NSS Kid’s Fun with the Shorebirds of Sungei Buloh

By Gloria Seow, Education Committee Vice Chairperson 

This contingent of Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) is always reliably present at the entrance of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to greet us each time we visit. They made no exception on 13 April 2019 when Uncle Ding Li guided us on our morning walk. We were there to bid adieu to the shorebirds before they embark on a long flight back to Siberia, Japan or China where they will raise a new brood. However, we were too late. Perhaps due to climate change which messes up the seasonal temperature differential (hot becomes hotter and cold becomes colder), practically all the migratory shorebirds had flown. Thankfully, we still had plenty to see. 

The Malayan Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) is another denizen that is easily observable at Buloh. 

Instead of brownish squat shorebirds, we encountered good numbers of whitish leggy birds that were harmoniously feeding together: Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta), Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis), Intermediate Egrets (Ardea intermedia), Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), Milky Storks (Mycteria cinerea) and Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea). The Little Egret is generally migratory, but small groups are known to stay the summer in Singapore.

More white birds feeding. 

The Spotted Scat (Scatophagus argus), along with other fishes, likes to hang around under the Main Bridge that spans Sungei Buloh (i.e. Buloh River). Its name 'scatophagus' means 'faeces eater', a clue to its diet which includes the droppings of animals, on top of detritus, algae, worms, insects and crustaceans. Anglers like to catch adults as table fish or keep juveniles in aquariums. The Spotted Scat can tolerate fresh, brackish and marine water.

Do you sense danger lurking? This Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) was just off the main path, cooling off in the water barely 3 m from our group. One cannot be too complacent around crocodiles. 

It was quite amusing to see white birds lining the entire length of a stream that cuts through this patch of mudflat. The round depressions in the foreground is likely made by Giant Mudskipper. 

An iridescent Cuckoo Wasp, the size of a housefly, was buzzing around in the mangrove swamp. 

There were many Tree-climbing Crabs (Episesarma spp) that were barely noticeable, going about their lives stealthily amongst the roots and trunks of the mangrove trees. There is also a Lined Nerite Snail (Nerita articulata) in this photo. It is possibly the most widely-distributed of Singapore's nerites, abundantly found on seawalls, canals and mangrove trees. It feeds on algae. 

We ended our walk back at the Main Bridge where another Saltwater Crocodile graced the mudflats with its presence. Crocodiles are crowd favourites, and this one prompted a good deal of finger pointing and camera snapping. 

NSS Kids’ Fun with Marine Life at Sentosa’s Natural Shore

By Gloria Seow, Education Committee Vice Chairperson 
Photos by Lena Chow


Our favourite shore guide Uncle Marcus Ng wowed us with the marine life at Sentosa’s natural shore in Tanjong Rimau on 24 November 2018. Setting off from the cable car station, we skirted the periphery of Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort to access this stretch of rocky beach where our exploration began. 

A Barrel Sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria) standing erect amidst clumps of seaweed and corals exposed by the receding waters. This sponge is maroon to pinkish in colour and has a cavity in the centre that makes it a ready receptacle for animals to take refuge in.  

This amazing shoreline brims with life, from colourful corals to crabs, fishes, molluscs and more. We are always motivated by the possibility of new discoveries carried in by the tides. 

The Giant Carpet Anemone is made up of masses of swaying tentacles that host symbiotic single-celled algae called zooxanthellae. Food produced by zooxanthellae photosynthesis is shared with the host. Carpet anemones supplement their diet by trapping fine particles, but do not eat large animals. If you look closely, you might find Peacock-tail Anemone Shrimp (Periclimines brevicarpalis) or False Clown Fish (Amphiprion ocellaris, or simply 'Nemo') amidst the tentacles. 

Nudibranch means "naked gills" and there are about 3,000 species in the world today. We came across the dapper Polka-dot Nudibranch (Jorunna funebris), a handsome blob at 5 cm long with feathery gills on its back. It feeds on a blue sponge (Neopetrosia spp). 

