Photography Workshop @ SBWR

A group of GVs + avid photographers snapped away at Sungei Buloh on US's independence day. We were attending the hands-on session/ workshop for macro photography, organised by GPA.

Unfortunately, I ended the day with only a few satisfactory shots.

The Weaver Ant/ Kerangga Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) can be commonly found in SBWR. It's nest can be found among the Sea Hibiscus which produces nectar that the Weaver Ant is attracted to. In return for the nectar, the ant protects the plant from leaf-eating insects - no one wants a nasty bite! The Ant's nest is quite a 大工程 - the workers ants build the nest by joining one or more living leaves together by the edge using a very strong silk produced from a squeezed larva.

Not sure of the ID of this grasshopper, but it was absolutely cooperative while I snapped away.

I was really excited to see a real Ashy Tailorbird's (Orthotomus ruficeps) nest, after all that tailorbird's nest-making art and craft classes. Even though there were no eggs nor nestlings in the nest, it was still exciting to see the intriguing work of the skilful tailor. The female bird constructs its nest by pulling the 2 outer edges of a single large leaf together, and holds it by 'sewing' bark fibres/ web strands through tiny holes pierced on the edges of the leaf, using its beak.

The nest is then lined with soft comfy materical such as cotton. It is said that after the female is done sewing, the nest must be inspected and passed by the male before it can used! TSK! such chauvinistic behaviour!

Finally, I have a satisfactory photo of the St Andrew's cross spider (Argiope mangal). This spider got it's name from its X' shape resulted from how it holds its eight legs in pairs. The female spider spins the usual orb web plus additional stabilimentum, which are 2 silky zig-zag bands on the web. Not sure whats its use though, maybe to stabilise the web? And probably to warn flying birds of the web, just like how lighthouses warn ships of shallow waters.

Next to the main bridge, an occupied nest of the Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis) caught our attention. The bold and cooperative bird was hardly affected by our commotion as we took turns to take pictures of it. The sunbird feeds largely on nectar, although will also consider insects when feeding its young.

Have not seen otters at close range in SBWR, hopefully lady's luck will be on my side during my next visit!

Transect - 13 June 09

On 13th June, we were back in P. Semakau for a transect survey. While we are permanently assigned for the seagrass transect (at least for the past year), my partner-in-crime was missing in action that day. Replacing her were 2 other GVs, EF and CY, who were first timers at seagrass transect.

We were initially fearful of a wasted trip as it started to rain the moment we arrived at the NEA office. Thankfully the rain didnt last long, and we could start the survey as planned. On our walk to the starting point, we were even greeted by a beautiful rainbow.

As the 2 GVs were unfamiliar with seagrass survey, I walked them through the to-do list (to the best of my knowledge), while on the way to our assigned transect column.

Heres a brief outline of what we typically do:

1. With the shoreline on our right, we first measure the depth of water at our start point (marked beforehand) before laying the measuring tape (as straight as we can) for 30+m.

2. On our data recording sheet, distances where we should place a quadrat (a measured and marked square, in our case, the quadrat consists of 25 squares) are specified.

3. We then place the quadrat at the respective specified distance and

a) identify the species of seagrass &

b) count+estimate the percentage of each species in that area of the quadrat.

4. The next task is to estimate the percentage of epiphyte on the seagrass (see the brown stuff growing on the green seagrass in photo below).

5. We also randomly pick 3 blades of leaves to measure its length.

6. Other plants (such as algae) or animals must also be recorded.

7. (although not quite part of the survey) Washing the equipment esp the measuring tape with clean water is a MUST, and is usually the most tedious task

If you ask me whats most challenging, identification of the species beats everything else, hands down. I remember how traumatic my first experience was, because all the species looked the same to me! No matter how hard we tried, we only seemed to be able to identify the tape seagrass, and we also took a long time to complete the tasks. Even recording the data was difficult, back then.

With practice, I'm sure we have improved in speed, and hopefully in accuracy of data too.

