Alexandra Park Connector
Last Updated on 19 September 2021
The Alexandra Park Connector stretches for 1.7 km from Tanglin Road to Zion Road. Connecting from it is the Alexandra Canal Linear Park, which adds on another 1.4 km from Commonwealth Avenue to Tanglin Road.
A convenient place to start this hike is from Queenstown MRT station, walking along the Alexandra Canal Linear Park, a strip of greenery sandwiched between a varied urban landscape comprising of HDB flats, schools, residential houses, and high-rise condominiums.
Simply hop onto the track and let the PCN lead the way!
If in need of a companion, the neighbourhood cats will be more than happy to provide company.
Rest stops pop up along the way and provide shade and respite for the weary.
Trundling along the PCN, a pair of gigantic woks call out for attention. Unable to resist some entertainment, we’d stand in the middle, holler out some garbled words and get all excited when the sound echoes back amplified.
With a plethora of trees and shrubs lining the way, a walk along the PCN could never get dull.
We would watch the spider lilies dance in the wind…
…wave at the Heliconias as they greet passersby…
…or observe the Sterculia pods change colour and ripen.
And who would have thought, we didn’t have to go all the way to Kyoto to walk among a bamboo grove!
On a bright sunny morning, we would revel in the cacophony of bird calls and attempt to spot the trilling Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)…
…tune in to the ever rising scales of the Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) doing his morning vocal warm-ups…
…listen out for the chuckles of the Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans)…
…zoom in on the Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) as he cackles loudly from his perch…
…join in the boisterous party of the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos (Cacatua galerita)…
…or lock eyes with the cackling Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), whose maniacal laughter can sometimes be heard from miles away.
High up in the tall trees, we might be able to spy on the Grey-rumped Treeswifts (Hemiprocne longipennis) chilling out under the morning sun…
…or even catch a glimpse their adorable baby, resting under the watchful eye of his parents.
Educational boards planted all along the PCN provide interesting nuggets of information about the flora and fauna.
How else would we have known that the floating aquatic wetlands planted in the park actually had a functional purpose other than for aesthetics! In fact, the aquatic plants help to purify the water by encouraging suspended solids to settle, and the roots cleanse the water by absorbing nutrients from the water.
That is one noxious cloud of silt that ought to keep the plants occupied for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, the tortoises are having fun ducking in and out of the aquatic bushes.
As we were deeply engrossed watching the threesome doing the turtle dance…
…an audacious White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) sidled up, proud and eager to show off his juicy catch…
…before he remembered his shy mate slinking around on the sidelines…
…and he went to offer her a piece of his tasty treat.
After the snack, he retreated to a discreet corner of the pond for a bath…
…and a preen…
…to look all smart and presentable for the lady.
If we are not careful, we may find ourselves marching all the way into town, which may not be such a bad idea, if we want to paint the town red.
