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
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.
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).
Butterfly seen during the walk (Photo credit to James)
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.
The very first time I visited Chestnut Nature Park, I rushed through both the Northern and Southern trails within three hours. During this trip, the goal was to complete both trails as I had travelled a long way to get to the park. I was glad when the sign-up link for the guided walk appeared in the Whatsapp group as I really wanted a chance to slow down and find out what the park has to offer.
After doing a mini-trek up the snaking road that led to the entrance, I met up with Weijian, our guide, as well as the other participants. He started off the walk by showing us the map of the park and introducing the organisation that he represents, which is Friends of Chestnut Park. The group came about after someone/some people realised that residents who stay near the park are not even aware of its existence. It was something that surprised me greatly as the park is of substantial size and it would be hard to miss, especially as a nature lover. However, I guess people tend to miss what they don’t see and thus the group set out to educate people about the park and the biodiversity which lives within this space.
We entered a small loop in the northern part of the park and soon stumbled upon a fig tree. This particular fig tree was about 80 to 100 years old and the age was based on an estimation that was done for another fig tree of a similar size. Weijian highlighted the fact that this tree has been here since pre-war times, which serves as a reminder of how enduring biodiversity is compared to a human’s lifespan. It is also a keystone species that provides many functions such as food, shelter and the prevention of soil erosion.
I also managed to learn something new, which is that there are 3 monitor lizard species in Singapore. I’ve always thought there were just two – the Malayan water monitor (Varanus salvator) and the clouded monitor lizard (Varanus nebulous). The last one is the Dumeril’s monitor (Varanus dumerilii), which is apparently a rare and hard-to-spot species that was once deemed extinct in Singapore until an individual was sighted in 2008.
Another interesting species that we saw was the Cerulean Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa caerulea). I was only familiar with the chubby Broad-footed Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa latipes) that flits slowly from flower to flower with its unique, low-pitched buzzing. The colour of the bee was pretty mesmerising and upon further research, I found out that it is one of two species of blue-haired carpenter bees found in Singapore.
Cerulean Carpenter Bee (Photo: Zestin Soh)
As a bonus, here’s a picture of a Malayan Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) that we spotted later on. Needless to say, all of us were quite excited to see this cute creature hanging out on the tree.
Malayan Colugo (Photo credits: Weijian)
One point that really stuck with me was actually something that Weijian mentioned at the very beginning. He said that the Friends of Chestnut Nature Park is a community effort for residents, by residents. I think it’s really meaningful to involve and engage the community in such efforts as it helps to inculcate a sense of ownership and belonging towards the park among the residents. In addition, it does feel like it would be a more sustainable initiative as the members are typically residents who stay nearby and it would be logistically easier for them to consistently check up on the park and get together to organise events/guided walks.
This was a great way to end off the field trip component of the BFF program and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. Not only were they great stress-relievers, but they also imparted new knowledge and insights about the history and biodiversity of the parks I visited. It was definitely a good decision to join and complete BFF 2022 🙂
For my Act For Nature, I have decided to do a mini beach clean-up at East Coast Park with some friends!
I did some research online on how I could initiate my own beach clean-up and came across this app called Stridy that allows you to keep track of what kind of trash you have picked up and gives you an estimation of the amount of trash that was recorded. I thought it was kind of cool to have such an app that allows you to keep track and log your clean-up so I decided to give it a try!
Here’s what we have recorded/logged!
Among the items we picked up, I realised how there were many pieces of styrofoam of various sizes! There were even tiny ones that we had to take some time to pick off the ground 😦 I am sure this is a potential hazard for our marine wildlife if they accidentally ingest such debris in the waters, harming them.
In addition to the styrofoam, I also noticed how there were many cigarette butts lying around the beach. With the recent ban on smoking in public parks, I do hope that this could somewhat reduce the number of cigarette butts being thrown around East Coast Park. I have learnt in a group project I have done in school that cigarette butts do still pollute the environment with the chemical remnants that can be found in it. The chemicals are known to leak into waters and poison the water!! This can potentially pollute our waters and harm our marine biodiversity. Hopefully, the ban would stop (or reduce) the frequency of cigarette butts being littered around and this act could better protect our biodiversity.
There was some other trash that was found, such as someone’s missing toy seahorse, a nail (danger!!!!), broken woods, tiles… loads of broken small tiles from somewhere, food packaging, ropes, a deflated (?) table tennis ball and a ticket to somewhere.
