Saturday, May 03, 2014

Wings of Color at Jurong Bird Park

I am always enjoying the visit to Jurong Bird Park. Although it was hot and steamy during my three times visit to this wonderful bird's land of paradise in the past 3 years,  but I was was very rewarding in seeing some many birds like Crowned Pigeon, milky stock, Pelicans, penguins, exotic birds, heron, snowy owl and many more, they were at such a close distance to me!

I was lucky to have a clear look at this Snowy Owl at the park entrance, there is World of Darkness at Jurong Bird Park-Asia's first nocturnal house. Walk through the star-lit jungle and meet Snowy Owl, Malay Fish Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl... If you are planing a visit, do check their time schedule, don''t miss the feeding time and the owl superstars in action at the Kings of the Skies show. 


I am not a bird expert, still learning knowledge of birds, do correct me if somewhere I made a mistake. Here we go, photos tell all. 


One of my favorites: Flamingo! Caribbean Flamingos have 3 colors on their bills: grey at the base, pink in the middle and black at the tip. And the feathers of flamingo from pink to red, very lovely color. 
Another red color bird specie in Bird Park are those Scarlet Ibis.

I love the Scarlet Ibis for their bright beautiful red color feathers. But it is difficult to capture a nice photo of them, they are always moving around and the lighting condition inside the cage is not an idea for taking a good shot, plus it is a tough work to avoid the glare from the glass windows. Anyway, I managed to have a few of clear shot.


Flamingos and Scarlet Ibis, they live in flocks... So, if you like photographing a big flock of birds using wide-angle lenses, the Flamingo Pool/Lake (out door) is the best choice, the other two areas are Pelican Cove and the Swan Lake.


Great White Pelican

Swan lake area: Milky stork, pelicans...they are living together happily...Do you notice the North American Roseate Spoonbill on the left behind? It is one of the unique birds in Jurong Bird park, Its uniquely shaped beak enables the spoonbill to scoop food out of the water with ease. Is it African sacred ibis beside the spoonbill?
They are an endangered species as part of the extensive collection of more than 600 free-flying birds which can be found at the Waterfall Aviary in Jurong Bird Park. 

A wonderful photograph place you should not miss out. 

Jurong Bird Park proudly presents the world's most complete collection of pelicans with 7 out of 8 species at Pelican Cove, as well as the largest of the pelicans, the endangered Dalmatian Pelican weighing between 11kg and 15kg. Other species include the Great White, Gull and the extraordinary beautiful species of Australian Pelicans...Their pink beaks and astounding flights captivate every eye. Yes, Pelican is one of  the most unique birds in Jurong Bird Park you should not miss, some others listed below: 


Victoria Crowned Pigeons are the largest living pigeons, reaching lengths of between 28 and 30 inches from head to tail. These birds sport powdery blue feathers on their bodies, with red eyes and maroon breasts. They display a lighter shade of blue on the wings and tips of their tail feathers. Click to see the close up on the right picture. 

 Here is an Australia Emu or African Ostrich?  I am actually quite confused. 

...And herons, herons, and Night Herons can be found here at Jurong Bird Park. (My most favorites birds)

Thanks to the info from  All About Birds:
" Black-crowned Night-Herons are small herons with rather squat, thick proportions. They have thick necks, large, flat heads, and heavy, pointed bills. The legs are short and, in flight, barely reach the end of the tail. The wings are broad and rounded.

Color Pattern:
Adults are light-gray birds with a neatly defined black back and black crown. Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron (as image on the left) are brown with large white spots on the wings and blurry streaks on the underparts. Adults have all-black bills; Juvenile have yellow-and-black bills.

Behavior
Black-crowned Night-Herons often spend their days perched on tree limbs or concealed among foliage and branches. They forage in the evening and at night, in water, on mudflats, and on land. In flight they fold their head back against their shoulders, almost making the neck disappear.

Habitat
These are social birds that tend to roost and nest in groups, although they typically forage on their own. Look for them in most wetland habitats across North America, including estuaries, marshes, streams, lakes, and reservoirs. ''                               

...and this is Nankeen Night Heron




Now the turn to show off the beautiful parrots: I have posted some photos of those stunning birds- parrots a week ago. Do check the link if you are fan of parrots too. 

The Sun parakeet is a medium-sized brightly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with predominantly golden-yellow plumage and orange-flushed underparts and face. You will have fun with parrots in  Lory Loft, which features many colorful, friendly Lories that could easily be attracted to land on your shoulders with some food which you can purchase at the entrance. Believe me, it is super fun to feed all these golden yellow, lemon green and orange colored birds, you will forget whatever unhappy things in mind... 
...and this-Rainbow Lorikeet, another species of parrots. The bird truly contains all colors of rainbow.  You can have some close shots of these colorful parrots in the Lorry Loft, the world's largest Lory flight aviary. 




Fun to visit Lorry Loft...though there is another place in the Park you also can take a close look at Parrots: a little island next to the Flamingo Pool are 7 species of colorful macaws, members of the parrot family. The most photographed place of the tourist.
White parrots, they are all white except for the pink lores and the grey beak. I was told they are sighted in wild at Sentosa, Botanic Gardens, Changi Village etc some places in Singapore.


Another attraction in the Jurong Bird Park: The outdoor enclosure houses the African Penguins, otherwise known as Jackass Penguins, one of the few species that has adapted to the tropics. This is where you'll get a truly upclose view of the birds. Along with them are the Cape Shelduck or South African Shelduck, and Gulls.
...and this lonely cormorant, does he miss his friends in cape point
"Jurong Bird Park is a world-famous bird zoo,  it is currently the world’s largest bird park in terms of number of birds – there are 5,000 birds of 380 species in the park."
I cant finish having all birds in close look within one trip. The park has a number of free flight aviaries, they took me a lot of time to photograph many species of birds which I cant find outside of the Bird Park. However, I still missed up some wonderful and unique birds like the hornbills and toucans (images below from Jurong Bird Park Official Web Site), the Lesser Bird-of-Paradise

...to view more, wait for my next visit. LOLS

8 comments:

Ela said...

What great photos ! Many of these birds I've never seen. Really gorgeous !!!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi What a wonderful place and a fantastic post, full of marvelous birds. great shots and information of them All. Have a great weekend.

eileeninmd said...

wow, awesome place to see the birds. I love the Scarlet Ibis.. Gorgeous photos

Connie Smiley said...

That was an exceptional tour! Love the Victoria Crowned Pigeons--so unique!

Naquillity said...

all your wonderful photos and information has made me want to go to the zoo, :) looks like you had a very nice visit at the bird park. so many different birds to see and that scarlet ibis is stunning. hope all is well. have a great day~

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful series of nature's avian beauties ~ Love the Snowy Owl for SC ~ Happy Weekend to you ~ xoxo

artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

Unknown said...

What an amazing variety of birds! Beautiful photos of them all. I love the owl and the parrots.

TexWisGirl said...

a beautiful selection of birds! love those scarlet ibis!