Singapore has an international reputation as a city of business, of glitz and of glamour - iconic images such as the Marina Bay Sands Hotel are known around the world and the Formula One race is arguably the jewel in the F1 crown. But there is so much more to this City State than casual visitors often realise.
I have lived in this wonderful city for well over a decade, and even now I find new areas to explore. Early this morning I visited Pasir Ris park which lies just to the west of Changi Airport. There are different sections to the park but I was interested in the mangrove boardwalk - I knew from a local Facebook page that this area had different species of snakes if you knew where to look.
So, off I set and arrived around sunrise. Before heading into the mangroves, I had a wee stroll and spotted some photographers on a bridge - naturally, I wandered over and one of them pointed out a kingfisher. Normally I have found these birds to be incredibly quick, constantly darting around and therefore tricky to catch. This one, however, seemed calmer - I have no idea if this was down to the species or the time of day, but I was happy to grab some shots. As the morning progressed...well…see below for the images!
For anyone with an interest in photography and the natural world, National Geographic The Photo Ark Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Animals is a book worth checking out.
Anyway - my images. For the record, I am not entirely happy with these shots - but I am happy that I had a learning experience today - I will revisit the park soon and hopefully get some better shots. I shall go more into that in my next blog.
I believe this to be the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo Atthis) - happy to be corrected, though!
A Grey Heron (Ardea Cinerea)
Was so excited to see a snake like this in the wild! I was lucky enough to bump into a local expert who helped me find this beauty - a mangrove pit viper, or shore pit viper. This is an image I want to learn from and improve…as mentioned, I’ll cover that in my next blog.
On my way out of the park, I was lucky enough to see a family of otters having their breakfast and was able to rattle off a few snaps.
OK - this image does not come from Pasir Ris - it was taken a couple of years back in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. This reserve is in the north of Singapore, near the causeway to Malaysia. Several wild crocs live here and on most visits you should be able to see them. Look, but don’t touch!