4523. Wildlife Singapore S K Y. HANDPHONE VIDEOGRAPHY OF THE SHOEBILL AT BIRD PARADISE

WILDLIFE SINGAPORE SKY
How to take a good handphone video of the Shoebill at the Bird Paradise?

VIDEOGRAPHY TIP:
Do not hand-hold your smartphone to take videos of a long duration as the footage will be shaky.Use a tripod or object to support your handphone.
Hand-held videos will be shaky after a few seconds.

There is only one Shoebill at the Bird Paradise.
It can only be photographed when it perches on the ledge above you.
On certain days, it does not appear on the ledge.   

I was fortunate that it was perched on the ledge on 25 Mar 2025 at around 10am.

I placed my iPhone 15 Pro on top of my digital camera tripod and did the video presented. 

 The Shoebill lives in a high corner in this aviary.You need to ask the staff where to find it!

The Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Its population is declining due to habitat loss, disturbance and degradation, hunting (poaching) and human persecution.

Conservation efforts are necessary to protect this unique and fascinating bird species.

Conservation efforts in the zoos and aviaries to provide good housing and faciliies to promote breeding will be helpful.

 I hope Bird Paradise will provide spaces for the Shoebill such that it is visible to the visitors. In 2025, it can only be seen from a height, perched on the ledge like a statue.It may not be present on the ledge on certain days! 

I hope that the Shoebill in the Bird Paradise will get a spacious and more natural habitat at eye-level to visitors so as to promote wildlife conservation. An AI image illustration is shown.

 

 Habitat:
Shoebills are native to the vast wetlands of the Nile watershed in eastern Africa, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park replicates this type of environment.

Habitat:
The Shoebill in Singapore’s Bird Paradise may not replicate this type of spacious environment as visitors may view it in one position, if it perches on the ledge much higher up the sky, as shown in this video.

Interested in this Shoebill photos by
Dr David Sing Kong Yuen?

The Shoebill at Bird Paradise. 25 Mar 2025. 10.30am. Dr David Sing Kong Yuen 

Canon R5. Tripod. Manual Mode. 98mm, 1/500 sec, f/4.0, ISO 100

You can buy it from: www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets

Interested in this Shoebill photo by experienced photographer---Mr Brian Peck?
You can buy it from:www.myfotografi.com

 

 

 

 

 

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My Canon R5 lens 24mm to 105mm was unable to give me a sharp focus on the bird’s eye.

I used tripod, MANUAL MODE, 98mm, 1/500 sec, f/4.0 and ISO 100 to get the image. 

The previous Jurong Bird Park (JBP) had two shoebills, according to a Straits Time article. I was not aware of their existence when I visited the JBP.

What happened to them when the new Bird Paradise replaces the Jurong Bird Park? Is the sole Shoebill at Bird Paradise the surviving one?