Despite staying in the east, I have never been to the Pasir Ris Park and this was one of the reasons why I have decided to sign up for this walk.

Some of the memorable events and learnings include

1. Spotting parakeets and their bird nests on the light tower on our way to the park. I was surprised as never have I thought that I would see bird nests being built on light towers. These parakeets were introduced into Singapore, and they have managed to rebuild their nests even after the multiple attempts of having their nests removed.
2. Learning more about the fish poison tree where the flowers are pollinated by bats. It was used to stun fishes in the past and enables the fishes to be captured while leaving them edible for human consumption.
3. Learning more about the mangroves which serve as coastal protection (interconnected roots help dissipate forces of storms), carbon storage, and protection for small fishes. Some adaptations for growing in or near the seawater include having roots that do not take up the salt or having leaves that excrete the salt taken up.

Overall, the walk has been an insightful one and to end off, I would like to thank our guide, Nasry, for sharing his knowledge with us.

I had initially wanted to go for the walk at the Chestnut Nature Park back in early April but was unable to do so in the end, and I was really glad that there were more walks at the nature park thereafter. From the sharing by the guides, I learnt that the Chestnut Nature Park acts as a buffer park, serving as a buffer between the nature reserves and the urban areas, as well as reducing the pressure and stress on the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a popular nature reserve with large crowds. In addition, I have learnt that the nature reserve has routes designated for mountain bikers as well.

Some of the memorable events include

1. Being attacked by ants – I went into the park being fully prepared against the mosquitoes but was attacked by ants instead. Although this was something that I had not expected, I am thankful for this which taught me to be more aware of the surroundings and to be more mindful of where I am stepping, especially in nature parks.
2. Being able to see the mousedeer which is a nocturnal animal. It was also not shy, and we were able to have a longer and closer look with the binoculars that were being passed around.
3. Seeing a colugo – it was very well camouflaged to the tree bark in my opinion, and I took some time with the repeated pointing by the guide and my friends to be able to spot it.

Overall, the walk was an enjoyable one and I would say it was worth the 1.5 hours traveling time. A big shoutout to my friends for patiently pointing out what was seen, and to end off, I would like to thank our guides, Frances and Wei Jian for taking their time to share their knowledge with us.

As someone who is not a fan of insects, this was a walk that I would not have signed up if not for my friends. However, I am glad that I did, and the walk was insightful and eye-opening for me. The guides and facilitator were observant and knowledgeable, spotting and identifying the insects that were small and could have been easily missed out.

Some of the memorable events and learnings include

1. The insect snacks that the guides kindly shared with the group before the start of the walk. From the reviews given by the rest of the group, they were tasty and not as bad as I thought they would have been.
2. Learning more about the differences between a butterfly and a moth. During the walk, we came across a butterfly and the guides shared more about how we can differentiate these two. These include their activity (butterflies being active in the day while the moths are active at night) and their antennas (thin and long, with a bulb at the end for butterflies and short feathery for moths).

Overall, the experience was an enriching one, allowing me to be more exposed to the insect world. To end of, I would like to thank the guides from the Entomology Society and Pangolin Films, as well as our facilitator, Anna, for their time and sharing.