reflections

Gar Yim:

This wader census really gave me some insight about bird census. Before this, I really have no knowledge on how Sungei Buloh manage to keep track of its birds in the reserve. I feel that watching and counting birds definitely needs a lot of patience and perseverance. If one is tired of counting, he will never count the number of birds correctly. Additionally, the workshop also allows me to better know how to identify some common migratory or resident birds in the reserve. Good identification skills will definitely aid me in the census. We were also taught how to use equipments like binoculars and telescopes appropriately for the bird census. In conclusion, this workshop gives me a good starting on our project later on.
Zoey:

Despite the fact that it is only a 2-hour workshop, I gain many valuable learning points and it is definitely an eye opening experience for me. As a student, I do not often get such a good opportunity to get so “close” to birds through the binoculars or the telescope. Also, it was great watching those migratory birds in action. It was my first time to lay my hands on a pair of binoculars. Although it is not as powerful as the telescope, which is able to focus a bird up close, it is still very useful. Other than the equipments I get to use, I also got to know a lot about migratory birds. Mr Chris, our instructor for the day, was of great help in explaining the migratory pattern and answering our questions. Before I embark on the SWAP project, I actually do not appreciate birds. They are just small black creatures that go around leaving smelly droppings. However, the experience totally changes my point of view. Yes, they do “shit” but my conception of birds does not only limits to crows now. Those birds are wonderful creatures on earth. They are so interesting that I could just sit there the whole day watching them. Won’t it be nice?

Cassandra:

At this try out of a Wader Census, we learnt how to observe how to observe and spot various species of birds. I also learnt that there were several techniques to the observation of birds, like spotting birds by their beaks, feet, feathers, plumage, and so on. One thing fancied me the most, was that our leader who brought us for the wader census could count the birds very professionally and almost flawless. I am so amazed because there were so many wader birds in that particular location as that period was in the migratory season. In addition, I have never come across such a huge flock of birds in my life. It was indeed very magnificent as I looked upon them take flight. Moreover, it gave me a certain sense of achievement that I could learn to spot various birds and differentiate one bird from another.

Pan Yin:

This was my first time conducting a bird census. It was not an easy job spotting the different species of birds and counting them even with the binoculars. However, I like the experience and the feeling of immersing in nature and it was fascinating to observe the birds’ features and actions so clearly through the telescope. Patience was something I have learnt from the bird census which I could not get from the textbook. Through the field studies, I have also got to know more about the flora and fauna in the reserve and have a first hand experience of how they look like. This lesson has proved to be an enriching experience for me.

Zoey:

Today, it is the first time I land my feet in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. I find the place very remote and thought that I will detest the place due to the mosquitoes. However, the trip proves me wrong. Despite the fact that we did not go into the reserve itself, I got a pretty good overview of the reserve from one of the staff, Ms Linda Goh. It was interesting for me, as this is the first time I get to know the reserve. Also, the introduction arose my interest in getting to know more about the reserve. I am definitely looking forward to the conservation project ahead!

Gar Yim:

I feel that this brief introduction to Sungei Buloh allows me to develop my interests with nature. I believe that this will be a very good starting to a long project. To me, interest is very important, as it will strive you on, thus allowing you to excel in the genre that is of interest. I also feel that the introduction to the swap project will guide us better to the activities that we will be going through. In others words, we will get a very good overview of the project.

Cassandra:

I have come to SBWR a few times, but i have not fully experienced the call of the nature until the first time i stepped into Sungei Buloh with a purpose in mind- conservation. I have made myself set a clear mindset throughout this project to bring myself and my group to greater heights. Indeed, the short video of SBWR being presented to us have jeered my path to the beckoning call of nature and let me get a clearer picture of the flora and fauna of SBWR. Furthermore, the importance of conservation is also portrayed to us in the video. I sincerely hope such videos could be shown to a wider range of public so public awareness of the conservation of wetlands and their flora and fauna can be strenghthened.

Pan Yin:

I had learnt about the importance of the wetlands to the flora and fauna. The flora and fauna depended on the wetlands for life and they had repaid it with adding colours to the wetlands. The very existence of the wetlands had not only saved the wildlife but also us humans as all of us depended on each other for survival. I had also gain a better understanding of the project which I am going to start on and it had given me the pathway to continue on the journey of thinking and exploring.

This is the virtual tour of our project, so take and a look and c&c pls.

 http://syz1992.googlepages.com/tournew.swf

for testing

Although our research is unsuccessful, it has been a valuable learning opportunity for all of us.

There are some factors that lead to our failure. In our first attempt, we tried to see the microorganisms under the microscope without using a stain. The water sample was also a few days old when we did the observation. Therefore all we observed was algae and nothing else.
In our second attempt, we think the reason for the failure is due to using food colouring instead of an appropriate stain to stain the organism. We only observed brown liquid when we placed the slides under the microscope.

Given more time, we would like to give our research another try. This time, we would collect more water samples from the prawn pond and from various locations. We will also do more research on microscopic techniques and related field work techniques.