It rained a lot of the weekend I was in Singapore, but I did my best to make the most of it. One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to the Jurong Bird Park. This park boasts over 5,000 birds across 400 species and focuses on conservation efforts for many endangered bird species.

When I arrived at the park, I hopped first on the tram to get a sense of the layout. The tram ride through the whole park took about 15 minutes, and I was impressed with how many birds I could see right from the tram. Then I jumped into the High Flyers show. Probably because of the rain, the park was not overly crowded, and I got a seat right up front.

If you’ve been to a bird show at a zoo, the High Flyers show followed a similar setup. The trainer and host walked the audience through a number of segments that each focused on a different species of bird. Throughout the show, the audience was encouraged to participate: letting birds land on them, holding rings or rope on which the birds landed, and one lady donated S$2 to a particularly cheeky bird.

The show included pelicans & flamingoes plus the flying varieties of birds: toucans, macaus, hornbills, cockatoos, and many others. The pictures convey the action better than my words can, so enjoy!

Title quote: William Blake