Missing

Singapore's last remnants of rainforest harbour few remaining hazards for careless hikers; having lost virtually all of our large mammals, wannabe explorers, blind and deaf to everything around them, have no fear of being ambushed and eaten by jungle denizens. By our hand, the forests have been tamed, sanitised, and made almost entirely safe for everyone to explore and enjoy. What remains is but a shadow of a forest primeval, a shell that at first glance still seems wild and untamed, but which actually disguises a biome thrown off kilter.



If only the forest could share the stories from its past, of the rumbling growls of tigers, of the clash of antlers as stags fought, of the thundering of hooves as wild boar charged through the undergrowth. In a forest devoid of its megafauna, and subsequently thrown into a state of disarray, do the trees clamour for the return of the tiger?



The tiger is long gone, and will never return. And yet, if you just close your eyes, allow your mind to wander, and listen, you may just catch the slightest ghost of a roar of a long-dead big cat. And for a moment, you forget everything else, and you feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins, as dulled senses are heightened once again, awakening memories once thought lost and buried.

Why was this famous tree at East Coast Seafood Centre removed?

STOMPer Poh claims that this tree, planted by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, has been removed from its location at the East Coast Seafood Centre.

This STOMPer says:

"This tree at East Coast Seafood Centre was removed two days ago.

"Why was it removed?

"It was planted by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew in 1972 during the second Tree-planting Day.

"Could the National Parks Board please explain this?"

Monday Morgue: 9th November 2009

Common Asian toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus)
Pasir Ris, 8th August 2009

Ecology Asia
Wildlife Singapore
AmphibiaWeb
Amphibians and Reptiles of Malaysia

Are 'botak' trees weaker than trees with leaves?

STOMPer Trekker noticed these 'botak' trees and wonders if they are weaker and more prone to collapsing during rainstorms.

He says:

"These pictures were taken near the junction of Jurong West Ave 2 and Jurong West Ave 3.

"This tree is devoid of leaves and only ferns are growing on the trunk and branches.

"If there is a rainstorm this tree might collapse and this poses a danger to pedestrians.

"This vehicle registration number plate was found hanging on a tree and a lorry was parked nearby. I wonder how it got there."

Thankfully nobody was hurt when this tree fell at Gambir Walk

STOMPer ana was shocked when she spotted this tree falling this afternoon (Nov 4) at Gambir Walk.

In an email to STOMP today (Nov 4), the STOMPer says:

"A huge tree along Gambir Walk suddenly fell today at 4:35pm. Nobody was hurt. No major damage resulted from the incident.

"The trunk of this old tree was not strong enough to hold its many branches. This could happen again anytime, anywhere. Next time, someone could get hurt.

"Perhaps inspections can be made to see if our trees are sturdy and pose no threat to the safety of our residents."

Johor refineries spew smoke day and night over Punggol

STOMPer Irene is frustrated with the smoke emitted from the refinery at Johor, as she says this causes serious air pollution.

Says the STOMPer:

"There is serious air pollution in Punngol due to the refinery at Johor.

"It is pollution, day and night, for us Punggol residents."

STOMP found that it is standard practice for refineries to release exhaust gases to protect pipes from over-pressurisation. This controlled burning of waste gases is known as 'flaring' and the resulting smoke is a mixture of water and carbon dioxide.

"Overgrown creepers at Penjuru bus stop gives me sense that living things lurk behind"

STOMPer Bus commuter doesn't feel safe when he waits for a bus at the Pandan Reservoir bus stop along Penjuru Road. The overgrown creepers make him feel as if there are hornets and snakes lurking in them.

Says this STOMPer:

"This picture was taken at a bus stop opposite the Pandan Reservoir at Penjuru Road.

"The creepers are overgrown and covering the railings beside the drains.

"Whenever I wait here for the bus to arrive, I have a sense of trepidation that there might be hornets and snakes lurking in the bushes.

"I hope the creepers could be removed for public safety."

Seriously, some people really have nothing better to do.

Dangerous tree stumps in Teban Gardens can lead to fatal accident

These bare tree stumps left by the road at Teban Gardens Crescent are a danger to pedestrians as they might fall during thunderstorms, says STOMPer Weak Heart.

The sender hopes that something can be done to remove these dangerous stumps so that an accident can be prevented.

In an email, STOMPer Weak Heart says:

"These pictures were taken at Teban Gardens Crescent(TGC).

"There are many vertical tree stumps left near the road.

"Some of the trees are dead and are devoid of leaves.

"I fear that during a thunderstorm, these stumps might fall and hurt passers-by.

"I hope the authorities can chop down these stumps so that they don't pose a hazard to pedestrians.

