It was a pleasant surprise for the Otter Trail guides to exclaim that there were otters in the reservoir at that moment when we were there. I had visited the reservoir many times before and had not seen any of the resident otters before. This was a good day then. There were apparently 10 otters in the group. I had managed to count '9' but another count by a biologist NParks officer who was skilled at counting mudskippers said '10'. (The clip below shows does not show the maximum counted all at once.)
It was amazing when the group seemed to disappear altogether under the water without a trace in a blink of an eye. I was left wondering where they had swum to and had to look at the other observers on the bridge to figure out where they were.
The Otter Trail bikers had biked over 15km through the Changi Village Heritage Tree trail and the Pasir Ris Park environs (and seeing unusual and rare birds such as the Oriental-Pied Hornbill, and Spotted-Wood Owl amongst others ) were therefore thrilled at spotting the otters (and a large group of 10 at that).
The Park Connector Network is certainly a welcomed neighbourhood feature which enables everyday people to get a good dose of exercise safely and also appreciate the flora and fauna of the area. What better way to enjoy a morning, afternoon or evening? Have a look here for information about the Northern PCN (http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/NERL_Eguide_final.pdf)
These otters have been seen in various parts of the reservoir and surrounding coastal and even in adjacent reservoirs. They seem adept at crossing major roads at great risk to get from one enclosed reservoir to another or to the coast and certainly risk getting run over by the many speeding trucks and other vehicles which ply the roads around the reservoirs.
an otteriffic encounter @ serangoon reservoir - 24Mar2013 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.
It was amazing when the group seemed to disappear altogether under the water without a trace in a blink of an eye. I was left wondering where they had swum to and had to look at the other observers on the bridge to figure out where they were.
The Otter Trail bikers had biked over 15km through the Changi Village Heritage Tree trail and the Pasir Ris Park environs (and seeing unusual and rare birds such as the Oriental-Pied Hornbill, and Spotted-Wood Owl amongst others ) were therefore thrilled at spotting the otters (and a large group of 10 at that).
The Park Connector Network is certainly a welcomed neighbourhood feature which enables everyday people to get a good dose of exercise safely and also appreciate the flora and fauna of the area. What better way to enjoy a morning, afternoon or evening? Have a look here for information about the Northern PCN (http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/NERL_Eguide_final.pdf)
These otters have been seen in various parts of the reservoir and surrounding coastal and even in adjacent reservoirs. They seem adept at crossing major roads at great risk to get from one enclosed reservoir to another or to the coast and certainly risk getting run over by the many speeding trucks and other vehicles which ply the roads around the reservoirs.
an otteriffic encounter @ serangoon reservoir - 24Mar2013 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.
Find out more about Singapore's Smooth-Coated Otter :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD683_pbAO4 - 2 otters encounter a croc at sungei buloh
and here is a link to the iccs otters...