I realise how although these trash were small or looked insignificant to us, they can all pose a potential threat to our marine life. Plastic items can slowly erode into microplastics in the waters, and chemicals from wastes can leak into the waters and so much more. As we enjoy the waters and beaches, let us not forget to clean up after and do our part by keeping the environment clean for both us and the marine life that calls the sea their home!
I invited my family members to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve during the Hari Raya Haji public holiday for a hike and at the same time, got them exposed to some of the biodiversity in Singapore’s wetlands. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take a photograph of us, but we did encounter a lot of wildlife during the trip.
Lesser Dog-Faced Bats (Cynopterus Brachyotis)
We started our trek at the entrance located at Neo Chiew Crescent. We were immediately greeted by bats on the roof of the visitor centre. I could be wrong, but I think they are the commonly sighted Lesser Dog-Faced Bats, a frugivore. They can be identified by their whitish wing bones.
Estuarine Crocodile
It seems like the population of Salt-water Crocodiles in Singapore are on the rise. We start to see them more often than not. Just a few kilometres from the entrance along the Migratory Bird path, one of them is seen here – just chilling in plain sight.
Mangroves are one of the more hardy trees you can find in the wetlands that can tolerate salt water conditions. They contain a salt filtration and complex root system that helps with salt immersion and wave action. I just learned that scientists call them halophytes.
Sometimes, you can find plants that past settlers used to plant here – such as Yam. Tis’ the only plant I could identify. But I could be wrong. So, if there is a food shortage, you know where to find some yams. They are those with broad arrow-shaped leaves.
Common Land SnailUnknown White SpiderBlack Forest GrasshopperCricket (Nisitrus Vittatus)Golden Orb Weaver (Male)Golden Orb Weaver (Female)Unknown Cross Spider
There is a crazy amount of creepy crawlies to be found at Sungei Buloh. Here is a photo dump of some of the residents that I managed to take a picture of.
This butterfly is very commonly seen in Singapore. But what is its’ name? Can someone tell me? Huge termite mound? This flower attracts a host of wasps. I’m not sure what type of plant this is from and I don’t know what kind of wasps are attracted to these fallen flowers.
Water Monitors are very common here. We saw them everywhere we went.
What is this pretty-looking bug? Red Stink Bug (don’t pick one up)
We managed to get a nice view from a watchtower.
At the bridge on our way back, we saw another crocodile just chilling under some shade.
At the entrance/exit, there is a pond where you can catch a glimpse of some snakeheads, chiclids, gouramis and dragonflies.
And with that, we concluded our trip. We also saw some birds on the trip and a large sea eagle, but I did not manage to get nice pictures of them. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is one of my favourite nature spots to visit. There is always so many things to see.
If you are an avian enthusiast, the migratory bird season is from September to April. We did not see alot of them this time round, as it is past the season.
Hello there! Wow time has really flown by since we had our first virtual call introducing the BFF challenge. Three reflections later, here is my final one as part of my Act for Nature.
Some time back, I had volunteered to help out with Pesta Ubin which lined up nicely as I could use this experience as my Act for Nature! Pesta Ubin is an initiative by NParks and the Friends of Ubin Network (FUN). Through heartfelt, community-led activities, Pesta Ubin showcases our favourite cultural and environmental aspects of the island.
I volunteered to help out with a nature walk as I felt that it was important and meaningful for participants to not only learn and appreciate the different fauna and flora found on Ubin, but to also understand it’s land-use plans past, present and future. Even with the recent announcement of the Long Term Plan Review, land reclamation is still on the cards for Chek Jawa which poses a very real threat to the precious habitat. I hope that through this sharing people would come to love and want to protect Chek Jawa should the government announce development plans.
This would be my very first time guiding so I was pretty nervous! The walk was opened to the public so we had quite a nice diversity of attendees. We started off going to House No. 1 on Chek Jawa where we shared how civil society fought to conserve Chek Jawa. Currently the government’s stand is to defer development for as long as possible….which gives me the impression that it will eventually happen :(, just a matter of when.
