Fun at Pasir Ris with the Naked Hermit Crabs

I had a great walk with the Naked Hermit Crabs on a new route at Pasir Ris mangroves, park and beach. We saw owls, a snake and lots more.

Thanks to Evan for working out the new route as part of the Pasir Ris mangrove boardwalk is closed.


Thanks to Evan's alert, we had no problem spotting a lovely long green Whip snake.

It was quite close to the boardwalk and thus easy for the kids to observe.

We can tell that the guide is doing a great job when the kids want to hold their hand. Bravo Xiang Tian!

Dayna led an advance team to find the Spotted wood owls!

Owls can't chew up their food (they have no teeth!). So they swallow their prey whole and then barf up whatever can't be digested. This results in an owl 'pellet' and if you look at it, you can see what they eat. This one looks like the remains of a bat.

Mama found the feather of the Spotted wood owl for this young visitor.

Along the way, we also came across the fruits of the Kapok tree, releasing their fluffy seeds. In the old days, we used to stuff our pillows with these.

A closer look at the fluffy seeds and pod.

We then stopped at the bridge over Sungei Tampines close to the river mouth. Where there were all manner of creatures to be seen. Including a young monitor lizard resting on a branch, as Sumita is illustrating to her visitors. There were also lots of birds.

And this is the only spot where we can easily view the rarely seen Lenggendai mangrove tree.

We had a quick stop at the beach.

Someone had dug up a big hole, injuring mangrove roots, probably for worms to use as bait for fishing. There were still a few worms in the hole.

Some of us just relaxed and enjoyed the view.

We end at sunset on the second bridge over Sungei Tampines, watching fishes and birds. And several monitor lizards too.

Part of the boardwalk is closed until about March 2019. But the alternative route we took was just as interesting.

Throughout the walk, I was looking out for the plastic nylon string that grasscutters usually litter as they cut grass. This is part of an effort to document and map such incidents for the school holiday week. I was surprised to find zero strings during our walk! So I've mapped this sighting with a green tick. It shows that it is possible for grasscutters to do their job without littering. Bravo!

Here's what the strings look like, and the typical quantities we can find on a short walk elsewhere

Please do help us check for these strings for the period of 1-9 Sep. More information here.

You can visit Pasir Ris mangroves on your own, at any time. It is open 24/7. Here's more about the boardwalk.

The Naked Hermit Crabs hold monthly free walks specially for families. Get update by checking their blog or like their facebook page.


Or join the 8 Sep (Sat): Evening guided walk at Pasir Ris with ACRES. Explore Pasir Ris mangroves and reconnect with nature AND make a difference for Singapore's wildlife. More details.