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!

Awesome day out with visitors at Chek Jawa

We had a fabulous day out at Chek Jawa Boardwalk with 70 visitors on Saturday. It's the December school holidays, and families took the opportunity to come and see what the hype of Chek Jawa is about. As always, we saw lots of interesting living things. The walk is fun, and the kids are keen to learn. The 'outdoor classroom' is simply one of the best ways to teach the kids about our own natural heritage, and for the adults to re-connect with nature.

The walk started in quite an exciting way when a boy, Aiden, spotting a small snake on the ground near the English Cottage. The guides were thrilled to see that it is a Keel-bellied Whip Snake. It's a lifer for most of the guides.

Keel-bellied whip snake

It's rare to see this snake because it is an arboreal snake, meaning it is usually found high up on trees, and there are few chances to see this snake on the ground. The guides decided to put it back into the forest. Just before we released it back on a tree, Ivan and Jonathan took the opportunity to show the children this beautiful snake and to explain about the ecology of how it survives in the forest.

A close-up look at the Keel-bellied whip snake

We also reminded the visitors that we must not handle snakes if we are not trained to do so. There are venomous snakes in Singapore, some more venomous than others, and so for the safety of ourselves as well as for the snakes, we should not handle snakes on our own. We hope that we have left a beautiful message of conservation, love and respect for all snakes. If you're interested to learn more about snakes (and other reptiles and amphibians), do check out the blog from the Herpetology Society of Singapore.

Shortly after this, Jonathan gently released the whip snake back onto a tree. What a great experience for everyone!

After the excitement, we split the visitors into 4 groups, and everyone set off for the boardwalk, with a spring in our steps. To explore Chek Jawa!

12 Dec (Sat) morning: Free guided walk at Chek Jawa Boardwalk

Hi friends! The year 2015 is coming to a close, and we have one final Chek Jawa walk to complete before the Naked Hermit Crabs take a short break!

We are happy to announce that our free nature outing on 12 Dec, 2015, is now open for registration. Do join us to discover the wonderful biodiversity in the mangroves and coastal area of Chek Jawa. The walk is conducted on the boardwalk, and so there is no need to get your shoes wet. For a better idea of what to expect from a typical Naked Hermit Crabs walk at Chek Jawa, read a couple of our posts:
- November 2015
- August 2015

Our walks are run entirely by volunteers who want to share their love for Chek Jawa with you.

Click here for the online registration form.

Date: 12 Dec (Sat) 
Meeting time: 9.30am 
Meeting place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk, Pulau Ubin 
Duration of walk: Around 2 hours 
Cost: Free (donations are accepted)

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.

Jellyfish and Otters at Chek Jawa on 21 Nov 2015

We had a wonderful outing at Chek Jawa Boardwalk on 21 Nov! It is the year-end school holidays, and we tried our best to accommodate as many visitors as we could. We had a huge turnout of 74 visitors. FANTASTIC!

We split the visitors into 7 groups led by a guide each, and off we went exploring the mangrove and coastal segments of Chek Jawa. The visitors were excited to see so many animals - jellyfish, otters, monitor lizards, carpet anemone, crabs and more!

Read on to find out more.

21 Nov (Sat) morning: Free guided walk at Chek Jawa Boardwalk

Hi!

We are happy to announce that the free nature outing to Chek Jawa Boardwalk on 21 Nov (Sat) is now open for registration. Come and join the Naked Hermit Crabs to check out the wildlife residing in the mangroves and coastal area of Chek Jawa. The nature walk is a leisurely stroll conducted on the boardwalk, and there is no need to get your shoes wet. Let the volunteer guides show you the amazing biodiversity that is in our own "backyard".

Click here for the online registration form.

Date: 21 Nov (Sat)

Meeting time: 9.30am

Meeting place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk, Pulau Ubin

Duration of walk: Around 2 hours

Cost: Free (donations are accepted)

Click on here to get more information about getting to Chek Jawa, what to bring, what to prepare for the outing.

Browse through the photos below to give you an idea what you will experience during one of our walks. Feel free to read our blog posts of past walks.

Great day at Chek Jawa on a somewhat hazy day

46 visitors had a wonderful day out at Chek Jawa Wetlands with the Crabs last Saturday (October 10). There was a small window of relatively low-haze conditions, and so we all decided to carry on with the outdoor activity. We had to cancel the September walk due to bad haze conditions. Just for the record, the 3-hour PSI reading from NEA on October 10 was 93 at 11 am, while the hourly AQI reading for PM2.5 was an amber 139.

Families with young children in tow came. Everyone was determined to have a great day spent outdoors amidst the natural surroundings of Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin.