Friday, March 31, 2006

Another Lemur Released


Well, sorry if I had not updated my blog the last 2 days or so...was trying to nurse my wounded heart.

For those of you out there, a piece of good news...this beautiful female lemur was released back to her natural habitat last Wednesday morning. She was caught when she "crashed" into someone's house(probably thought their lamp post was a tree...). Zoo Officials went to rescue her and we had the honour of releasing her all within 1 night so that she will not be stressed. My, was she fiesty....tried to bite anyone who came near her......grrr, grrr.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

In Memory of our demised Flying Lemurs

What can I say? Letting go is the hardest thing to do. Just like Genevie, I too wish to thank everyone especially Dr Sonia for her excellent help, advice & medical care rendered to Baby. Thank you to everyone who shared our anguish, hopes and sadness.This setback will not damper us but strive to make us and you stronger in spreading the message across to everyone to treasure and protect our fragile wildlife. You can do your part by helping us: either advise would-be offenders on how fragile our wildlife is, be more vigilant and report any illegal activites that you come across by calling our Hotline, PUB Hotline or the most convenient call to make - Police.

DON'T WAIT FOR IT TO HAPPEN, YOU CAN PREVENT IT. HELP US TO HELP & SAVE OUR WILDLIFE AND OUR FOREST. THIS IS THE GIFT YOU CAN GIVE TO BABY & HER MOTHER. THANK YOU.

"IN LOVING MEMORY OF BABY & HER MOTHER"

Monday, March 27, 2006

Fluffy Tit



This butt(short for butterfly) landed on the TTW Ranger's Post Bench yesterday and posed. Just wanted to share this photo with you.

If you want more information about butts...please visit my Butterfly Sifu's Homepage or the Butterfly Forums.

Upside Down


Yo! Am not upside down ok? You need to turn your PC upright to view me the correct way cos your PC is upside down...not me...hehehe

Just sharing with you this butterfly.

Baby Mouse or Rat???


Guess what I found today???? Errmm, actually it was my worker who found them(trying to take credit for the finding...thick-skin hippo...shame on me!) in a tray covered with leaves and god-knows-what.

There were 5 or 6 of them, eyes still unopened. My guess is as good as yours...I really don't know whether they are mice or rats.....anyway, I brought one into my office to show my colleagues...luckily they never went "eeeeeeeiiiii, what's that! Get it out of my sight!". That's why they are working in Nature Reserves....tough ladies! No offence to anyone, but I'm sure any ladies from the outside world of nature would have shrieked out loud. Hey, I like that word "outside world of nature".....hahaha sounds like we rangers come from another world. Anyway, will try to monitor them(the little cuties, I mean) and see what they turn out to be, provided they don't "disappear" before I can "find them". Will update once I have any information.

Long-tailed Parakeet



First & foremost, my apologies for the rather blur background...am still trying to perfect my shots..

Now for the story: Since it was a Monday and TTW is closed on Mondays(except Public Holiday), I and my fellow Ranger decided to take a walk through the Reserves to look for anything to shoot. When I say anything, I really meant anything...ants, insects & whatever...I'm that desperate...hahaha

Well, as I was saying, we were walking & lost track of time and lo & behold, it was almost 11.30pm, so I told my colleague to backtrack to RS to buy lunch as he needs to attend a briefing in the afternoon. So off he went & I carried on with my journey when I came to a clearing and heard some birds "screaming", I looked up and strained my eyes when suddenly to my delight, a flock of Long-tailed Parakeets came and perched on a dead tree to my right. As usual, frightened that they will fly off, I went snap snap snap(insurance shots). Then I tried going closer and to my surprise, they were not frightened or shy. Instead, they posed & looked back at me so I was able to re-adjust my settings and carried on shooting. When I was finished....(my arms felt like a ton and I was actually shaking like a hippo during the shoot, that's why some of my shots turned out like crab! If you need a demo how a hippo shakes, do find me & I'll show you..hehe) and turned away, they started their "scolding" going "cheet, cheet" before flying away. Thinking back, they were probably "scolding" me "cheat, cheat" cos they got nothing from me for posing...hahahaha

A little info about them: The Coco Island Parakeet is slightly different in colours from our range here in Pen. Malaysia & Singapore. In terms of voice, all have high, rather melodious pee-yo pee-yo, nasal quavering graak graak graak and scolding cheet notes. Habitat is more open lowland broadleaved evergreen forest, clearings, plantations & mangroves.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Pangolin



Well, fingers very itchy so thought I'll show you a Pangolin. For those who have not seen nor gone near a Pangolin, this is your chance to see one on photo.

