An Otterly Awesome Day Out at Pasir Ris Mangroves

Video of the otter we spotted by Ria Tan

As with all of our other walks, we had a wonderful time exploring the mangroves in Pasir Ris Park with our participants!

Over 80 participants turned up despite gloomy weather

We had close to 90 participants despite the slight drizzle and grey skies at the start of our walk.

Instead of dampening our spirits, the light drizzle helped to cool the environment in the park and that made the walk more enjoyable.

Here's our guide, Ley Kun (pictured in a white hat), giving an introduction before the walk.

Our participants were made up of groups of eager families and friends, who were excited to learn more about the residents of our local mangroves.

Encouraging the curiosity of our young participants

Kids are the best spotters of wildlife and often ask the best questions!

With the help of our curious, young participants, we got to spot many crabs and interesting insects, such as the mangrove shield bug and a red-coloured assassin bug!

Photo of these gorgeous creatures by Ria Tan

Mangrove shield bugs are often found in clusters under leaves in the mangrove. To find out more about these beautiful bugs, you can read about them here on Wildsingapore's fact sheets.

A cotton stainer bug nymph, spotted by another young participant

This young individual of the cotton stainer was found near the sea hibiscus plant, which the adults and young often congregate around. You can read more about them here.

A young mangrove pit viper, spotted by a sharp-eyed visitor

Mangrove pit vipers are a key part of our walk as our visitors are always excited to see them.

As with all other snakes and wild animals, they will not attack unless threatened or provoked.

We really enjoy having families join us for our walks as visitors help us to spot wildlife and ask a lot of great questions about our local flora and fauna.

Comments and drawings from our participants

At the end of our walk, we usually let our participants draw or write about what they saw.

Hard at work 

A quick drawing session in the mangroves

Here's some artworks and the young artists who drew them.

While the kids were drawing, we saw a smooth-coated otter fishing and a group of egrets resting in a tree.

We also had a grey heron and hornbills fly by when we ended our walk at the jetty!

We would also like to thank our participants for the encouraging comments on Facebook by our participants, Veronica Ong and Ahha Lim.

Veronica Ong Thank you for sharing with us this lovely place! Kevin (Evan) was awesome and so patient!

Veronica Ong We saw mudskippers, a purple snake, a dead horseshoe crab shell, otters, fish, snails etx

2

Ahha Lim Thank you very much for organizing this special event. I am looking for more outings with you.

1

 

Why you should join us at our next walk

Our walks are:

• For everyone (from families to individuals)
• Free-of-charge
• Fun!

We hope to see you at our next walk on 15 December 2019.

Follow our Facebook page for updates on the next walk.

Thank you to all our participants who joined us and our guides, Evan, Jonathan, Ley Kun, Ria and Sumita for the wonderful time!

23 Nov (Sat) - Free guided walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves

This March, the Naked Hermit Crabs are specially organising a very special nature walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves this Saturday, 23 November. This is a FREE nature walk on the mangrove boardwalk at Pasir Ris Park.

Sign up now on Eventbrite! Don't miss the opportunity to see some wildlife in action! Pasir Ris Mangroves is conveniently located 10 minutes away from Pasir Ris MRT station. We only do Pasir Ris Mangroves two to three times a year, so don't miss this opportunity!

Ria explains to her participants that the best way
to find owls is to look out for their puke pellets
that usually contains undigested matter,
such as bones, feathers or plant matter
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

This puke pellet contains a shrew's skeleton
(a type of rodent)
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

One of the spotted wood owls
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

They aren't always easy to spot so guides usually point
them out. With a bit of patience and sharp eyesight,
the visitor finally spots the owls.
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

Kapok! The kapok tree produces pods that burst
to expose a cottony interior.
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

A grey heron heading back to the roost sight.
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

Taking in the sights and sounds at the shore
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

Everyone was intrigued by the crab moults
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

There are many creatures look out for in the mangroves, such as mudskippers, tree-climbing crabs, snails, herons and monitor lizards. The best part of the nature walk is at the end when we get to the small jetty over the river. There is a lot of animal activity in the evenings. We have seen young monitor lizards crawling into their nests as they settle in before nightfall. Sometimes, you may even spot kingfishers, jellyfishes and water snakes! It really is quite exciting for the children to be able to see these animals in the wild.

