A self-guided walk along Sungei Ulu Pandan - Home of the Kingfishers

Prelude

One of the things I love about Singapore is that, you that you don’t need to travel far to see and experience wildlife and nature. It is literally at your door step…provided you look carefully.

A few minutes from where I live is a river named Sungei Ulu Pandan. A jogging/cycling track that runs along the river is part of National Parks’ Ulu Pandan Park Connector from Buona Vista to Bukit Batok. The river’s source is a concrete canal and it is surrounded by Clementi town, Sunset Way estate, condominiums, warehouses and factories, roads and the Ayer Rajah Expressway. Despite all that, it is a beautiful river with grassy banks which hosts an amazing diversity of wildlife. Native and exotic plants, herons, egrets, monitor lizards, kingfishers, tilapia and tortoises, just to name a few. The river is not a secret, for hundreds of people stroll, jog and cycle along it every day.

Why is this short stretch of water of about 2.4 km in the middle of an urban jungle, able to support so much wildlife? Well, I’m not sure but I think it has to do with the fact that there are a few small (and rapidly shrinking) plots of undeveloped land in the area which have been taken over by secondary forest. Given a small foothold and left undisturbed, nature has flourished. 

Being Singapore, all this cannot be taken for granted. Chances are that one day, someone is going to want to develop the land and before we know it, the wildlife WILL be gone. By sharing what little I know through this self-guided walk, hopefully more people will be able experience and appreciate the beauty and natural wealth of the river.

Self-guided walk along Sungei Ulu Pandan

The walk will take you along the track next to the river, which starts from the

Clementi Road/Ulu Pandan Road junction, to the Ayer-Rajah Expressway and back.  It will highlight to you some of the interesting plant and animal life along the river. A pair binoculars is highly recommended if you want to maximize your chances of spotting the many birds that frequent the river.

Distance in one direction: 2.4km

Total distance (to and fro): 4.8km.

Estimated walking time: min 1 hour

The walk comprises several numbered stations set out below. Stations will be identified either by geographical landmarks (e.g Under Fly-over) or distance markers (e.g 800m) which are painted on the track.  

1.                  Start - 0m

As you begin your walk, the first thing that will catch your eye is the white building on the opposite bank with the wave-like roof. That is the New Aquatic Science Centre, a joint project between NUS, PUB, Deltares and the Singapore Science Centre, which is supposed to house “state-of-the-art research laboratories and a visitor centre featuring an interactive showcase of urban freshwater research projects and technologies for public education”. However, as of Feb 2011, it still has not opened to the public.

2.                  200m

On the left of the track, look out for some trees along the track with tangled “roots” emerging from the trunk near the ground. If you are very lucky you might actually see some wooden “cannon balls” hanging from the “roots”. These are in fact known as Cannonball trees – for obvious reasons. The flowers are large, fleshy, pinkish yellow and fragrant, and sometimes used as offerings in Buddhist temples. Why would a tree flower so near the ground? Well, such trees (including jackfruit and cempedak) are said to be “cauliflory” in nature, which allows for pollination by animals that cannot climb or fly high. 

3.                  400m - Under the canopied pedestrian bridge.

As you pass under the pedestrian bridge which connects to Sunset Way estate, on your left are Fishtail Palms. The name comes from the shape of the leaves which resemble (you guessed it!) the tail of a fish. The tree flowers in mop-like clusters. The first cluster will emerge at the top of the tree and subsequent clusters will emerge successively below each other. When the final cluster reaches the ground, the palm dies. Be warned - the fruit and sap contain crystals that can cause severe itching. Click here for more info. 

4.                  Past the canopied pedestrian bridge.  

You will see before you an old railway line crossing over the river.  On your right, planted between the large trees, are some smaller shrubs about 3-10m high with small pinnate compound leaves. These trees are commonly known as Red Bird of Paradise or Peacock Flower. They are often cultivated on roadsides for its beautiful orange-red or yellow flowers which can be seen almost all year round. The plant is from the pea family and you should be able to see some pods which bear the seeds. The flower is also the national flower of Barbados and also known as the Pride of Barbados. 

5.                  Past the railway line. 

As you pass under the railway line, start looking to the opposite bank of the river as this stretch is often frequented by white egrets and herons.  Two species of white egrets are common here– the Little Egret and the Cattle Egret. The Little Egret has a long black beak, black leg and yellow toes. The Cattle Egret has a shorter yellow beak, black legs and toes, and occasionally orange patches around its head and neck, which indicates that it is breeding season. The Cattle Egret gets its name from the fact that in rural areas, it is often seen with cattle, feeding on insects which are disturbed by the larger animals. About 200m past the railway line, on the opposite bank there is a concrete drainage discharge. A Grey Heron, with its grey wings and black strip around the eyes, can sometimes be seen here, scanning the river. This is the largest species of bird in Singapore and they can stand over 1m.

