20 September 2009 - Our first evening low tide trip of 2009! It's a nice change to be out on a field trip when the sun is already up and shining. No expensive cab fare for once! =)
Our destination this time is Pulau Semakau - Singapore's only offshore landfill. Now, many people have the impression that a landfill will be dirty and smelly. Well, this is definitely not the case for Semakau. It is my first time visiting the island, and I'm truly amazed at how clean, scenic and serene the place is! The weather is also lovely today - pleasantly warm with an occassional breeze.
We were greeted by a pair of eagles soaring high in the clear blue sky.
The lone Casuarina tree in the middle of nowhere... a most useful landmark for us to get our bearings while we were out on the vast shore!
The shore at low tide... and this is only one small part of it. That's how huge this shore is!
There are many different types of soft corals on Pulau Semakau. This is an Asparagus Flowery Soft Coral.
And this is the Broad Feathery Soft Coral... (Thanks for the id, Kok Sheng!)
There are many different kinds of hard corals on Semakau too... This is a Favid Hard Coral.
Here's another type of hard coral - a Sunflower Mushroom Coral. This coral may look like a sea anemone at first glance. However, its hard skeleton tells us that it is really a coral.
And now, for the real anemones. This is a Wiggly Star Anemone.
The shore is peppered with these beautiful Magnificent Anemones. It's a pity that we did not manage to spot any anemonefish though.
Although I did not get to see any Knobby Sea Stars or Cushion Stars today, it is still good to find a colony of Common Sea Stars that are actively mating. Yippee! More babies! =)
And this is a first for me - an Upsidedown Jellyfish. As its name suggests, this animal prefers to be upside down, with its bell facing the sea floor and tentacles facing upwards towards the light.
Is this the famous Blood Cockle (aka "see-hum") that can be found in our local delights such as laksa and char kway teow?
The main lead of the day - a Burrowing Giant Clam. This creature is not easy to spot as it is tucked among rocks and corals. But sharp-eyed Kok Sheng managed to find two today!
Also spotted is this huge Noble Volute. According to the Singapore Red Data Book, this beautiful snail is restricted to our part of the world, in particular, Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.
This is a first sighting for me - a Spoon-Pincer Crab.
Many swimming crabs were spotted scurrying about. Here's one of them.
Also seen were quite a number of Hairy Crabs. These small crabs are mildly poisonous and are not the same as the large 'hairy crabs' that are served in our restaurants.
It is always a pleasure to see a Five-spot Anemone Shrimp. They're just so pretty! This fella was found on a Haddon's Carpet Anemone.
And this is a Long-spined Black Sea Urchin.
Aaahhh.... a baby octopus! The tiniest one I've seen on my field trips thus far....
And here's another first sighting for me - a Fan-bellied Filefish.
There were many fan worms on the shore. This is an Orange Fan Worm.
This is the only flatworm we saw today - a common Spotted Black Flatworm.
Also spotted is this huge Black Phyllid Nudibranch.
And here's my most favourite find of the day - a Lined Chromodoris Nudibranch! Isn't it pretty? This is yet another first sighting for me. =)
All too soon, the tide turned and we slowly made our way back towards higher ground. My first visit to Pulau Semakau has indeed been as interesting as I had expected it to be. This huge shore definitely deserves a revisit - we barely covered 10% of it today!
19 September 2009 - First day of the 8th lunar month!
(read: new/full moon = low spring tide = field trips!) =D
Ever wondered why?
During a full moon or new moon, the moon and sun are lined up, and their gravitational pull on Earth are combined. This results in an extra high and extra low tide. Such tides are called "spring tides" because the water appears to "spring up".
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Was out at 5.30am this morning to explore the shores of Big Sister's Island with 7 friends. This is only my second visit to the island, the first being in May. Somehow, I just felt that the shore seems "different" from my first trip. Oh well, it's probably just the different tide level I guess...
James found this pretty Spotted Black Flatworm in the lagoon. This flatworm is really huge - about 10cm in length.
Wiggly Star Anemone with its body column exposed...
This shrimp was busy moving things out from its burrow... I've no idea what species it is though.
Red-banded Shrimp. This fella has suicidal tendencies... It was resting on a rock, but decided to take a "dive" into "deeper" water - and nearly became supper for...
this swimming crab resting barely 10cm away! Its claws just missed the lucky shrimp!
another swimming crab... is this a Blue-spined Swimming Crab?
yet another crab... but a poisonous one this time. This is a Red Egg Crab.
