Waking up early in the morning, I was looking forward to my nature walk at Windsor Nature Park, a nature park that I have not yet visited before. Sadly, as I was arriving at the nature park, rain clouds came in and it started to drizzle. In our WhatsApp group, the guides informed us that they have to cancel or reschedule the walk due to the current weather conditions. I was upset that I may have made a wasted trip to the park but thankfully, our experienced guides, Sean and James, informed us that the rain clouds may pass soon and offered to continue the walk if we desired. Whilst most of the group was unable to join us, I and another BFF-er along with Sean and James met up at the park and begin our entomology trail when the rain stopped and the sun came up at 9am.
Whilst many people, including myself, would have thought that after a rain shower, there would be lesser people and fauna at the park, I was pleasantly surprised to see many bees already flying out to collect nectar from the radiant flowers. During our short trail along the Venus Loop, we managed to spot many species of insects including snails, beetles, flies, caterpillars, and many other tiny insects that were just relaxing or moving about on leaves and wood stumps.
Tiny Snail out after the rain
Even though the trail was relatively short in distance, we took our time to spot the many tiny insects around us – those that were openly moving on the leaves and fungi-filled stump, those hidden under the leaves and those just actively flying around and “working”.
As someone who never really took the time to observe insects, and at times even afraid of some of them, I managed to learn quite a lot from my experienced guides, who were experts in their own fields of entomology. Thanks to their sharp eyes and extensive knowledge of insects, we were able to find different species of insects at every turn, sometimes even at every step, and I learnt little bits of knowledge about each of the new species of insect that we saw.
Semi-Social Caterpillars who share the same leaf with each other
I learnt that there were actually many insects who liked to imitate other insects as a form of protection. An example would be a harmless fly pretending to be a dangerous wasp. Ironic how the fly would be bolder than the wasp when we approach it – while the fly will remain still as we edge closer to it, the wasp will fly away at our slightest advancements. Perhaps imitating a dangerous species in the insect kingdom has made these flies bolder and less affected by us humans.
“Imitation Wasp”
Apart from insects, we also saw other bigger animals such as chickens, plantain squirrels and even a huge wild boar who was just casually crossing the trail and trotting into the forest.
One of many plantain squirrels on our walk
We also saw a few rare insects and habitats on our trail – a huge green tree snail that typically comes out at night, a massive termite mound with thousands and thousands of termites at work, and a natural freshwater habitat inhabited by tiny fish and water bugs.
Green Tree Snail Termite Mound
Overall, I learned a lot from this 3hr walk around the Venus Loop. I learned many new facts about different species and insects and even some tips on how to spot and identify them. One key new fact that I learned from my guides is that there are many species of insects in the world, so much so that they cover half of the animal kingdom that we know, but while there are so many species of insects, there are still so little that we know about them – why they behave in certain manners and even what some species of insects are as many are still unnamed. This is why museums are constantly finding research material from citizens so that they can find out more about the insects we see and hopefully provide better protection and conservation for some of the endangered insects.
This walk started on a low with rainy weather but ended with a high with me leaving with new knowledge and mindsets about insects. Can’t wait for my third and final BFF trip!
After a 30 minute walk from Cashew MRT (including us getting lost along the way), my friend and I reached Chestnut Nature Park to meet up with the rest of the group. After a short introduction and briefing, we begin our walk. Near the entrance of the nature park we saw a strangling fig tree, which despite how it looks was actually 1 tree and not multiple trees. Our guild Vilma explained that the “trunks” of the tree was actually roots from the main tree reaching down to the forest floor and grew thicker as they absorbed water and nutrients from the ground. During our walk, we managed to spot some strangling fig trees that had “consumed” other trees and killed them by taking all the nutrients on the ground and blocking most of the sunlight.
