close encounters of the otteriffic kind @ SBWR 02Jan2014

At about 4.30pm, Jeffrey Teo, a regular visitor to the reserve and an avid photographer, was out and about the SBWR paths when he came across an otter. This otter bounded up the path towards him and JT started taking photos. It soon stopped a few metres away from him and stood on its hind legs calling out. To JT's surprise, another 7 otters came running up the path towards the first otter.

[all photos (c) Jeffrey Teo - Jan 2014]

 The 8 otters started rolling around on the ground scratching themselves against the gravel stones. They did not at all mind the presence of JT as he kept on squeezing all the value out of his camera recording this once in a long-long-time experience. 

 The otters eventually walked right by him and entered the water as a group swimming away. JT made sure he kept still as the otters trundled by him. 

Just the day before, JT had seen (LINK) a lone otter on the seawall barrier which looked like it had an injured rear left leg. The week before he had seen a group of 10 otters playing on a sandbar during a low tide period.

What a fabulous way to start the year!

Jeffrey, thank you once again for sharing!!

Find out more about the otters :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/mammals/perspicillata.htm

http://blog.nus.edu.sg/sgotters/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth-coated_otter

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/verts/smooth_otter.htm

lone injured otter ? @ off Pulau Buloh - 01Jan2014

This lone otter was seen on 01 Jan2014 at about 10am atop the seawall barrier off Platform 1 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve by Jeffrey Teo, a regular visitor to the reserve. The period of observation was for about 10 seconds. The otter was harassed by a murder of crows which seemed to be waiting for it to kick the proverbial bucket. It got up and hobbled off the seawall into the water towards Pulau Buloh.

Jeffrey had the previous week seen a family of otters (about 10) at the western edge of Pulau Buloh and was concerned that this otter was by itself surrounded by quite a number of crows. The manner in which the otter got up and hobbled off the seawall barrier also indicated that all was not well with the otter.

From the last photo, it could possibly (?) be that this otter was somehow injured as its rear left leg was pictured rather high as if it did not want to apply pressure to it. It's coat also looks a bit reddish-brown at some spots (but this could be from the otter rubbing itself on the reddish brown soil seen atop the seawall.

If anyone is visiting SBWR over the next few days, please keep a lookout for any injured otter and inform the SBWR staff immediately. Thank you.

Thank you Jeffrey for highlighting this!

sooty-headed bulbuls @ lorong halus - Dec 2013

Came across a bush which seemed to be frequented by sooty-headed bulbuls. There were quite a few of these birds flying about the bush during the 20 mins of observation. Looks like a possible breeding site close by.

sooty-headed bulbul @ lorong halus - Dec 2013 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about these birds :-

http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/birds/bulbuls.htm

http://besgroup.blogspot.sg/2007/01/sighting-of-sooty-headed-bulbuls.html

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/redbook/List-of-alien-species-in-Singapore-2009May.pdf

http://singaporebirds.blogspot.sg/2012/07/bulbuls.html

unknown raptor flypast @ lorong halus - Dec 2013

Was observing a yellow-vented bulbul on a tree stump when the large raptor flying past in the background caught my attention. I had seen this raptor flying past earlier but had not been able to capture an image of it before it disappeared into the nearby treeline.

I'm not sure what raptor this is. Anyone got any guesses?

unknown raptor flypast @ lorong halus - Dec 2013 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

sleeping python, frightened squirrel @ sungei buloh - 21Dec2013

Was on the way out from the SBWR when another visitor pointed out a coiled up reticulated python sitting snugly on a limb of a tree beside the main path into the reserve. This was my first time seeing a python in the reserve but i have heard that the reserve has seen this and other pythons before including an assortment of other snakes, both venemous (like the rarely seen King Cobra and more often seen Pit Vipers) as well as non-venomous snakes. The reserve does also have other large reptiles such as the Malayan Water Monitor and the Estuarine Crocodile (Uh, No we do not have Komodo dragons at the reserve). 

This python was being harassed by a determined plantain squirrel and its mate. The squirrels were in a rather excited state compared to the snake which just sat still without flinching a scale. The squirrels kept calling out with loud pips and swatting their tails.  All the excitement was lost on the snake which carried on its slumber oblivious to the concerns of the squirrels. 

sleeping python, frightened squirrel @ sungei buloh - 21Dec2013 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about these wonderful animals :

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/snakes/reticulatus.htm

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/mammals/notatus.htm

white-breasted waterhen & chicks @ Lorong Halus, Singapore - 20Dec2013

The undergrowth was abuzz with chirping as I walked past it and the chirpers soon showed themselves chasing after their parent waterhen as it went about looking for breakfast for its hungry brood of three little jet-black long-legged downy balls.

Two of the chicks seemed to be more dependent on the parent and rarely strayed more than a half a metre from it. The third was however more independent and did not seem to mind being away from the protective wings of the parent bird. The parent bird extended back its wings as if to provide shelter for its brood eventhough the chicks seemed a little big to all fit under the umbrella at the same time.

The parent bird went about picking grass seeds for the chicks which were obviously in a somewhat vertically challenged state.

white-breasted waterhen & chicks @ lorong halus, singapore - 20Dec2013 from SgBeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about the white-breasted waterhen here :

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Amaurornis_phoenicurus.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-breasted_Waterhen

http://singaporebirds.net/npassers_02/white-breasted_waterhen.html(incl. audio link)

http://www.besgroup.org/2011/03/22/call-of-the-white-breasted-waterhen/ (w. video)

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/white-breasted-waterhen-amaurornis-phoenicurus

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Amaurornis-phoenicurus (incl. audio links)

http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/birds/rails.htm

http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-white-breasted-waterhen.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZLv30uzd44 (a nice clip by iHengbok)