the service is free…
The parrots @ Macaw Island make for a colourful addition to any photo album…don’t miss them 🙂
The vibrant orange-pinkish flamingos definitely entice you at the Flamingo Pool… the other flamingos at Flamingo Lake further up the park are of a different hue…but still exciting subject for a great picture.
Resident Lory at the Lory Loft … get up close & personal…
To many, Lory Loft represents a highlight among the exhibits. However, during a crowded weekends and public holidays…you might be jostling to feed the lories…. they seemed already well fed and somehow needed coaxing to come to you…talk about Demand and Supplies. Perfect instance to teach your children about the economics (in nature) .
Somehow, many lories “developed” an appetite for Smartphone and iPads… I observed many visitors using their electronic gadgets to entice the birds…guessed they are already full and just want to play…
Where the perceived “hot spots” (more birds) are…the visitor flocked to it… try avoiding such area, go to other spots and stretch out your purchased cup of nectar and wait for the birds to come…
The Hornbills & Toucans exhibit, near the Lory Loft, makes for an interesting moment to spot the awesome bird. The other option to spot them locally is at Pulau Ubin in the wild, where there a conservation effort by Nparks to multiply their population..
The grand dame of man-made waterfall, seen in the African Waterfall Aviary. It was supposed to a “-ve ion” effect and cooling…but it was so warm and humid…we decided to leave pronto…man-made can never replicate a real one…
Not the real McCoy… but great work maintaining it… kudos to the staff.
After lunch, you should make haste to secure a good seat at the Pool Amphitheatre for the High Flyers Show…awesome and fun to watch… and the birds will show you they are not exactly bird–brained.
Volunteer to partake in the show (if you are lucky enough to be chosen)… ups the fun quotient…
The park highly intelligent star is Sassy…wide range of vocals, vocabs and antics to thrill the audiences…
You will like the smart birds and their aerial antics…
Awesome display of human-bird working together in show entertainment…
Anyone likes a “Horny”…as in Hornbill ? lol
A well-trained Hornbill swooping in low among the audiences …feel the wind if you are lucky..
Show host building up the tempo to the gorgeous finale…where 60 birds swoop in for a “crescendo” of feathered residents…
The High Flyers Show finale… always an amazing moment to see so many species coming in together…
Shortly after the High Flyers Show ends at 330pm…make haste for the King of the Skies Show at 4pm @ Hawk Walk …just a short walk away. The shows commences on time…on que…no delays..
Really deserving it’s title for among the king of the skies…the handsome American Bald Eagle. No…it’s not bald, it’s known as such due to the whitish patch at it’s head. When the sun shines on it, the bright patch appears “bald”… so, no hair transplant needed here…
The Owl…king of nocturnals …and they can rotate their neck…. 270’….not the 180′ or 360’…360′ would mean they will break their neck…lol
Wow….Falconry goes back long way in Mongolia and the Middle East… bit of showmanship here…a real horse no less and costume too…. effort by the park to up the entertainment values…
Here, we are into the scavengers of the skies…yes, the huge vulture. Important for it’s role in nature check and balances…
A demo by a trio of vultures…with wingspan up to 1.5-2m ! Don’t mess with them..
Eagle soaring close and around the small theatre…adding to the tempo and vibes of the show…after this show ending at 430pm, you have another 1.5 hours left before the park closes for the day. I would recommend the Breeding & Research Centre (near the Hawk Walk) to see the cute hatchlings in the incubators…or perhaps a short playtime at Birds of Play for playground fun. But a change of dry clothing is recommended as there are wet theme play pools, or perhaps other exhibits you missed earlier in the day…
With this picture of the eagle, I hope readers do check out the Bird Park in the future, and enjoy a true gem of a venue. Proud that our park have what it takes to be world class.. But just 1 final tip (but important!) : The park have ONLY 1 ATM – and that ATM is from Bank of India ! (can you believe it ?!!!) So bring more cash..
Have a great time at the Jurong Bird Park !…(^_____^)
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