Strangling Fig tree near the entrance of the nature park
Shortly after, we came across a jack fruit tree and saw a squirrel scurry up the tree to eat the jack fruit. While looking at the squirrel, Vilma mentions that jack fruit trees are not native to Singapore and are usually a tree grown to earn some money (cash crop) in the past, and that Chestnut Nature Park used to be a kampong. We find more evidence of that through the walk as we spotted shattered tile and pottery on the ground and other non-native plant species such as the oil palm tree (another cash crop planted during the kampong days).
Plantain squirrel eating jack fruit
We were extremely fortunate to see many of wildlife that Vilma mentioned at the start of the walk. Before starting the walk at Chestnut Point, we saw a troop of long tailed macaques rushing towards a group of people who were having their breakfast and we were told sternly to keep any lose hanging items in our bags. Further into our walk, we managed to spot 2 colugas having a nap on tree trunks! (at different locations) Did you know that they do not have eyelids and sleep with their eyes open?
First coluga of the day!Second coluga of the day!
We also saw a clouded monitor lizard, sun slink, emerald dove and even a mouse deer which dashed away after spotting us.
Clouded monitor lizardSun skink
All in all, I had a fun time at Chestnut Nature Park learning about wildlife. It is a beautiful place teeming with wildlife (especially insects) and I will definitely be visiting again!
Although I live close to the nature park, I’ve never been there before hence I decided to sign up for this field trip with a friend. As this was our first trip, we were pretty excited. Walking to the nature park itself was quite tiring as it took around 30 minutes from the MRT station but we were glad when we finally reached and met up with the others!
Tunnel leading to Chestnut Nature Park
Along the trail, we were first greeted by roots of Strangling Fig. The aerial roots looked like thin trunks of multiple trees but upon closer inspection, they belonged to the same tree.
Strangling Fig
Our guide, Vilma, explained to us about the leaves of Macaranga trees and how their petioles are not connected to the edges unlike many plants, and are instead connected closer towards the middle of the leaves. She also shared about the “toilet paper” leaf, a yellow leaf that we picked up from the ground which had a soft and slightly fuzzy underside, making it “suitable” as toilet paper haha.
Macaranga tree
We were lucky to have come across some wildlife such as a Clouded Monitor Lizard, Colugos, Squirrels, an Emerald Dove and a Mouse Deer. I learnt that Clouded Monitor lizards can be differentiated from Water Monitors by the location of their nostrils, with the latter having nostrils closer to the tip of the snout! We saw a squirrel eating a jackfruit and Vilma shared that squirrels eat durian as well which was quite interesting, given their hard shells!
Clouded Monitor LizardColugo
Other bugs we came across
We also came across footprints, possibly belonging to wild boars!
The streams we walked by were really beautiful and relaxing to look at.
Overall, I found the trip really enriching and enjoyable! It was interesting to learn different facts about flora and fauna there from our guide and others. I’ll be looking forward to my next field trip! Thank you for reading :))
I’ve never been to Bukit Batok Nature Park before (let alone at night), safe to say I was really excited for this walk! As more participants streamed in we chatted for abit before our guide for the night, Uncle Tony, arrived in his truck. Now I’ve met Uncle Tony at various virtual engagements before, but this was my first time meeting him in person, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to learn from someone so knowledgeable about our biodiversity.
Off we went! As we walked through the park, Uncle Tony explained how large rain trees are often home to climbers or ferns that in turn provide homes for many fauna species – ranging from birds to insects and even bats. They create microhabitats that play an important role in supporting our biodiversity.
Uncle Tony looking under the ferns located on a rain tree (Pic by Stefanie)
When it comes to conservation, we often focus on conservation significance species (i.e. labelled endangered etc). Uncle Tony shared about the important role our common plants play in the ecosystem, in providing food and shelter to a myriad of fauna species. Even for the tiniest of creatures, who form the foundation of our ecosystem!
Pic of one of the common plants (I have forgotten its name :p someone please remind me haha)
Uncle Tony also shared about the Banyan Tree! As it grows and spreads its branches out horizontally, it grows aerial roots that mature into thick, woody trunks to support its branches. How smart!!
