DUCK

I was so excited when I saw this flock of birds, known as the Lesser Tree Duck or Lesser Whistling Duck because of its characteristic whistling call, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens' ecolake. I have not come across them for a while now and recently, we were talking about attracting them to the garden and creating the niches for it.

This is definitely one interesting project that I am taking on in recent time and it would definitely give me a huge sense of achievement if I am able to bring them in to the garden and make them feel right at home.

When I least expected to see them, I had to see a flock of at least 15-20 of them on a beautiful sunny morning. So there they were, basking under the sun on the lawn or swimming in the water, foraging for food or just simply paddling. Seeing some of them preening each other was so heart warming. I was also fortunate enough to witness a few of them flying and landing in the water right in front of me.


We may not have the Mandarin Duck here but this native bird is just as mesmerizing with its interesting brownish plumage.