Singapore, Pasir Ris Park - Wildlife in an Urbanized Town

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Singapore is an urbanized city. This highly populated city state is a jungle of concrete and steel tightly packed into a land area that is just 718 square km (about 277 square miles).

However, Singapore has an extremely efficient civil service corp which includes an amazing group of city planners. These people have ensured that Singaporeans, residents and visitors alike, are not deprived of the benefits and enjoyment of the natural environments. Within the limitations of the natural land areas, Singapore's city planners have somehow managed to ensure that pockets of wilderness are efficiently managed and interspersed within the various towns and business districts.

One of these towns is Pasir Ris which is located in the eastern part of Singapore. And just at the doorsteps of this town, is the Pasir Ris Park. Occupying about 70 hectares of land area, Pasir Ris Park is a coastal park which includes a beach and a natural mangrove forest.

Kingfishers and Fish Owls made this park their home. While birds can be difficult to spot and requires patience and some good equipment like a pair of binoculars and a telephoto camera lens (if you are a photographer), other smaller wildlife abound within the park. These animals are no less interesting and awesome and you do not need to be a wildlife expert to spot them.

During the times that I have spent visiting Pasir Ris Park, I noticed that the evening and night times are the best part of the day to see these animals. For visitors, you may be happy to note that Pasir Ris Park is extremely accessible even by public transport (yes, Singapore is that small!). Thus, visiting this park anytime of the day is not a problem as long as proper preparations are taken such as having a small touch light with you and maybe a small bottle of water. And because Singapore has 100% cellphone coverage, a taxi is just a call away!

So what are the small animals you can find at Pasir Ris Park? Personally, I have encountered Storks, Herons, Egrets, Buffy Fish Owls, various species of Kingfishers, Long-Tailed Parakeets (Psittacula longicauda) and Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis). Besides the rich bridlife here, I have also frequently seen Mud Crabs (Scylla serrata), Flower Crabs, Horseshoe Crabs and other crustaceans. And of course, amphibians are also plentiful here!

If you like Butterflies, the best time to visit is near mid-day around noon time. Keep a lookout for the Black Veined Tiger Butterfly (Danaus melanippus) and Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus). And if you are lucky, you may even encounter the extremely beautiful Painted Jezebel Butterfly (Delias hyparete).   

Take some timeout and visit Pasir Ris Park. This park literally allows you to enjoy nature at your doorsteps!

Here is a small sample of the photos I have taken during my many nature trips to Pasir Ris Park.

Close-ups of a small Crab, Pasir Ris Park, Singapore (2015)

Mudskipper (Periophthalmus argentilineatus), Pasir Ris Park, Singapore (2015)

An edible Flower Crab (Portunus pelagicus), Pasir Ris Park, Singapore (2015)

Asian Painted Bullfrog (Kaloula pulchra), Pasir Ris Park, Singapore (2015)

Horseshoe Crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda), Pasir Ris Park, Singapore (2015)



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