Saturday, November 17, 2012

I Want to Live

Saw this northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina) at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. Born with two deformed leg, life goes on. Nature is so inspiring...


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Nature Wonders at Semakau

Every trip is different... indeed! This is how I will describe my experience of visiting Pulau Semakau - an offshore island situated at the southern part of Singapore. It is also one and only landfill in Singapore.

It was heavy rain when we arrived at the island but soon clear up and give us a perfect cooling afternoon to explore the shore that is very rich in marine animals.
Semakau is full with all kinds of seaweed such as this Coin seaweed.

Beautiful flatworm

Hairy crab that is so well camouflage

Zoanthids that with very nice pink! They are colonial anemones.
Semakau is one of the only area left in Singapore that we can find this huge Knobly sea star
There are so many of them on the island!
Jelly like egg capsule
Another very beautiful sea anemone
The corals with their polyps out underwater and I'm not even diving! 
Giant clam...again, animals that usually can only be seen while diving!
Another beautiful flatworm swimming in the water.
Bohol nudibranch (Discodoris boholensis)
Red swimming crab putting up a defensive stance
We saw a total of 3 giant clams today.
Polka dot nudibranch (Jorunna funebris) on their favourite food, blue sponge.
Today is a very fruitful day, we saw another very colourful rock boring giant clam!!













Another not so common Heart cockle.
Volute that still busy laying egg.
A very well camouflage Sea horse!!
A very common sea star on the island.
A baby Coastal Horseshoe crab - they look similar to Mangrove horseshoe crab but with a triangular tail instead of round.
Bristle worm coming out from their burrow.
Although this trip is not a birding trip, you just can't ignore them - a Brahminy kite
A rare Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana) was feeding on this very rich shore
There are just too many things to see on Semakau, I', sure I will see different things again the next time when I visit Semakau!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

The Amazing Sand Plover

Is now the peak of migratory season for shore birds. In order to avoid the cold winter, these birds travel thousand of miles away from home and will spend the next few months here before return to their home country for breeding next spring.



Saw this Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) born with just one leg landed safely! Despite the challenges, she made it. What an amazing bird!!