For the past year, I'd being going for nature walks to various nature reserves or parks, mostly for the purpose of photography. Also, these walks are enriching experiences to me. My guy will always accompany me & both of us love taking wildlife photos. Since I stay in the Eastern part of Singapore, some of the places we frequent the most are Changi Beach & Pasir Ris Park Mangroves.
Older entries of our visits to Changi Beach & Pasir Ris Park Mangroves are featured here: A Walk @Changi Point
@Changi Beach
Went to Changi Beach late one afternoon & encountered this cute little Nerite Snail crawling along the shore.
Nerite Snail @Changi Beach.
Near the beach, on a stretch of sandy land, grow some sorta ground creepers which produced fruits looking very much like mini watermelons when unripe. The ripe ones turned a rich golden yellow or orange. Dunno what are these plants, but I found a Ladybug on them. First time I ever saw a real live Ladybug!
Cute Mini Watermelons
Tiny LadyBug
Among the plants, butterflies flirted. Some species are new to us & cooperative enough to let us get off a few snaps.
Blue Pansy, male(top pic) & female(bottom pic).
Black Veined Tiger & Tawny Coster
Some of the birds we saw that day is a juvenile Asian Glossy Starling with big red eyes & a juvenile Scaly-breasted Munia which came very close to me, hopping around my feet foraging for grass seeds.
Juvenile Asian Glossy Starling & juvenile Scaly-breasted Munia
One of my favorite bird is the Oriental Pied Hornbill & we saw them almost every time we visited Changi Beach. They had being roosting there for quite some time already. Another bird which is fun to watch is the Pied Fantail which loves to spread its tail feathers when hunting for insects on the ground.
Oriental Pied Hornbill & Pied Fantail
The sunset was gorgeous that day & I considered it time well spend.
Sunset
@Pasir Ris Park & Mangroves Forest
One of my favorite place for my nature outing is Pasir Ris Park & Mangroves. It's a lovely place. Anyone not familiar with that place should give it a try. Keep your eyes peel, ears open & be quiet as possible. You will find many photo opportunities.
Flora & Fungi
Many species of butterflies can be found there, in the park, especially in the delightful little garden or in the mangroves.
From left to right, top to bottom: Pea Blue, Black Veined Tiger, Blue Pansy & Common Bluebottle.
From left to right, top to bottom: Common Rose, Tailed Jay, Common Palmfly & Peacock Pansy.
From left to right, top to bottom: Yellow-banded Wasp Moth, Great Swift & King Crow.
From left to right, top to bottom: Small Branded Swift, Common Mime, Mottled Emigrant & Short-banded Sailor.
Striped Albatross, Leopard & Common Grass Yellow.
Plenty of Bees, Hornets & Wasps too. Problem is, I dunno even the common names for almost all of them. =P
Very Busy Small bee-like fly & giant Carpenter Bee.
Wasps?
And other insects...
Praying Mantis, Grasshoppers & Robber Fly.
Spiders are not insects. They are arachnids. This much I know. =P
St. Andrew Cross Spider, tiny green spider & a Giant Jumper.
Dragonflies, these living fossils are a joy to photo.
Common Chaser & Scarlet Grenadier
Male & female Blue Percher.
Reptiles ~ usually saw lizards, including the giant Malayan Water Monitors, but seldom see snake.
Gecko & Common Gliding Lizard.
Tree-hugging Malayan Water Monitor.
To me, it's a bonus if Otters are sighted @Pasir Ris Mangroves. I love to watch them playing & hunting for food. They are Smooth-coated Otters & recently, 10 of them were sighted.
Smooth-coated Otter having a fishy meal.
Birds are our favorite subjects in photography, but with my little baby camera, a Nikon CoolPix S6300, it's not easy getting good shots of them unless they are very near. Usually it's my guy with his super zoom camera, perviously a Canon SX30 & currently, a Canon SX50, that got the bird pics. However, I do get lucky. Perhaps animals love me & they will let me approach very close. =P
With its many species of birds & some uncommon or rare ones, not surprising that Pasir Ris Mangroves is a favorite haunt for many birders, notably during the migration period between October & March.
Male & female Asian Koel.
A cute Tanimbar Corella.
Scaly-breasted Munia, adult & juvenile, feeding on grass seeds.
