Announcement: CJ Boardwalk trip on 10th Mar (Sat)

We still have a few places available for our March outing to observe the wildlife at Chek Jawa Boardwalk. Do write in to nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com to register.

For those of you who have heard of our trips, our outings are always entertaining and educational. The aim is to share our knowledge of mangroves and natural shorelines with you as part of voluntary efforts to create public awareness of inter-tidal biodiversity.  Even though we are not going down to the shore at this outing, 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.

Dates: 10th March 2012 (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. 

Mangrove Pitta in Pasir Ris!

We had our very first public walk at Pasir Ris Mangroves last Saturday (25th Feb) and you won't believe what we saw! The elusive Mangrove Pitta in the mangroves! Thanks to one of the kids who spotted it first. For the past few weeks, the Internet was abuzz with news among nature lovers and birders that the Mangrove Pitta has been sighted at Pasir Ris Mangroves. So it is quite a special treat for us to see it with our own eyes. The Mangrove Pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) is a nationally endangered bird species due to widespread loss of its habitat. There are few mangroves left on mainland Singapore, so let's hope this rare and much-loved species of bird thrives in the natural habitat of Pasir Ris Mangroves.

To learn more about the Mangrove Pitta, read the 31 Jan 2012 post on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog.

Mangrove Pitta sighted at Pasir Ris Mangroves on 25 Feb 2012

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!

25 Feb (Sat): Evening at the Pasir Ris Mangrove boardwalk with the Naked Hermit Crabs

There are fascinating mangroves at Pasir Ris Park! A boardwalk allows us to explore it easily and it's open even at night! Join the Naked Hermit Crabs for an evening stroll through this interesting but often overlooked mangrove.

The boardwalk takes us through tall mangrove trees
and allows to see all kinds of curious creatures.

Chek Jawa, a trove of treasures

We had our first public walk of 2012 at Chek Jawa Boardwalk on 11th February. There were 15 visitors , and they certainly had a wonderful time exploring the Chek Jawa in a smaller group!

We had 4 students from NUS, 3 from NTU (Earthlink), 2 groups of friends, and a family with young children. The NUS students said they are learning about biodiversity in an inter-disciplinary course and decided to make special trip to Chek Jawa to learn more. When they saw the different habitats found in Chek Jawa, the lessons finally sank in that ecosystems and biodiversity have such a tight relationship, that one cannot exist without the other. In their words, they say Chek Jawa made their university lessons come "alive"!

Here's what they wrote:

"Chek Jawa is a trove of treasures, containing the natural heritage of Singapore. Away from the mainland, it is the last recluse from the concrete jungle. Chek Jawa is not to be missed!"

"After coming to Chek Jawa for several times, I still find Chek Jawa beautiful. The flora and fauna I have encountered certainly educate me. Please keep Chek Jawa as it is, so that the next generation can enjoy the beautiful part of Singapore. Thank you for not building HDB flats, resorts, etc."

Coming up ... first Chek Jawa Boardwalk outing in 2012

CNY 2012 is finally over! Time to work on the New Year resolutions .... visit more nature places in Singapore, gain a better understanding of biodiversity conservation issues, get out to places where the air is cleaner, do some bird-watching, and to walk off the excesses of CNY feasting! Seriously... Pulau Ubin is a wonderful retreat away from the urban environment, and Chek Jawa, located in the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, is a real gem of a wild and natural shore line where you could pause to observe nature and be enchanted by it.

The Naked Hermit Crabs would like to 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.

Dates: 11th February 2012 (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.

2012 - Free Chek Jawa Boardwalk trips on the 2nd Saturday of each month

We concluded our Y2011 Chek Jawa Boardwalk trips on a high note in December with a record number of more than 80 visitors. What a wonderful time we all had, and for a good cause too! The visitors enjoyed visiting one of Singapore's natural shores with a trained guide, while we, on our part, are happy to play a part in raising awareness of the ecosystems found in Chek Jawa.

Visitors at our Dec 2011 walk (Photo credit: Kok Sheng)

The Crabs are pleased to commit another year to run these free monthly walks for the public. Yay!!! We have done these free Chek Jawa Boardwalk trips for about four and a half years now. Time flies! Our very first Chek Jawa Boardwalk trip took place on September 8, 2007, and we have probably taken about nearly 2000 people out on our trips.

For 2012, we will hold our monthly walks on the 2nd Saturday of each month with the exception of January and June. These are the dates:

January - No walk. The Crabs take a break!
11 Feb (Sat)
10 Mar (Sat, school holidays)
14 Apr (Sat)
12 May (Sat)
16 Jun (Sat, school holidays) - we switch to the 3rd Saturday just for this month.
14 Jul (Sat)
11 Aug (Sat)
8 Sep (Sat, school holidays)
13 Oct (Sat)
10 Nov (Sat)
8 Dec (Sat, school holidays)

Meeting Time: 9:30 am
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk, Pulau Ubin
Duration of walk: Approximately 2 hours
Cost: No charge still
Pre-registration is required.

Use our online form to register for the walks.

If you have questions for us, write to us at nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com.

We welcome small family and friend groups. If you are organising a corporate or community project, we recommend that you engage the professional nature guides.

Additional information for first-time visitors, please read on: