Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Trip 1

The long drive across various highways and a concrete skyline finally yielded to nature as we turned into Kranji. Soon enough, we were coursing along an uneven bitumen segmented with a single white line, meandering through smaller roads pockmarked with casually parked heavy vehicles, and we reached Sungei Buloh.

We were promptly greeted by a lizard enjoying an afternoon dip.

We met the above-pictured when we crossed the bridge connecting the carpark to the wetland reseve.
I was hoping that it would swim nearer to us so that I could capture the nuances of its scales. But instead it began swimming away, toward the thicker vegetation. It coursed deeper into the depths.

Till we could not see it anymore.
The lizard's disappearance was promptly sufficed by us encountering a larger one soon after. I was apprehensive about taking this picture since this lizard was only about 1m away, and there was nothing to actually seperate us from it i.e. we were atop the unfenced broadwalk. Jie had to reassure me countless times that taking a picture of a monitor lizard 1m away was highly unlikely to result in a display of behaviour akin to celebrities against nosy paparazzi, sharp teeth and claws at that. I held my breath as I pressed the trigger. The lizard did not move, but we did. And made our way to the project site.

Jie's project involves measuring plankton levels and water composition at specific points along Sungei Buloh. Simple string and paper tags were tied along the way as reference points.

The tide was high. Even Jie was surprised that the water level was verging on overflowing the boardwalk. I really should have taken a photograph of the side of the boardwalk with the water almost up to the path, but I happened to be kneeling on the boardwalk then and hence snapped at it from top-down. I hope the shards of reflection in between the wood is a good gauge of how close the water was to the boardwalk.

I was kneeling down to get a good shot of this:

This is the apparatus Jie has to use to capture the plankton. It resembled a coffee strainer not only in terms of apearance, but also via the gestures required to operate it. First, immerse the appartus into the swampy broth.

Next, raise it up and down a couple of times to steady the mixture.

And pour the mixture into the specimen jars.

Certain parts of the reserve were adrift with junk. And the water on the right side of the boardwalk was coated with a film of oil.

A piece of driftwood rests in between two examples of its source.

The boardwalk was surrounded by a whole variety of trees. Some of which were very uniquely shaped.

I could not help but wonder if the trees were irritated, assuming they can feel, by myraid of organisms clinging, possibly freeriding, on them. I assumed the worst for the trees and plucked one of the shells off.

This is how they look like flipped over.

The black circle tucked in the lower left corner is actually a coiled structure that works like an anteannae. No sooner after I flipped it over, the black structure uncoiled and began poking its way around, before the brown soft portion extended like a snail and flipped itself shell up again.

I had always wanted to have a closer look at the adhesive devices that molluscs use to attach themselves to other objects so firmly. Had I a pair of laboratory gloves, I would have ventured as far as to touch the soft innards as well. Half of my curiousty left unsatisfied by the absence of protective tools. I better remember to bring some along next time.

The trees were also invaded by a host of crabs.

And had their roots perched on, very occasionally, by the highly elusive mudskipper.



Jie was much quicker in spotting them than I was. I recall walking along the boardwalk, having the morning quiet interrupted by soft splashes of water coming from totally random directions. Those splashes would catch me totally unaware but they went by so fast that I barely even had time to see the movements in the water, let alone capture it in a photo. I had my walk disrupted so many times by the mudskippers that I actually began to suspect a crocodile at work. So I walked back to Jie, who was collecting the 2nd reading at that time to declare that the splashes were becoming increasingly disconcerting.

'They are mudskippers. There is one over there.' Came the calm reply, and hence the photographs.

'The crocodile is at the main bridge. It won't come here' - another calm, experienced reply to allay my fears. For a moment I pictured a crocodile rising from the water, and since the tide was so high, sliding torpedo style swiftly across theboard walk, a trail of the oily water in the wake of its destruction as it opened its jaws to devour everything in its path.

Fortunately, that did not happen. The only other reptiles we saw after that was a rare sea snake and a smaller lizard with skin so dry it resembled crushed old paper.

Have yet to identify the species, but we do know that the snake is poisonous! Jie was really happy to see it since this was the first time she encountered a sea snake for herself despite her numerous trips to Sungei Buloh.

Here is the lizard, its appearance of which i find to be less shocking and revolting in picture than in real life.

Thank God for the wonderful display of his creation, though it sometime scared me to bits! I shall be back to Sungei Buloh once my exams are over, and hopefully, we would get to see more animals next time.