Author: Chee Lun

Otterly amazing!

~ Chee Lun ~ Leave a comment

I signed up for the otterwatch on 2nd April hoping to simply see some cute otters, and I was not disappointed, but I did not expect an insightful lecture into otter behaviour, family hierarchy and a recap of the gruesome histories of 2 otter families at war. Led by the otter experts, we started just outside Nicoll Highway MRT and we would have seen them right away if they had just woken up a bit later 😡

But complaints aside, the possibility of seeing a family of 20 otters right outside an MRT station is testament to their adaptability as a species – to be able to adapt to such a niche urban environment so well is impressive, considering otter sightings in other countries are inconceivably harder to come by.We did instead get to see their home – a tiny tunnel that somehow manages to squeeze all the members which I have no way of comprehending how unless I was an otter maybe. We also got to see their poop which was not quite what I expected, because of the shattered glass-like appearance of their dried waste due to the fish scales in their diet. Looks pretty but smelly is an understatement.

Nonetheless, we marched on under the morning sun, over the bridge, onto the PCN, in hopes that our efforts would not be in vain. 

In short: it was worth it. We managed to see the entire family of otters feeding and playing in a very picturesque pond that attracted a huge crowd! Other than being cute, they also exhibited some interesting behaviour such as different calls. If not for the otter experts there was no way I could have differentiated a normal adult’s call from a pup’s cry for food. There was one time when the otter pup got left behind by the group, its calls could be heard by the mother which rushed back to reunite it with the family. Seeing this complex family dynamic between otters just helped me appreciate these creatures even more.

Some otters drying themselves on the grass

We ended the walk with an otter crossing aided by the otter watchers, telling bikers and runners to low down when the otters were crossing. I’m glad to see everyone was so understanding and willing to stop to take a few pictures, because at the end of the day all of us will have to learn how to coexist peacefully with our little friends.

Thank you park goers!

With the recent spate of otter incidents on social media, it might paint a bad image for them. Some even say otters are edging into pest territory. However we have to understand that they are still territorial wild carnivores, and the price we have to pay to be fortunate enough to have these wonderful creatures right in our backyard is to learn how to respect their space and this applies to all urban wildlife as well. So while it may be tempting to pet an approaching otter pup, it would be best not to unless you want to be bitten.

1st field trip to DFNP bird walk (20/3)

~ Chee Lun ~ 1 Comment

It was 5.45am. I just woke up. I felt tired and a little grumpy. “Why did I sign up for this without looking at the starting time”. But it doesn’t matter. I dragged myself out of bed as I had to get to Dairy Farm Nature Park by 7 for a guided walk led by Jeff and Zachary from the perspective of a bird watcher.

My group was led by Zachary. Kicking off the walk, we started off by talking about the history of DFNP. It was a former pepper and gambier plantation turned dairy farm turned park, hence its name. Wow who would’ve guessed!

Of course that wasn’t the main highlight. Thanks to Zachary, our group was able to spot many species of birds and other groups of animals like the Gigas ant, changeable lizard and slender squirrels. Honestly, I was very impressed by Zachary’s ability to spot so many animals himself (Like, how did he spot that Gigas ant on the floor?!?!). I guess birdwatching is an activity to train your senses.

Two species of birds which especially stood out to me were firstly, the Greater Racket Tailed Drongo. Their masterful mimicry, being able to mimic the cries of eagles to scare away competitors and beautiful racket tails, I thought were very cool. In contrast, the more unimpressive looking straw headed bulbul, despite its status as a globally critically endangered species resides right here in Singapore, and we had the opportunity to see it – and this is a testament to Singapore’s surprising biodiversity despite its small size.

Picture of a Drongo which I took on my crappy Android camera HAHA don’t clown me

So did I enjoy myself even after waking up so early? Certainly. I had a lot of fun learning about Singapore’s birds and other wildlife thanks to Zachary’s wonderful guidance and if we arrived any later, not as many birds would have been seen. I always loved going on nature walks with my friends and family but never really knew how to ID any wildlife I saw and it’s a shame because I may have come across a rare species without knowing. Now, I would be able to educate (albeit to a limited extent) my friends and family on Singapore’s wildlife.