Pasir Ris Park - The Flight Of The Hornbills

Pasir Ris Park
East, Singapore
January 2015

It was one of those cloudy days in the beginning of the year. With the rainfall held back, it was time to venture out east to explore the mangroves from the safety of boardwalks - no muddied shoes from the rain-sodden grass.

Periophthalmodon schlosseri (Giant Mudskipper)

Quite a few of these huge mudskippers were seen around the mangroves at mid-tide today.  At almost the length of a 30 cm ruler, here's one moving away from the "swimming puddle" it created at low tide to keep some of the seawater in.

 

Anthracoceros albirostris (Oriental Pied Hornbills) - Nesting Pair

Our first sign of bird life here were two photographers with their huge lenses lying in wait at the base of some trees. 

This is how far away the nest is...

On zooming, we realize that the pair is nesting in a specially built box...

Mud lined the edges of the diamond-shaped entrance. It appeared that the female is inside, lining the nest with soft mud. She has finished the interior of the nest and is now lining the entrance of the nest to slowly seal it up...

Minutes later, the male emerges and opens his beak. Instead of food, crumbs of mud spill out. He spits them out and slowly passes these mud crumbs to the female. When he finishes, he flies off again to retrieve the mud from the nearby riverbank...

Other Sightings

The ants appear to be most active at this time - shifting food many times their weight...

It was also a good time to start planning for the next generation...

A transparent snail doing yoga-like contortions...

A Numenius minutus (Little Curlew) wanders in the thick mangrove undergrowth...

A few Ardea cinerea (Grey Herons) were circling the bridge near Downtown East. It appears that the whole flock are nesting on several trees on the bank of Sungei Api Api...

The visible gold of the Nephila pilipes (Golden Web Spider) can be viewed from below the tree...

There are not 1, but 2 grasshoppers in this photo...

The orb-weavers were well-hidden under the wooden railings. Many of their webs lasted despite the recent spate of rainy days...

Initially this looked like a bee stopping for a rest on a leaf. But then, bees do not stop on the underside of leaves to rest. And look what's grasping the bee - a Misumenops nepenthicola (White Nepenthes Crab Spider)! Such is the wonder of the macro world! You get surprise finds by zooming in on your photos on a larger screen...

  

Photographers On The Bridge

From the distance, we saw a group of about 20 photographers armed with their DSLRs on tripods on the bridge. First it was just the Halcyon capensis (Stork-Billed Kingfisher). Dashing in his bright hues, it waited by the riverside, ducking in several times for fish that swam way too fast...

Moments later, a female Alcedo atthis (Common Kingfisher) flew out from among the shrubs. It was a pleasure watching her quick darts in her elegant blue coat with the shimmering fluorescent turquoise spots.

Anthracoceros albirostris (Oriental Pied Hornbill) - Juvenile

As we left, we were surprised to see a blue-eyed boy peeking at us from among the short trees lining the boardwalk....

This cheeky boy beeped and shook his head at us in his childlike curiousity, then perched on a branch and looked straight at us with his gestures...

Ever playful, he then flew even lower (to below the boardwalk height) and started surveying the ground before finally flying off...

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Night Safari - Embark On Your Mystica Quest

Night Safari

North, Singapore

November 2014

For eons, humans and animals have lived in harmony sharing Mother Nature's bounties. With progress, mankind evolved to embrace wasteful and destructive ways of life that began to take their toll on Mother Earth. Habitats were destroyed, forcing animals to seek a new place to call home.

Many perished, but a handful found refuge in a wondrous healing island of everlasting night, MYSTICA.

Begin your journey at the entrance to the wilderness wonderland...

Visitors to Night Safari will step into a wonderland of dazzling lights as they enter the park. There, they will be met by the mysterious and magical Island Keeper, who will encourage them to go on a Mystica Quest which will have them navigating challenges and solving puzzles to collect wristbands. Along the way, curious creatures will guide them. Be prepared to come face to face with the Ravishing Raven, the most divine of the Mystica inhabitants; the ebullient Jumparoo, with his springy dance steps; and the scintillating Slithery Snake, with her shimmery moves. 

Throughout the quest through the mysterious land, 

be surprised by the host of characters that greet and help you along...

When visitors have collected all the multi-coloured wristbands and completed their Mystica Quest, they will be rewarded with a sparkly surprise. The first 200 guests who do so every event night will receive a glittery gift.

Have a brief stopover at Zebra Cafe for a meal or some snacks...

And of course, the real cats in the wilderness - the shy fishing cat...

And take home a souvenir or two to remember this mystical experience...

Details

Dates:           21, 22, 28, 29 Nov and 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 Dec (Fri and Sat)

Time:            1730-2200 hours

Venue:          Night Safari (start your quest at the Entrance Plaza)

Fee:             Festivities at the entrance are free

                   The usual admission of $39 (adult) and $25 (child 3-12 years) applies

Tertiary students 17 years and above enjoy four adult admission tickets for the price of three for onsite purchases only. Other terms and conditions apply. More details are available at nightsafari.com.sg/mystica.  

Photo Credits

• Wildlife Reserves Singapore (for non-watermarked photos)
   
  

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Lorong Halus - Why Did The Hen Cross The Road?

Lorong Halus

East, Singapore

October 2014

 

The first sight while driving along the quiet roads here was the sight of several broods of Amaurornis phoenicurus (White-Breasted Waterhens) running about, hopping over drains and scuttling across the roads - Mother Hen will go first, looking out for any "predators" (Yeah, the big metal ones that make a lot of noise when they vrooom past), and cluck out loudly when the scene is clear. The little ones will then dart about after her, trying to catch up.

 

This was apparently the nesting season. Lots of spiders were found scurrying along the ground, some with egg sacs. At first glance, these appear to be Ground Spiders (family Zodariidae) or even Wandering Spiders (family Ctenidae). But on a closer look, these were in fact Wolf Spiders (family Lycosidae).

 

Spot the spider -

Well-hidden among the pebbles and rocks...

 



Wolf Spiders resemble Nursery Web spiders (family Pisauridae), but Wolf Spiders carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets, i.e. at the back of their bodies (Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps, i.e. at the front of their bodies).

 

 

Two of the Wolf Spider's eight eyes are large and prominent, which distinguishes them from the Nursery Web spiders whose eyes are all of approximately equal size. The eye arrangements are another way of distinguishing Wolves from Wanderers (family Ctenidae), and Ground Dwellers (family Zodariidae).

 



 

It was just after a light early morning drizzle. The Lynxes (family Oxyopidae) were out in full force among the long grass. Some were successful, with half-eaten breakfasts, while others were just getting started.

 

Due to the rain, the web of a Big-Jawed Spider (family Tetragnathidae) was damaged, and it was just getting it repaired. With two of its legs, it pulls together several web strands and spreads itself over the gap.

 

A full Big-Jawed Spider with its meal, and not too bothered about the condition of its web.

That can wait till evening...

 

This little Orb-Weaver (family Araneidae) was well-hidden in a waxy waterproof web of its own. And yes, spiders are certainly good predictors of weather changes - Within half and hour of seeing this little one, it started drizzling again...

 



 

Other flora and fauna spotted along the way, including the Agriocnemis femina (Variable Wisp Damselfly) and the Rhodothemis rufa (Common Redbolt Dragonfly)...

 

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