Biggest turnout ever at our Pasir Ris Mangroves tour

100 visitors. What a fantastic turnout of families and friends to our evening walk at Pasir Ris mangroves walk on 25 May, 2019! We had to take 2 wefies - thanks to our enthusiastic guide, Che Cheng.

Wefie #1 by Che Cheng

Wefie #2 by Che Cheng

Captured the wefie moment - by Ria

Highlights of the walk include two sightings of the shore pit viper. In fact, the first pit viper, spotted by a visitor in Sumita's group, is a cute tiny one, not more than 10 cm long. Its triangular head is so distinctive even though it is just a baby snake. What a special treat! The other shore pit viper was spotted on the mangrove mud, slithering away in a hole in the ground. Please know that the shore pit viper is a highly venomous snake, so do stay far away from it if you spot one.

25 May (Sat) - Free guided walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves

This March, the Naked Hermit Crabs are specially organising a very special nature walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves on 25 May, Saturday. This is a FREE nature walk on the mangrove boardwalk at Pasir Ris Park.

Sign up now on Eventbrite! Don't miss the opportunity to see some wildlife in action! Pasir Ris Mangroves is conveniently located 10 minutes away from Pasir Ris MRT station. We only do Pasir Ris Mangroves two to three times a year, so don't miss this opportunity!

Ria explains to her participants that the best way
to find owls is to look out for their puke pellets
that usually contains undigested matter,
such as bones, feathers or plant matter
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

This puke pellet contains a shrew's skeleton
(a type of rodent)
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

One of the spotted wood owls
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

They aren't always easy to spot so guides usually point
them out. With a bit of patience and sharp eyesight,
the visitor finally spots the owls.
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

Kapok! The kapok tree produces pods that burst
to expose a cottony interior.
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

A grey heron heading back to the roost sight.
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

Taking in the sights and sounds at the shore
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

Everyone was intrigued by the crab moults
Photo by Nicholas Yeo.

There are many creatures look out for in the mangroves, such as mudskippers, tree-climbing crabs, snails, herons and monitor lizards. The best part of the nature walk is at the end when we get to the small jetty over the river. There is a lot of animal activity in the evenings. We have seen young monitor lizards crawling into their nests as they settle in before nightfall. Sometimes, you may even spot kingfishers, jellyfishes and water snakes! It really is quite exciting for the children to be able to see these animals in the wild.

An awe-sss-ome day out at Pasir Ris Mangrove!

We are delighted to have about 45 visitors join us for our walk at Pasir Ris Mangrove!

3 Sep (Sun) - Free guided walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves

The one-week school break in September is coming up, and the Naked Hermit Crabs are specially organising a very special nature walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves for young families on 3 September, Sunday. This is a FREE nature walk on the mangrove boardwalk at Pasir Ris Park.

Sign up now on our online registration form! Don't miss the opportunity to see some wildlife in action! Pasir Ris Mangroves is conveniently located 10 minutes away from Pasir Ris MRT station. We only do Pasir Ris Mangroves a couple of times in a year, so don't miss this opportunity!

There are many creatures look out for in the mangroves, such as mudskippers, tree-climbing crabs, snails, herons and monitor lizards. The best part of the nature walk is at the end when we get to the small jetty over the river. There is a lot of animal activity in the evenings. We have seen young monitor lizards crawling into their nests as they settle in before nightfall.  Sometimes, you may even spot kingfishers, jellyfishes and water snakes! It really is quite exciting for the children to be able to see these animals in the wild.

Date: 3 September, 2017 (Sunday)
Time: 5 pm (We should end around 6.30pm, just before sunset.)
Meeting point: Pasir Ris Park, Carpark C.

Sign up here.

Meet near the first toilets nearest the entrance to Carpark C. The meeting point is a short stroll from the Pasir Ris MRT station. Pasir Ris Park is a very long park with many carparks (from A to D). Do look at the map to be sure you are heading for the correct carpark.

Do read on for more information about our FAQs and what you can expect to see!

Celebrating Youth Day at the Pasir Ris Mangroves!

We are happy to have had 37 visitors join us at the Pasir Ris Mangroves for our Youth Day Walk, held in collaboration with The Wild Side and Nature Adventures SG.

You learn something new every day!