Spotted Glass Perchlet...
False Scorpionfish. This scorpionfish wannabe does look like the real McCoy! Like scorpionfishes, this fish has prickly dorsal spines that can poke inquisitive fingers. However, it lacks the venom glands which true scorpionfishes have.
The false scorpionfish can be differentiated from the true scorpionfish by looking closely at its head. False scorpionfishes does not have spines on the head. Its dorsal fin also starts well behind the eyes.
False Clown Anemonefish and Giant Carpet Anemone...
Anemonefishes are really shy creatures, and are very difficult to photograph!
Spotted two pairs of them today, in two different anemones!
Seeing them brightens up my day. They're so cute! =D
And not forgetting... the Fluted Giant Clam that we found during our trip in May! Good thing Kok Sheng recorded its GPS location - or we'll never be able to find it in the huge lagoon!
Saw many trails of termites while heading back to the jetty. Didn't notice them when we first landed on the island as it was too dark. Good thing none of us got bitten!
Here's a closer look... Nasty-looking jaws!
Today's trip is the last pre-dawn intertidal trip for the year. From tomorrow, we'll be exploring the shores in the evening. No more panda eyes and expensive cab fare! =)
We're going to Pulau Semakau tomorrow. My first visit to the island - can't wait to find out what exciting finds await!
22 August 2009 - It has been more than a month since I've gone on field trips and it's wonderful to embrace the great outdoors again! Our destination this time: Small Sister's Island.While the team headed straight out to find marine critters, I was mesmerised by the starry night sky above me. Jupiter, Venus, and the stars of Orion, Gemini, Canis Major, and many other constellations twinkled brilliantly in the clear dark sky. This was definitely one of the best night skies I've seen in Singapore for a long, long time. Even Orion Nebula and the Plaeides star cluster could be easily seen!However, time on the shore is short and precious. I had to, most unwillingly, tear my eyes away from the breathtaking night sky to catch up with the team who were oohing and aahing over....
a Fluted Giant Clam! This is only my second time seeing it, the first being at Big Sister's Island in May. The Fluted Giant Clam is listed as 'Endangered' on the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore.
Also spotted was this huge Snaky Anemone. It's about 20 cm in diameter!
And here's a first for me... a Pygmy Squid! This little guy (about 1 cm) is really difficult to photograph! It simply refused to keep still! =)
Also spotted were some marine spiders. This is the first time that I managed to capture it on film. Most times, they are too fast to be photographed! 
And like most shores in Singapore, many gobies could be seen darting about as we approached...
This is the find that made my day... a Five-Spot Anemone Shrimp! Though not uncommon, this is a first sighting for me. These shrimps are often seen in Giant Carpet Anemones, Haddon's Carpet Anemones and Magnificent Anemones on many of our shores. This fella was spotted on a Haddon's Carpet Anemone.
Here's a closer look at the shrimp. These shrimps are about 2 cm to 3 cm in size, and are largely transparent, so it does take a keen eye (and patience) to spot them among the anemones!
And here's another interesting find of the day. A baby False Clown Anemonefish! Ria spotted this baby with two adults hiding among the tentacles of a Giant Carpet Anemone.
Unfortunately, the two adults were too shy to be photographed. I had a trying time pushing my camera to its limits to photograph this very tiny (about 1 cm) fish! Do check out Ria's blog for some great photos of the two adults!
Another first sighting for me - a Copperband Butterflyfish! This beautiful fish has a false eye on the dorsal fin to distract potential predators. Well, I guess this defense mechanism works - I got conned a few times when trying to photograph this fish! =P 
Also spotted for the first time is this Arabian Cowrie. Due to habitat loss and overcollection, this beautiful snail is listed as 'Vulnerable' on the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore.
This is a Black Long Sea Cucumber. These sea cucumbers are usually found under large boulders or rocks, so I was pretty surprised to find this fella out in the open. 
A closer look at its feeding tentacles...
The team was briefly distracted by this beautiful sunrise over Big Sister's Island midway into our trip. 
Frilly Anemones - the main lead of the day! (We were helping Ivan-the-younger, who is studying the anemones for his Final Year Project, to spot them.)
Many Feather Stars of different colours were spotted at a particularly rich reef area. This black feather star is one of them. 