We then made our way towards the boardwalk and the mangroves where we shared about the various habitats that can be found in this small island, from mangroves to seagrass meadows. In particular, Ubin is home to some fauna / flora species that can’t be found on mainland Singapore like the asian small clawed otters, greater mousedeer and lesser false vampire bats. Overall we had a positive response, and I do hope that the participants went home understanding land-use planning, and loving Ubin abit more.
The most interesting aspect of this activity was the guiding itself. I enjoyed sharing the knowledge I had learnt, studied, memorised as part of the walk (esp since this was my first time guiding), particularly when participants go “oooooo” or “so coool”! It was also my first time seeing seagrass meadows so that was very cool!!
Me! Guiding!Seagrass meadows! Couldn’t find any distinct dugong trails…or I noob hahah
My personal takeaway from this experience is that for people to want to fight for something, they first have to love it! Which is why physical nature walks are important. But I also do hope that people will come to love green spaces not just for aesthetic or recreational purposes but for the essential ecosystem services and the amazing biodiversity in Singapore.
Spot the St. Andrew Cross Spider 🙂Flowers of the Nipah PalmOur group! Guiding is always more fun with friends 🙂
As someone who lives close to Windsor Nature Park, I have never visited this green space due to the lack of time. After seeing that an Entomology Walk will be conducted here, I signed up for it to take the chance to explore Windsor while also learning some new facts about our insect friends!
Here are some highlights from the trip:
Insect snacks When the guides offered us some unique snacks from overseas, I was excited to try them since I haven’t seen these sold as food locally before and everything is edible at least once (but if they are sold as food, they are edible multiple times yay!) I tried the BBQ crickets and it didn’t taste anything unique other than the taste of the seasoning and a little nutty taste. I also tried the sago worm and was excited about this because I’ve seen people on shows who ate it described it tasted like sago! However, when I ate it, the sago worm tasted more like almond to me. My friend who tried it said it had a weird texture to him so I guess the taste for sago worm varies from person to person? Nonetheless, it was a really nice experience into having insects as food!
Jumping spiders One of the first few tiny critters we saw was a jumping spider!
Yellow-lined epeus spider (Image credit to James!)
An interesting fact about jumping spiders would be that these spiders usually do not spin webs but would chase after their prey. Talk about breaking stereotypes about spiders! They have extremely good and accurate eyesight and the guides even shared that photographing them is rather interesting as these spiders would mistake the reflection in the camera’s lens as another spider and would want to attack them. I find it amazing that they could even pick up tiny reflections of themselves! Also, they look adorable.
3. Termites Another interesting critter that we saw are the termites! Despite their reputation for destroying wooden furniture in homes, termites are actually important in a forest ecosystem. They play a role in breaking down dead materials like dead tree bark or fallen leaves, allowing the nutrients from these dead materials to be recycled once again. An interesting fact about them is that they are blind!
Overall, I have learnt a lot from the entomology walk and also had the chance to explore Windsor Nature Park. A big thanks to the guides from Entomology Society and Pangolin Films for sharing with us their knowledge and also the snacks! 🙂
As an individual who is not exactly a fan of creepy crawlies, I enjoyed this first field trip a little more than I had expected. The entomology walk was held at the Windsor Nature Park, a relatively new green buffer for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve which opened in 2017. Despite living rather near the park, I am ashamed to not have visited or even known about the park’s existence. Just a short walk from the nearest bus stop, the park is easily accessible and attracts quite a number of nature go-ers on the weekends.
Prior to the start of the walk, we were given a special treat from one of our guides – edible insect snacks from Thailand. I was intrigued when I saw the snacks because I have always wanted to know what insects taste like and I took this opportunity to try them. After trying both the cricket and sago worm snacks, I actually enjoyed the cricket as it tasted like any ordinary chips but for the sago worm, it took a while for me to get used to it as it had a unique aftertaste. From what I have known, insects are actually a good source of protein and this makes me wonder how they can contribute as sustainable food alternatives. Considering the significant amount of greenhouse gases that are attributed to the livestock industry, insects can be used as an alternative to meet our nutritional needs and yet reduce the ongoing effects of global warming. Nevertheless, it will definitely not be an overnight success to convince people to start consuming insects instead this would require a long-standing plan to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with entomophagy.