Some information of the Pangolin taken off the internet: armored, toothless mammal of tropical Asia and Africa. Pangolins range in length from 3 to 6 ft (90—180 cm) including the long, broad tail. Their snouts are narrow and pointed. The body is low to the ground and is covered with large, triangular, overlapping scales on the back, the sides, the outer sides of the limbs, and the entire tail. The belly is covered with sparse hair. When threatened, the animal rolls into a ball and erects the scales, points upward, so that it resembles a large pinecone. It also secretes a foul-smelling liquid. Pangolins, also called scaly anteaters, break open logs with their large, powerful claws and use their exceedingly long, slender tongues to lap up the insects on which they feed. Members of some species are tree dwellers and have prehensile, or grasping, tails; others are terrestrial. Pangolins are not closely related to any other living mammals, and their ancestry is not known. There are seven species, all of the genus Manis. In Africa, large numbers of pangolins are killed for their meat and scales by the local inhabitants, and the future of one species, the Cape pangolin, is seriously endangered. Unless protected, the future of three Asian pangolins is also uncertain. They are classified as phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, family Manidae, order Pholidota.

Pangolins are considered a delicacy in SEA. So if you do come across a roadkilled pangolin or anyone poaching them, do not hesitate to call Nparks or the Police. Do not try to rescue the pangolin with your bare hands because they will roll into a ball & you will have difficulty in holding it. Not forgetting it's tail is super strong too and once it grips onto anything, it will never let go including your hand!

Just an update

Nothing to snap snap today...wonder where all the birds went???....hmmmm, maybe they had one drop too many last night...happy hour! Anyway, am still waiting for my Pandai Chief to post his photos & knowledge here...Derek, where are you?

Update on Baby: She's doing fine, eating & drinking well & sleeping well too. Getting cuter by the day....

Till tomorrow, hope I will have more pictures to show..anyway if you like to view photos..can always visit my yahoo photos but you need to have a yahoo ID.

Bye for now....

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Hill Myna

First time this bird appeared right in front of the Ranger's Post at TTW. I was caught unprepared when my colleague shouted at me to get my camera...in my haste, I forgot to switch on my flash so the first shot was as black as the sky at that time. This was the second shot but as usual, forgot to adjust my flash exposure.

I never had any luck with this bird...I remember the last time when I went for my patrol duties along Golflink Boardwalk, I tripped(forgot to mention that am actually skinny but very clumsy!!) and fell, a pair of Hill Mynas were perched on a tree above me and they were "laughing" at me. Why I say that is because they were actually very silent till I fell down and then suddenly, you can hear their loud piercing whistles, screeches, croaks and wheezes. Luckily they were not trained to talk...if not they'll probably go "hahaha.....what a clumsy ranger! How to patrol when don't even know how to walk properly???"

Anyway, if you ever spot this bird, keep your eyes open for another one just behind, above, under or beside it...they are always in pairs and regularly perches in exposed tree-tops. Even if you can't see them, you'll be able to hear them "laughing". My neighbour once had this Hill Myna that was taught to speak & whistle. Whenever he sees a pretty lady, he whistles, when he sees you dress shabbily, he'll say "Goodbye". My mum was one of the "victims" when she appeared one morning in pyjamas & went to say hello to him. My mum swore never to say hello to him again...hahaha(but she still said hello to him every morning)...

Indian Cuckoo


Beginning of the year & a pleasant surprise for me when I was shooting a giant Orbs Spider. At the corner of my eye, this bird flew to the branch right beside me! I frozed and not wanting to scare the bird away, I could only turn my camera(thank god for Nikon Coolpix S4 that has a swivel lens) towards the bird's direction & just using my LCD screen, took an insurance shot of this bird. Later, I slowly turned my body and took more shots. The bird was not really shy & actually posed while I tried to minimize my movements...boy was it hard! I had to move like a puppet...but it was worth it to shoot this beautiful bird. By the way, I only saw it once and have not seen it again though I know that it is still around somewhere laughing at me cos it can see me while I can't see her/him......bleep

Oriental Pied Hornbill


A not-so-nice picture of an Oriental Pied Hornbill taken on P.Ubin. I know of Hornbills appearing here in Singapore in one of our Reserves but sadly have not come across yet. But my colleague Derek(Mandai Chief) has come across and he has some really beautiful shots of this bird. Professional photographer somemore!!!

Voice: Loud yelping kleng-keng kek-kek-kek and ayip-yip-yip-yip

Habitat: Broadleaved evergreen and mixed deciduous forest, island forest, secondary growth, plantations, gardens up to 1,400m. They sometimes move together in flocks & at times quite large.
The female hornbill stays with the yound inside a hole in a tree without leaving the nest at all. The male hornbill will be the one who provides the food & protection. After 10mths, the young hornbill will be chased away by its parents to fend for its own.

