Meet the Smooth-Coated Otters at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve!

Who can resist the adorable antics of smooth-coated otters?

These sleek and sociable little creatures are a delight to spot at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve!

You’ll often find them hanging out in groups, sliding, splashing, and chatting away. They love to groom one another and playfully tussle—it's just too cute to handle!

These otters are fantastic hunters, feasting mainly on fish. Watching them dive and chase their dinner is like witnessing a perfectly synchronized swim team in action!

After a refreshing swim, otters enjoy rolling in dry sand to clean their fur and get rid of pesky parasites.

It's like their own little spa day—scrubbing, wriggling, and looking thoroughly happy!

Unfortunately, habitat loss and pollution make life challenging for these playful otters.

Luckily, Sungei Buloh provides them with a safe haven where they can thrive.

So, next time you're visiting, be sure to keep an eye out for their playful antics—especially those adorable sandy roll sessions! These otters truly embody the joy of the wild!

Visiting Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve: A Birdwatcher's Perspective

If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of migratory birds at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, this might not be the ideal time for your visit. Most of those lovely feathered friends are already heading back to their breeding grounds up north.

But don’t worry—there’s still so much to see and enjoy!

Just before I stepped into the reserve, I spotted a charming group of three Milky Storks soaring above.

And right behind them was a graceful Grey Heron!

While I was on the Main Bridge, I was lucky enough to see another Grey Heron gliding along the river.

It was high tide during my visit, which meant lots of crabs were climbing up the mangroves, making for quite a sight!

As I strolled along the trails, I noticed several Oriental Blue Dashers buzzing around—these dragonflies are quite common in the reserve.

I also came across two Malayan Monitor Lizards engaged in a serious territorial showdown. Nature can be so intense!

Listening closely to a familiar high-pitched call, I then spotted four playful otters swimming in the river. They were such a delight to watch!

Due to the high tide, a Grey Heron was casually strolling on the grass, probably waiting for the waters to recede.

Venturing further into the mangrove area, I was thrilled to encounter a stunning Blue-Eared Kingfisher. What a beauty!

To my surprise, I also found a Chestnut-Winged Cuckoo, which is a migratory bird and likely one of the last few still hanging around Singapore.

Saw two female Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat nursing their baby at the usual spot.

Before I left the reserve, I witnessed a big school of Mullet Fish swimming in a mesmerizing circular pattern. I can only imagine how spectacular it would look underwater!

So even without the migratory birds, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is still full of amazing wildlife and experiences waiting to be discovered!

Captivating Tangkoko Mangrove - Day 2 Part 3 (Post 9)

We so far spotted three kingfishers, but there’s still one tricky one left to find—the Great-billed Kingfisher, which can only seen around here. 

The best way to track them down is by boat, so we headed to a fishing village to hop on a traditional fishing boat called a Jukung.

This area has black sand beaches, sign that we are at active volcanoes zone. When lava flows into the ocean, it hardens and breaks into small fragments that form black sand.

I’ve done a bunch of shore dives around here and Bali, and I knew getting to the boat without getting wet would be a challenge because of the waves.

Thankfully, our experienced boatman and his crew helped us get on without totally soaking ourselves—just a little wet feet! Our cameras are still dry even without putting on rain cover.

The boatman timed it perfectly with the waves, waiting for the high ones to help push the boat closer to shore so we could jump on board before the next big wave hit.

Once we were out on the water, we could see the giant waves crashing against the beach, and the current was super strong around the rocky spots—some waves were even three meters high!

After about 40 minutes, we finally made it to the river mouth near Tangkoko Forest.

There was an abandoned floating fish farm there, just waiting for some restoration work.

And guess what? We finally spotted the elusive Great-billed Kingfisher!

On our way back, we took a little detour to a small island called Pulau Ponteng.

The current was so strong that our boat was wobbling all over the place! I just kept snapping photos in hopes of getting a clear shot of the Pied Imperial Pigeon that hangs out there.

We also spotted a White-bellied Sea Eagle, but the sea conditions didn’t let me get a good picture of that one.

Before heading back to our homestay, I grabbed some black sand from the beach to check out under the microscope.

It turns out that the black sand comes from eroded volcanic materials like lava and basalt rocks. Under the microscope, the black sand looks super cool, almost like asteroids from space with a porous surface!