As we commenced the walk, I was amazed by how sharp-eyed our guides were. They could easily spot insects that were seemingly invisible to my eyes, this must really be what being experienced looks like. The first insect to be introduced was the assassin bug. As the name suggests, the assassin bug is a generalist predator in the insect kingdom, in other words, they prey on a wide range of insects including bees, flies, caterpillars etc. From its morphology, we can observe its long proboscis which is used to immobilise its prey by injecting toxins. Another gruesome yet interesting fact about this bug is that it carries with it the corpse of its prey after killing them. They can be considered beneficial especially for gardeners as they serve as a “natural pesticide” to eliminate insects that cause destruction or feed on the crops.
“It is really interesting to see how aeons of evolution have created such complexity and adaptation of life on Earth.”
HX
Some other interesting insects that we came across were the Diptera Celyphidae or Beetle Fly and the Odontomantis planiceps or the Asian Ant Mantis. Why specifically these two insects? That is because they possess the ability to mimic other insects in what is called in evolutionary terms, mimicry. As their name suggests, the Beetle Fly is a fly that mimics the leaf beetle while the Asian Ant Mantis is a praying mantis that mimics a black ant. There are many types of mimicry that exists but specifically for these insects, they fall under the category of Batesian mimicry – a phenomenon in which members of a palatable species gain protection from predation by mimicking a more harmful species. The benefits of such mimicry for the Asian Ant Mantis are that they can be better protected during their juvenile stage when they are prone to predation. As for the Beetle Fly, they render themselves poisonous or unpalatable through their resemblance with the leaf beetles since the beetles are known to either produce toxins or accumulate plant toxins. Sometimes it is really interesting to see how aeons of evolution have created such complexity and adaptation of life on Earth. If not for the great minds of scientists pioneering the work of these intricate phenomena, our scientific knowledge will not have been as advanced as it is today.
Diptera Celyphidae on a Leaf
Odontomantis planiceps with some green around its limbs
Now, moving away from insects, we also had to opportunity to spot a rare Dendrelaphis pictus or the Painted Bronzeback slithering past us into the woods. Although this was not the first time I have seen a snake, it was definitely the first time seeing a Bronzeback Snake. Its small size and slender body make it even more difficult for it to be spotted in the wild but thankfully it is non-venomous and hence, not dangerous. An interesting fact about the snake is that when it is threatened, it has the ability to inflate its body slightly to show its turquoise skin beneath its scales to fend off its aggressor. Hence, the next time you see a mesmerising Painted Bronzeback with a bluish colouration, you should realise that you are on the verge of being attacked!
A Blurry Photograph of a Dendrelaphispictus Fleeing
By the end of the entomology walk, I have learned so much more about the different insects in terms of their names and how we can go about identifying them. The guides were very competent in what they do and knowledgeable as well. Looking at how they could easily identify whatever insects were presented to them, I was really astonished and definitely hope that one day I could be as proficient as them. Overall, this walk was nothing but insightful. I look forward to returning to the park and hopefully this time I will be able to identify the insects that I was introduced to!
The name ‘Chestnut’ reminds me of the food that we usually eat so to have a park named after it makes the place sound rather adorable!
From the field trip, I got to understand that Chestnut Nature Park is a buffer park – one that serves to ease the pressure of urbanisation on our wildlife in our nature reserves and direct large crowds away from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in order to better protect it from heavy human traffic (which was the main reason why Bukit Timah Nature Reserves was once closed to the public to allow the nature reserve to rest and restore itself without human traffic). It is rather heartening to learn that such buffer parks exist with a strong purpose!
Here are some highlights from the trip!
Ants Ants. Lots of ants. The moment we step foot onto the trail we were attacked by ants! This was the last thing I would have thought as I was prepared for the mosquitoes instead of them. Nonetheless, it was an indicator that this very park was teeming with life and we have to watch where we step – for the sake of some of these small critters – as we moved along the trail and into the park 🙂
Fig trees As we wandered into the park, we came across some tiny green fruits on the ground. We were told that they were the fruits of fig trees and we might have eaten them before in some traditional Chinese medicine! Our guide also shared that each fig tree has a specific wasp species that help to pollinate them and without these wasps, the fig tree species would eventually be wiped out. Though small, these wasps do serve a huge (and meaningful) purpose in their life cycle! Another type of fig tree that we came across was the Strangling Fig! Though the name sounds intimidating, I guess one can say that the fig tree just has a unique way of survival 🙂 This fig species would grow and spread on the host tree, eventually ‘strangling’ it (or maybe just hugging it). The host tree would eventually die off, leaving the strangling fig in its place.
