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A male Yellow Bittern was warming himself in the sun, safely camouflaged among the Simpoh Air leaves. He looked so much like the giant leaves that I almost missed him! Our first special surprise was a group of 3 bats, which flew right over our heads to land next to the path nearby within easy range of our cameras. Rolls of film were expended before we let them have their rest. They look like Short-nosed Fruit Bats (Cynopterus spp.), also sometimes called Dog-faced Fruit Bats. These bats can make "tents" out of large leaves like banana or palm by biting the main ribs to make the leaves collapse into a convenient shelter. They then roost underneath, safe from predators and shielded from sun and rain! These bats drink juices of fruits, which they pulp in their mouths, spitting out the fibres. They may also eat smaller palm fruits and thus disperse seeds. We almost missed a lovely specimen of the Golden Orb Web Spider nearby. This was the batik-patterned Nephila antipodiana, and she was diligently spinning her web. At Platform 1, we were struck by the unusual numbers of Flower Crabs actively moving at the waterline. There were at least 3 large colourful blue males, and just as many drab, brown females. The males were fighting each other. Perhaps it was mating time? Along the way, we got lucky with reasonably clear shots of the usually elusive Ashy Tailorbird and the infuriatingly madcap Pied Fantail. Just before leaving the park, a male Changeable Lizard posed for a close-up, showing his breeding colours. Nearby, a buzz of busy bees ignored me as they frenziedly loaded up on pollen from a male Cattail inflorescence. It was just amazing how much pollen they could stuff into the pollen baskets on their legs! Flora notes: Finally, the Avicennia officinalis is starting to bloom. Although the trees next to the Main Bridge were just only starting to bud, some trees further in the Park were in full bloom. Can't wait to see the fruits! |
 Nephila antipodiana spinning her web  Flower Crab  Pied Fantail  Male Changeable Lizard  Busy bees at a male Cattail flower |
 by ria tan, 2001 |
