NATURE WALKS

2009-05-22T16:42:00.002+08:00

Name of the Bird:Black Capped Kingfisher

It is 28 cm in length .

The sound it makes :kikikikiki.....

It has a distinguished black colour on its head, blue and black wings and a white and orange chest.

Trademark for kingfishers:Long thick bill

I took a photo of this bird at Malacca.

Rare Bird

2009-02-15T10:35:00.004+08:00

Lucky me, I took it almost immediately after I arrived.

Others wanted for hours, days and even years to take this!

Black back kingfisher has a crab in it's mouth.

The Fraser's Hill - Part 2

2008-12-04T13:13:00.003+08:00

Yellow Fungi

The temperature there is about 20-22 Degree Celsius.

The Fraser's Hill - Part 1

2008-12-04T12:37:00.006+08:00

Silver eared Mesia

Long Tailed Sibia

Silver eared Mesia

Streaked Spiderhunter

House Shots

2008-10-11T18:07:00.006+08:00

Grasshopper

Heard it flapping its wings.

Around 8cm.

It was found on one of the shrubs.

Picture taken on 11/10/08.

Red Dragonfly

Near a pond

It flew quite fast. It took me a while to take a photo of it.

picture taken on 11/10/08.

Singapore Nature Spots

2008-06-02T14:26:00.013+08:00

8-spotted crab spider

Quite uncommon.

Found in Pasir Ris Mangrove.

Related to the crab family.

It has eight spots on its body.

Identified by Dr Leong.

The Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus) is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family.

It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) is a species of bird in the Dicaeidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Black-naped Oriole, Oriolus chinensis, is a member of the oriole family of passerine birds found in south Asia.

A golden-backed woodpecker with long and solid black stripes. Both sexes have black eyestripes joined to black rear neck stripe. Male has red, female black crown. I think this picture I took was a male golden-backed woodpecker.

The Beauty of the East- Pasir Ris Mangrove

2008-05-16T22:54:00.005+08:00

I spotted some fish swimming in the murky waters
I managed to take this photo of the water monitor lizard 'showing off ' its blue tongue.

I saw this pinching creature some what camouflaging itself.

There are many more crabs to be seen along the mangrove boardwalk.

Home Grown

2008-02-17T16:29:00.002+08:00

It's so exciting to see the green peppers turned red !

Orgainic and fresh, but why the colour of the lady's fingers still light green ?

THE MOST EXTREME

2007-11-07T22:44:00.000+08:00

Hi! This is Lower Pierce Trail!! You like it?? It is clean and green with lots of plants and animals!The trail starts from here!! The trail end over there! Look at the scenery, check out the matching trees.
Want to go for free guided walks there?? Go to the National Parks website.

So,.....what are you waiting for??Look on!!!

2.

Knock!Knock!
Who's there?
Nepenthes.
Nepenthes who?
Nepenthes is on fire!!!
(ni-pan-tease)

Special Thanks to Uncle Johnny and Uncle Derek for imparting

their precious knowledge about photograhy to me.

1.

Two colugo hang on a tree.
One glided off, and there left one.
One colugo hangs on a tree.
One has been shot by a poachers and there left none!

The colugo photo was contributed by Uncle Derek.

Do not underestimate the Forces of Nature

2007-10-07T15:24:00.000+08:00

Water Spout sighted in East Coast Park! (Just realized it recently, heard of it but doesn't know it looks like this. Wanted to edit my post earlier but have no time. Thanks Uncle Ron!)

It started at about 1.07pm-about 1:27pm.
A tent flew up about a cm high than landed on the ground.
There is a message I want to pass to you
:Anyone can be in danger at anywhere.

Eagles flying

2007-09-17T15:30:00.000+08:00

Taken at Pasir ris Park.14/10/07

This pictures are now taken by me at Upper Selatar !!.....Fascinating, right!!!!

Anyway, this is a white-bellied sea eagle!
Sorry! My pictures are not clear!!!!

Fascinating photos of creatures

2007-09-03T22:54:00.000+08:00

The mangrove cat snakes with jaws wide open to show how white its fangs are.It is a very rare (to me).

Singapore's largest predator goes to........drumroll........the White-bellied sea eagle!!!

Photos contributed by:Uncle Derek Liew

Sow from seeds!