6.                  Just before the flyover. 

On the left of the track you will see several large trees with thick, straight cylindrical trunks and grey-brown scaly bark. This is the Senegal Mahogany.  As it is a fast growing tree that provides plenty of shade with its bushy crown, it is one of the more common trees planted along our Singapore roads. While it does provide good timber  the Senegal Mahogany is however not a true Mahogany tree that is usually associated with high class furniture and expensive musical instruments. The original Mahogany is actually the Broad-leaf Mahogany  which is incidentally also a fairly common roadside tree in Singapore!  Both the Senegal Mahogany and Broad-leaf Mahogany are closely related and may look quite similar initially. One way I tell them apart is from the leaves. The leaves of the Senegal Mahogany are quite small and narrow (about 7-8cm long, 3 cm wide) compared to the Broad-leaf Mahogany (about 15-20 cm long, 10 cm wide).

7.                  After 1200m

Beside the railings on your right, you will notice four short and rather lop-sided trees leaning precariously towards the water. These are known as Coral Bean or Purple Coral Tree. I have no idea where the “purple” comes from because the flowers are bright red in colour. The tree is a “pioneer species” which means that it is usually one of the first trees to re-appear when land has been cleared. The Coral Bean was apparently one of the 1^st species to re-colonise the island of Krakatau after the famous volcanic eruption in 1883 had wiped all life on the island. For more information click here.

8.                 Past the flyover. 1600m.

As you walk past the flyover, see if you can spot the other species of heron found around the river – the Purple Heron. This is one of their favourite hunting grounds. The Purple Heron is smaller than the Grey Heron, so you will have to look a bit harder. It has an orange-reddish neck and legs and a purplish-grey body. Your best chances of spotting them are in the early morning and late evening, when they feed. On your left is Faber Crest Heights condominium.

9.                  Path leading to small gate of Faber Crest Heights condominium

Just after the path, you will notice several trees, which on closer observation are quite unique. Can you see that the branches emerging from the trunk like fingers and in tiers – something like a pagoda? Notice also that the leaves are arranged in whorls, like a fan.  This is tree is known as the Indian Pulai. If you come by at night when the tree is flowering, the small white flowers emit a very strong almost overpowering sickly sweet smell. You may have noticed that smell at some open-air HDB carparks and wondered where it came from. Now you know! The bark of the tree also contains chemicals called alkaloids, which can be used to treat malaria. For more details and better pictures, this is a good site. 

10.            2200m

If you are around here during the evening, you will notice many small birds spinning and swooping acrobatically in the air over the water. I think these are House Swifts out hunting for insects. These bird build their nests under the eaves of houses, from feathers, straw, papers and whatever they can find, glued together with their saliva. In case you were wondering, the edible and very expensive Chinese delicacy,  bird’s nest soup, comes from the nest of the Swiftlet, a cousin of the House Swifts. Fortunately for the House Swift, their nests are not harvested so they are safe for the moment. For more information click here.


11.             2400m. End of track. 

The track ends with the Ayer Rajah Expressway cutting across the river. The river continues on the other side of the expressway where it bears the name Sungei Pandan, and finally flows into Pandan Reservoir. The park connector hits a dead end here and it is not possible to proceed any further. There are actually park connectors on the other side of the river which lead all the way to Jurong Central but there don’t seem to be any plans to link them up which is a real shame. Notice the two large trees at the turnaround point closest to the river with the huge crinkly leaves. This is the Giant Cola tree which orginates from Africa. And yes, the distinct flavour in Coca Cola and Pepsi is actually made from the fruit of a very close relative of this tree. Like coffee the Cola fruit also contains caffeine and chewing it is said to restore vitality and ease hunger pangs! 

On the side away from river are some dense shrubs, with large glossy leaves and bright yellow flowers, known as the Simpoh Air. It is also a pioneer species – i.e one of the first plants to colonise any wasteland and therefore, very commonly seen in our secondary forests and along some roads. Interestingly, the flowers only last for a day. They bloom in the early morning and by evening all the petals would have dropped off. In the old days, the leaves were used by hawkers to wrap rojak! For more information click here and here.  

Once you are ready, turnaround and head back towards Clementi again.

