Pandan Reservoir
West, Singapore
January 2013
Pandan
Reservoir is not really known for its spiders and avian subjects. It is
mainly because the plants there are mainly cultured ones - those that
are planted for aesthetic reasons to beautify the environment. Yet
Merlion Wayfarer was there earlier this month. Why? To see the amazing sunset there. (See "The Sun Sets In The West At Pandan Reservoir")
What
was more than ample were scores of Pacific Swallows (Hirundo Tahitica
Javanica) busy zipping through the waters, some even came as close as an
arm's length in their evening buzz...
Where
water plants were visible, there were many old webs by big-jawed
spiders. These were mainly loose webs which were at least a day old.
However as it neared sunset, these dormant spiders started coming to
live to rebuild their webs for the volley of night insects.
Here
is one more Mangrove Big-Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha Josephi Okuma)
within the periphery of Merlion Wayfarer's lens in its web-building
process. As it zips up and down each strand of web, the spider
alternatively faces the camera with its top and bottom surface...
Due
to the hundreds of thousands of gravel bits lining the jogging path,
Merlion Wayfarer did something interesting today - she looked down at
her feet while she walked. She spots a shy ground spider (Spotted Ground
Spider, Storena Cinctipes)...
It's a bit harder to spot these are they scuttle around at a breakneck
speed - even for human eyes. Even when noticed, their colour and behaviour resemble worker ants exploring the
gravel path. And when alerted, they will hide in the nooks and crannies
of the stones. A good eye and a flash is required for these shots...
Look at the size of its saucer-like eyes and the beautiful rusty-brown spots on its back...
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