{"id":3524,"date":"2024-09-08T16:08:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T08:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fryap.com\/blog\/?p=3524"},"modified":"2024-09-10T19:49:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T11:49:50","slug":"bidadari-park-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fryap.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/08\/bidadari-park-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"Bidadari Park Revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first took up birding in 2010, Bidadari, once a cemetery, had become a hotspot for birds and birdwatchers. It was a migrant trap that attracted a lot of migratory species of birds that stayed for a day or two, much to the delight of birdwatchers and bird photographers then. You can read more about the historical place and the birds here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We always knew the place was slated for development even when it was at its prime.\u00a0 There were proposals to save the area<\/a> and even a Facebook Group<\/a> that I co-moderated trying to advocate for its conservation. Though the group eventually fell into inactivity, it was once a vibrant online community with many fascinating posts about the site and its birdlife.<\/p>\n

Returning to Bidadari, ultimately the development got the green light to proceed, but with some concession to preserve a small part<\/a> that was referred to as the hillock.\u00a0 Bulldozers soon arrived, and today, a new HDB estate stands where Bidadari once flourished.<\/p>\n

On 3 September 2024, Bidadari Park which was the redevelopment of a park within the new Bidadari HDB estate was officially open to public<\/a>. The hillock, likely the last remnant of Bidadari’s original vegetation, still stands. This area, affectionately dubbed “Bida Studio” by birders, was once a prime spot, with small bushes and fallen branches attracting flycatchers, cuckoos, kingfishers, and shrikes. The birds emerging from the foliage often offered great views.<\/p>\n

I haven’t visited the new park yet, but I’ve heard that migrant birds have started to appear, and I’m eager to explore it once the crowds thin out.<\/p>\n

New birders might wonder how the new park compares to the old Bidadari. While the green space may still serve as a migrant trap, the old and new locations share little physical overlap. Below are Google Earth images from 2014 and the latest from 2024, with a thin yellow line roughly outlining the border of the old Bidadari.<\/p>\n\n\t\t