12.             200m (return)

If you have a pair of binoculars, this is a good place to spot some kingfishers on the opposite bank. Easiest thing to do is to scan the top bar of the green railings on the opposite bank. If you see a small unusual blob sticking out, zoom in with your binoculars or ultra-zoom camera, it may be a kingfisher. If you keep doing this as you walk along the track, your chances of spotting a kingfisher are very high.  The most commonly seen kingfisher around the river is the White-throated Kingfisher, with its brown and blue feathers and red beak. You may be surprised to know that kingfishers don’t just eat fish. In fact, you are more likely to see the White-throated Kingfisher perched on the railing or on a branch from which it would dive into the grass for insects. The other  commonly seen kingfisher is the blue and white feathered - Collared Kingfisher, with a distinctive white collar round its neck. 

13.             1200m (return) 

On the right of the track you will see a number of bushy trees which are also a common sight along Singapore road – the Wild Cinnamon. The tree is easily recognized by its young leaves which are reddish-pink to yellow. The leaves are boat shaped and have 3 distinct parallel veins running lengthwise. The tree is related to the commercial cinnamon but the bark yields an inferior grade of cinnamon. The oil distilled from the bark and from the leaves can be used for flavouring and for incense sticks. 

14.             Walking along
As you walk along, keep a lookout on the opposite bank for small patches of sand at the edge of the water. You might see some of the smaller bird species fishing from these spots. One such bird is the very handsome Little Heron. They are actually quite common, but because they are relatively small and very cautious, it can be hard to spot them. The Little Heron feeds by creeping along the waters edge and in a crouching position and lunges forward when it spots its prey.


16.            Before the railway line (return)
The Tapioca plant can be seen here, as well as several other locations along the track. It is easily recognizable from its palm shaped leaves. The plant is very hardy, easily propagated by stem cuttings and grows in poor soil conditions. It was tapioca that sustained many families during World War II in South East Asia. Today tapioca is still used very widely, for example to make the “pearls” in bubble tea! Yum!

If the water is low enough you will see a sand bar in the river. Most of the time when the track is busy, you won’t see anything here. But when it is sufficiently quiet, I have seen birds feeding in the mud. One of the first birds I saw here was the Common Sandpiper – one of the winter visitors to Singapore. As its name suggests, it is a pretty common bird, and can be spotted around our sea-shores, beaches and ditches. They are rather anti-social and usually seen alone or in pairs. It is constantly on the move, poking around in the mud, with its tail bobbing up and down continuously. So quite a nightmare to photograph.


17.             2200m (return)
The end of the track is in sight. On the left of the track are a series of trees about 10m high with thick broad leaves. The tree is called the Common Sterculia or Sterculia Parvifolia. The family “Sterculia” which this tree comes from is named after the Roman God of Dung, Sterculius, because certain species produce foul-smelling flowers and leaves. “Parvifolia” means “small-flowered”, and they are small, as you can see from the picture below. For more info click here.

18.             End
You have come to the end of the track. If you are up to it, here’s one last treat, walk to the junction of Clementi Road and Ulu Pandan Road where the road spans across the river. Stick your head thru the metal railings and look down at the water! You should the water teeming with fish. I think most are hybrid species of tilapia. If you are know what fish these are please let me know!

Looking around you might also see a tortoise or two, most likely with a red streak behind its eye. This is the Red-Eared Slider, an introduced species from North America, found in ponds, waterways and reservoirs all over Singapore. In the past, many were pets that had been irresponsibly abandoned or released for religious reasons such as Vesak Day. As they are very hardy and breed very successfully in Singapore, they have pushed out the local native species and upset the natural balance of the ecosystem. The SPCA does not encourage the purchase of Red-eared Sliders as pets, due to the long-term commitment needed.

That's all for now. Actually there are a lot more other plants and animals that I haven't mentioned. So I'll be gradually updating this guide to include them. And in the meantime, comments are most welcome, especially if you've spotted any mistakes! Finally, here are a few more photos... 

26 June 2011- Update


Went for a walk along the river with Alyssa today and took photos of some other species which were not featured earlier. I hope I got their names correct. Here they are...

References:

*        1001 Garden Plants in Singapore - Boo Chih Min, Kartini Omar-Hor, Ou-Yang Chow Lin

*        A Guide to the Common Birds of Singapore – Clive Briffet

*        Birds of Singapore – Christopher Hails, Frank Jarvis

*        A Guide to the Wayside Trees of Singapore – Wee Yeow Chin

*        Wild Animals of Singapore – Nick Baker, Kelvin Lim

*        Singapore National Parks Board - www.nparks.gov.sg

*        WildSingapore - http://www.wildsingapore.com/

*        Mangrove and wetland wildlife at Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve -http://www.naturia.per.sg/

*        World Agroforestry Centre - http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org

*        Flora Singapura - www.florasingapura.com

*        Answers.com - www.answers.com

*        Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org

*        BIOTIK - www.biotik.org

*        SPCA - http://www.spca.org.sg/