Families enjoying Chek Jawa Boardwalk

We had a good turnout at our monthly boardwalk trip in June. There were about 50 visitors, mostly families with children, a few groups of friends, and even some visitors from the USA.

Here is a fabulous photo of the Sng family on the boardwalk. They were wonderful visitors who asked lots of good questions, showing great interest in the animals and plants that we saw. And Grandpa Sng regaled us with his own stories of how he used to eat salted mangrove crabs with 'teochew muay' in his younger days. Unfortunately, this tradition of eating pickled mangrove crabs has stopped in the last 40-50 years, probably due to widespread loss of mangrove habitats and hence less access to large, economically viable supplies of these crabs.

Here is a photo of Grandpa Sng and the small durian that he found under the tall durian tree closest to the CJ Information Kiosk. Like a true expert, he gave it a shake and a sniff, and declared that there was little flesh in the durian.

26 Jun 2010 - Chek Jawa Boardwalk for you

The school holidays are ending! But wait ..... there is still one more nature walk to do before everyone buckles down for serious work in semester 2. Come and explore Chek Jawa Boardwalk with the Naked Hermit Crabs.

Date: 26 June 2010, Saturday

Time: 9:30 am

Duration: 2 hours

Meeting place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk

Cost: the Crabs are not charging

2010 is a rather special year; it is the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). There is still so much to learn about biodiversity in our little country. Chek Jawa remains a precious refuge for plants and animals thriving in its various ecosystems. If you have been following our blog, you will know that we regularly encounter mudskippers (lots of different species!), fiddler crabs, mud crabs, hornbills, kingfishers, eagles, sunbirds, jellyfishes and many kinds of fishes in the water. And if you think plants are boring, we hope to show you a couple of interesting ones in Chek Jawa.

World Biodiversity Day at Chek Jawa Boardwalk

It is World Biodiversity Day today, and many families joined us for this month's nature outing to Chek Jawa Boardwalk. What a great bunch of folks they are! For many of them, this is the first time they are exploring a nature area together with their families.

Although it takes a skip, hop and a jump to get to Chek Jawa, the Crabs are always happy to see parents making the extra effort to bring their kiddos to see a spot of nature. As usual, Chek Jawa does not disappoint.

nature walk at Chek Jawa Boardwalk - every 4th Saturday

Here are all the dates for our monthly Chek Jawa Boardwalk trips for the rest of 2010. We have fixed them to take place on the fourth Saturday of every month.

22 May (Sat) - World Biodiversity Day
26 Jun (Sat)
24 Jul (Sat)
28 Aug (Sat)
25 Sep (Sat)
23 Oct (Sat)
27 Nov (Sat)
25 Dec (Sat) - Christmas Day [Cancelled]

Meeting Time: 9:30 am
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk (Pulau Ubin)
Duration of walk: approximately 2 hours
Cost: Still no charge.

Registration is required. Please write to nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com

Chek Jawa Boardwalk - birds, caterpillars and mudskippers

A group of 14 visitors signed up for our monthly Chek Jawa Boardwalk in April, and Ria and LK were more than happy to show them around our favourite patch of mangrove in Chek Jawa. The group leader was Lynette and she has brought a group of friends from a Buddhist centre to enjoy a touch of nature away from the bustling Singapore city. "Great choice!", say the Crabs!

24th April - Chek Jawa Boardwalk trip coming up!

The Naked Hermit Crabs introduce you to Chek Jawa without getting your feet wet. Even though we are not going on to the shore, there is still much to see and enjoy. There are monitor lizards, fiddler crabs, spiders, rare plants, wild boars, mudskippers and lots of fruit trees. If we are lucky, we might even spot the Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Sea Eagle and the giant Atlas Moth.

Please write to us at nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com to register.

Date: 24 April 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 9:30 am
Duration: 2 hours
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk
Cost: Still no charge

Coming up .... Chek Jawa Boardwalk trip on March 27th

Come and join the Crabs on their monthly walk at Chek Jawa (Boardwalk only). Write to nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com to register.

Learn more about the biodiversity of the flora and fauna in Singapore. 2010 is declared the International Year of Biodiversity by United Nations, and we are celebrating its significance by helping to raise awareness of the importance of conserving biodiversity for human well-being. We are a firm believer of "You can't save something if you know nothing about it"! Come celebrate biodiversity with us! Bring your family and friends. Get away from the urban landscape (enough of Orchard Road!) and enjoy a wild and natural place in our own little backyard.

Date: 27 March 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 9:30 am
Duration: 2 hours
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk
Cost: Still no charge