MealTime ~ Common Goldenback Woodpecker(male), Common Iora(female) & Oriental Magpie Robin(male).
Dark-sided Flycatcher?
From left to right, top to bottom: Grey Heron, Intermediate Egret, juvenile Little Heron & a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron pretending to be Count Dracula. =P
Black-crowned Night Herons are migratory birds, staying for only a few months before going back up North.
March 2012 ~ With its amazing diversity of species for such a small patch, Pasir Ris Mangrove Forest is a fascinating place.
Pasir Ris Mangrove Forest
That mangrove forest & the park around it is 1 of my favorite haunt for nature outing. My first visit, in this entry: Pasir Ris Mangroves was about a year ago. Had being exploring the place on & off, usually with my guy who is also my personal photographer. The past few months were quite a hectic period for me & I didn't visit the place until the last few weeks. This time I was armed with my new 10x telephoto lens for my iPhone & itching to test it out on wildlife photography. With an iPhone?!? You gotta be joking, you say. Haha... yep! And the result is better than I'd expected. Heehee...
Nature Photography With iPhone. =P
Before continuing, I have to declared that most of the stills featured in this entry was taken with our Canon SX30 & a few by a friend with a Nikon DSLR. However, all videos were by my iPhone with the 10x telephoto lens attached.
Without further ado, let me present once again, the natural beauty of Pasir Ris Park & Mangrove Forest.
Flora: (top right) Water Hyacinth Flower, (bottom left) Nipa Palm Fruit ~ This is the fruit which provide the 'attap chee' in your dessert. Fungus
And for the animals... look what Hamster had found!
A Cute Little Pony! =P
Eh... reality check! That pony belongs to a riding school called Gallop Stable located in the park. Now, back to the forest, you silly little Hamster! xD
Ok... creepy crawlies time! =P
Bugs!
More Bugs! (from left to right, top to bottom): A cluster of bees forming a heart shape, Yellow-Barred Flutterer, Grasshopper & a mating pair of Scarlet Grenadiers.
Eeeeek! SPIDERS! (top left) St. Andrew's Cross Spider, (bottom left) a jumping spider which landed on the lens of a friend & (right) Golden Orb Web Spider.
OMG! Monster Caterpillar!
The above pic are of a giant caterpillar of the Atlas Moth & a cluster of 3 Atlas Moths. Notice the wing tips of the moths are like the image of snake head? That's the moths defense/disguise system for frightening off predators, especially birds.
Pretty Pretty Butterflies (from left to right, top to bottom): Dark Glassy Tiger, Knight, Common Sailor & Cycad Blue.
Forest Beauties (from top to bottom): Black Veined Tiger, female Common Mormon & Blue Glassy Tiger.
In the mud or water are... A Giant Mud-skipper & a Jellyfish
A mud crab with red pincers & a giant marine worm.
*A note about the giant marine worm featured above: We saw lots of these worms swimming near the surface of the river. They are nearly or about 50 cm in length. At first, we mistaken them for giant forest centipedes or millipedes & wondering why they are swimming in the river. When we showed a naturalist friend the pics, he told us those are a sort of marine worms. Question: Why would these marine worms whose natural habitat are in the mud beneath be swimming near the surface of the river, presenting easy prey to their enemies? We saw fishes attacking, biting them, tearing some of the worms to bits. According to the naturalist friend, these worms hasn't being scientifically studied or named. No one know much about these mysterious creatures. It just shown there are still so much to learn about the mangrove forest despite it being so accessible.
Common Sun Skink & a river tortoise.
Ever seen a Flying Dragon? Haha... no, not exactly a dragon, but a Common Gliding Lizard, one with wing flaps which enable it to glide from tree to tree. One of these landed on a tree trunk just in front of us when we were walking along on the boardwalk.
A Common Gliding Lizard with flaps half opened & another Common Sun Skink.
The Malayan Water Monitor is the world second largest lizard often mistaken by locals for crocodile in the water or Komodo Dragon when encountered on land. Don't worry. Water Monitors ain't that ferocious & are actually quite harmless to adult human. Don't be surprise to find them on trees as they are quite adept at tree climbing.
