Take a walk in MacRitchie forest and fall in love with nature

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A boy points out some squirrels he spotted during a guided walk.  ST PHOTO: BASIL EDWARD TEO
David Tan (second from left) leading a guided tour on the Venus Loop Walk. ST PHOTO: BASIL EDWARD TEO
Participants of the Venus Loop Walk guided tour crane their necks to see an animal moving from branch to branch. ST PHOTO: BASIL EDWARD TEO
The view of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and the Bukit Timah area (background) as seen from Lakeview Estate, just after sunrise. ST PHOTO: BASIL EDWARD TEO
The view of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and homes along Upper Thomson Road from Lakeview Estate, just after sunrise.
ST PHOTO: BASIL EDWARD TEO

SINGAPORE - Mr David Tan has been visiting Singapore's forests for over a decade now, but each time he enters the woods, the biologist discovers something new.

"Every time we come in, we see something unusual happening. Whether it's a bird is doing something unusual, or an unusual bird just showing up for some reason," he said.

The 27-year-old is a volunteer with nature group Love Our MacRitchie Forest which conducts guided walks.

The group was formed in 2013 following the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) announcement of the new Cross Island Line. In the proposal, the train track would run under the MacRitchie forest.

Through guided walks every two weeks within MacRitchie Reservoir Park, the band of students, nature lovers and activists hopes to raise awareness of MacRitchie's biodiversity.

The walks are popular and the group has been hitting its maximum cap of 30 participants per walk for its two trails , the Petai Trail and Venus Loop Trail. Walks are conducted only twice a month to limit impact on the trails.

The Straits Times joined one such walk on a Sunday morning.

Check here for upcoming walks.

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