2007-08-25T12:00:00.000+08:00

Look!These are are sowed from seeds by my mother and I!

They are beautiful, aren't they!

We are in the process of taking the seeds and plant them again.

Home sweet sunflowers!

Is it a plane? Is it a cloud? It is the olive-backed Sunbird!!

2007-07-27T23:44:00.000+08:00

This bird is commonly found in Pasir Ris. Especially in my roof garden!

This species loves my ixora and bougainvillea plants.

The sunbirds has a curved beak and specially adapted tongue allow it to suck nectars from flowers.

SBWR , rare sight ! (To me)

2007-07-24T14:18:00.001+08:00

White collared Kingfisher

I managed to have a shot of it. It has a white neck, that is how the bird gets its name.

It feeds on fish, crabs, lizards and insects.

What a rare sight!

One of the wettest land on the island - Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

2007-05-31T16:47:00.000+08:00

Flap! Flap!
Was taken at the Tower Hide. A magnificent closed -up picture......the white birds you see are egrets on the tree.

Cool Down!
The Malaysian water moniter is commonly found in Sungi Buloh Wetland Reserve. You can either see it swimming in the water or sun tanning.

A Fascinating Sight....

2007-04-13T23:38:00.000+08:00

It is an oriental whip snake. It is called whip snake because it will whip when it gets too stress up.

It was me holding the same snake with my sis beside me. She was so fascinated by the snake and wanting to hold it all the time.

From Forest to Mangroves

2007-03-20T18:03:00.000+08:00

The Semkau Landfill is Singapore's only landfill for waste disposal. There are a total of 11 landfill cells on the island and out of the 11, 5 cells were filled. In this trip, besides the beautiful scenery and the wide varieties of marine lives, I learnt about the importance of recycling to cut down waste.

We walked from the forest to the mangroves to our final destination, the intertidal walk. Our Volunteer guide for the day was Uncle Ron. Thank you Uncle Ron for being wonderful guide.

Have you seen a Sea Star with 4 arms ? Here is a unique one. We also saw,one with 5 arms (quite common) and one uncommon sea star with 6 arms.

Yes, this is Sea Cucumber. I saw a number of different species. Once they are out of water, they will squirt out water from their anus. They are soft in water and turns hard when out of water. Sea Cucumbers are delicacies to many, but I doubt I'll want to try them.

This photo was taken by my mother.

We also spotted many types of crabs, the Swimming Crabs, Fiddler Crabs and Hairy Crabs, etc. I was fascinated by the Up-side-down Jelly Fish, first encounter in the wild. There are also different types of corals, very beautiful. An eye-opening experience for me and my family. Spider Conch is another rare encounter for us, because it is very well camouflaged, it is different to spot.

Encounters in the Forest

2007-03-03T21:32:00.000+08:00

Black-naped Oriole was standing on a 'botak' tree. It is one of the common birds found in Singapore. I found this bird near my place. It was the 3rd time I saw it on the same tree but not sure if it was the same bird.

This stick insect was the biggest one I ever seen in nature. As big as the one at the Fragile forest in the zoo. I touched it, it's legs 'hooked' onto my skin (quite ticklish).

This spider has a unique name. It is called the St. Andrew Cross Spider. A female mature spider spins a web which contains 4 silken zig-zag bands. It resembles the cross of St. Andrew's and it is to mark its territory.

Our forest is filled with Treasures!

2007-02-06T17:13:00.000+08:00

Hi, wait ...don't take first,let me wear my shoes....!

Centipede is venomous. It is hard to differentiate

between the head and tail.
See this Giant forest ant, it is about 1 inch long. It is quite rare to find them on the boardwalk.

This is the first time I see a Common Monitor lizard on a tree. It is suntanning itself on the top branch of the tree. As it is cold blooded, its body changes temperature according to the surrounding temperature.

Special THANKS to Uncle Derek for giving me good tips on how to take good pictures.

Lower Peirce Appreciation Walk on 6th Jan 07

2007-01-12T22:00:00.000+08:00

This is a golden web spider.....One of the largest spiders in Singapore !!! There are two smaller spiders in this picture too. The one right next to the Golden Web Spideris a male spider.

This photo is contributed by Uncle Derek.

