One of the best things to do on a Saturday morning is to go on a nice leisure nature trip, so it was early rise and shine for me on the past 2 saturdays, including 除夕 on which I had a date with Hazel (actually, its more accurate to say that I dragged her along) at Sungei Buloh.
I arrived at the reserve earlier than expected, and was happy to hear the loud flapping of the Pink-necked Green Pigeon's wings (Treron olax vernans) as it landed on a tree near the entrance of the reserve.
A barren tree on one side of the Bamboo River was decorated with a flock of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) , and an outstanding Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) (an Egret-wannabe, you think?).
As usual, with the hope of seeing the otters, I was excited to see sudden ripples in the water towards the main bridge. I was estatic, thinking that it was them! But it was just my imagination as the ripples were caused by a school of fishes, much to Hazel's amusement.
My favorite Stork-billed Kingfisher (Halcyon capensis) helped to decrease my disappointment index with its splendid performance.
Our largest kingfisher in Singapore dived quickly into the water and with great accuracy, it grabbed a fish with its powerful dagger-like beak, before returning to the same branch. As it began devouring its breakfast, the kingfisher showed us its ferociousness as it beats its prey repeatedly on the branch. The Hazel beside me exclaimed 'Wah, so fierce...' with every smack. This hunter eventually swallowed the fish whole.
Unfortunately, tide was really high that morning, and we didnt have any chances in spotting the migratory waders on the mudflats. We decided to focus on our mission to see some reptiles and embarked on Route 1.
The usual voice of the mangroves was exceptionally loud, and we were quick to find the Mangrove Cicada (Purana tigrina) clinging onto the bark of a tree just by the trail. These attention seeking male Cicadas goes all out to attract the opposite gender (just like man, isn't it? =P) by singing using 2 membranes within their abdomen that vibrates.
We froze in our tracks in order not to scare away this bird that was foraging some 10, 20 m infront of us. I didnt manage to take a clear shot, but it looks like the Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica). It eventually disappeared into the undergrowth.
I was just sharing the 'gross' encounter with a troop of Cotton Stainer Bugs (Dysdercus decussatus) during a training trip with the RMBR guides some months ago. My dear friend also experienced the same, as I happened to spot another colony of them (estimate the number by multiplying the picture below by 10) congregating on the Sea Hibiscus. Safety in numbers, they say.
Somehow, we were stopped in our tracks by animals several times yesterday. This time round, the Malayan Water Monitor (Veranus salvator) swaggered in front of us. While it is generally not harmful to humans, we were still hesistant in approaching it and were wishing that it would quickly walk into the nearby undergrowth.
The scavenger, instead (as if reading our minds), walked to the middle of the trail and slump itself flat to bask in the sun!! While we know they are cold-blooded and requires the sun's help to warm itself, we can't help being amusd by what seems like its deliberate attempt to frustrate us.
The Batik Golden Web Spider (Nephila antipodiana), recognised by the yellow spots of its upper abdomen, was a common sight. We spotted at least 5-6 of them throughout the walk.
The golden-coloured silk, which gives the spider its name, forms a strong web. The web is built at a slight angle, enabling the catch of larger flying insects.
Can you spot the much smaller spider on the same web? I wonder if its the male spider, which is far smaller in size than the female.
After 3 hours, there were still no crocodile nor otter in sight. We decided to go for a quick walk on the mangrove boardwalk, hoping that the otters will be at the fresh water pond (which, of course, did not happen) after our detour.
As it was high tide, it was no surprise that the tree-climbing crabs (Episesarma sp.) were seen climbing tree trunks above the water level, to avoid aquatic predators. These tree-climbing crabs are also known as Vinegar Crabs. Preserved in vinegar and salt, they were/ are favoured by the Teochew community - must ask my Teochew friends next time.
These 3 individuals lined up orderly in their climb.. 排排坐, 吃果果...
A close up of the Violet Vinegar Crab (Episeserma versicolor), the most common species locally, which has a distinct violet-coloured pincer with white tips.
We also saw several Shield bugs (Calliphara nobilis) on a leaf.
It was almost noon and we decided to call it a day and headed towards the cafeteria. Even before CNY commences, we already started gorging ourselves silly on unhealthy food to satisfy our hunger after a long walk...
While I didnt get to see the crocodiles yesterday, I saw not 1, but 2 Estuarine Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) last Saturday.
While processing my photos, I wasnt able to differentiate the 2 individuals effectively, except that the colour looks a wee bit different, the slit behind their eyes a wee different.. and their 'sey' a wee bit different too.
These top predators have been making frequent visits to the reserve. Our ecosystem must be quite healthy, with plenty of fishes for them to feed on. Thus, they are unlikely to pose a danger to us, unless provoked.
Crocodile 1
Crocodile 2
Last Saturday's trip started with a trek at Sungei Kadut. The wet socks and shoes were thankfully worthwhile as we managed to see the flowering Kalak Kambing (Finlaysonia obovata). Read more about this rare mangrove climber at Ron's blog.
I didn't notice that there were 2 pairs of fruits till I took a closer look at the photo at home. These mature fruits were spotted along Kranji Nature trail. The climber's nectar must be quite sweet to have attracted many Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina)!
We initially thought it was 1 lonely Altas Moth (Attacus atlas) that we saw, but was pleasantly surprised to find a pair whom appeared to be mating. Considered as one of the largest moths in the world, they are apparently cultivated for their brown, wool-like silk, which is said to have greater durability.
My last sighting of the day was the Common Greenback Frog (Hylarana erythraea) , mediating at the fresh water pond. While this frog is fairly shy (and very well camouflaged), it is agile and a very strong jumper
Had a great time on both trips, and you bet, I'll be back very soon to try my luck at sighting the Otters (again) !
And oh yes, Happy Chinese New Year to all! and... Happy Valentines' day too:
4 comments:
Your otters need to prepare for reunion dinner also mah...haha...
haha.. thats true..
another friend suggested that they could be visiting relatives in melaysia...
either way, hope they will be back soon!
You see, told u monitor lizards are disgusting!
Ms Yang, they are not la!! This one was very cooperative and made way for us as we slowly approached. Very 乖 what!
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