Bird Park

Spent Sunday morning with Brother in law pottering around the Bird Park to do some test shooting with our new D70's. The bird park is truly a bird photographer’s paradise. Taking pictures of the birds here almost seems a bit unfair, like fishing in a barrel or hunting at the zoo. Unlike in the wild, you are able to get almost within touching distance of the birds. It's quite easy to fill the frame with the birds as can be seen below.

Couldn't quite figure out whether these two were fighting or mating, but the consensus seems to be that the were fighting and then mating. Sort of a mating display before the real deal.

Abandoned

Abandoned
Originally uploaded by pfong.

Ever since I started living in the neighbourhood 10 years ago, this house has been empty and abandoned. It's very strange, as if the owner suddenly left or died. The windows are always open but no one is ever home. A colony of bats must be roosting in the rafters. Every evening at dusk, the bats will come out and flit around the street lamps outside.

Rain Tree

Rain TreeOriginally uploaded by pfong.

This shot of the Rain Tree in the nearby park shows the enormous reach of its branches. The wide spreading branches makes it a wonderful shade tree in sunny Singapore. It's called the Pukul Lima in Malay, which means five 5 o'clock tree. This is because the leaves of the tree fold up at the onset of darkness or cloudy weather. It closes shop at five o'clock! The scale of this tree comes out a bit clearer in this larger pic.

Old Crest

Old Crest of Singapore, originally uploaded by pfong.

I believe this is the old crest of Singapore. This crest would have been used before indepence in 1959, when Singapore was still administered by the British. This crest lies forgotten in and old park in the heart of the city.

The heraldic symbols indicate that this was a major airbase and port as well as being a fortress. The motto states in the Malay language "Onward Singapore".

Also of interest is the lion and palm tree at the top of the crest. This is a reference to story of the naming of Singapore. The story goes that when a Malay prince first stepped ashore on the island, he saw what he thought was a lion underneath a tree. He named the island Singapura or Lion City.

Interestingly enough the lion underneath the palm tree has been appropriated by Tiger beer who have replaced the lion with a tiger as a symbol of their beverage.