Banyan Tree roots that has thickened over time, offering support!
My last flora fun fact before we move on to our fauna haul – Uncle Tony pointed out that there were a couple of Sea Apple trees, a coastal species native to Singapore. Bukit Batok is not exactly near the coast so what is this tree doing here? Well it was used as a firebreak! In the past, large forests were cleared for plantations that would move from land to land, eventually resulting in lots of lalang abandoned fields that were highly flammable. The Sea Apple does not burn easily and was planted extensively as firebreaks.
Now moving on to the fauna section of this post, we actually spotted two colugos!! One of them a larger brown coloured one that was spotted by a keen-eyed participant actually glided right in front of us – it was super exciting as I had never seen one glide before.
The brown colugo spotted by another participant. The other one we spotted was slightly smaller in size with a grey-ish colour.Our flashlights were disturbing it, hence you can see how it has angled its body to decide where it would be gliding to!
We also spotted some insects along the way – including my first ever praying mantis!!
Praying mantis
Beetle
All in all, it was a really fun trip and my favourite takeaways were spotting the colugos and learning about plants especially since I don’t have much experience with plants. I do hope to have more opportunities to learn more about them and the vital role they play in our ecosystems.
My next walk is going to be the entomology one – so excited!!
On 9th April 2022, I participated in my first ever tree planting session! And looking back at it now, it was as much fun as I imagined it to be! 🙂 Along with my partner, we planted 2 coastal tree species, namely a large Heritiera littoralis sapling and an Ilex cymosa.
The process took a little longer than expected because of the many rocks or hardened clay that were in the way. Occasionally, we saw an earthworm come out from the soil, and from what I was told from the more experienced volunteers, this was a good indication that the soil was healthy. It was heartening to see that the efforts made by the community is really paying off, and that even the organisms living there can be satisfied as well.
My partner and I after planting the Heritieria littoralis sapling! She was the one who inspired me to participate in the tree planting programme.
As I got a better hang of ploughing the soil and ensuring that the surroundings are suitable for the sapling, I took a longer look to observe and reflect on what I saw before me. A group of regular citizens, volunteering to serve the greater good for the community. The entire process of replantation and encouraging the sustainability of wildlife will probably take a lot longer than what we may ever observe, and yet, we do this not just for ourselves but for the future generations.
Realising that so many volunteers come back here every week to take care of the planted trees, it really made me feel like I was making a difference. This was a good chance to take a step back and see the bigger picture, instead of being cooped up in our own little worlds. It helps keep my passion for the environment alive! 🙂 I would love to go back and continue on this journey for a little while longer.
Armed with a torchlight in my hands, I made my way towards to the west @ Bukit Batok Nature Park (BBNP) for a night walk on 22 April 2022. I reached and found myself with some of the other nature go-ers there. We chatted a bit before Uncle Tony arrived, where he began a small introduction on how to properly use the torchlight to identify “eyeshine”, which is reflection of light from the pupils, to then help pinpoint the location of the animals around us. The proper terminology for this is actually Tapetum Lucidum, which refers to a layer of tissue in the eyes of many vertebrates. This also contributes to the superior night vision of some vertebrates!
To put it simply, when you shine the torchlight and an animal happens to be looking back at the light, there would be a pair of small flashes of light shining back at you! Apologies for the long intro, now onto the more exciting segment of the trip – the walk itself!
Into The Thick Of It
After waiting for everyone to assemble, we then made our way into BBNP. We first stopped by a giant rain tree, where Uncle Tony commented that bats tend to sleep under the massive ferns growing on the rain tree and that this single tree itself is home to many floras and faunas as well.
Uncle Tony pointing to where can you potentially find bats sleeping in the day.
