Ged’off my proboscis!

The term ‘cute’… being applied subjectively, of course.

Oriental magpie robin

A baby monitor lizard

Sun skink

WALL*E spider

A Common Greenback surrounded by Asiatic Toad(let)s; taken with my N73 at the Botanic Gardens.

The same gang of us who went to Lake District almost exactly two years ago again assembled for a quick weekend road trip, through the beautiful scenic countryside, deep into Wales. I enjoyed every minute of it, although the way was beset with little disappointments. For years I had been wanting to see the puffins, which can only be found in a couple of islands off the coast of the UK, and I thought this was it - that I (we) were finally going to nail them for sure. We were close. So very close - just a queue and a 15min boat ride away. We were told that it was no-go for that day… winds too strong, waters too rough for a landing. Curses up and down along the queue, for there were others, aside from ourselves, who travelled great distances just for this opportunity. Sigh, bad luck, I guess. *shrugs*

So we walked around the cliffs and tried to look for the grey seals that were said to frequent the coast. After waiting and looking long and hard, we spotted a pair, frolicking in the water. I had expected to see them basking under the sun on the rocks, but they stuck to the water.

And then there’s the ocean - a deep, blue, vast expanse of water. That, the blue skies, the lush green of the cliffside bushes, the horses, the gulls, choughs, shags, and oystercatchers… it made it worthwhile. Totally.

~ 600 miles’ journey across and back

Brecon Beacons National Park

Horses at Martin’s Haven

The Pembrokeshire coast

Oriental Whip

I’m not sure where my mom got that idea from, but it was a welcomed move. Last Sunday, she carted the family off towards PSA along Alexandra Rd where she heard there was a new butterfly farm or something. I was asking friends before that, about a ‘new butt place in town’ but they were as clueless as I was. Turns out that it was a new horticultural park, managed by NParks, linked by park connectors to Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park. Manicured grass, neat plots of land showcasing themed gardens, playgrounds for the kiddies, and high-tech greenhouses at the back. A nice Thai restaurant and function rooms at the visitor centre, its architecture reminiscent of the Zen aura we felt whilst at The Lalu Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan. It’s still very new, and aside from a couple of Changeable lizards that we saw, not much of the fauna has mmm… moved in yet.

Haute Nature

First park in Asia to blend recreation and retail with research and technology

There is now another alluring option in the Garden City if you want to relax amid lush foliage. HortPark is a 23-hectare recreational and technological park developed by Singapore’s National Parks Board at a cost of SGD 13.1 million. The first park in Asia to house recreational, educational, research and retail activities related to gardening in one location, it also aims to become a knowledge hub for training and value-added services… …

~ Singapore abuzz, Mar-Apr 2008 edition, Singapore Tourism Board

Photos :: HortPark

There were crowds at Pulau Ubin last Friday. Crowds! We actually had to queue to get on a bumboat, the bicycle rental shops were packed and the restaurants were full even when lunch hour had long passed. Don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad. Most weren’t locals though. Mainly bunches of gweilos and mainlanders (or PRCs, as they call them here).

Much has changed since I last went to Ubin, which, according to my records was in December 2004. For one, Chek Jawa was still relatively untouched. Now it’s got that boardwalk… and House No. 1 has been turned into a visitor/heritage centre. There’s that Ubin Green House, SEC/GVN’s eco-house, and the newish Ubin Volunteer Hub. The potent mozzies still wouldn’t leave me alone, though. Among the four of us to have gone there that day, I suffered the most bites. Others came through unscathed. Sigh, the unfairness of it all.

Saw the hornbill there at long last, and caught it in flight, too! Pekan Quarry is a lovely place to relax and lie in wait for passing birds. It might become my favourite spot there yet.

Not sure why I’m feeling so lazy to type right now. It’s one of those periods when I’m dry of words. Budak has written up entries on it - this and the preceding six posts.

Robber fly with damselfly prey

Digger wasp, Bembix sp. (Sphecidae)

Glossy starling

Oriental pied hornbill

Pekan Quarry

Mutt

Full moon

I think I’m getting the hang of the R1 close up speedlights. All those flashes have been giving me that black background and some harsh lighting at times, although a number turned out decent. I might try my hand at alternative lighting techniques on my next outing though, with angled flashes and bounce cards and the whole lot. I’ve also come to realise how useful a monopod can be in the field… which reminds me, I really should get a ballhead.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Botanic Gardens yesterday, with the companionship of mr budak and my sis, on her first visit to BTNR. A quiet day, the critters we saw were all much too tiny, but at least the weather had been extremely kind and the forecasted thunderstorms did not come.

Even bugs need to pee - a Stink Bug nymph (Pentatomidae)

A Squash Bug (Coreidae)

Don’t be fooled - one’s an ant and the other’s a spider. Amazing how alike the real thing (a Polyrhachis aka Spiny Ant) the mimic can be

A cute little Kendall’s Rock Gecko with those big round eyes (not sure if the term ‘lifer’ applies to non-avians but this would be a first for me)

A male Changeable Lizard, in faded breeding colours

Photos :: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve & Singapore Botanic Gardens