hornbills at upper seletar reservoir

it rare enough to see one hornbill anywhere in singapore but to see five hornbills at the same spot, that is indeed a treat. was at upper seletar reservoir park where we saw not one, not two but five hornbills on the trees between car-park b and the executive golf course.

i remember once when i was at pulau ubin and a guide from the national park board was showing a group around and pointing out to them a hornbill nest on one of the tall trees. i tried very hard to get a glimpse of the bird but was disappointed that i could did not see any. according to the guide, the bird's nest was a hole in the old tree.

it also reminds me of the time when we visited pangkor island, off the coast of lumut in perak. on this island, hornbills are so plentiful that you see them practically everywhere. there is even a hotel named hornbill resort on the island.

i do not know if the hornbills at upper seletar reservoir park are just transient visitors or if they have made their home in some of the old and tall trees at the park.

according to a newspaper report, the oriental pied hornbills have been sighted in various parts of singapore including inhabited areas. two places mentioned are changi and bukit timah. it also reported that the number of hornbills in singapore has swelled to about 50.