We then proceeded to the main road in the park where our team then tackled both sides of the road with our torchlights (as there were both surrounded by vegetation) trying to spot “eyeshines”, to see if we can find any interesting animals. I encountered my first “eyeshine” here, which was actually green in color. I called out to Uncle Tony and he mentioned that those are probably spiders as they commonly reflect a green “eyeshine”. What Uncle Tony was most interested in, is actually a red “eyeshine”, which a Colugo is known to have. Moments after that, we soon found ourselves *SPOILER ALERT* the first Colugo spotting of the night!!
Not my photo but a close up of the Sunda Colugo from incidentalnaturalist.com.
Unfortunately, I did not manage to snap a photo of the Colugo, but it was Grey in color and was rather active as it leapt up the tree after being spotted by Uncle Tony. As it seems disturbed by the constant lights shining at it, we decided to keep our torchlights away and proceeded deeper into BBNP.
After stopping for a small pitstop to refill our water bottles, we carried on with our walk. Uncle Tony then provided us with informative lectures on the various plants in the area. Particularly, he introduced us to the Banyan Fig, which is a tree that actually spreads not only vertically but also horizontally!
I don’t know why but this is actually the only photo I took that night – Banyan Fig tree’s aerial roots forming into trunks upon reaching the soil to support its wide spread branches.
Midpoint – the Quarry
We then reached to the quarry area of BBNP. It was a very peaceful and serene place to be. Aside from a man yelling periodically while doing his exercises, you can hear the dripping sound of water into the quarry and the sounds of cicadas all around us. PERSONALLY, I felt that the sounds are more intensified due to the shape of the quarry, which generates an echo, which in turn magnifies these sounds (or it’s just me). I also spotted countless lynx spiders (Google said so) in the shrubs surrounding the quarry. It is my first time seeing these spiders and they are one of the species of spiders that has spiny legs.
Uncle Tony also shared with us his stories before Singapore learnt of the importance of protecting our biodiversity. Singapore has come a long way as compared to say 20 years ago. Many of our nature parks today may not exist if not for people from Uncle Tony’s generation challenging the government and their respective agencies and contractors. Through their perseverance, they have maintained and protected many of our now beloved nature parks and the biodiversity within them.
Moving on, we proceeded up to a higher locale within BBNP where Uncle Tony shared with us about the Sea Apple plant.
“huh Sea… Apple..?”
You might think what’s a Sea Apple plant doing in the middle of the park? So apparently in the early 1900s, the Sea Apple plant are used as a firebreak, to prevent fires from breaking out in our highly flammable lalang wastelands. These trees grow tall and also provide shade to the lalangs, which adds on another preventive measure to help protect against fires.
The team then carried on forward while I strolled behind them. I then spotted something brown.. hanging on the trunk of the tree. No prizes for correct guesses to what I spotted. T’was a brown-colored Colugo!! I then called for the group to come over and observe this particular Colugo. Uncle Tony then immediately explained that we actually have 2 colors of the colugos here in Singapore – grey and brown. One might think that the colors assists in a form of identification but Uncle Tony clarified that himself is unsure as well as he has seen both colored colugos carrying a baby.
STILL not my photo but an onsite photo of the brown-colored colugo.
Seemingly disturbed by the light shining on it, the colugo then leapt upwards and looks in a direction where a tree trunk is in sight.
“Watch, it’s preparing to glide.” Uncle Tony pointed.
And as if it heard its cue, the colugo hopped off the trunk and glided to another trunk on the other side of the pavement. It was simply a spectacular sight to behold as it was in the air above us, gliding across in all its elegance and beauty. Despite the colugo gliding onto a tree that was lower and still next to the pavement, we decided against intruding its space any longer and proceeded to finish our walk at BBNP. Before reaching the end point, a teammate also spotted a praying mantis! I don’t have a picture of it to share but it was both of our first time seeing a praying mantis in the wild so it truly was a good night for spotting wildlife!