However, red feather stars seemed to be the most common... We spotted at least 6 of them concentrated in one area! Kok Sheng also found one that is black with bluish-green patterns, while Ivan spotted another one that is beige with reddish-brown patterns! The reef area is covered with beautiful corals and sponges of all shapes and colours and seems perfect for snorkelling. However, it will be foolhardy to do so. The currents at Sisters Island are treacherous! I nearly took a dip in the sea when I lost my balance at the reef edge! Good thing Kok Sheng was nearby to catch hold of me! Do check out his blog for photos of the colourful corals and sponges.
While waiting for the boat to arrive to take us back to mainland Singapore, we decided to check out the sandy lagoon again. This is a Peachia Anemone. 
We spotted a colony of Common Sea Stars too... Unfortunately, these common sea stars are no longer common. Due to habitat loss and overcollection, they are now listed as 'Vulnerable' on the Red List of threatened animals in Singapore. 
As Ria always reminded - "The Sisters' Islands are home to many Long-tailed Macaques. Don't leave your bags unattended unless you want the monkeys to distribute the contents all over the place!"
True enough, we saw a troop of monkeys over at Big Sister's Island. 
Soon it's time for us to leave this beautiful island. Here's a shot of the jetty, while we wait for the boat to take us back to mainland Singapore.
Goodbye Small Sister's Island! Till we visit again! My maiden visit to the Small Sister's has been pretty eye-opening with quite a number of new sightings. The weather was pleasant and the clear blue sky made for picture-perfect photos! What more can I ask for? Today's trip is also one of the last few pre-dawn intertidal trips for the year. We'll be exploring the shores in the evening from September onwards!
We were greeted by a pair of eagles soaring high in the clear blue sky.
The lone Casuarina tree in the middle of nowhere... a most useful landmark for us to get our bearings while we were out on the vast shore!
The shore at low tide... and this is only one small part of it. That's how huge this shore is!
There are many different types of soft corals on Pulau Semakau. This is an Asparagus Flowery Soft Coral. 
And this is the Broad Feathery Soft Coral... (Thanks for the id, Kok Sheng!)
There are many different kinds of hard corals on Semakau too... This is a Favid Hard Coral.
Here's another type of hard coral - a Sunflower Mushroom Coral. This coral may look like a sea anemone at first glance. However, its hard skeleton tells us that it is really a coral.
And now, for the real anemones. This is a Wiggly Star Anemone.
The shore is peppered with these beautiful Magnificent Anemones. It's a pity that we did not manage to spot any anemonefish though.
Although I did not get to see any Knobby Sea Stars or Cushion Stars today, it is still good to find a colony of Common Sea Stars that are actively mating. Yippee! More babies! =)
And this is a first for me - an Upsidedown Jellyfish. As its name suggests, this animal prefers to be upside down, with its bell facing the sea floor and tentacles facing upwards towards the light.
Is this the famous Blood Cockle (aka "see-hum") that can be found in our local delights such as laksa and char kway teow?
The main lead of the day - a Burrowing Giant Clam. This creature is not easy to spot as it is tucked among rocks and corals. But sharp-eyed Kok Sheng managed to find two today!
Also spotted is this huge Noble Volute. According to the Singapore Red Data Book, this beautiful snail is restricted to our part of the world, in particular, Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.
This is a first sighting for me - a Spoon-Pincer Crab.
Many swimming crabs were spotted scurrying about. Here's one of them.
Also seen were quite a number of Hairy Crabs. These small crabs are mildly poisonous and are not the same as the large 'hairy crabs' that are served in our restaurants.
It is always a pleasure to see a Five-spot Anemone Shrimp. They're just so pretty! This fella was found on a Haddon's Carpet Anemone.
And this is a Long-spined Black Sea Urchin.
Aaahhh.... a baby octopus! The tiniest one I've seen on my field trips thus far....
And here's another first sighting for me - a Fan-bellied Filefish.
There were many fan worms on the shore. This is an Orange Fan Worm.
This is the only flatworm we saw today - a common Spotted Black Flatworm.
Also spotted is this huge Black Phyllid Nudibranch.
And here's my most favourite find of the day - a Lined Chromodoris Nudibranch! Isn't it pretty? This is yet another first sighting for me. =)
All too soon, the tide turned and we slowly made our way back towards higher ground. My first visit to Pulau Semakau has indeed been as interesting as I had expected it to be. This huge shore definitely deserves a revisit - we barely covered 10% of it today!
