Happy New Year!

Another beachbum year!

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Happy New Year!
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Fireworks without the smog! :)

Otter at Semakau!

Had heard of reports of there being an otter sighted in the Semakau mangroves some months ago and had also seen what looked like otter footprints on the beach but had never seen other signs of it.

Fortunately, a recent visitor (YYJ) to Semakau was lucky enough to not only see the otter but she manage to take a picture of it carrying off it's dinner of a snake!



This could mean that Semakau's mangroves and seagrass lagoon are indeed capable of sustaining larger mammals and hopefully eventually a resident family of otters.

However, perhaps there should be a formal restriction on long nets used by visiting fishermen especially in the seagrass lagoon and areas surrounding Semakau. This would help ensure that the otter does not end up being entangled in the nets which are often left abandoned or discarded irresponsibly.

other sightings of an otter at Semakau :-
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/news/index.php?entry=/education/20051203-public_semakau.txt
http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070506/070511-2.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com.sg/wildfilms/blog/archive/2006_04_01_wildfilms_archive.html

decorator-velcro crab @ Big Sister's Island 24Dec2010

This amazing crab was a large one being about outstretched palm sized. Spotted in the big lagoon near the stingray patch. It was the star like appearance which one notices first and remarks ... 'that is odd!?'. i.e. to see a star shaped object with pale blue and yellow bits. And then when it moves, it's identity becomes known. This particular one was able to ambulate rather speedily and it reminded me of a R&D robot taking its first few steps only this one was for real and was probably older than humankind!

iPhone version :

decorator crab-iPhone from BeachBum on Vimeo.


Desktop version :

decorator crab-desktop from BeachBum on Vimeo.


Read more about it here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/crab/majoidea/retusa.htm

Other blogs on things seen during this trip:
http://sgn090608.blogspot.com/2010/12/101224-big-sisters-island.html
http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-eve-with-big-sister.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/12/joyous-fishes-on-sisters-island.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/12/merry-reef-on-sisters-island.html

Another seacil regurgitated at Labrador Nature Reserve 19Dec2010

A picture speaks many things. Unfortunately, mostly negative in this case.

A video clip speaks even more...

seacil@labrador (sml) from BeachBum on Vimeo.


seacil@labrador (HD) from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Here lies another 'dead' seacil from what seems to be a poorly thought out project with questionable positive results if any at all. If the seacils are appearing on the intertidal, should we wonder how the corals on the reef surrounding the seacils have fared whilst the seacils were breaking up?

It is reasonable to consider that a seacil being dislodged would act like a elephant carrying a sledgehammer in a fine china shop. What then of the natural reef that existed before the seacil project?

With the cumulative effect of the neverending waves on the regurgitated seacil, more bits of plastic, concrete and netting will get dislodged and distributed along what used to be a gem of a natural shore ... in fact one of Singapore's first 'protected' nature reserves! And it was because of the rocky shore and seagrass lagoon that Labrador is so unique.

If the seacil in encased in concrete, can a section of it float up? Or was the 'regurgitated' seacil section brought up and left abandoned where we see it now?

Perhaps the institution of higher education which installed it can have it removed immediately. The seagrass bed should not be used as a dumping ground however 'unresultant' the project is. And perhaps it is time for a formal official review on the project?

More on the seacil project :
http://wildfilms.blogspot.com/2007/10/debris-on-labrador-explained.html
http://wildfilms.blogspot.com/2007/11/updates-on-large-concrete-slabs-on.html
http://tomorrow.sg/archives/2007/11/26/artifical_reef_at_labrador_an_up.html
http://jus-dive.blogspot.com/2007/11/labrador-park-seashore-environment-with.html
http://jus-dive.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-labrador-talk-really-that-cheap.html
http://www.asiaone.com/News/The%2BStraits%2BTimes/Story/A1Story20071126-38347.html
http://www.innovationmagazine.com/innovation/volumes/v7n1/feature3.shtml
http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20070910/071029-1.htm
http://wildfilms.blogspot.com/2007/12/can-labrador-survive.html
http://reddotbeachbum.blogspot.com/2007/12/labrador-hope-rebirth-and-waiting.html

Halophila beccarii @ SungeiMandaiBesar 18Dec2010

Came across a patch of the critically endangered Halophila beccarii seagrass at the Sungei Mandai Besar mudflats. It is sometimes seen at certain parts of Chek Jawa and can also be found at Sungei Buloh. Preferring a more mangrove environment, it now suffers a 'critically endangered' status on the Red List of Threatened Plants of Singapore primarily because Singapore's mangrove habitats have shrunk considerably since the mid-1900s.

the leaves have a mottled pattern with dark and light patches. Close examination of some of the leaves showed a bit of red colouration as well!

note the narrow leaves arranged rosette-like

some patches were really thick with more noticeable larger leaves.

many tiny crabs had made their homes amongst the seagrass 'forest' each occupying tiny holes tunnelled between the thick seagrass mats. Can you spot the two crabs?

 a carpet-like field of H. beccarii... almost as far as the eye could see. 100% coverage!

a patch with Johore Bahru on the left and Woodlands on the right...

the exposed mudflat was almost totally covered with H.beccarii

We did hear the sound of the late afternoon train to Malaysia coming from behind the mangrove trees. This must have been very close to the railway line.
Again, the exposed mudflat was almost totally covered with H.beccarii.

some underwater pics of H.beccarii in a blue tub recycled from the mangrove

It looks like the Sungei Mandai Besar estuary mudflats are one of the last major strongholds of Halophila beccarii in Singapore.

Where is Sungei Mandai Besar? Click here for more info.

Want to find out more about this rare seagrass? Find out at WildSingapore's Wildfacts pages!
Visit also Singapore's own TeamSeagrass blogsite! and find out about seagrass and why it is important to our marine ecosystem!
You may also 'Like' the TeamSeagrass Facebook page!

Flowers, shrubs and a millipede at Tanah Merah 11Dec2010

A selection of pics from a early morning hike at Tanah Merah ...

  

 

 

seashore morning glory

 cherry tomato?

 river panorama

                                                  yellow sea hibiscus

casuarina red flowers

 tomato ?

 the millipede

Sunken barge(?) at Tanah Merah 11Dec2010

Was out at Tanah Merah East on 11Dec 2010 and was surprised by what seemed to be a new sand dune out at sea. The light brown colour matched that of the many sand dunes at the various nearby reclamation zones.

Only a change of viewpoint by walking further along the coast threw a clearer picture about the 'sand dune'.

It looked more like a barge which had capzised.

There were cables on the right side (second photo - click for a large version) which were being used presumably to anchor it so that it would not move. The two tug boats were joined by an MPA launch before they started to manouver around the sunken barge. The large lifting crane to the right may have been used to assist in the lifting of the barge. There does not seem to have been a report on the MPA website though.