My journey on the coach to Sungei Buloh nature Reserve was filled with despair and sadness. I could have easily skipped this trip, but my conscience would be pricked. I was simply not interested in any field trips, especially to such a muddy, humid and mosquito-infested environment. My initial grudge was magically transformed into unwillingness to leave the reserve.
It all started on the wooden bridge, where we overlooked the partially clear river flowing rapidly beneath us. We saw fishes, similar to that of a swordfish, but definately much smaller, swimming in abundance. These fishes would be constantly following a few archer fish, waiting to scavenge on the prey of the archer fish. I awed at the fact that the archer fish could shoot water out of its mouth, hitting small insects that rest on floating plants or leaves that hang low. Immediately, the cunning scavengers waiting behind the scene would rush out from where they were hiding and snatch away the hard earned prey caught by the archer fish.
Along the way, the sight of mud skippers made my jaw drop. my friends and I were exclaiming, “Wow! So big!” Since primary 3, we ha been studying mangroves swamps and thus never failed to across pictures of mud skippers in the textbooks and on websites. However, the mud skippers in Sungei Buloh were as long as my hand. I always thought that they were tiny, miserable and disgusting, but to have a face to face encounter gave me a different amazed view: ‘What a beauty!’ (Adapted from Steven Irwin)
As we continued treking through the wonder filled mangrove swamp, we spotted a jellyfish swimming under us. We were shocked to find one in a mangrove swamp. We were also fortunate to spot crabs climbing trees. These tree crabs climbed trees to escape from the rising tide and predators that are brought in with the tide. Every corner lurked surprises and my tongue kept rolling with questions and words of wonderment. I never thought that a mangrove swamp could be any interesting, it was really enriching! Once, we licked some leaves and realised that they were salty. I felt accomplished to have seen what i had learnt about transpiration in Biology for real – trees take in sea water and the salt is left behind on the surface of the leaves.
However, time was not on our side. i did not feel like returning to our starting point. There was still so many undiscovered wildlife and memorable adventures in there!
Nevertheless, i brought home a couple of lessons from my trip to Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve. Firstly, i learnt to appreciate wildlife, no matter how freaky, and uncomfortable the environment might be. My initial idea of a mangrove swamp was a apathetic one. I could not care less about life in the mud. However, i have seen the vibrant nature and diverse creatures, causing me to think twice about degrading such biological environments. Secondly, i have learnt to be responsible about my actions. Throughout my journey, i never failed to come across ‘Do Not Litter’ signs all around. How true it is! I learnt that its chemicals are very destructive and poisonous to such feeble creatures. Furthermore, many of these man-made rubbish are non-biodegradable, meaning to say that they would be there forever!
My journey to Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve was definately a pleasant and an enriching one! I look forward to more of such field trips in the near future!