Heres what my team identified during the survey:

1) Tape Seagrass (Enhalus Acoroides): This is relatively easier to identify because of its long ribbon-like leafs. Feeling the sides of the leaves, you will also find that the leaf margins are in-rolled. The rhizomes of this species are thick with long black bristles. This time round, we even saw the spiky Enalus fruit (unfortunately, i was too busy to take a photo)!

2) Cymodocea serrulata: This seagrass may appear quite similar to the tape seagrass, but it has a serrated leaf edge, if you look carefully. A clear distinction is its smooth (and white?) rhizome (yes, in order for us to check this, we have to dig and feel the rhizome):

3) The last species (and my first time seeing it) is the Sryingodium isoetifolium. This is not too difficult though, as its cylindrical and hollow leaves are quite distinct, clearly different from the tape seagrass.


Apparently we should be able to see the spoon seagrass in our area as well. I gues we were not looking hard enough, or waiting long enough for the murky water to clear. Next time, we will!

Aside from the difficulty in identification, seagrass survey can be quite fun too, filled with occasional screams, more often than not, from our group (even the guy!!). Haha. Half the time, we scare ourselves with our imagination whenever we touched something underwater that does not feel like seagrass.

We still had some time after completing the survey, and took a slow walk back to the wash-up point. A fellow GV spotted a Feather star (another first time for me!), although she had a rude shock as she intially thought it was a flower till it moved! Feather stars have a hydraulic water-vascular system (unlike us humans who circulates blood in our system) similar to other echinoderms, and swim by the undulating movements of the arms.


Another first time for me, is the sighting of the Spiral Melongena (Pugilina cochilidum) laying eggs! This is another pole-vaulter who moves with the aid of its strong foot and operculum.

Though not my first, I was also glad to see 2 Mangrove horseshoe crabs (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda). Horseshoe crabs are known to be the longest living fossils, since days even before T-rex. Although they are called 'crabs', they are more related to spiders and scorpions. Its sharp tail may look intimidating, but it is not venomous nor used as a weapon. It is merely a tool to overturned itself, so if you see a upsidedown horseshoe crab, don't be afraid to lend a helping hand! Another interesting fact about them is their blue blood which clots easily when in contact with bacteria.
 

A smooth sailing survey, with many first-time sightings - certainly a great trip!!

All in a day's work!

The theme for CR Challenge 2009 was somewhat similar to 2008's, but this time round, our aim was to create/ enhance the environment of the less priviledged children, instead of the elderly's. Preparation commenced in early May for the big day - 11 Jun 09. Hazel and I signed up as coordinators, and had the opportunity to be Mr Phua Chu Kang during our visits to 3 different families. Or rather she had the honour of taking on the measuring work (as she was mandarin-challenged =P ), while I chat with the family. Our role was to obtain the measurements of the non-existing study area, as well as obtain more information on the needs of the family.

With all our notes, the information is then collated by GPA for the makeover on 11 Jun 09.

It was a bright Thursday morning, and the weather set the perfect mood for 'All in a day's work'! The HR team was all ready at 9am. Upon reaching our destination, we wasted no time in packing and cleaning the children's bedroom, and a 'study corner' in the living room.

The team's camaraderie was highly commendable, as we split up the workload and took on various tasks.

While some were packing away, others were painting with all their might.

Eventually, the room was transformed (original state on the left, and the final artwork on the right) all in a day's work!

All thanks to a dedicated team of 9! :

The children were also given an electronic dictionary to aid them in their studies.

When I returned to visit the family 2 weeks later. I was relieved to see that the room was still in its' tidy state. Happy that the children kept their promise to keep their room clean and tidy for a more conducive studying environment.

World Envronment Day 2009

5th Jun 09 was World Environment Day. The bank celebrates this day with a chain of activities, including an excursion to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with 100+ children, led by 20+ GVs, to learn more about nature and conservation.

As early as 8am, Seraya room was filled with excitement (and noise) . In fact the parents were probably more excited (and worried) than the children.

We set off at about 930am and soon arrived at our destination. Together with 4 colleagues, our day with our Malayan Water Monitor Lizard group commenced with a video presentation of Sungei Buloh, followed by a guided walk.