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was an enriching journey with Uncle Tony and the rest. I truly enjoy the act of trying to spot animals in the wild, not knowing what we would find and getting the sense of achievement when you spot something. I also learnt more about the flora and fauna in our nature parks, and these parks can be just minutes away from residentials (the nearest residence was just a traffic light crossing away).
Sometimes, we overlook these conveniences we have and get so engrossed in our daily lives, be it schooling or working (or both), and we take them for granted. Perhaps it’s good to take time to stop and smell the roses, to hear the cicadas and busk in the serenity nature provides.
Thanks for reading till the end, stay safe and take care!
I have crossed paths with the horseshoe crab numerous times in my life. Since young, I have come across them along the northern shores, some in good shape, while others badly entangled in illegal driftnets. In school, I learnt about the incredible value of their blue blood in the medical field (for the detection of bacterial infection). And through the Internet, I realised that they are facing threats in Singapore, be it habitat destruction or death from gillnets.
For this reason, I signed up for this horseshoe crab rescue and research activity at Kranji Mudflats, to hear directly from expert Lester on the current state of horseshoe crabs and learn interesting facts I have never heard of. In particular, we focused on the mangrove horseshoe crab, which is the predominant species of horseshoe crab living at Kranji Mudflats. It can be differentiated from the coastal horseshoe crab – the other species in Singapore – by checking its tail: the mangrove horseshoe crab has a smooth tail, whereas the coastal one has spikes growing along its tail.
While waiting for the coast guard to open the gate for us, Lester gave us an informative talk on the mangrove horseshoe crab and the mudflat it lives on. We learnt cool facts such as the males having big bicep muscles which they use to latch onto the females during mating, and that there can be one male latching onto multiple females or multiple males on one female during meeting. We were also told that any horseshoe crab with a width below 7.5cm is considered a juvenile, while those above can be sexed.
After the coast guard opened the gate for us, we stepped onto the sloshy mudflats to look for any horseshoe crab we could find, which we would measure and record down the measurements in a Google docs. Every bit of this data will be going to fill the missing data currently needed to give horseshoe crabs a IUCN conservation status. Once our mangrove horseshoe crabs are given an official status by the IUCN, it becomes easier for Nature Society, other NGOs and policymakers to justify their protection and implement relevant policies. Yet, a hurdle to be overcome is the fact that horseshoe crabs are more closely related to insects than actual crustaceans. Thus, putting in place a law to protect horseshoe crabs would possibly mean that other laws protecting insects need to be implemented too, which may sound absurd.
With the decline of horseshoe crab numbers in recent years (as Lester puts it, horseshoe crabs used to carpet the mudflat while today we see far less concentration of them), it is evident that we need to take action to conserve them. As resilient as these living fossils may be, no animal can withstand the annihilation of their homes at an unprecedented speed. Hopefully more people will step up to volunteer for the collection of horseshoe crab data which can serve as a stronger ground of argument in the future – one person’s small contribution can go a long way.
It was my first time coming to Bukit Batok Nature Park and here was how my experience went!
I usually only came to places such as Bukit Timah and Botanical Gardens when I used to live on the west side of Singapore. At most, I would only see monkeys, wild pigs, chickens, and our local birds and insects. This would also occur during the morning, so seeing how these animals behave at night was truly an experience for me.
We have Uncle Tony as our main guide for the night and he was VERY knowledgable as he also came from an amazing background with tons of experiences in this area.
Everyone gathered at a car park nearby and our first lesson for the night was on how to use the flashlight properly! It may seem such common sense, yet we still learn new things every day. We thought about how you should place it beside your eye when shining light onto a distance as the reflection of the light from your eyes matters a lot.
After graduating from the technicalities of flashlight usage, we continued our walk and learnt new things about the kinds and structure of a tree and its history behind it. Uncle Sam also identified the trees quite easily and he thought us some of the characteristics to look out for such as the roots, colouring, texture, etc.