"I always say my prayers each time I have to walk past TGC."

Penjuru Road canal polluted with oil and other liquids

Look at how white the water is, says STOMPer chemical engineer, who is concerned about the polluted water in Penjuru Road canal.

The STOMPer hopes relevant action will be taken to stop this pollution.

He says:

"These pictures were taken at a canal at Penjuru Road.

"Some of the factories have been discharging a white liquid and oil into the canal.

"All these pollutants will flow into the rivers and the open sea and kill marine life.

"I hope NEA will conduct more stringent checks on these sources of pollution of our waterways."

The nearest major bodies of water in the vicinity include Pandan Reservoir, Sungei Bajau Kanan, as well as Jurong Lake.

Monday Morgue: 2nd November 2009

Rat (Rattus sp.)
Pasir Ris, 17th June 2009

It's interesting to see how carcasses deteriorate over time; for some reason, this rat (which was shown in this post) didn't fully decompose, and instead became mummified. I'd first discovered the carcass in May, but by late July, which was the last time I really bothered to inspect it, it had turned quite flat and crispy.

This could be any of the following species of rat commonly found in urban areas:

Oriental house rat (Rattus tanezumi), formerly considered conspecific with the common house rat (Rattus rattus)
Ecology Asia
Wildlife Singapore
Global Invasive Species Database
Animal Diversity Web

Common rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Global Invasive Species Database
Animal Diversity Web

Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
Ecology Asia
Global Invasive Species Database
Animal Diversity Web

Monkeys roam freely in Pasir Ris

So much rubbish for these small bins at Henderson Waves

These bins along the Henderson Waves bridge are too small to handle the volume of rubbish picnickers leave behind them on weekends, says STOMPer May.

Here's what she wrote in an email today:

"I took these pictures today (Nov 1) at 7:50am.

"I hope NParks will look into this matter. There are only four small bins along the entire length of the bridge, and the bins are of a relatively small capacity.

"Over the weekends there are many people picnicking on the bridge and their leftover food is not placed into the bins as they were already full."

Note the pair of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) foraging among the trash in the first photo.

It certainly does pose a problem when there are insufficient rubbish disposal facilities in our parks and nature areas. If left uncleared, the garbage will attract scavenging animals, and might also end up polluting the environment. However, these photos also indicate a problem with the mindsets of many people who use our parks and nature areas. Instead of complaining about a lack of bins along this stretch, why don't people just hold on to their garbage until they find another one that isn't full?

Here in Singapore, we have become used to the idea of having a dustbin conveniently situated every few metres, even in the middle of our nature reserves. However, this is not the case elsewhere; in most other countries, when out hiking or camping, it is basic decency to take all trash with you when you leave. Perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce and reinforce the idea of a hiker's basic code of conduct here in Singapore; it does seem that basic hiking etiquette is sorely lacking in many people who use our parks and nature areas.

Eagle-like bird spotted at Serangoon North Ave 2

STOMPer John Patrick's wife and son spotted this huge eagle-like bird perched on a tree top at Serangoon North Ave 2.

In email sent to STOMP today (Oct 31), the 49-year-old civil servant wrote:

"My wife and son spotted this bird which looks like the eagles we see in Jurong Bird Park from our eighth floor flat at Serangoon North Ave 2.

"This was in the afternoon of Oct 29 and it appeared to be a very large bird."

Do check out the video posted on STOMP.

The video quality is horribly poor, but if I had to make an educated guess, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus).


Bidadari Cemetery;
(Photo by NatureInYourBackyard)


(Photo by hiker1974)


Bukit Panjang;
(Photo by kampang)

As the name suggests, the Oriental honey buzzard actually has quite a unique diet; it specialises on raiding the nests of wasps and bees for their larvae, although it also feeds on other insects, and will take small vertebrates.


Oriental honey buzzard feeding on wasp nest, Japanese Garden;
(Photo by NatureInYourBackyard)

Compared to other raptors, the Oriental honey buzzard appears to have a long neck with a small head. Its nostrils are slits, and it has special scale-like feathers around its face, nostrils and forehead. These are adaptations to protect the bird from the stings of wasps and bees.


(Photo by NatureInYourBackyard)


(Photo by cedphotos)

This is a species that is more commonly seen in forested and wooded habitats, although it is becoming quite frequently encountered in urban areas in recent years. Even your jaded Singaporeans, more used to mynas (Acridotheres spp.), feral pigeons (Columba livia), tree sparrows (Passer montanus) and house crows (Corvus splendens), would find it very hard to miss the large raptor perched right outside their homes.


