With kind permission of NParks, we surveyed this
interesting shore next to Labrador MRT station with mangroves, rocky shore, seagrass meadows and sandy shores!
Indeed, some special finds by the team include a seahorse and rare sea stars!
Kok Sheng found a seahorse! Our first sighting on this shore. He also saw crabs, and I saw hermit crabs. As on my last survey in
Aug 2022, Seagrasses are growing lush near the Labrador seawall and all along the boardwalk. There are still lush patches at the entrance to Marina at Keppel Bay. All
Spoon seagrass with tiny leaves. The patch of
Tape seagrass has long leaf blades and had female flowers.
Kok Sheng also saw some reefy creatures at the entrance to Marina at Keppel Bay. Hard and soft corals and reef sponges. Not unexpected as there is a lovely reef actually growing on the pontoons of the Marine.
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Photos by Loh Kok Sheng
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There are slivers of rocky shore near the boardwalk. There were
Haddon's carpet anemones,
Giant carpet anemones and
Frilly anemones near the rocks. The rocks were covered with lots of
onch slugs but I didn't see many snails. Kok Sheng, however, found
Giant top shell snail, cowrie. He also found many
Cryptic sea stars, which are rarely seen on our shores and a special snapping shrimp.
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| Critter photos by Loh Kok Sheng. |
The sandy shores may look lifeless but take a closer look to spot tell tale signs of buried animals. Like sand balls created by little crabs, trails of burrowing snails, coils of worm poop. Kok Sheng saw many
Weasel olive snails, I saw a
Bosom moon snail, also some whelks. There were many tiny to small
Cake sand dollars. But I didn't see any
Common sea stars.
The boardwalk over the shore (Bukit Cermin Boardwalk) was closed in Nov 2022 for maintenance works and was expected to reopen in on 31 Mar 2023. But it seems to still be closed today. With hoarding across the entrance at both Labrador Park and at Reflections at Keppel Bay.
Keppel Golf Club is no more! Where it used to be, just grass-covered hills. There were very few golf balls on the shore today.
The mangroves at the mouth of the Creek look alright.
What is the fate of Labrador and Berlayar Creek?Although it's not clear whether Labrador and Berlayar Creek are slated for reclamation in the
Long-Term Plan Review, massive reclamation is planned for areas nearby.
Photos by others on this surveyLoh Kok ShengRichard KuahRichard Kuah also surveyed Punggol on 25 Apr