We also tried to spot animals that may be hiding behind or up high on a tree, away from human sight. Luckily we did find some! such as Lemurs, and LOTSA bugs and insects!
it glided onto another tree after this photo was taken! SIDE NOTE: do not shine light on them for too long 🙂
When I arrived at Sungei Buloh, I was greeted by the melodious sounds of birds chirping in the trees. I thought: “Well, since I came all the way here, I might as well a bit of bird watching in before the event starts.” I followed the sound to a tree of Asian Glossy Starlings calling loudly.
My first time getting a decent photo of these guys. They always seem to blend in with the shade of the trees…
I also spotted a White-Bellied Sea Eagle circling the sky a distance away.
While waiting for roll call, I was also greeted by an olive backed sunbird and a yellow vented bulbul. Sungei Buloh truly is a home to a diverse array of bird species.
One of the experienced volunteers, Ben gave us a live demonstration on how to plant a tree and reminded us of the safety procedures we have to take note of when using the equipment. (Standing perpendicular from the person using the changkul etc) I was paired with Isaac, a fellow BFF challenger and it was really motivating to work with someone also taking on the BFF Challenge. I asked Airani, one of the organisers, about some of the trees that didn’t look too good and were mostly brown. She explained that this was likely due to heat stress and that even when all their leaves are brown, there is still a chance for them to bounce back. Not sure how likely it would be but either way we helped water the poor trees. (Maybe its like stressing succulents, where exposure to intense sun will change leaf colour but not harm the plant) Anyways, onwards to the tree planting
Tree #1: The Fallen
While discussing which tree to start with first we noticed a tree that fell over on its side. We took pity on it and decided that it shall be the first one we planted. And the tree turned out to be a Heritiera littoralis, more commonly known as a Dungun. A cool fact about this guy is that its fruits (well it doesn’t have any yet cause it’s still pretty small, or at least as small as a tree goes, but when it grows up….) anyways yes it’s future fruits would look like this:
(Incredibly rough rendition of fruit that probably does not do it much justice + ultraman’s head for comparison)
Siva said that the fruit looks like Ultraman’s head and I can’t agree more! He also said how the keel (which is the odd protrusion) kinda acts like a sail on a boat, allowing it to be directed by the wind as it floats on the water surface. This helps the tree to disperse its seeds further.
Much kudos to Isaac for doing a lot of the changkul work while I did the chiam to get rocks (and bricks! And tiles! man theres a lot of stuff in the soil…) out and making the sides of the holes more even. I think we were a pretty good team!
Successful first planting!! 😀
Funnily enough, while digging the hole for the Dungun tree, Airani commented on how our hole might be too big for the tree that we were planting. The tree she was gesturing to was the nearby Syzygium zeylanicum, a small tree that was less than half the height of the Dungun we were planting. So we then had a comical “Thats not our tree…. THIS is our tree” moment and laughed.
Comparison post planting. Not really the most accurate picture comparison but it works
It turned out that our hole was Slightly shallow but we still got her stamp of approval. Which then brings us to….
Tree #2: The aforementioned tiny tree
It wasn’t actually that small, standing at about 70ish cm tall, but compared to the other trees we planted, it was Small. Anyways we decided that since the small tree happens to be right beside our first tree, we could continue with that one. I did some of the changkul-ling this time and we finished digging the hole fairly quickly cause small tree = small hole. Mulching the tree proved to be a bit more of a problem as the dried leaves were all covered in ants. Luckily, we managed to make it through the day without getting bitten.
Truly a groundbreaking experience
Tree #3: Couldn’t think of a catchy name for this one, I’m sorry tree…
The third and fourth tree we handled were Dolichandrone spathacea, also known as Tui or Mangrove Trumpet Tree. We were more experienced after the first two trees and finished the third tree quickly without issue. However, after we watered the tree, millipedes started to crawl out of the leaf litter. Unfortunately these were black and yellow, an invasive species of millipede that is now more common than the native red millipedes.