Bird Park (Jurong)

2007-01-02T21:26:00.000+08:00

These are wise owls.
This bird is showing off itself to us.
The king crown pigeon is taking up a piece of leaf.
This bird is bowing to the people around it.
I'm keeping my eggs warm, KEEP OUT, or I'll Kick you!

Singapore Zoo

2006-12-28T00:28:00.000+08:00

You must be thinking why I write about animals from a foreign zoo....

Now I posted 2 pictures of animals from the Singapore Zoo.

One of the Best zoo in Asia. And.....with the largest collection of primates

I took a very close shot of this ring-tailed lemur, I even patted it.

This gibbon was playing "catching" with its gibbon friends.

Ueno Zoo, Japan

2006-11-27T16:25:00.000+08:00

This is a Japanese black bear.
This is a Hokkaido brown bear trying to find its way out.
Look just like King Kong.

The polars here are very much stress free, lying happliy on the rocks.

....Eagle
The King Vulture standing tall and proud.

Porcupine half way up the tree, it's my first time seeing it on a tree!

The Most Healthy and Expensive Spit

2006-11-13T19:29:00.000+08:00

Do you know who has the most healthy and expensive spit?

If your answer is the edible nest and black nest swiftlet, you are correct!

From what I know, these birds can be found in Singapore.

Pit Viper - 'The Slitherer'

2006-11-07T14:24:00.000+08:00

I came closed to a poisonous snake.

It has a head shape of a triangle.

Don't judge the book by its cover, it may be very small but it can be very venomous.

This was found by Uncle Derek in Lower Pierce during the last guided walk.

Believe it or not, one of the guides said that if you see a snake don't buy 4D cause you used up your luck.

I'm going to save my luck for better use.....that is to ask for more good lucks!

As green as a leaf (Part 2) - Slightly more difficult

2006-10-22T19:54:00.000+08:00

Er........Er......Ok.....Can you see a green colour insect?

Clue: It is under a leaf.

Incy wincy SPIDER......... Can you see it !!! (part 1)

2006-10-22T19:37:00.000+08:00

Can u spot a yellowish white spider?

Clue:It is near the flowers.

The 'Swinger' of the rainforest

2006-10-07T17:28:00.000+08:00

Long tail macaque: Haha....bet u can't take a

photo of me.....

While swinging from one tree to another.

Leshon: Hum........ playing catching with me? We

shall see.

Camera: Click!

Long tail macaque: ow man......

Leshon: hahahahahhaha

Facts

This long tail macaque is common in Singapore. It makes a 'kraa' alarm sound.

Its scientific name is

Macaca fascicularis.

The Changeables

2006-10-07T16:21:00.000+08:00

I think this green cresent lizard looked scared......

Green Crested lizard: Hey......why are this people crowding around me.......

Am I going to be on The Straits Times???

So this little guy changed it color in to brownish green.

Facts

The green crested lizard changes its color in to dark grey or brown when it is scared or uncomfortable. It is sometimes mistaken as a chameleon. It does not drop its tail like any other lizards.

Its scientific name is

Bronchocela cristatella

New KIDS on th Block

2006-09-27T21:24:00.000+08:00

I was looking for the frog that I rescued from the basement carpark about a week ago when I saw this little fellow

......................

Cute and skinny,

AND

my dog, Quincy

LOVES IT ALOT

!!!

If it was not for me, this new kid would be a DEAD MEAT by now.

I made him an official resident in my estate.

I've been looking out for the common name of this type of lizard, anyone knows?

Though I can't find MY LONG LOST froggy............

I still miss her .......

in case she comes back.......

I made her an official resident in my estate too!

(I had been showering her with water at the carpark for about a week before I decided to put her back to nature...the grass patch.)

Wow...so daring!

2006-09-06T15:50:00.000+08:00

I took this photo at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, it was a Malayan Monitor Lizard. I have not come so close to one before!!!!

What tree is that in your $5 note???

2006-07-30T08:54:00.000+08:00

Tembusu Tree

The Tembusu Tree is also known as the $5 tree. The Tembusu tree in the $5 note was painted by a famous artist, Mr Eng in Botanic Gardens.

The $5 tree has buttress roots. The $5 tree's wood is anti-bacteria so it can be used to make chopping board. I was told that it was very lasting.

