March and April: Evening at the Pasir Ris Mangrove boardwalk with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Join us in March and April to explore the fascinating mangroves at Pasir Ris Park! The boardwalk allows a closer look at the mangroves and it's open even at night!

Kids have lots of fun spotting and learning about mangrove
creatures from the boardwalk!

Liam (12 and a half) and Skylar (9 and a half) shared this lovely drawing of what we did and saw during our walk on 17 Mar.

We are offering this FREE walk on: 17 Mar (Sat) (school holidays!), 24 Mar (Sat), 21 Apr (Sat), 28 Apr (Sat). What can we see at Pasir Ris? And more details about our walk!


There's a look-out point at Sungei Tampines, where we can spot jellyfishes and all kinds of fishes in the water, monitor lizards up a tree, and fascinating herons nesting in the trees by the waterside.

Pasir Ris is one of the few places where we can easily observe nesting herons. At sunset, these birds are often back at the nest, getting ready for the night and can be quite lively.

Patient parents tending to their young in the nest!

And as the sun sets, we might spot some nocturnal animals like watersnakes. They are well camouflaged as they lie in wait to catch small fishes.

Can you find all three snakes in these photos?

Among the highlights would be a sighting of the elusive Mangrove pitta! According to the Bird Ecology Study Group blog, "The Mangrove Pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) is the only resident pitta species in Singapore. It is listed as critically endangered nationally and considered globally near-threatened. An elusive bird, it is normally confined to the offshore islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. This species is very rarely sighted on main land Singapore."

Kids spotted this rare bird during the Naked Hermit Crabs'
first Pasir Ris walk!

Other special creatures that we might see include the Atlas moth, considered among the world's largest moths!

This moth had just emerged from its cocoon!

If we are very lucky, we might even spot an otter or two! Here's a great clip of an otter seen at Pasir Ris in Dec 2011 shared by Azeoprop.

As usual, after the end of our walk, we invite everyone to share their thoughts in the Naked Hermit Crab guestbook. The kids have fun drawing and highlighting their day on the boardwalk!

More about what we have seen during our walks and about wildlife and marine life at Pasir Ris.

So come join the Naked Hermit Crabs explore Pasir Ris mangroves!

We welcome small family and friend groups. And we love kids!

This walk is FREE!

We are offering this walk on these dates
17 Mar (Sat) (school holidays!)
24 Mar (Sat)
21 Apr (Sat)
28 Apr (Sat)

Please register your interest in this online form. We will send you a confirmation note when we receive your registration.

Time: 5pm. We should end at around 6.30pm, just before sunset.
Meeting point: Pasir Ris Park, Carpark C, meet near the first toilets nearest the entrance to the carpark. The meeting point is a short stroll from the Pasir Ris MRT station. See map in the FAQs below.

FAQS

Q: Suitable attire?
A: Comfortable outdoors clothes and normal walking shoes. There may be mosquitoes in the mangroves, so you might want to wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt or bring repellent.

Q: What should I bring?
A: Rain gear, camera. If you want to continue to explore the mangroves on your own after our walk, you might want to bring a small torch.

Q: Age restriction?
A: None as long as the participants are able to walk well and be responsible for their own well-being during the walk.

Q: Is the boardwalk accessible to prams?
A: Yes, it's a smooth ride throughout, on boardwalks or hard paths.

Q: What if I am late?
A: Just catch up with us on the boardwalk! We will start from the entrance closest to Carpark C (with red star on the image below) and take the first right turn towards the Mangrove Jetty on Sungei Tampines. We will end the walk near the pond.

Click on image for larger view

Q: What if it rains?
A: This is a rain-or-shine event. The Crabs will be there at regardless of the weather. Usually we are able to resume the walk once the rain stops. Please come prepared with rainwear. You make your own decision whether to come or not in the event of bad weather.

Do email us if  you have any other questions nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com