Many plants were blooming that morning, including the Sea Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus). We can expect the yellow flowers to fade to dull orange-red if we return that same evening/ next morning.

The Simpoh Ayer (Dillenia suffruticosa) whose flowers also open and fall within a day, was also fruiting and flowering. The children who initially thought that its flowers were pink, were amazed that thats actually the fruit. Not sure why all my pictures are predominantly of plants, I'm quite sure we met the other residents such as Mudskippers (f. Gobiidae), tree climbing (episesarma spp.) and fiddler crabs ( uca annulipes). Its always a challenge to take photos while I'm guiding, can't multi task very well, can I?

Heres a picture of team members resting at the mangrove boardwalk, looking quite tired and certainly very hungry (noticed the food?).

After lunch, the mangrove amazing race/ adventure began. Teams were tasked to visit 5-6 stations for hands-on activities in addition to completing worksheets. While it tested the group's team spirit, the key objective was really to help them understand the importance of conserving the mangroves, and environment.

For eg, at one station (see pict below), teams learnt that mangroves protect the coast and is home to many marine animals. This station also highlighted the medicinal uses of mangrove species as teams had to match the medicinal uses to the respective parts of the mangrove species (with the help of very comprehensive guidesheets, of course).

Back at the HQ office, teams then had to prepare for a group presentation on the team's mascot.

Our group were able to relate better to our topic, because they had more than 1 encounter with their mascot, the Malayan Water Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator) that day.

Our group members were rather shy though, but I must agree that it can be really daunting for a 7 year old to speak in front of a crowd (100+, for that matter). In the end, the volunteers helped to piece some information together for them to narate:

- The Malayan monitor is the one of the largest lizards in the world

- They eat basically anything - from crabs to fishes to even carcasses

- Excellent sense of smell thanks to its fork tongue

- Often bask in the sun as its cold blooded

- Generally not dangerous, so don't throw stones at them 'cause they are just basking in the sun

I was exhausted at the end of the day, and as usual, am amazed with the amount of energy in a young child (days like this, I really feel old!). Nonetheless, it was heartwarming to hear their positive feedback (less the hot weather). One of my colleagues' girl wrote in her diary, reflecting on W.E.D:

"I learnt that my every small effort can help to save the Earth"

Indeed.

Hunting Seeking at P.Semakau

We were back at Pulau Semakau on 30 May to hunt & seek. Our primary task this time round, was to look for species of algae, particularly the unidentified ones. Yet another challenging task (second to seagrass transect), we ended up collecting samples of almost every species of algae we saw since we were not certain of their identity. Our guiding principle for the day was 宁可杀错 不可放过. =)

I was so focused on identifying the seaweeds that I only remembered to take photos of 2 species. =P

Algae, or seaweeds, do not have a root system and also rarely have strong supporting stem-like structure. Unlike many plants, it has no veins, no flowers and typically has a similar colour throughout the entire plant.

Now, if you think that seaweeds/ algae are only green in colour, you will be surprised (like how I was ,prior to joining this project) to know that they are commonly clad in red or brown too!

This algae, which I'm not sure of the species, is likely to be from the genus of brown alga Sargassum. However, we observed that it does not have a living life jacket ie special gas-filled sacs, to help it float.



We also saw plenty of Napoleon's hat (Avrainvillea sp). This green algae is velvety and soft to the touch. Unusally flattened, it grows on soft sand/ mud, with its fan-shaped blade sticking out from the substrate.



We were lucky to come across this Sea Anemone, likely to be the Giant Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea). While they may looked harmless, their showy tentacles contains nasty stinging cells. The stings however, do not hurt human beings, but may leave welts on sensitive skin.

Carpet anemones may come in array of colours due to the presence of symbiotic algae (called zooxanthallae). The algae photosynthesizes to produce food and shares it with the sea anemone, which in return provides the algae with shelter and minerals.

Knowing that the sea anemone also has a symbiotic relationship with the Ocellated Clownfish(Amphiprion ocellaris), we embarked on the mission of 'Finding Nemo' and were elated to spot 2 clownfishes darting about its home (try spotting one in video below!)