Mousedeer! We stopped suddenly when our guide spotted a little figure down the slope. With a body size of probably a cat and a coat colour blending into the brown background, it was so tiny and adorable. It was so well-camouflaged that it took me a while to spot it! I have heard that the mousedeer tend to be shy and would usually run away when there’s the presence of humans around but this little guy we spotted didn’t! It was happily foraging among the leaf litter, occasionally looking to our direction as we stared at it in awe (and in silence in fear that it would bolt off). Interestingly, this nocturnal creature was rather active beyond its bedtime. I guess there’s always time for supper before bedtime 😉
Colugo! As we walked back to our gathering point, our guide stopped and told us to take a closer look at one of the trees. It was hard to spot because of its superb coat colour that blended in perfectly with the bark of the tree but we spotted a colugo hanging there! It was amazing to see the colours of the fur perfectly matched to the colours of the bark – including the occasional whites from the lichens and the uneven browns – making it a true master of disguise! Although we were not too sure, there were tiny movements observed in between the colugo – hinting that this creature we saw was probably a mother.
Mousedeer (Photo credit to our guides – Frances and Weijian!) Colugo (Photo credit to our guides – Frances and Weijian!) Observing the trees (Photo credit to our guides – Frances and Weijian!)
Overall, it was an interesting trip and I really enjoyed myself and learned more about our biodiversity. Kudos to our guides – Weijian and Frances – for bringing us around and sharing with us!
When I first came across the posting about Pasir Ris Park, I did not have much anticipation as I had the impression that it was just like any other neighbourhood park we can find in Singapore. However, I was more wrong than ever.
Our group first met at the Pasir Ris MRT where we introduced ourselves to one another and proceeded to make our way to the park. En route to the park, we were greeted by an Ardea cinerea or a Grey Heron which can be easily distinguished by its grey upperparts, perched on a platform of the drainage canal, searching intently for an opportunity to capture its meal of the day. Akin to the smooth-coated otters in Singapore, the Grey Heron was previously classified as nationally endangered but its population has since rebounded and it is currently unthreatened, reflecting the successful conservation efforts. Although they are usually found on mangroves and mudflats, it was interesting to find the bird in a concrete canal. Some intriguing backstory about the canal relates to how the use of concrete was initially meant for preventing the growth of the mosquito population. However, it was considered ineffective and new canals such as that of the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park have seen a redesign which integrates both its function of being a flood control and recreational site by using parkland to serve as flood plains.
Ardea cinerea Perched on a Platform
As we continued further, we witness an interesting sight – multiple Myiopsitta monachus or the Monk Parakeet nests that were built on the lighting towers of the public swimming complex. Despite numerous attempts to remove the nest, the Parakeets have never failed to rebuild them hence, they have since been left untouched. The sophisticated structure of the nest left me to wonder about the amount of effort needed for these birds to construct the nests considering their miniature size. Unlike other parrots, the Parakeets are known to build their nests out of sticks rather than nest in cavities. The Parakeets are also considered an invasive species and non-native to Singapore as they were initially introduced as ornamental birds before being populated in the country.
Nest of Myiopsitta monachus on a Lighting Tower
“We ought to do our part as citizens to preserve the environment.”
HX
Arriving at the park, I was allured by how much life it is teeming with in relation to the number of wildlife and nature-goers. We had the opportunity to spot a large Varanus salvator or the Asian Water Monitor slipping away from the banks of the river and right after that, we witnessed a pair of otters not far from us as well as an elegant Todiramphus chloris or Collared Kingfisher with its distinct vivid blue coating, scavenging for food. The myriad of different wildlife we are able to witness speaks volumes about Singapore’s effort in integrating nature into our cities. With the aim of transforming Singapore into a City in Nature, numerous strategies have been proposed in hopes of further strengthening Singapore’s appeal as a garden city as well as mitigating the effects of urbanisation and climate change. Though so, we ought to do our part as citizens to preserve our environment, such as switching to public transport or biking as our mode of transport or being mindful of our actions on the environment. It is through these small acts that can make a big impact on our environmental future.
Pasir Ris Park
“These efforts to green Singapore are not just important for our own livelihood but the ecosystem that sustains our environment.”