Soon after the walk began, we came upon many white mushrooms growing along the base of a tree. Our visitors were surprised to learn that the part of the mushrooms we see above ground are only the fruiting bodies, while the main body of the mushroom is mostly underground!

1 July (Sat) - Free guided walk at the Pasir Ris Mangroves

Specially for kids and families, come and explore the Pasir Ris mangroves with volunteer nature guides! This youth day, the Naked Hermit Crabs will be collaborating with Nature Adventures SG and The Wild Side to bring you on this FREE guided tour of the boardwalk!

Sign up now on our online registration form! Don't miss the opportunity to see some wildlife in action! Pasir Ris mangroves is conveniently located 10 minutes away from Pasir Ris MRT station. Bring your children down to enjoy nature during the weekend!

An otterly wonderful walk at the Pasir Ris Mangroves

It’s been quite a while since our last walk at the Pasir Ris Mangroves, and we are glad to have 57 visitors join us for the long Easter weekend!

A little rain won't stop us!

After a quick introduction, we split into four groups, each led by our volunteer guides. It had begun to drizzle when the walk began, but luckily for us, the rain only lasted for a while, and we were able to resume the walk after a short wait.

15 April (Sat) - Free guided walk at the Pasir Ris Mangroves

Specially for kids and families, explore Pasir Ris mangroves with volunteer nature guides from the Naked Hermit Crabs on this FREE guided tour of the boardwalk!

Sign up now on our online registration form! Don't miss the opportunity to see some wildlife in action! Pasir Ris mangroves is conveniently located 10 minutes away from Pasir Ris MRT station. Bring your children down to enjoy nature during the weekend!

Giant mudskippers are a common sight in our mangroves!

There are many creatures look out for in the mangroves, such as mudskippers, tree-climbing crabs, herons and monitor lizards. Sometimes, you may even spot kingfishers and water snakes! It will certainly be an unforgettable experience with your friends and family!

Date: 15 April, 2017 (Saturday)
Time: 5 pm (We should end around 6.30pm, just before sunset.)
Meeting point: Pasir Ris Park, Carpark C.

Sign up here.

Meet near the first toilets nearest the entrance to Carpark C. The meeting point is a short stroll from the Pasir Ris MRT station. Pasir Ris Park is a very long park with many carparks (from A to D). Do look at the map to be sure you are heading for the correct carpark.

Please sign up for the walk at our Online Registration Form. We look forward to seeing you there!

Do read on for more information about our FAQs and what you can expect to see!

Rediscovering the mangrove: We are in the Vibes newsletter!

If you are a resident in Pasir Ris and Punggol, you might already have caught us in the Vibes newsletter by the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council. Two of our guides, Sankar and Sumita, were featured on the cover and the two page article on the Pasir Ris mangroves. They shared what they knew about the mangroves with the representatives behind the article and helped them spot many cool creatures.

Cover page of Vibes issue 47

During the interview for the article, the guides were lucky to have spotted, not one but two Mangrove Pit Vipers. We also saw Spotted Wood Owls and many Herons! To learn more, click on the article below. If you would like to see some of the creatures featured in the magazine, join us on our Pasir Ris mangrove walks in the near future!

Last but not least, the Naked Hermit Crabs would like to thank the people at Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council who approached us and allowed us to reach out to all their residents. We are always thrilled to share the value of Pasir Ris mangroves with others!

5 Dec (Sat) evening: Free guided walk at the Pasir Ris mangroves

As we have getting many requests for a Pasir Ris mangrove walk, we have decided to do one in the month of December. And what better time is there to do the walk, then during the school holidays? Specially for kids and families, explore Pasir Ris mangroves with volunteer nature guides from the Naked Hermit Crabs on this FREE guided tour of the boardwalk! Sign up now on our online registration form! Don't miss the opportunity to see some wildlife in action!

Pasir Ris mangroves is conveniently located 10 minutes away from Pasir Ris MRT station. Bring your children down to enjoy nature during the weekend! There are many creatures look out for in the mangroves, such as mudskippers, tree-climbing crabs, herons and monitor lizards. Sometimes, you may even spot kingfishers and water snakes! It will certainly be an unforgettable experience with your friends and family!

An eager participant jotting down notes!

Not only kids learn on our walks! Adults learn a lot too.