R.I.P. Great-Billed Heron @ SBWR

The pic above was taken on 18 June2011.

It shows a rare great-billed heron in the hands of its rescuer, albeit a little too late...

A frequent park visitor and an avid photographer, Peter W. had seen the heron struggling in the water almost totally encased in a driftnet near Platform 1 and had alerted the park rangers. However, despite the immediate reaction by the park rangers, it had already drowned by the time human assistance came to it. The bird must have gotten stuck earlier that morning and the rising tide made it a race against time for the hapless bird. By the time the first visitors had made their way to Platform 1, (which is a long way from the entrance and a favourite amongst nature photographers), the bird was already on its last few breaths slowly suffocating with each rising wave.

Poaching fishermen have been a frequent problem at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. These fishermen are usually based 24x7x365 at the nearby Kranji Reservoir Park where they conduct their wholesale and retail fish business. It is doubted that any of them have a proper AVA or NEA licence.

Many other animals can get caught in these long driftnets which can stretch for over 100m. These range from endangered horsehoe crabs (by the hundreds), birds, otters and even crocodiles.

Read about earlier posts on the illegal fishing :-

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/05/apathetic-fisherman-sbwr-01may2011.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/05/apathetic-fishermen-ii-sg-buloh.html

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/05/apathetic-fishermen-iii-sbwr-15may2011.html

and about how the driftnets keep catching animals if they are not removed :

http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/04/no-fishing-please-kranji-nature-trail.html

and about the crocodile which had drowned in a driftnet in 2008 :

http://budak.blogs.com/the_annotated_budak/2008/10/crocked.html

Read also about Project Driftnet http://projectdriftnet.blogspot.com/ which is a volunteer effort to locate and remove such driftnets which have been abandoned or carelessly discarded by their fishermen owners.

It is hoped that the authorities will take a firm approach to eliminate the use of such nets and other forms of fishing in the areas both around as well as within the now biodiversity-rich wetland reserve. We cannot afford to lose any more of our already endangered animal treasures.

P.s. . The departed bird lies in state at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

hunting herons @ SBWR 08May2011

A compilation of short clips of a few grey herons stalking and hunting fish (or prawns) for food. There is a segment of a juvenile grey heron having speared a small catfish and then dropping the catfish onto the mud in order to re-position itself for another deadly and forceful impaling strike. The bird then deftly beaks the fish in order to swallow it whole. And after that, it washes its beak in a nearby pool. The slow-mo replay @12.5% is still not quite slow enough to clearly capture the speed at which the stalking herons strike at their prey. Faster than a blink!