Fun walk in Chek Jawa during the school holidays

We have lined up 2 fabulous fun walks in Chek Jawa (Boardwalk) for the next two months, November and December. Registration is now open for both walks. In particular, we welcome families to join us to discover what kind of plants and animals can be found in one of the natural shores of Singapore. With trained guides leading the groups on the boardwalk, we should be able to point out lots of animals such as fiddler crabs, mud crabs, mudskippers, fishes, snails and many kinds of bugs to you. And as I always tell my visitors, if we are very lucky, we will get to see hornbills, eagles, jungle fowl, wild boars and beautiful forest birds too.

It is our firm belief that kids (and adults!) need to learn about the natural world so that they can begin to understand about conservation of animal and plant species. Knowledge first, then love for and protection of the animals will come naturally. Parents, help plant that seed of love for nature in your child.

Dates: 12th November and 10th December (Saturday)
Time: 9:30 am
Duration: about 2 hours
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk, Pulau Ubin
Cost: The Crabs do not charge for the trip but you will have to pay for the bumboat and taxi rides to get to Chek Jawa.

Write to nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com to register. We welcome small family and friend groups.

Stingray and hornbills

We had a small turnout of visitors for the 8th October walk but that didn't dampen the mood of the group. Jael brought her family and friends, 7 in total, while KP brought his friend's son who has just finished his PSLE exams and needed some nature therapy!

The wild boars (Sus scrofa) were there at the Information Kiosk to welcome us. It was a sow with her 4 piglets. They seem rather tame and were lingering around the information kiosk apparently hoping to get food handouts from us. We did not feed them since we knew that it is better for the wild boars to forage for food in the forests than to receive sugar and starch-rich food from us. But they were really cute, and all the visitors were happily snapping pictures of them.

Wild boar at the Information Kiosk of Chek Jawa

8 October - Chek Jawa Boardwalk outing

PSLE is over? What about giving your special kid a special treat this Saturday? Come on down to join us as the Crabs explore Chek Jawa Boardwalk with families and friends. We run this nature trip every month so as to introduce Singaporeans to the amazing shore and mangrove wildlife in our own backyard. Marine biodiversity is often under-appreciated in our very urbanised society, and it is time to get everyone excited about nature and its preservation!

We have tailored our trips for the true blue urbanised fellow citizens. There is plenty of native flora and fauna to observe from the safety of the Chek Jawa Boardwalk. No need to get your feet wet. We should be able to observe interesting creatures like mudskippers, tree-climbing crabs, fiddler crabs, weaver ants, kingfishers, tailorbirds, etc. Sometimes when we are REALLY lucky, we get to see spectacular aerial displays by the White-bellied Fish Eagles.

If the tide is low, we might also observe the shore birds feeding away on the mudflats. We are entering the season when the migratory birds from the far north are starting to fly south, and Chek Jawa is a vital stopover for some of these migratory birds.

So, start planning your trip! If you're interested to join us, write in to nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com

Date: 8 October, 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 9:30 am
Duration: about 2 hours
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk, Pulau Ubin
Cost: The Crabs do not charge for the trip but you will have to pay for the bumboat and taxi rides to get to Chek Jawa.