Birding in Singapore - A brand new Nature Park abandoned? Why??
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- The Bukit Batok Hillside Nature Park was built around early 1990s by the HDB as a 'rugged park' like those of New Zealand which it tried to emulate. Built on hilly grounds that was good for hiking but also with family friendly facilities like exercise yards, pergolas and gazebos for viewing the scenic panoramas. It also had a HIDDEN WATERFALL that could only be seen during heavy rainfall.
It was handed over to the Town Council to manage but was closed soon after and abandoned. It has since reverted into a secondary forest and the former park has been slated to be cleared for new housing projects.
The reason it was closed was that it cost too much for the Town Council to maintain and there were few visitors to the park. It was a wrong park at the wrong place at the wrong time. Bukit Batok West was still undeveloped and the park was in an isolated area then.
While it was closed, it became a haven for small wild creatures and birds especially in the last few years when the adjacent Bulim Forest was being cleared for the building of Tengah New Town.
The former Hillside Nature Park is now under pressure from deforestation but currently remains a hidden gem for birders. But not for long. Go visit before it's all gone.
To find the hidden waterfall, go to this link for directions:-
ijamestann.blogspot.com/2021/...
Thanks James! So far this is the most informative video on BB Hillside Park. Its past was not documented but you have provided some insights of it. Thank you once again.
Only an old timer resident like me would have known the details, ha ha. Must record it down so future generations will know its legacy.
In the first place, the park was built into a dense forest. There were a lot of mosquitoes and flies in there. The park was humid and quite exclusive... Not long after it was opened, the forest began to take over as it was quite inaccessible. The biggest blow came when there was a big land slide after a heavy rain. so much that it covers part of the road. The park was sealed off for safety reasons. After several months after they clear off the land slide, mud and a lot of dead trees, the park was never re-opened after that....
I made this video from the perspective of the birder. Yes, you are right about the rugged conditions of the park but it was designed as such.
I have written about the development and subsequent abandoning of the park in my blog. You can read the article and history of the park at this link:-
ijamestann.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-hidden-waterfall-at-bukit-batok.html
@@JamesTann Thanks James!
Thank you James for a very informative and well done video.
awesome facts james! thank you for shedding light on the information!
Very informational 😍thank you James ✌️✌️
Very informative n enjoyable. Thanks James
Hey Jams thanks for the video! Looking forward to visiting some day!
Thanks again for making this video ,I just stay opp of this park, I went in once when I was 12 . Now I am 40. Inside the mosquito very powerful.
very powerful my insect repellent didn't not scare them away. the amount of ants biting is also crazy.
Thanks James. Learning something new today 😊
Very informative and interesting video. Thanks James Tann
Amazing video! I went for a trek last year and encountered the unique birds and tough terrain too. Really a great site.
Love your videos!
Thanks Mr Tann , like I want to go there
So sad but intriguing story. Nature park is now a home for these wonderful creatures. I hope Hillside Nature Park will remain untouched, undisturbed sanctuary for the birds and other animals.
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NPark should preserve this park
Thanks for sharing the rigours one can expect discovering Hillside Nature Park. Your videos always spark a desire of local exploration within my family! The lack of park maintenance for twenty years hooks my attention and seems alluring. Mosquitoes...not so inviting. I'd love to see the Slaty-breasted Rail or Blue-winged Pitta at some point. Possibly another bird spotted in your video recorded at 10:36 is a Brahminy kite?
Thanks. The Slaty-breasted Rails can be found at the bottom edge of the western side of the hill around the construction site. They are most likely from the flock that was resident at the huge grass patch 100m across Bt Batok Road but that area is now hoarded up for development.
@@JamesTann Interesting. Thank you.
Hai Mr Thames...ur video is so interesting..thks for the info..i wld like to ask..every of ur video..did u ever saw burgie bird ...i intend to set free my 4 burgie..but i not sure which plc r suitable for thm..can u recomend me the plc for burgie bird...thks to u again..ive done like & subscribe 👍👍
Is this forest still around? This video was posted 2 yrs ago, much must have changed.
As of today, July 2023, the forest area as described in the video is still intact, including the waterfall. However, the development around it is on going and starting to encroach into the forested areas. Go visit before it’s all gone.
@@JamesTann a real pity when it’s gone. I’m not a hardcore birder but will try a visit when I can. Thanks for the information.
Birding in Singapore - Hillside Nature Park
So that stretch of pillars is not torii gate right?
Most definitely not! Torii gates are built leading to Japanese Shinto Shrines! There's no shrines, churches or places of worship in the old Hillside Park. The abandoned pillars and trellises look reminiscent of torii gates, like those in Fushimi Inari, but that's all it is. The resemblance caused people to think and named it as such because they probably didn't know what a pergola is. You can still find pergolas at the Singapore Botanic Garden. I've lived near the Hillside Park since the early 80s and have seen what the original Hillside Park looked like in its days.
For a more detailed history of the Hillside Park, you can refer to my blog article at this link:-
ijamestann.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-hidden-waterfall-at-bukit-batok.html
Where is the actual torii gate?
Will u be kind to do a small guided tour when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted?
We'll have see once the pandemic is over or the siruation stabilises. I belong to the vulnberable group. Follow my fb page and you can see my announcements of birding tours there.
But since the lock down, I've not done any group tours.
Won't be long before Singapore has no wild space left. So short sighted.
will still have like those reserves. forest will generally dissappear over time.
Tann-san, great. However how is the immigration conditions from Japan ? No need of 2-weeks isolation stay in hotel for even people who has already finished twice vaccination? I'm eager to visit Singapore and enjoy birding based on your birding guide.
Denda-san, at the moment there's not much change. As currently, Japan has suspended visitors from Singapore, the recriprocal agreement also doesn't allow visitors from Japan to Singapore. I wanted to join my son in Tokyo since 2019 but missed the chance. He lives in Ikebukuro.
When the covid-19 restriction ends and you come here, I will organise a birding trip with you and Licong-son.