Tag: Asia
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An Intriguing Birding Trip to Singapore’s Botanic Gardens
Who would’ve thought that the world’s first tropical botanical garden inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, would be an absolute hotspot for birding? I for one did! Located roughly around the most built-up area of the city, Singapore’s botanical gardens, established here in 1859, played a key role in the early history of the…
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Half-Day Birding Jaunt to Pulau Ubin
It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post! Between sports 4 days a week, an ever-growing amount of homework for my classes (including 2 AP’s), my social life, and other obligations, I’ve found it hard to get out to natural places in search of birds and other wildlife. Additionally, I’ve been working hard…
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Seeking Out One of the World’s Rarest Monkeys (And Other Animals) In Thomson Nature Park
Singapore is a big city. Not necessarily big in its physical size; virtually the whole city-state lies on a small, mostly flat, diamond-shaped island situated directly below the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. But big in its population, culture, and economy. In just one generation since its independence, the nation was, due to the hard…
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Wildlife Watching at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (First Post From Singapore)
Upon arriving in Singapore very early in the morning on the 31st of July, my family has managed to see some of the sights and sounds of the city despite being highly jetlagged and grumpy. Myself, full of excitement to be (now) living in an equatorial city-state containing pristine tropical rainforest and diverse and exotic…
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My 2-Weekend-Long Mai Po Eagle Project and Fruitful Birding Quest! (Last Post From Hong Kong)
To start off this post, I just wanted to say that sadly this will be my last blog post from Hong Kong. I will soon be heading off to the United States for summer break, then Singapore with my family. These past 4 months have been awesome in terms of wildlife watching, but more specifically…
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A Second Visit to Hong Kong’s South Pole
After 5 memorable years in Hong Kong, my family has recently gotten news that we will be departing the city indefinitely. Our next destination is Singapore, a place currently outside the intense COVID restrictions plaguing Greater China, which offers multitudes of opportunities for travel and a liberated lifestyle. Because of the intensity of moving cities…
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A Superb Birding Haul at Mai Po (Migratory Waders and More)
Wow! That’s all I have to say about yesterday’s birding bonanza at Mai Po. This amazing wetland gifted me 47 species in a single outing, 9 more than I’ve ever recorded in one place at one time, plus 9 lifers, over a time span of 5 hours and a walking distance of 8 miles! Today…
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Rainy Day Birding Expedition to Mai Po
This past Saturday, the 2nd, my sister and I embarked on another expedition to Mai Po for some productive birding. Our goal was to log as many species as possible, and also to seek out an elusive kingfisher. The weather was overcast, chilly and rainy, but nevertheless after a commuting all the way there from…
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Birding Po Toi Island: Sea Eagles and Flycatchers
Located in the southernmost waters of Hong Kong, and often referred to as the territory’s South Pole, Po Toi is a rocky, rugged island of around 1 square mile, dotted with villages, woodlands, and ancient rock carvings. In the 1960’s, the island was home to around a thousand fisherman, farmers and craftsmen and their families,…
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Searching for Fruit Bats in Downtown Hong Kong!
Yes, you read the title right: there’s a healthy population of Short-Nosed Fruit Bats in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay! I first discovered these cool critters about four years ago, when I was really into mammal watching. They’re quite comfortable roosting in close proximity to people during the day, and at night they pan out from…
Bennett Gardner Wildlife Watching 