(Picture of millipedes. Not taken on site but the ones there were the same as these kinds)
Tree #4: The last minute entry
We were heading off to take a break when we were called to help out another volunteer. We were more than happy to help out and went to the rescue! It was the fastest and best planting yet! Isaac and Jim (said volunteer) worked on the hole while I filled the wheelbarrows with the soil mixtures and leaf litter. It was really nice to work with such like-minded people. We started chatting about the other eco related projects we were involved in and exchanged sites to check out. I really enjoyed chatting and bonding over our shared love for nature.
Go team!!! (Isaac if you see this please send the group pic)
In the debrief, Siva, the other organiser of this event, explained the history behind this particular tree planting plot. The place began as just scrubland, filled with tall grass and hosted little to no biodiversity. The soil was clayey and did not have much nutrients. The nearby mangroves also suffered from soil erosion from the land and litter carried in by the tide.
Siva’s team then started an entire mangrove trash cleanup project that removed 20 tons of trash, saving the mangrove roots from being smothered by plastic. Later on the land was reclaimed and a concrete barricade was erected to prevent sediment from falling into the mangrove after being swept by heavy rains. Now, the nearby reclaimed land is being turned into a coastal habitat where special native coastal trees are being planted to bridge the mangrove and the secondary forests. Even the soil has improved! After many rounds of soil enhancement by volunteers, the soil now has earthworms, making it much more fertile and suitable for plant growth.
Listening very intently during debrief
Singapore has very few of such coastal habitats, which makes the tree planting here especially important. I think it’s also under appreciated because they tend to be at the very ends of Singapore, out of sight and out of mind of most people. The tree planting area is really special and has gone through a lot and I’m really glad I can do a small part to help it flourish. This tree planting was really fulfilling and its really encouraging to see how the efforts of many nature lovers can make such a big difference to the environment. (The 40 of us volunteers managed to plant all 60 trees prepared in under 2 hours, with 15 different species of coastal trees and shrubs!!!)
I realised that you don’t need to be a researcher or a scientist with a PHD to enact change, all you need is a heart for nature.
The tree planting experience was also not as strenuous as I expected. There was no pressure to complete the task quickly and the organisers regularly reminded us to take breaks. Siva talked about how this planting area might be opening to the public in a few years and I can’t wait for it to take my parents here to show them what I’ve helped to do.
Post tree planting:
While heading towards the bus stop, Jim and I noticed a couple trying to take picture of a bird in the tree. The bird had twigs in its beak and I think it might have been gathering materials to build its nest. I’m not very sure what kind of bird it is but it looks kind of like a female Common Iora.
Cheeky bird refused to stay still and keeps hiding in the branches
We also saw the incredible nests of Baya weavers and were slightly disappointed that they seemed to be empty. Baya weavers are amazing! Their nests are so intricate and its pretty amazing that a tiny bird is capable of such architectural feats. (I’m pretty sure that I’m not able to replicate the Baya weaver’s craft and I have hands!)
We then spotted another little yellow bird further down. Its feathers were a striking yellow and it had a really beautiful call. I had not idea what kind of bird it was at that time but after showing my picture to another volunteer, they identified it as a Common Iora using the SGBioAtlas App. Now I know that said App has a function to filter results and I am definitely going to use it for identification more often.
Adorable yellow fluff ball
All it all it was a very fruitful and satisfying day! I enjoyed myself and got to learn and see a whole lot of flora and fauna. Can’t wait to see what is the next field trip it has in store!
We met up at 7.30am, on 2 April for the otter walk. I was worried that we won’t get to see them as they like to move around a lot and are unpredictable. However, I was in for a surprise! Thanks to the passionate guides that went to look for the otters before the trip, we got to see the Bishan family otters and the otter babies!