Climbers
Ever watch 2 Godzilla wrestling? One day, we watched as 1 big male Water Monitors swam from 1 side of the river to the other bank where there was another big male. The moment the swimming one came ashore, it charged & grappled with the other male. Both were on their hind legs, shoving & pushing like 2 wrestlers till both fell into the river. The fight continued with tail slapping, rolling over each other until one of them surrendered & swam away. No serious injuries was infected. It was mating season for those giant lizards & that fight between males was a ritual combat for mating rights.
Giant Lizards In Combat
Have you ever heard Alvin & The Chipmunks singing at Pasir Ris Mangrove Forest? Heeheehee... this silly Hamster is having a fantasy again. No Chipmunk, but there are lots of squirrels, Plantain Squirrels in the mangrove forest, jumping from tree to tree foraging for food. Sometimes, you will be able to hear them sing... no, more like barking or cheeping & flicking their tail, a territorial or mating display.
Plantain Squirrel
Plantain Squirrel taken by iPhone with 10x lens.
After so many visits, just only last week, I discovered that there is a lone monkey in that area. Sighted the male Long-tailed Macaque in the mangroves & followed it into the park where it galloped off.
Solitary Monkey (bottom pic courtesy of Zhou Ji)
One of our most delightful sighting in Pasir Ris Mangroves was a family of Smooth-coated Otters which consist of 2 adults, a juvenile & a baby. They were hunting in the river. Every now & then, when 1 of the adult caught a fish, it would give the catch to the baby. What a pleasure watching it squeaked with joy when eating. We were on the viewing platform, trying to be as still & quiet as possible while the Otter family were getting closer & closer. The whole show was rudely interrupted when a PRC couple walked in talking very loudly. The adult Otters suddenly gave a series of loud warning squeaks & barks. The juvenile & the baby dived instantly & disappeared from sight. The adults were gone next. When they surfaced, they were very far away, swimming downstream towards the sea. Being back many times since, but did not have any more sighting of those Otters again.
Smooth-coated Otters
Mommy With Baby Otter
Avian photography is my favorite in the field of nature photography. With the multitude species of birds in Pasir Ris Mangroves, bird-watchers will never be disappointed.
Flight of The Little Egrets (pic courtesy of Zhou Ji)
Grey Herons nest there the whole year round, filling the surrounding area with sound of their loud coarse cries.
Grey Herons in their nest.
Birds, common & uncommon species, everywhere. They are my favorite subject for photography
(from left to right, top to bottom): Grey Heron, Little Egret, Little Heron & Eastern Cattle Egret.
White-breasted Waterhen & Whimbrel
White-collared Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher & a Common Kingfisher had caught a shrimp for breakfast.
A few flocks of Red JungleFowls had made that area their home. What a gorgeous sight the roosters are, with their fanciful colors!
Red JungleFowls & Family
We also spotted an escapee, a White-crowned Robin-chat, a non-native species hopping happily around in the park.
White-crowned Robin-chat
Almost all the pics of birds I used, here or in other sites, were actually taken by my guy. He is a former working professional photographer with very fast reflex, ideal for avian photography. Me little Hamster on the other hand is hopeless when it comes to tracking & photographing skittish birds unless they stay still for long period which rarely happened. With a camera, I almost always lost the target although I can effortlessly spot/track them, either with my binocular or scope. So, usually I'm the spotter & he is the shooter. And most time, when conditions permit, I shoot video with my iPhone.
Tiger Shrike, Banded Bay Cuckoo & a cute puff-up juvenile Zebra Dove.
(from left to right, top to bottom): Ashy Tailorbird, male Laced Woodpecker, Olive-winged Bulbul & male Common Flameback.
What a joyful day it was when we sighted a pair of juvenile Oriental Pied Hornbills. They are such magnificent birds!
Juvenile Oriental Pied Hornbills
We feel so fortunate that at times, Pasir Ris Park & Mangroves presented us with sightings of uncommon birds.
(from left to right, top to bottom): Black Baza, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Mangrove Pitta & Collared Scops Owl.
And what am I doing in the pic below?
Hunting with my iPhone.
