SINGAPORE: A Bedok South resident woke up to a surprise on Monday morning (Dec 11) when she discovered an owl perched on a chair on her balcony.
The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Mrs Goh, told Channel NewsAsia that her daughter first thought someone was trying to break into their 25th-floor unit at New Upper Changi Road.
“She mentioned it was making a lot of noise. She thought it was a burglar,” Mrs Goh said.
Mrs Goh, who woke up at about 7am, was doing chores in the living room when she thought she saw “a bundle of cotton” at the balcony. “On closer look, I saw it was an owl,” she said.
The owl spotted at a 25th-floor unit in Bedok South. (Photo: Mrs Goh)
“At first, I got a shock when I saw it – this has never happened,” Mrs Goh said. “Usually, there are small birds flying in and they will be twittering away. This is the first time such a big bird flew into our balcony … we’ve lived here for more than 30 years.”
The retiree added that the owl first rested on their chair, and was still there even after she went out in the later part of the morning.
“We think it flew around when we were absent – my pair of boots fell to the balcony floor. When more people came to my place, it then flew from the chair to the ledge,” the 58-year-old said.
As of 2pm, the owl remained at their balcony, Mrs Goh added. “It’s been nearly seven hours, and the bird has gone without food and water. We don’t know what to feed it.”
Mrs Goh also said she has reached out to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) for assistance, and was informed that the owl will likely fly away when night falls. However if it still remains at the balcony by then, ACRES said it would send its night crew down, Mrs Goh said.
In the meantime, Mrs Goh said her family is more intrigued about the sighting.
“Our balcony doors are closed so it will not be able to fly in … It’s not causing any nuisance – it’s a really rare sight here.”