HX
Continuing on with our journey, we reached the highlight of the park – the Mangrove Boardwalk. Mangroves in Singapore are currently under threat with only less than 5% of the original mangrove forests present today. The Pasir Ris mangrove forest is one of the two protected mangrove sites that remained on mainland Singapore with the other being the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. While the land area of the Pasir Ris Mangrove Broadwalk is only 6% of Sungei Buloh’s, it is still rich in biodiversity and serves its function well. Apart from being an ecological habitat to a wide range of wildlife such as mudskippers, crabs etc., the mangroves are especially important for coastal protection and carbon storage. The distinct mangrove roots are crucial for cushioning the brute forces generated by natural disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes. During the deadly Indian Ocean Tsunami which occurred in 2004, it was observed that in locations where mangroves were present, the impacts were less severe, suggesting the importance of mangroves in protecting the shorelines. Furthermore, they are also known to function as a carbon sink where they are able to sequester a large amount of carbon, in fact, four times more than other forest types as studies have shown. This denotes the role mangroves play in the fight against climate change and further reinforces the need for such a natural-based solution. Conservation efforts are on the way in what is known as the One Million Trees initiative, which involves the restoration of both inland and mangrove forests in Singapore. Moreover, there have also been plans to restore abandoned ponds both in mainland Singapore and Pulau Ubin back to their original mangrove covers in order to boost Singapore’s mangrove areas. These efforts to green Singapore are not just important for our own livelihood but the ecosystem that sustains our environment.
Episesarma versicolor on the mudflat
Periophthalmodon schlosseri seen in the Mangroves
As our journey comes to an end, I could safely conclude that I did not regret signing up for this field trip. Being an infrequent visitor of the east, I am astonished by how much I have missed throughout my years living in Singapore. Although Pasir Ris was regarded as the place for my “BMT book in”, I now know there is so much more waiting for me to uncover and I am eager to discover what the east has in store for me!
The Pasir Ris Guided Walk was my last field trip but certainly not the least. From my (little) birding experience, I knew that there were a lot of birds there, so I was rather excited for the trip.
We met up at the mrt station, then headed towards Pasir Ris Town Park, where we saw a gigantic bird nest built on top (or rather around) a big lamp post. What looked at first to be an eagle nest turned out to be a parakeet apartment. There was more than one parakeet living in that nest, but the sheer size of the nest was magnificent. I was really amazed at the parakeets’ skills because they were so much smaller than the nest that they had built. Our guide, Nasry, also explained that the authorities had tried to remove the nest before as the parakeets were pooping into the swimming complex right below them. However, every time their nest was removed, the parakeets would simply build it again. In the end, the authorities left the nest there. Man-0, Nature-1 . 😀
The giant parakeet apartment.Monk parakeet (my lifer)!
We then continued to Pasir Ris Park, which I didn’t know was different from Pasir Ris Town Park. We saw a Grey Heron waiting for some prey, as well as different species of parakeets like the Rose-ringed Parakeet and Red-breasted Parakeet. We also saw a pair of juvenile Yellow-vented Bulbuls, which I had also recently seen right outside my house. They were really cute, and you could see that their beaks had a little yellow base. One interesting fact our guide explained to us was that the beaks of juvenile birds are normally bigger so that their parents can stick their beaks in to feed them.
Grey HeronRed-breasted ParakeetJuvenile Yellow-vented BulbulsSome of the birds that we saw!
Moving on, we entered the mangrove area. I had hoped to see some snakes because I had heard that several snakes could be spotted there. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any snakes, but well, nature is unpredictable after all.
As we walked along the mangrove boardwalk, our guide told us many interesting fun facts about the flora and fauna there. He explained about the different kinds of roots mangrove trees have, namely pencil root, cone root and knee root. He also showed us the propagules on a mangrove tree that had fallen down. It was really interesting to learn that the propagules are what help the mangrove trees propagate, and that they weren’t really considered fruits.
Throughout the walk, we spotted many interesting flora and fauna, and I learnt a great deal from our guide, Nasry. Overall, it was a really fun and enriching walk, and I’ll definitely be visiting Pasir Ris Park again for their resident birds!!
Other Interesting Finds!
Blue-throated Bee-eaterDoggo!Juvenile Monitor LizardSquirrel feasting whilst dropping food on us!
BFF Biodiversity Challenge 2022 