Bukit Panjang;
(Photo by kampang)

The Oriental honey buzzard is not known to breed in Singapore; instead, most sightings are believed to be of migrants from further north. There are 2 main populations; the northern population, belonging to the subspecies orientalis, breeds from Siberia east to China and Japan, and migrates to India and Southeast Asia during the winter. The bulk of sightings of Oriental honey buzzards in Singapore are of birds belonging to this population, and it is considered to be a common winter visitor and passage migrant. Birds belonging to this subspecies have little or no crest.


Khatib Bongsu;
(Photo by kampang)


(Photo by cedphotos)

The southern population consists of 5 subspecies resident in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia; the most distinctive feature that sets these subspecies apart from the northern population is the presence of a crest.


The nominate subspecies (ptilorhyncus) is endemic to Java;
(Photo by dimar_bioui05)

The subspecies torquatus is an uncommon resident breeder in Peninsular Malaysia. It is likely that the occasional records of this subspecies in Singapore are of newly fledged birds dispersing after the breeding season, in search of new territory. Such birds account for most records of Oriental honey buzzards here in the summer months.


(Photo by Laurence Poh)

The torquatus subspecies is considered to be an uncommon non-breeding visitor in Singapore; however, there is always the possibility that eventually, some of these might establish themselves and start breeding locally.


Here is a very interesting photo taken in Malaysia; the bird on the left is a male Oriental honey buzzard belonging to the resident race torquatus, while the bird on the right is a male of the same species, except that it belongs to the migratory race orientalis. You can see how different they are in terms of coloration of plumage, and by the presence of a crest in the resident form.

One very interesting fact about the Oriental honey buzzard is that it apparently mimics other raptor species. In terms of plumage, the Oriental honey buzzard is said to bear a close resemblance to several species of hawk-eagle (Nisaetus spp.) of Southeast Asia.

For example, the subspecies torquatus, resident in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, closely resembles Wallace's hawk-eagle (Nisaetus nanus).


This is an Oriental honey buzzard belonging to the race torquatus, photographed somewhere in Malaysia;
(Photo by Laurence Poh)


This is a Wallace's hawk-eagle, Kinabatangan;
(Photo by Leif Gabrielsen)

There is also a much less common morph of torquatus, known as the 'Tweeddale morph', that bears great similarity to Blyth's hawk-eagle (Nisaetus alboniger).


Here is an example of the 'Tweeddale morph' of the Oriental honey buzzard, taken at the Mandai Orchid Garden;
(Photo by Micky Lim)


And here is Blyth's hawk-eagle, Panti Forest;
(Photo by Micky Lim)

The 'Tweeddale morph' bird spotted at the Mandai Orchid Garden proved to be the source of some confusion earlier this year.

What makes the Oriental honey buzzard so interesting is that here in tropical South and Southeast Asia, all the different variations in colour and pattern of plumage seen in this species correspond to those of various species and age-classes of hawk-eagle. Besides Wallace's hawk-eagle and Blyth's hawk-eagle mentioned above, other candidates for mimicry include the changeable hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) (itself a highly variable species), Javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi), mountain hawk-eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis) and Philippine hawk-eagle (Nisaetus philippensis).

What is the purpose of this mimicry? It is not often known that larger raptors and owls can be significant predators of other species of raptor and owl; in what is called intraguild predation, smaller predatory species often fall prey to larger predators. However, a large raptor or owl would probably think twice about attacking a well-armed hawk-eagle, especially since it would increase the risk of injury. By mimicking the heavier, more powerful hawk-eagles, the relatively weak and defenceless Oriental honey buzzard probably gains some immunity against predation by other raptors.

The Oriental honey buzzard is just 1 of several raptor species that visit Singapore during the winter months, although it is among the most common. In spring, when it is time for these migrants to head back north to their breeding grounds, these birds may form large flocks, creating an amazing natural spectacle. Tanjung Tuan in Port Dickson is highly popular with birdwatchers each spring, as large numbers of Oriental honey buzzards and other raptors reach the Malay Peninsula, after crossing the Straits of Malacca from Sumatra.

Huge rats seen at Yishun Park

Something must be done to prevent a rat infestation, says STOMPer altonlsg, who was shocked to see huge rats and several burrows at Yishun Park.

This STOMPer says:

"These pictures was taken after a run on a bright morning, around the nearby Yishun Park when I was walking back home.

"I was looking at the scenery when I saw something odd.

"I saw a rat, not moving but still alive. Its size was quite big and from what I saw, it should be an adult one.

"This could be seen as trivial but I hope the relevant authorities can look into it as this area is a huge piece of land and easily neglected.

"I like the area as it provides a good running route but if I can see one rat there in the morning, I do not know what happens at night.

"Also, a few burrows were seen. Hope something can be done before they continue to breed."