Red-breasted Parakeet



Thought I share this photo with everyone. This a Red-breasted Parakeet. Shot taken at Changi Village infront of the coffee shops(diners were wondering who this idiot snapping away at the trees cos for once they had stamps on their eyes....hahahah).

Well, this is actually a very beautiful bird but with my lousy skills....the bird doesn't look that pretty..hope you won't mind... Actually this bird reminds me of my uncle(hush...don't let him hear or I'm dead)...anway, a little bit about this bird: it's got a shrill repeated sharp nasal voice, sometimes going cheent cheent like a nasal honking. Habitat: broadleaved forest, temple groves, cultivation up to 1,220ft. They are rather common and can be found in Myanmar, Thailand, Indo China, Pen Malaysia & of course Singapore.

Blue-throated bee-eater



When the sun hides behind the clouds, a reprieve from a hot day, when you're feeling frustrated cos you don't have anything to shoot at....out pops a pair of Bee-eaters to entertain you...or should it be to be entertained by me???? By looking at this pair, my guess would be "who is that clown with a black object flashing at us?" Well, that clown happens to be me flashing(errmm...not myself) at them. I was on duty at the TTW bridge when I spotted them doing a flypast infront of the Ranger's Post. So there I went armed with my camera & said hello to them. Tried to take a picture of them doing the flypast but was unable cos they were to fast for me or rather I was too slow for them....remember my eyes got stamps??? Well, now that the Blue-tailed Bee-eater has gone into hiding, it's time for the Blue-throated to come out & play..... and be entertained by me...heheh

Friday, March 24, 2006

Mr Magoo


This is my second "hairy son" - Mr Magoo. I adopted him off the streets from my previous working place as someone wanted to send him to the pound. When he arrived at my home..he was already 6 years old, so I was a bit apprehensive whether he could get along with my "alpha male" - Tyson. Well, he blended himself right in & now they are like brothers though not on "speaking terms". His is also a sad story cos not long ago, he was diagnosed with heartworm disease...infected by a mosquito which then transfers the larvae into his blood stream which will then multiply into adults & slowly eat away his heart. When he was diagnosed with it, it was almost into the advanced stage. There is no symptoms when heartworms attack but thanks to Dr Miles from Companion Animal Surgery, he cured Magoo completely. Those long 2 months of medication & no exercise really took a toll on my dog & me. It was heartbreaking to see him so listless & coughing badly. Also the injections(given within 48hrs) was so painful!! But like a man, Magoo went through it all without any fuss and now he is healthy & bubbly & eating like a PIG!!!

Mick Valentino Tyson

How can I leave out my precious "sons"??? This is one of my hairy son - Tyson or Twee Twee. He was adopted by me when he was about 3mths old from a fishing pond uncle. He's worth only $1...haha...but now he is priceless!!! He is now 7 years old but still behaves like when he was 3mths old! Highly intelligent, clumsy(always create his own quicksand areas around the house), pampered to the max by my boyfriend, sleeps in air-con room on his bed!!! Don't u think he's cute???

Green-crested Tree Lizard


Was going around for my patrol duties when I spotted this beautiful well-camouflaged lizard among the leaves. Actually, I walked past it without noticing(eyes got pasted with stamps!!) until my colleague pointed it out to me...I still couldn't find it despite straining my eyes...real goondu. Then it moved & I finally found it! So, as usual....snap, snap...hope I didn't "blind" the poor guy with my flash....This lizard is now fast being overshadowed by the Changeable Lizard which is much more beautiful cos of its tri-colour but I still love this lizard cos it's more co-operative in posing for me....hahahaha...

Flying Lemur


This is Baby. She was brought to my care on 20th March 2006. She is very cute & sweet. She chooses her food according to her liking(give her a leaf & she shuts her mouth...give her a banana..she licks it like an ice-cream..haha). She's very active at night & mornings will normally find her away from her bed under goodness-knows-where....let's hope she will continue to fight & survive and one day I will have the honour of releasing her back into the wild.........

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Brahminy Kite at Ubin

Shot this raptor at P.Ubin...Jelutong Campsite when I was on attachment there. Sorry if the picture is not sharp...still very new to my D70s....

Myself

Am a colleague of "For the future of our forest" author. Very interested in animals.....all creatures big & small except centipedes & cockroaches..hehe...Please be patient with me while I sort through my photos on sightings taken at CNR.