Otter paw prints
We got to see their holts, which they rest or sleep in. Their faeces, which is also known as spraint, is used as scent markers by the alpha male in the family to mark their territory. He would do so by rubbing its tail on the spraint and ‘patrolling’ the territory. It contains their distinct scent, to ward off the other otter families nearby. If other otter families want to expand into another territory, they would cross the boundary and a territorial fight would break out. Those fights would usually end with injured or dead otters. Otters are apex predators in Singapore, so their biggest threat are other otter families and dogs.
The otters that can be found in Singapore are usually Smooth-coated and Asian small-clawed otters. Smooth-coated otters are more common in Singapore, and are usually mistaken for Asian small-clawed otters. The Bishan family otters are Smooth-coated otters. Smooth-coated otters are native to Singapore, but left Singapore when the water become polluted. However, they came back to Singapore and was first spotted at Sungei Buloh wetland reserve, where the water is clean. Otters are a bio-indicator of clean water.
Some otter families are more shy with humans than others, so it’s best to keep a 5 meter distance from them, especially on land, so that they won’t feel threatened. However, the Zouk family are not shy with humans at all, and would even come up close to people.
The Bishan family otter consist of 26 members, with 3 pups. There were originally 4 pups, but 1 died after choking on fish few weeks ago. They are the biggest otter family in Singapore, they would not back down in territorial fights and would always win. Otters are organized into their own family hierarchy, which is the alpha male, mother and babysitter. The current alpha male was not originally part of the family. It was observing the family from a distance, and took the opportunity to become the new alpha male when the former alpha male died. The mother have gave birth to 8 generations of pups. In nature, the otter mother would kill any babies that are not her own. However, when her daughter gave birth to a baby, instead of killing it, the mother took care of it. So touching :”) The mother takes lead to bring the family from one location to the other. She would let out a call and the others would follow her lead. It is rare to see as it is usually the male that would take the lead.
They swim and hunt for fishes, usually catfish. Sometimes the older otter would forget to bring the pup for feeding, and will come back to fetch them. I thought that maybe the adults wanted to hunt and eat their portion in peace without the pups disturbing them, then fetch the pup to hunt for them. It would be a very costly and careless mistake in the wild. Or maybe they really are just that forgetful and are accustomed to the safety of Singapore. Some older otters are lazy to catch their fish and like to snatch from other otters. Crows also like to steal their food.
Otters like to be near places with sand or grass. Why? Because when they get out from the water, they would roll on the sand or grass, and when they get back into the water, they can swim faster with ease.
Do you know that otters communicate with each other too? They have different calling sounds for different purposes, like when they hunt for fishes in a group by surrounding the fishes, to express aggression, to greet others, etc. They usually sound high pitched, almost chirpy.
Otters signaling to pass through
When being close to otters, its important to read their signal and body language. When they are standing on their hindlegs and looking into your direction, it is to signal to the people blocking their way that they want to pass through, and for people to move away. They will make a growling sound if people cant read their signal and give them space to pass through.
Researchers from all over the world come to Singapore to research on otters, as otters are much more easily spotted in Singapore compared to other countries, where they would have to wait in the forest for around a week to be able to spot them. We’re pretty lucky to live in Singapore as we have the opportunity to see otter in urban areas!
While otters are very cute and seem cuddly, its important to respecting wild animals and give them space to feel comfortable (like introverts!) . Even though otters are safe and well liked among Singaporeans, if people do not give them space and get too close to them, they might bite and injure people as they feel threatened. The public would be scared and would not be as open to otters living with us. If the government takes action to remove otters living in urban areas, otter sightings would be rarer. If that day comes, it would be sad that otters do not have freedom to move around and be stuck in tiny spaces in zoos. Taking the initiative to inform loved ones of what we should do to respect otters would help the otters and people to co-exist in peace!
I’m very thankful for the passionate guides for bringing us to this trip, and shared so many interesting knowledge of the otters and wildlife! I was inspired by the guides’ enthusiasm for wildlife and have a deeper appreciation towards wildlife in general. I enjoyed the otter walk very much and would go for such trips again! 🙂
BFF Biodiversity Challenge 2022 