Chek Jawa on 1st Jun 2010

The first thing I saw from a distance when I arrived at the Chek Jawa Boardwalk this morning was these 2 birds. They are crossing path!
The Grey Heron & White-bellied Sea Eagle are like 'rubbing shoulders'! Not sure what are they up to initially.

When they start to pull a part, now is clear that the sea eagle is in the hunting position!

Yes! The white-bellied sea eagle got his prey!
Both of them go the separate way...
The grey heron decided to look for food at the water edge.

Oh! Is a nice Ball Sea Cucumber!
and Sea Anemones too!

There are lots of small fishes in the tidal pool! Is a relief that I don't see any casualty after the oil spills clean up!
The fiddler crabs are doing just fine as well!

Nice Collared Kingfisher waiting for his prey too.
Another bird that actively feeding is this Great-Billed Heron.

With all this signs, the situation at Chek Jawa is quite promising. Hopefully this good sign will continue.

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!

Chek Jawa Tidal Walk on 23 Dec 07

This is my first time walking at the inter-tidal area at Chek Jawa after a real long wait. I have been trying to book for a trip for the above for nearly 2 years (one & a half minus the closure after the flood). The walk was so popular that the within 30 mins whenever it open up for booking every quarterly, is all snapped up. Is either the walk was really so popular, everybody are so interested in visiting the last few natural shore that we have in Singapore or the booking system need some improvement. Hopefully under the new system, booking is confirmed only after payment will cut down those just book and didn't show up for the walkon the actual day.

After walk down from the boardwalk, we saw this tiny mangrove horseshoe crab, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (on the left). Coastal horse shoe crab, Tachypleus gigas tend to be bigger in size (photo on the right, was found later closer to shore). To differentiate the two, other than size, mangrove horse shoe crab are more brownish and the tail is round instead of triangle on the coastal horse shoe crabs.There are lots of peacock anemone with all diferent colours.

And also tiny sea cucumber with diferent colours too. Thorny pink sea cucumber Colochirus quadrangularis with diameter only about the size of my finger.

We also saw this ball sea cucumber, Phyllophorus spiculata that is smaller than my watch.

We spotted 2 different sea stars too. Sand star (Astropecten indicus) on the left and not sure about the one on the right. Looks either like cake or buiscuit sea star. Not sure is which one.A close-up look.

This is another sea star, a brittle star that probably a Ophiothrix fumaria that like to turn upside down for feeding during low tide.

There a lots of sand dollars (closely related to sea stars and sea cucumber - Echinoderms, spiny skinned animals) on Chek Jawa.This Sand dollar slightly smaller than a 50 cents coin. (do we call it Sand half dollar?? just joking)This are the trails left behind by the sand dollars.There are lots of this straw like things on the floor. These are the house of the tube worms which attracted lot of birds came here for feeding during low tides.This long stalked eyes crab, genus Macrophthalmus is out for feeding too. This flower crab Portunus pelagicus will not hesitate to raise up his arms to fight any creatures that comes near them.Harpiosquilla mantis shrimp that having the scissor-like front limb to catch fish or other shrimps.The real big green mussel Perna viridis about the length of my palm.This hermit crab is taking over the volute's shell as his home.This beautiful snail is called Hydatina amplustre . Little is known about this beautiful creature. There are lots more to learn about the creatures that are found in Singapore.
Razor shell that usually burried in the sands.
This Armina babai that feed on sea pen is about to burrow into the sands.This is a common scene during low tide, fishes will sometimes accidently lands on drier part of the tidal pool. Luckyly they all managed to 'jump' back to the nearer tidal pool. Part and parcel of growing up learning process??A beautiful sea squirt seen in a old lorry tyre.

Is a wonderful experience being able to visit this beautiful shore at Pulau Ubin. Thanks to RMBR in making this trip possible....... i have been trying to get entry to this place for the last 2 years!! I'm sure there are more people out there that take longer times than me. :-)

The rain was really heavy when we are on the way back to mainland. Now I understand why one will need to wait for so long to gain entry to Chek Jawa..... we have too little nature shore for too many people. sigh.....

The Inside Story (Making of The New Nature Guides)

Some of the Semakau guides that were out at Ubin on Saturday (1st Dcember 07) automatically became VIPs (very irritating persons, we are to act as nasty visitors) and as well as guinea-pigs for Ron's next generation of Nature Guide!! According to Ron, whoever his successor is, will have the honour to take over his priceless hermit crab model and this hermit crab is the symbol of power, for the NHC. (dun play, play...)

There are 3 guides to be on their practical sessions conducted by Ron.

One of the guide to be were practicing her skill on the CJ boardwalk. All trainees were given several classroom sessions (for knowledge and confidence building, let me know if i miss anything - Ron, as this suppose to be part of his secret winning formulas) before they actually do the guiding.

From the thickness of the notebook, I believe Ron really spent lots of his brain's cell coming out his Secret Formulas. :p

The training is really SERIOUS!!!! Ron even use his favourate phrase..... in mandarine " I want to 叩 你 的 头(叩头, 磕头?? kowtow??)!!!"
After the part 1 practical session, Ron brought the new guides to the Jejawi Tower more than hundred fts above ground to do his secret review. Just look at the expression of the participants... Ron really show his 'full colour'(his wide knowledge from nature, inter-tidal, geography, human communications,.....etc).With the new skills learnt, the participants not only gained the skill of guiding, but the love for the nature....

Thank you Ron for the nice lunch!! We really don't mind to come back again to act for you as VIPs looking at the free lunch... :-)

You may read more about Ron here.