Singapore Half Day Tour

It was about two months ago since CS Ling join me for nature photography in Singapore. We have been trying to schedule another outing without success due to her super busy work schedule.

Finally she is able to spare some time this morning (confirmed only yesterday), thanks to the long week end. We visited 3 areas this morning! We start off from Bidadari. Bidadari is a defunct cemetery and all the graves have been exhumed pending for redevelopment.

We spent about 2 hours there before we proceed to Singapore Botanic Garden. Since Ling wanted to recce Wallace Trail for her upcoming workshop with a group of primary school students, we have prata at SBG as lunch and follow by Dairy Farm Nature Park for the Wallace Trail.

These are some of the photos we took this morning... A rather uncommon and beautiful Blue Pansy

Green Baron

Common Mormon
Paddy field Pipit (Anthus rufulus)Long-Tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda)

Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) taking off
Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruetatun)

Changeable lizard

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima baemacephala)

Pink-Necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans)

Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus)

Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

3 juvenile Asian Glossy Starling is begging for food from their mother

Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata)

Blue-Throated Bee-Eater (Merops viridis)

Another Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)

Once a very popular souvenirs...Saga Seeds

A very common Plantain Squirrel

A very cute Variable Squirrel

With the heavy downpour, we end our exciting half day Singapore Nature Tour!

Oil Spill at Chek Jawa

Is probably every Singapore nature lovers nightmare - oil spill have hit Chek Jawa!!!

I was at Chek Jawa this morning and the rescue operation is still going on there. Oil marks remain on this palm tree after the cleaning of this part of beach has been done.

This could be the result from yesterday cleaning awaiting for disposal.

Either the impact was so light or the effect was not felt yet as the fiddler crab seems to be OK at this point of time. I didn't check the inter-tidal area as I was only observe from the boardwalk.

Sekudu seems clear...

However, boardwalk nearer to house No 1 is not so lucky. Rescue/cleaning work is still in progress and you can even see from far...the pillar are stained with thick layer of oil!

Sausage like float was used to prevent the oil from hitting the shore?

A closer look at the float

Worker are rushing against time to remove oil from the fragile shore

Oils that hit Chek Jawa shore

A close up look on the the foreign object deposit that landed on the Chek Jawa shore.

Hats off to these worker in keeping the shore clean.

Video footage on the cleaning work.

More rescue workers are mobilised!

Oil At East Coast Beach as at 27 May 2010

As at this morning 27th May, 2 days after the collision off the east coast despite the containment, traces of oil can still be seen on the favourite East Coast Beach.
The sea water are chocolate colour near the water edge.

Beach are stained with oil marks.

These floating debris was a shore with oil stained.

Thick oil stains on the sand.
Workers are working hard in clearing the oils and debris stained with oil from the beach.

Spotted Wood Owl Preening

Is always an enjoyable experience to watch the behavior of the birds in the wild. I was lucky enough to have found this beautiful large owl - Spotted Wood Owl (Strix seloputo).

Since owl is an nocturnal bird, which means they will roosts in the day and only active in the night. There are several reasons why animals show nocturnal behaviour, avoid predation being the number one reason, get away from the heat, competition for food, etc.

I have been visiting this owl several times this week on different time but all in the day and this have given me more knowledge about this bird and at the same time also more questions too! Do nocturnal birds preen in the day or night?

I have seen this owl yawn, doing stretching as well as preening in the day! Not sure if this is normal for just Spotted Wood Owl or is there any other nocturnal birds showing the same behaviour?

At times the owl will yawn, in the middle of roosts

Stretching of wings

Stretching of wing & leg

Preening

More preening

Give me a Five... or Three!

The owl was seen preening in the day several time and will continue to roosts.

I have it on video during one of my visit showing the owl doing preening in the middle of the day!

Our Lovely Northern Shore

Is been quite a while since I visited the lively northern shore. PT & me re-visit this lovely shore this morning.

The first star that we found was this cute little Biscuit Star.

A Biscuit Sea Star (Goniodiscaster scaber)

There a lots of tiny one too!

This Sand Star with one arm missing and another is growing...

Sand Star

Animals that stay in the intertidal area must be able to hold themselves during low tide. This pair of seahorse was put to test when the tide goes down.

Pair of Spotted Sea Horse(Hippocampus kuda)

Millet Cowrie (Cyprea millaris)

The Millet Cowrie is a threaten cowrie in Singapore, is really good to be able to see one here!

Fan Shell

 There are lots pf Fan Shell half burrowed in the sand and with nice colours too!

A stranded fish by the outgoing tide

Another stranded animal - Jelly Fish

A Sea Pen

There are lots of sea cucumber of different kinds.

This Thorny Sea Cucumber with feeding tentacles out

 There are also lots of Peacock Anemones in the tidal pool.

with different colours!

Soft corals

Peanut Worm

Sea Urchin

The Geographic Sea Hare (Syphonota geographica)

 The Geographic Sea Hare is in season, there are many of them on the shore!

Octopus!

  Finally found one octopus!

A very striking Striped Hermit Crab

Mantis Shrimp

We have to stop of walk when the window period over, the tide is coming back just when we are about to go for breakfast.