We were back at Sungei Buloh for the third Young Naturalist Camp in 2009. A school pulled out at the last minute for fear of the H1N1 monster, and we had a much smaller audience this time round. Not that I mind though, the group size was much more manageable. My initial group was made defunct as a result, and I relinquished my duty as a group lead, a blessing in disguise because I can spare some attention to taking photos of what we saw!
We started off the day with an ice-breaker, Human Bingo, to wake all the sleepy heads (including myself).
A trip to Sungei Buloh is never completed without spotting the Giant Mudskipper (The Giant Mudskipper (Periophthalmodon schlosseri), though a fish, it has an amphibious behavior. It retains water in its enlarged gill chambers to keep their gills moist while on land. It can also 'breathe' through its skin but to do so, it needs to keep its skin wet by jumping into their personal swimming pool (puddles in the mudflats) occasionally. The 2 big bulging eyes works like periscopes of submarines, allowing it a 360 degree view above water. The mudskipper moves on land with the help of 'clutches' - their pectoral fins. Amazingly, these mudskippers can also climb using their pelvic fins (which act like suckers) to hold them against the surface. They then, use their pectoral fins to pull themselves up.
Along the mangrove boardwalk, the Bruguiera gymnoria were blooming nicely.
Our group leader's keen eyes spotted the noctoral Dogged-face Water Snake (Cerberus Nymchops)- under the boards of a shelter! We were kneeling on the broadwalk to peep through the cracks and attracted bewildered looks from many other visitors! This snake can breathe through its skin like other aquatic snakes, is usually found in brackish habitat and can actually secrete salt!
Of course, how can we miss out the PR of Sungei Buloh? The Malayan Water Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator), one of the largest lizards in the world, was sunbathing as usual. It is often seen basking in the sunshine because it is cold blooded and requires the heat of the sun to increase its body temp. The Malayan Water Monitor Lizard eats basically anything - live/ dead crabs, fishes and even carcasses. Its forked tongue allows it to have an excellent sense of smell.
First time I'm seeing this at Sungei Buloh! A huge school of catfishes were swimming against the current, just below the main bridge. And they are pretty big in size too! Probably at least 50cm long each. I pointed them out to a few groups of visitors, and of them stunned me with their reply: 'Wah, they make great Fuzhou fishballs!'.
A Plantain Squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) taking a nap on a tree. While it is not a front view, at least I have a clear shot. I've never been able to get a good photo because they are so agile, scampering around so quickly. They can be reocginsed by its red underside and white & black stripes on the sides of the torso.
Thanks to Sam who told me the location of the Oriental Whipped Snake (Ahaetulla prasine). Our group ran out of time and was not able to venture past the main hide. Strangely, all the Oriental Whipped Snakes I've seen so far are always in this position - I guess it adds on to the camouflaging because they look just like a stalk of the tree!
My first sighting at Sungei Buloh, so I can't help running all the way from the Theatre to its location during the short lunch time when fellow GVs told me about its presence. The red eyes of the Shore Pit-Viper (Cryptelytrops) made it look scary, and indeed it can be - this venomous is known for a bad temper and its swift attack, but only when disturbed. Thus, I was extremely worried and quickly shared this with a couple whom wanted to poke the snake with a stick to get a better photo angle of it.
Part of the camp programme includes a mangrove planting session, which is vital for the children to understand the importance of our mangroves. Apart from being the habitat and home to many marine life, it is also the coastal guard of many towns and prevents erosion. In the Dec 04's Tsunami, coastal towns without mangroves were wiped out totally, while those with mangroves, although damanged, but were not totally destroyed. Unfornately, over the last century, almost 40k sq km of mangroves have been destroyed, to make way for city development.
And of course, we end the day with a presentation for the children to tell us what they have learnt that day!
I stayed back after the camp to walk around a little more, and saw this triumph jumping spider pulling a prey that it has caught.
And, a beautiful dragonfly by the pond near the visitors' centre - not sure of its ID though.
Presenting the 'Secondary Forest':
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