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Bidadari Cemetery, a new birding playground

on 21st January 2009

During the last few months, Singapore’s bird photographers have been documenting the arrivals of many rare winter visitors at the Bidadari Cemetery. This documentation was led by photographer-birder KC Tsang who kicked off with numerous sightings that inlcuded Black Bazas (Aviceda leuphotes); Narcondam Hornbill (Rhyticeros narcondami); Hooded Pittas (Pitta sordida); Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus); Eyebrowed Thrush (Turdus obscurus); Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus); among others.

The Bidadari Cemetery was opened in 1908 as a a multi-religious burial ground. It is located at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Upper Aljunied Road. However, under the Singapore Government’s 1998 Master Plan, the area was designated for high-density public housing and other facilities and was closed in 1972. Exhumation started in 2001 and completed in 2006. The area is strictly no more a cemetery now.

Lightly wooded with matured trees, the former cemetery has become a playground for photographers and birdwatchers.

Now why is Bidadari seeing so many birds recently? For one, the area was not that explored prior to KC’s series of sightings. The birds, including migrants, would have always been there, except that people were then busy congregating in Jurong.

Now that the area is park-like after the exhumation, more and more people are finding the area attractive. The tall, mature trees are overgrown with epiphytes and climbers. The old trees are not neatly pruned and parasitic mistletoes and epiphytic ferns and orchids are left to proliferate, unlike trees along roads. This helps increase the faunal biodiversity of the trees and in turn more attractive to birds.

The absence of a crowd, until now that is, has made Bidadari an ideal refuge for migrants (as well as residents), with plenty of food and minimum human disturbances.

Image by KC Tsang.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

8 Responses

  1. It will be a real shame if such a unique refuge site does get turned into high-density housing.
    Is there any way that this can be stopped through public submission/NSS or BES representation etc, or is the “progress” of housing inevitable?

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