sgbeachbum

Striped Eel-Tailed Catfish from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Find out more about the Striped Eel-Tailed Catfish :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/fish/plotosidae/lineatus.htm

red crinoid from BeachBum on Vimeo.

music : Touching Moments One - Pulse : Kevin Macleod- http://incompetech.com

Find out more about featherstars here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/crinoidea/crinoidea.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/echinodermata/crinoidea/red.htm

here is a clip of a featherstar actively waving its arms in an attempt to swim :

red featherstar @ labrador from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Ribbon Jellyfish @ Pulau Hantu 17Apr2010 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

The March-April period seems to be jellyfish season.
Perhaps it is a coincidence that it coincides with the coral spawning period as well! Depending on the species jellyfish may eat plankton or fish or other swimming organisms like shrimp.

No humans were stung during the production of this clip! But the risk is an ever present one...which is why it is not advisable to go into the water with exposed skin. (I wonder about all those swimmers and triathletes in their various races in March and April and whether they get stung.) The longest of the ribbon jellyfish seen were about 40cm long and the smallest was about 10 cm (from the top of the bell to the end of the longest tentacle).

Read more about jellyfish and ribbon jellyfish from WildSingapore's Wildfacts pages here:
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/jellyfish/jellyfish.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/jellyfish/ribbon.htm

Jellyfish are a favourite food for marine turtles. Strangely, turtles do not get stung by the stingers on the jellyfish tentacles.

Sadly, with the increase of marine pollution and the irresponsible or careless disposal of plastic bags and the mass release of balloons, these and other indigestible items do end up in the marine ecosystem where turtles may try to eat them with fatal results.

Read more about how these improperly disposed materials affect turtles here :
http://www.seaturtlefoundation.org/stf-current-projects/campaigns/marine-debris/

Other links :
www.oceanconservancy.org
www.algalita.org
http://coastalcleanup.nus.edu.sg/
http://coastalcleanup.wordpress.com/

Acropora coral @ Pulau Hantu 17Apr2010 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This beautiful acropora was close to the far end of the intertidal zone close to where the reef fell away.

Read more about hard corals here :-
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/coralhard.htm
about acropora corals here :-
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/coralhard/acroporidae/acropora.htm

blue-lined flatworm @ pulau hantu 17Apr2010 from BeachBum on Vimeo.

This was a tiny flatworm which stood out from the muddy-coloured substrate.
It did not seem to be bothered by the flaring chimney nearby.

Read more about flatworms here :-
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/polycladida.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/worm/polycladida/blueline.htm

music : Touching Moments One - Pulse : Kevin Macleod- http://incompetech.com

flare from BeachBum on Vimeo.

A necessary evil of our need for petrochemicals.

was at Pulau Hantu for a intertidal walk.

almost did not need a torch as the light from the nearby Pulau Bukom flare was incredible.

at times, the flare reached 30metres (or more) and the roar was considerable.

the air was not to good as well. there was a lingering chemical residue

a few questions come to mind :
If flaring is an emergency pressure relief process, then why flare continuously for days on end?
Does anyone keep track of flaring?
What are the harmful chemicals that get created in the process?
Does Singapore regulate flaring? Should flaring be reduced?
Why are there not any flaring advisories issued? Should they be? (but what can you do anyway)
Is there a time limit for ONE flare? or is it still ONE flare if it is not extinguished for days or weeks?
What is the average time for a flare?
What is the longest time for a flare?

The flare was visible from the East Coast (Bedok Jetty) that day and probably much further beyond. Wonder how far and in what direction the chemical fallout will travel.

Read more about flares here :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/02/flaring-up-at-pulau-bukom.html
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/04/more-flaring-up-at-pulau-bukom.html

Note : there are flares and chemical chimneys from various petrochemical installations along the west coast. The Bukom one is one amongst many but it is the most visible one of the lot.

crocodile @ sg buloh from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Came across this log moving 'upstream' at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The tide was heading out but the log was moving in...and quickly too!

I remember helping a friend with his mangrove tree-climbing crab study in the adjacent mangrove some years ago where we had to wade in chest (and sometimes neck-) high to catch the tree-climbing crabs for measurements. Towards the end of an entire afternoon in the water stumbling over sunken dead trees... he casually passes the comment "oh, we haven't seen any today have we?" to another friend.

The friend replies "uh, no, not today."

Naturally, I ask.."seen any what?".

"Oh, never mind" was the quick answer.

"No really, seen any what?" I press on.

"Um, crocodiles"...this was followed by a pause and then laughter after they saw the worried look on my face.

I had wondered whether there had been any crocodiles in the waters then and shrugged it off as a good joke on me ... only to find out later that there had indeed been sightings of crocodiles in the reserve....and frequently too so much so that the crocs were treated as 'residents".

Go to Sungei Buloh yourself to see them!

Find out more about SBWR at these links :
http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/sbwr.htm

P.s. Thank you Siva & Airani. Best joke on me for a long long time! :)

stork-billed kingfisher from BeachBum on Vimeo.

Came across this Stork-Billed Kingfisher at the near end of the central bridge at about 12 noon. It had just managed to swoop down from a branch into the water and catch a fish. As if to pose for the onlookers on the bridge (only about 4 metres away), it turned to face the spectators. It started to do quite a bit of gymnastics with it's catch flicking its head from side to side and whacking the fish against the branch as if reassure itself that the fish was well and truly dead. There was a chunk of flesh missing from about a third from the tail. Perhaps the kingfisher had torn that out during the dive and capture process. It spun the fish around in it's beak and swung it against the branch repeatedly. You can just about hear the 'slap'. At times, it looked as if the bird would only end up with the tail end in its beak. Luckily for the bird, the tail end separated and fell to the water below before the bird manouvered the rest of the fish into its beak and swallowed. It took about three minutes to down the fish.

There was quite a bit of background 'noise'.... kids running on the bridge and people chatting - some ignorant of the kingfisher, and a long long camo'd lens with a happy trigger finger and eyeball attached. Hope the others got some good pics.

Find out more about SBWR at these links :
http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/sbwr.htm