Shhhhh... I'm stalking the Mangrove Pitta, a rather rare bird & one of the celebrities of Pasir Ris Mangroves. Seen lots of camera owners with long lens trying to get a pic of it. Thought I tried my luck with my iPhone with 10x lens attached. With an iPhone, I'm more flexible & mobile than those boys with big camera equipments. I can go where no long lens on big tripod could, like getting down on my knees to bend under the boardwalk to get a shot of the Mangrove Pitta which was below. The giant lens people were still waiting in frustration for the bird to come out in the open while I was already happily shooting. =P
Mangrove Pitta
Mangrove Pitta taken by iPhone with 10x lens.
During one of the visits, we spotted a female Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker in her nest hanging from a low tree. Hoping for the best, we returned a week later to find 2 chicks had already hatched & the parents were busy feeding them.
Female Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker in nest & feeding nestling.
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Nestling taken by iPhone with 10x lens.
While watching the feeding activity, I learned that many baby birds are born with build-in pampers & the parent birds will remove the waste sac when its filled. Below is a sequence of pics showing the male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker doing waste disposal service. (From left to right, top to bottom)
1) The chick presented its backside upward & out towards daddy bird. The waste sac is starting to form at this stage.
2) When fully filled, the waste sac is ready for removal.
3) Daddy bird gently grabbed & twisted the waste sac from the chick's bottom.
4) Finally, the waste sac came loose & daddy bird carried it off to dispose... perhaps by dumping it on someone's car. =P
Waste Disposal Service
Another week later, the little chicks had grown & flown a distance away from the nest with the parents still feeding them.
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Fledglings
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Fledglings taken by iPhone with 10x lens.
Tested my iPhone 10x tele lens on nature photography & the results are acceptable for such a cheap lens. Seeing me with an iPhone surrounded by DSLR cameras with super long lens is quite amusing to my guy & another friend. So they took these pics... =P
iPhone vs DSLR (Top pic courtesy of Zhou Ji)
On a sour note while visiting the mangroves, we came across people who are inconsiderate & destructive. Littering: The amount of rubbish in the mangroves is sickening! Even with rubbish chutes at every shelter, people are so lazy, leaving their trash everywhere or throwing them into the mangroves! Poaching: Saw abandon fishing equipments, nets, lines & something looking like a fish trap, a PRC Chinese couple gathering shellfish & a group of kids were taking out snails just for fun. Destruction: A Malay couple breaking branches just for the heck of it & some long-lens camera owners breaking branches just to get a better view of their subjects. Noise pollution: 2 PRC Chinese men went in with their mobile phone hanging from their belt playing music at full volume, teenagers screaming at the top of their lungs & a PRC woman practicing singing! The loud music from the nearby DownTown East & some events held at the park are already bad enough without the needs to add to it! Cycling: Even with the 'No cycling" signs at every entrance, people still cycled on the boardwalk & some traveling at fast speed!
Aside from those misbehaving humans, I love this mangrove forest. Always something new to see, always surprising & intriguing me. I might not understand much about the science behind it, but according to many researches, like the forest, mangrove forests are like green lungs for the sea around it The mangroves also act as safe haven, a nursery for small fishes before they are mature enough to venture out into the sea. The mangroves plays an important part in securing a healthy population of fishes in our seas & oceans. As the most productive & biologically complex ecosystem on Earth, at the intersection of land & sea, mangrove forests support a wealth of life. These forests may be more important to the health of this planet than we will ever realized. It is crucial that we preserve/protect those vulnerable patch of wilderness. We won't know what treasure we will lost till one day, we missed it all.
What I am, is beyond most people imagination. Don't assume anything about me. Very private & shy. Very selective about friends. Dislike conformity. Can't tolerate fools, idiots or bores. Prefer intelligent & creative minds. Dull topics turn me off. Not easily impress. Hate answering personal questions. If I reply to anything, it may not be what it seems. I have a rather runaway imaginative mind. About My Blog: People kept asking why I didn't update my blog daily. My blog is more of a photo blog than a diary. No photo, no write. Unlike others who write about trivial daily stuff, I only blog when significant events happen in my life, matters I want to remember or my interests & hobbies. Blogging takes up time, need inspiration or mood. I want my blog to be interesting, not mundane rubbish. If I don't have the time, inspiration or mood to blog, I'll just leave it. Because of my blogging habits, recent entries may be events that happened some time ago. My blog is more of an archive of happy memories for recalling or to learn from as I mature. So, I blog by my own time & pace, for my own pleasure, not for others.