The anemonefish escapes the stings of the sea anemone by secreting a special mucus that covers its body. It enjoys protection from the sea anemone and may also feed on leftovers of prey captured by the host. In return, it protects its host from predatory fishes such as butterflyfish, removes parasites/ dead tissues and may even attract other fishes for the sea anemone's consumption.

A few steps away, the Synaptid Sea Cucumber was gingerly lashing its feeding tentacles in the water to pick out tiny organic particles/ detritus. One of the longest sea cucumber in existance, it can grow up to 3m long! I am not sure how long this chap is, as most of the body was hidden in the seaweed. I was wary of checking out its length (using my metal chopsticks) because of its thin body wall that causes it to be more dedicate than other sea cucumbers.

If you touch it gently, you will realised that the Synaptid sea cucumber sticks to your hands. This is due to their hooked spicules (instead of tube feet) which poke out of its soft body - works just like velcro!

Although a master of camouflage, this common Hairy crab or fondly known as teddy bear crab (Pilumnus vespertilio) could not escape our keen eyes! It is covered with long hairs which traps lots of mud and detritus. When we placed it in water, the hair instantly puffed up, breaking the outline of this creature - its way of fooling its predators.

When I showed this picture to my friends whom I met after the trip, it was not surprising that they very quickly associated this common hairy crab with 大閘蟹/ 上海毛蟹. They were visibly upset when I told them that this hairy crab is not edible, instead it is mildly poisonous due to its diet of zoantids!

While it was a short trip, it was still a fruitful one. At least now I know Ascidians (which we innocently collected, mistaking it for algae) are animals, filter feeders and commonly known as sea squirts (due to their ability to squirt jets of water). Their small short-lived tadpole-like larvae has notochord, thus they belong to the Phylum Chordata, just like you and I!

First! Mangrove survey @ Semakau

Finally after 4 mths of procrastination; numerous threats from LK (that she will kok my head), and an inspiration talk from GPA on review of Project Semakau, I finally decided to start my maiden post (on nature)!

Within the past 4 months, I've been to 2 transects, 2 mangrove surveys, 1 hunting seeking, 4 guiding sessions at sungei buloh... and no blogs! Enough said, I doubt I will backdate my entries (but I promise I will try), but lets start with 16 May 2009 - Mangrove survey #2.

As usual, we had our free mud spa. The only difference is that we also gave the mossies a good breakfast (see number of mossies on fellow GV's hat) as we tracked through the secondary forest.

First thing we came across was the sea derris (Derris trifoliata) which is one of the few climbers in the mangroves. This plant has compound leaves of 3,5 or 7 leaflets each. As the leaves & roots contains a chemical that is poisonous, they are sometimes crushed by fishermen who uses the sap as a fishing tool to stun or kill fishes.

There is high salt content in mangrove habitat with little oxygen in the mud as the soil is very compact. Mangrove plants needs to have special features in order to survive (try watering your plants with salt water, and you will know why)

One of such mangrove species with special features is the API API (avicennia species) . The leaves of Api-api bulu (Avicennia rumphiana) looks like soup spoons, and are furry/ hairy to help reduce water loss. They can also secrete excess salt through special cells on their leaves. Apart from providing support in the soil, their pencil-like roots can also breathe air to avoid suffocation in the oxygen-deprived mud.

In the same family, we also have Api-api Putih (Avicennia Alba) whose leaves are more pointed then Api-api Bulu (Avicennia Rumphiana). Like the name suggest (Alba means white in latin, and Putih means white in Malay), the underside of the leaves are white & waxy, with the upperside in shades of dark green. Like the Avicennia Rumphiana, the Alba also has pencil-roots to help it breathe. The fruits of Alba are also quite distinctive-they are conical with and look like commas (,) !


Another species of Avicennia, a rarer one, is Api-Api Jambu (Avicennia Marina). The leaves looked like that of A. Alba (pale on the underside too), but their fruits are broader, rounder, and bob/egg-liked. The cross-section of their steams are squarish, as compare to the other species which are rounded.

