Almost immediately, we chanced upon a flock of hornbills!This pair seemed to have a close bond! They were always settling next to one another. And even flying off together.
A cyclist who was forced to stop as we jammed up the road looking at the hornbills exclaimed he had never seen the birds although he regularly visits the island! Oh dear.Along the way, primed by the tree talk, I noticed the ground was strewn with fallen Durian flowers (Durio zibethinus)! And the tree above had lots of bunches of flowers about to bloom! Looks like we might have a good durian season ahead of us!
I also came across this short tree with very pretty fruit pods and delicate pink flowers. From the NParks floraweb, I think it is Sterculia monosperma.
The road next to the quarry near NParks HQ has been closed. We're not sure why. Perhaps there is some subsidence? The water level in the quarry is very high! Almost reaching the top and overflowing on the road. But there are still lots of white egrets on the trees in the quarry.
We take a short detour to Butterfly Hill, and there is a lovely fragrance from these tall trees with drooping clusters of white flowers. I have no idea what they are!
Of course, there are lots of butterflies on this hot sunny day. Here's a few lame photos of some that we saw.
There was also a very well camouflaged Changeable lizard (Calotes versicolor)!
Pulau Ubin is always a delight to visit. Even a short trip reveals interesting wildlife if we stop to take a closer look.More about Pulau Ubin and how to get there and what to see and do.