Fish Poison Tree

2006-06-25T16:23:00.000+08:00

This is the Fish Poison Fruit, my mum took this for me.

This is a Fish Poison Tree. Its fruit is like a Chinese lantern. The flowers are very unique and beautiful. I first saw this at Sungei Buloh but I took this picture at Labrador park.

Singapore Rhododendron

2006-05-11T23:35:00.000+08:00

The name Melastoma means "black mouth" in Greek. It refers to the seeds, which can stain the tongue black if eaten!

Stripes in the WILD

2006-04-22T11:56:00.000+08:00

Tiger is my sis's favourite.....But I feel like writing about it. This is for Leshane!

The Cheng Tng Tree

2006-04-05T15:44:00.000+08:00

The tree behind this plant is the so-called Cheng Tng tree or Scaphium macropodum .

The fruit of the tree is edible. In Hokkien, we call it 'Pong dua hi'....sounds familiar!!!

Reforestion at Lower Pierce in March 2006

2006-03-31T14:35:00.000+08:00

It was my 3rd time doing the reforestation.....I like it alot.I met many new friends.

The CJC 老师和姐姐们，NTU Earthlink 的哥哥和姐姐们， Shuang Lin Shi 的 Uncle and Aunties 们和 other Aunties and Uncles 们，were very friendly and helpful.

I can only name some people I know, like Shon姐姐 and Auntie Mandy, for the rest...sorry, couldn't remember! HEh!!!

Yummy in my pitcher!!!

2006-03-07T15:17:00.000+08:00

Pitcher Plants

Pitcher plants are found in South Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Western New Guinea. They are also called Monkey Cup. In Mandarin, they are known as 猪笼草。

Pitchers contain liquid. When insects and small animals like lizards come to drink the nectar at the mouth of the pitcher, they fall in and are drowned. The plant juices then absorb them.

Carnivorous plants usually live in nitrogen poor soils.

The inside of the tubular shaped leaf is lined with downward pointing hairs. These hairs block an insect from climbing up the tube and escaping.

My Reforestion Experiences

2006-02-09T21:01:00.000+08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/partofnature/sets/72057594061122505/

Actually my 1st reforestion was at Bukit Timah Natural Reserve, it was a wonderful experience! At Lower Peirce was my 2nd try, quite different but very fun too!
Being a Central Nature Volunteer is really an eye opening experience for me.

Tiger With Leaves

2006-01-14T16:43:00.000+08:00

The Tiger Orchid is the largest known orchid in the world.
It can amass a weight of nearly 2 tonnes.

The inflorescence can reach height of 2m.

It is extinct in Singapore.

The Bamboo plant

2006-01-08T15:55:00.000+08:00

This is what we usually eat, '竹笋' !

Pedada

2006-01-08T15:27:00.000+08:00

The young fruit is used for flavouring chutneys and curries.
The fruits can used as medicine.

INTRODUCING, THE ANTS HDB FLAT

2006-01-08T14:34:00.000+08:00

NAME: Macaranga bancana

This plant is a home to ants named Crematogaster borneensis.

The ants live inside the hollow stems.

They also protect the plant from caterpillars.

2005-12-11T00:09:00.000+08:00

These are the chestnuts, those that we always eat. Chinese call them 'Gao Luk'. Yummy ....my favourite!
This is the magnificent Quarry at Hindede Park. What a view !
The wood from this plant is used to make pencils, e.g. Faber-Castell. The latex from this plant can also used to make golf balls.

The Plant of the Day ! (Simpoh Ayer or Simpoh Air)

2005-12-10T23:33:00.000+08:00

This plant's flowers are edible.The special thing about this useful plant is that the leaves can be used to wrap food and can also be used by tailor birds to make nests.Do you know how Simpoh Ayer got its name?

Ans:As it lives near water,that is why the malay word Ayer means water.

Young Naturalist Passport (YNP) Camp

2005-12-06T23:47:00.000+08:00

Today, I went to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for YNP camp. I had planted a mangrove plant, it was my 1st hands-on experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We also played a very interesting nature detective game. The bad thing was my group had lost the game. It's okay, only a game , 没关系!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a joyous day!! I benifited alot from this camp.