The Mata Ayam (Ardisia elliptica), a coastal plant, is named after its fruits because they look like and are about the size of the chicken's eyeball (ayam= chicken, mata = eyes) ! This plant can be recognised by its twigs which are swollen at the base. Unfortunately, the one I saw was not bearing any fruits. For better visuals, heres a picture of Mata Ayam taken in Semakau during my first mangrove survey in Feb 09.

We also saw the Sea Hibiscus (Talipariti tiliaceum), with its distinctive heart-shaped leaves. It is common in the back mangroves and the stringy bark is a source for making strings, ropes etc. The bright yellow flowers of the Sea Hibiscus opens in the morning and fades to dull orange-red
before falling the same evening.

The Sonneratia alba has very pretty flowers, which attracts bats and moths. The flowers are akin to the bats' pitstop/ starbucks where they replenish their energy by drinking the sweet nectar. This species is mainly found on the sea front. They do not have buttresses or prop roots but also has exposed roots that are cone-shaped (unlike the pencil-like ones of Avicennia).




Next up, we have the Bakau/ Rhizophora species. They are easily identified because of their prop roots which increased their stability in the mangrove mud. This species is also able to exclude salt by a filtering system in their roots (by taking in the water, excluding the salt largely - its amazing, if only I can enjoy coke and yet have a filter system to filter out the 8 spoonfuls of sugar). The timber of the Bakau is also deemed as an excellent source of wood.

We saw 2 species of Rhizophora - Rhizophora Apiculata (which has a red tip/ stipules, roots pointed downwards) and Rhisophora Stylosa (without the red stipules, roots spread out).

Rhizophora Apiculata

Rhizophora Stylosa

And, of course, theres the pretty Lumnitzera littorea. Found mostly at the middle to back mangrove where there is less salinity, this rare plant has bright red flowers, and would be easily identfied from far among the sea of greenery.

Enough of trees, my friend once commented after browsing through the photos I took during the first mangrove survey: "why you take so many RANDOM photos of trees?". Sigh, they are not random, because it took me great pains to identify them! I bet they will say the same of this post.

We also saw some crustaceans as we cross the river/ stream. Presenting candidate #1.... the soldier crab (Mictyris longicarpus?). Instead of flattened bodies, their bodies are round and they can walk forward unlike other crabs (i didnt notice this while observing the crab, I must be overly fascinated by this crab's attempts to tuck itself into a ball to fake death, and its numerous futile effort of escaping by digging holes to hide, only to be dug out by LK). The soldier crabs move in large groups of dozens or even thousands of individuals, but I only saw this lone ranger. Like sand bubbler crabs, the soldier crab eats the detritus on by scraping sand using its pincers to its mouth. The sand is then discarded, resulting in small, round balls of sand (the sand balls are however larger than those left behind by sand bubbler crabs).



Candidate #2 is the Porcelin Fiddler crab (Uca annulipes) are commonly found in sandier part of the mangroves, I think I saw at least 5 within a few steps. Those with one greatly enlarged claw (the other one, small) are the Males. The large claw is used to court females (attract attention, typical of males of many species. ha!) as well as to fend off love rivals. The smaller claw is used for feeding.


LK also showed us the Malaise trap, used as part of Nparks' insect survey. The insects flies into the large, tent-like structure and gets trapped. As they try to escape by flying higher and higher up the tent wall, they end up flying into THE container with the killing agent (alcohol, I reckon? smells like it).



The highlight of the day has to be my sacrificial act of bashing through thick mangroves to collect a sample of a certain species (amidst the embarrassment, I also forgot what we were hoping to find , Xylocarpus moluccensis right? Though it was X. Granatum in reality?). ANYWAY, the ultimate classic was that after all that hard work, I cut 2 (not 1, but 2!) samples of... R. Apiculata! Sigh, its such a common species, theres no need to go through all that trouble just to collect a sample..... of R. Apiculata. =(

In any case, it was good fun. =)