Purpose of NatureScouter

This blog will address mainly two issues - Nature and Scouting.

The purpose of Nature blogs is to educate and promote the awareness of Singapore’s and global environmental and conservation issues to the public and the Scouting community. The Scouting-related blogs serve the similar purpose by promoting the World’s largest youth movement and its activities to the public.

This blog was created thanks to the persistent demands of all my dear friends to blog, and on my 25th birthday, this blog was born.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Team Seagrass at Pulau Semakau

It's back to Semakau again. Count number three.

Morning was good till we reach Semakau - it started pouring... So we decided to slack a little, excuse being to wait out the rain, and had a short briefing right at the doorsteps of the NEA building. When the downpour changed into a drizzle, we started off on foot to the shore.

Today I'm paired with Yixin, a newbie of TSG. I didn't realise one thing till Jerald (coordinator of the day) brought it up. This is his third TSG trip and for the past two, I've been always his buddy. Jerald was like complaining why Siti broke the two of us up. Lol...

Nevertheless, newbie saved me from the recurring nightmares of my initial smart excuse... OOPS! I meant reasoning, which came back to bite me. To the hell with Site 2! Here I come Site 1!

Transects
Site 1 Transect 2 is really interesting. There was lesser and lesser seagrass cover as we went down the line, to virtually empty barren sand. From left: Quadrat at 5m, 25m and 45m.

With the speedy work, Yixin and me started exploring. Other than the usual corals everywhere, it was a little disappointing as there wasn't much.

Corals
From top left, clockwise: Possibly a Oulophyllia sp.??, Lobophyllia sp., Goniopora sp. and Galaxea sp.

P1070672
Large amount of squid egg capsules.

P1070684
Cute little puffer fish that ram ashore, while darting around in the water. Saves us the trouble catching it to photograph.

P1070682
While walking, Ayesha (another newcomer, correct me if I get your name wrongly) nearly step on this... A monitor lizard soaking itself in the cooling water just by the reef edge! It was huge, at least a good 1.5m. Neat!

P1070689
Found this Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica). Too bad Nemo's not home...

P1070692
Saw this beauty on the way back also. Don't know the ID of this flatworm thou.

Chay Hoon and I was trying to find our usual nudis, but was not in much luck till...

P1070688
She spotted this Glossodoris atromarginata. The only nudi for me today...

Being the usual eagle-eyed Chay Hoon, she spots this too.
P1070691
Looks familiar? I know ya going to say mushroom coral, but it is not. It was about 4-5cm in diameter, and in fact is an anemone! No idea of the ID, awaiting confirmation.

Despite the rain, it's still a nice day. Especially with the lunch at Botanic Gardens, where everyone gobbled up their food and stoned. =D

No comments: