Our Rich Shores - Chek Jawa (6th Feb 05)

[sehsuan]

I took the following photos while the Chek Jawa guides were having a survey and training session, I hope more of fellow Clubsnappers and fellow human beings will learn to love, learn and share the appreciation for the beauty that is uniquely, Chek Jawa.


One of the long-time, and senior guides, Ria with her field equipment, that she uses to get images that enthralls us all. More information and photos available at her website, http://www.wildsingapore.com


One (wo)man show - Ria does all the backbreaking work at the marine environment carrying all the equipment that she will use at one go, and had experienced dropping a lens into saltwater by accident and lost that lens due to corrosion.


A Brahimy Kite, a common spotted raptor in the area. (Nature folks, correct me if I'm wrong - I can't ID birds to save my life other than Big Bird from Sesame Street)


The Leatherjacket, or also known as Filefish. Specimen about 12cm long.

[sehsuan]

For proper images that can be printed at high resolution, a tripod is used. Here we see Ria taking a photo of an egg capsule of a Noble Volute.


A Thorny Sea Cucumber, with its feeding tentacles extended. Specimen about 7 cm long.


Two different sand dollars on the sand bar. On the lower left, a Common Sand Dollar, while a rare find locally - a Keyhole Sand Dollar, seen using their short spines to bury itself under sand.


A closeup look at the top surface of the Keyhole Sand Dollar. This particular specimen has an intricate pattern in addition to the petaloids in the centre (laid out like flower petals), as well as the two "keyholes" that differentiate it from the Common Sand Dollar.


A closeup look at the bottom surface of the Keyhole Sand Dollar. This animal is an enchinoderm, and is a close relative of - believe it or not, the sea star (typically called wrongly by "starfish" - which ISN'T a fish), sea cucumbers, brittlestars and sea urchins. Diameter of specimen about 7cm.

[sehsuan]

Button shells - pretty little things, so said that no two shells will look alike, just like our fingerprints! Approximate size, 1cm each.


From the low tide, we can see how much of the sand bar of Chek Jawa can be shown, as seen here with the aviation buildings for a sense of direction.


Nature and Man coexisting - we hope to see Nature and Man living hand in hand together, respecting each other. Usually, Man destructs more nature than he replaces.


Fiddler crab - this tiny little thing, probably 2cm in width, was probably in search of a mate.


Mudskippers gathering to bask in the sun. Or are they basking at all, since they are cold-blooded animals?

[sehsuan]

"There ain't no elephants in Ubin..." Zaki explaining to fellow trainee guides that these unsightly mud mounds are actually mounds of the Mud Lobster.


Obstacle crossing - a hairy moment is encountered when we had to cross this deep ditch with the help of a beam, and some planks for balance. Not for the faint-hearted.


Whatcha lookin' at?


Two fiddler crabs slugging it out to see who has the right to the burrow, or a mate.


An oversized pincer is the most prominent feature of a fiddler crab. It serves no apparent purpose other than for shows of power, attracting mates, and fighting with another fiddler crab.

[sehsuan]

Fellow volunteer guides packing it up to head for mainland. It's been a hot day, but it's well worth the effort to help spread awareness in conservation.


A beautiful orb spider, probably 10cm long.

This set of photos, were shot entirely using an EOS-10D with two lenses - EF24-85 f/3.5-4.5 and EF70-200 f/2.8 L IS. Photoshop was used to enhance the photos. Photos were generally shot ISO400 + f/8 or even smaller.

[2100]

Nice..err reportage? Why not share the beautiful pics at World of Nature? Am sure it will be appreciated by more people there.

I have been trying to shoot them mudskippers in the action of skipping along for quite a few times at Sungei Buloh. Nearly impossible to catch them skip coz they are usually motionless at first and you have no clue as to when they will start dancing across the water (and your AF system/lens better be good coz the mudskippers are camo....ie very low contrast). MF more of a miss thing rather than hit thing...dof.

[sehsuan]

Thanks 2100.

Folks, please take note, Chek Jawa is not secured by gates nor fences, but we would advise people against going there without securing permission from NParks. Please check the following NParks webpage for the booking details:

http://www.nparks.gov.sg/nparks_cms/...d=2&subcatid=1

You can also find relevant information here:

http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/index.html