This is an odd flattened view of the Ornate Leaf Slug (Elysia ornata) with its 'wings' or parapodia fully obscuring its head and long body. Usually, it appears slug-like with parapodia that ripple with each passing wave. It is fairly well camouflaged against what it feeds on - the Hairy green seaweed (Bryopsis spp), which gives it a greenish coloration that varies between individuals. 

Does this coral resemble a fried egg? It is called the Omelette Leathery Soft Coral. 

Unfortunately, halfway through the walk, we were chased away by a Sentosa ranger. He claimed that we needed a permit from Sentosa to be there. There was no such requirement in the past. Such bureaucracy is uncalled for as we were simply accessing a public area. Perhaps the best solution is to construct a proper footpath at the hotel's periphery for the public, to eliminate any possibility of trespassing into hotel grounds. 

NSS Kids’ Fun with Rainforest Life at Rifle Range Road

By Jake Liew, aged 11 (and Gloria Seow)

Photos by Gloria Seow, Vice Chairperson Education Committee, Nature Society (Singapore)

At the very end of Rifle Range Road, past the Rifle Range Military Camp, down a long and windy road, the NSS kids and our parents assembled on 24 February 2019. Our guides were Uncle Si Guim and Auntie Gloria.

A group of noisy monkeys greeted us at our meeting point. They were adept at foraging for leftover food in the garbage bins. McDonald’s breakfast seemed to be the order of the day. Their after-meal antics were fairly entertaining - climbing onto the roofs of parked vans, shimmying down to the ground, and leaping from one vehicle to another. Later on, we came across another troop in the forest behaving more naturally, like the two babies in this photo.

Auntie Gloria pointed out the distinctive Treehugger Dragonfly (Tyriobapta torrida - photo above). Commonly seen in the Central Catchment area, this territorial dragonfly prefers shaded spots and breeds in forest streams. Its perch is vertical on tree trunks (giving it its name) or on rocks at eye level, affording it good views of its surrounding as it hunts for midges and other insects. This dragon was well-camouflaged against the black-and-white lichen on the bark of an old tree. 

When we became quiet and were guided to stare intently at the forest floor, we could spot forest cockroaches scuttling around. They are much smaller than the cockroaches found in our homes, usually the American or German roaches. Similarly, the Tent Spider, named for its pyramidal three-dimensional web, was nearly missed as it has a tendency to hide in leaves. 

We enjoyed close-up views of the Saint Andrew's Cross Spider, an easy-to-identify arachnid as its eight legs are held together in four pairs, forming an X-shaped cross.

It was difficult to miss the Golden Orb Web Spider (Nephila pilipes) as its huge web spanned a good half-metre across, the better to catch prey with. Inadvertently, leaves, twigs and other ‘junk’ get trapped, making the web even more visible. Right in the middle of the silky structure was the massive spider itself. What you see here is the underside of the female, a matriarch that is many times bigger than the diminutive reddish males that often hang around inconspicuously at the periphery of the web.

Peering closely at a leaf revealed a cute cricket with striking stripes all over, and twitchy antennae that are more than twice the cricket's body length. 

 A teensy-weensy spider that has an abdomen that resembles an Easter Egg. 

Uncle Si Guim explained how ‘humanised’ features of plants were used to give them their names. For example, the Campnospermum auriculatum (see photo) has ear (auricle)-like lobes at the base of its leaf petiole. Interestingly, he also said that certain plants and animals discovered in Singapore are named ‘Singaporensis'. Examples include the Singapore Freshwater Crab (Johora singaporensis) and several plants such as the Singapore Walking-Stick Palm (Rhopaloblaste singaporensis) and Singapore Durian (Durio singaporensis).

After all of us crossed a shallow stream to the deeper woods, Uncle Si Guim entreated us to observe a moment of silence. The music of the rainforest filled our ears – the incessant chorus of the male cicadas, a sound made by the vibrations of a membrane in their abdomens, the cheery chirping of birds and even the rustle of falling leaves. We left with a newfound respect for nature’s wonders.

An unidentified forest beauty that was carried by the wind to land near us.   

Uncle Si Guim was pleased to spot the Common Sterculia (Sterculia parviflora) just off the main trail. It was his trip highlight and a fitting end to an excellent walk.