Forest Trekking

This forum is dedicated towards nature appreciation. Share nature related pictures such as sunsets, landscape, plants and animals or interesting things you see during your fishing trips.

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domvonn
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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by domvonn »

tere, u must bring calculator, count how many grasshoppers and crickets we encounter :nod: :nod:
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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by Peace »

Angelfishing wrote:Wah .... besides camera, tripod 1 tripod 2 n 3 u even bring a ruler with you on your shooting trips ! :shocked: :lol:
It may even surprise you that I bring a notepad too! :shocked: The ruler is also sometimes a great tool for clearing spider webs along the trails if I can't find a decent stick. :D

A cookie for whoever can make out the name on the ruler! :mischieve:

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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by domvonn »

Shirly?
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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by Tere »

domvonn wrote:Shirly?
Hurry Up CSI team get to work. We share one cookie. Eh ... I got cookie already what ...

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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by Peace »

Tere wrote:
domvonn wrote:Shirly?
Hurry Up CSI team get to work. We share one cookie. Eh ... I got cookie already what ...
Wrong le! :lol:

Today I go much deeper into the forest to where there is water; the trek is long and tiring, but it's very well worth it! :nod: I found a small little stream that dwells a several forest snakehead, along with some other freshwater fishes. After some serious digging, I managed to find some earthworms. :sweatdrop: With the limited tackles and a piece of crude tree branch, I managed to assemble what looks like a usable pole rod. :lol:

The tree branch is essential due to the many obstacles and limited space around the stream. Getting too close would mean spooking the fish as well. The earthworms works like a charm, the snakehead comes out of their hiding place to grab the worm immediately. I managed to catch about 5 forest snakehead ranging from 20 - 30 cm.

The Forest Snakehead
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Another one hiding in the corner
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The biggest caught measures about 30cm
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Moving up the stream where it gets shallower and less cover, I spotted lots of small little fishes. I took a rest there and to grab a bite while I observe the fishes. I actually came here today for them, which I had prepared some bread to lure them. :mischieve:

It took a few tries before I manage to nab one of them. :D What barb is this?
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Video of the small fishy frenzy.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1187530tJswdtpq[/veoh]

A common forest betta, they take bread too :)
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This one is too small for my hook, I had to lure them by placing some bread in my net. It works pretty well, for the first few times at least. :p Is this a pencilfish?
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The feeding frenzy from the barbs gotten the attention of this small forest snakehead to come out to have a look too.
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I tested to see if this snakehead is vegetarian. The bread says 'no'. :lol:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1187554ts9N235t[/veoh]

Shortly after, I can hear something making its way up the stream to where I was. It was a catfish! It probably picked up the food scent from down stream and came to investigate too. Pretty interesting what you can do with just some bread. :lol: Now, you probably won't believe me but the catfish came up and took a bite at my slippers :confused: ; I stood close to the water edge but didn't even touch the water at all. But after some observation, you can see this in the video too, that the catfishes have very poor eye sight.

Video of the catfish feeding
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1187580XxY2hFTB[/veoh]

The catfish seems happy with the bread I gave it, and it could sure eat a lot. Shortly after, two more catfish joined in and finished off all my bread. The catfish seems to be a forest walking catfish which looks similar to the common walking catfish, I will be back with proper tools to catch them next time and take some nice photos. :grin:

Image

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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by dBs™ »

Wow! must have enjoyed yourself today lor

Finally found the snakehead fishy le :yay:

Me ish will enjoy myself tml for what I have went thru today ! ;) :lol:

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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by Peace »

Yep, I sure did. :grin: But the stream segment of the forest snakehead can only be easily reached during dry days when the water will subside considerably to allow me to get close, I had to sink my feet into muddy spots to get them. :(

Hope you have fun today too, the sky seem kind of dark right now though. :raincloud:

Oh ya, I saw something interesting along the trail yesterday too. See the pic, anyone knows what that is? It looks like some sort of alien colony. :lol:
Image

edit: I found out that this is actually a stinkhorn, a kind of fungus that releases foul odor to attract flies to help them spread their spores. I don't recall smelling anything stinky though, probably just my nose. :p

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Re: Let's go deeper!

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Today's primary task is to capture the forest catfish. Based on the experience from previous trip, this will be an easy one. :mischieve:

Trekking along the usual route to the stream, I spotted two frogs making out in a small puddle of water. It looked like darksided chorus frog but not quite. The female has black spots on its back but the male doesn't. Both frogs has a black patch on each side of their hind legs(concealed when retracted). It kind of looks like black spotted sticky frog as well.
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I spotted this four ridged toad in the middle of a wet trail, it seems to enjoy the water rushing against it. :grin:
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Another small little froggie
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Finally, I reached the stream where the forest catfish was. Sure enough, it came out from its hiding when I berly some rice. I hooked a piece of scrambled egg from my lunch and it took it immediately; seems like it will eat anything. :lol: The hook wasn't well set and the catfish broke free; out of the water already though. :mischieve: Even so, it is quite agile wiggling through the leaf litter heading back into the stream. They don't call it the walking catfish for nothing. ;)
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After the catfish task was accomplished, I moved on deeper into the trail to yet another stream. It is a very long trek but I've observed interesting fishes on my last trip during previous year. At one glance, you can see many barbs in this stream. I stood there observing the water and spotted a long pike-like fish. I came back and look it up and found it to be a Pikehead (Luciocephalus pulcher), supposedly endangered.
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This one is interesting, I must say it was luck that I spotted this freshwater crab hiding under a floating piece of wood. I'm even more glad being able to capture to take some pictures of it. This is the first time I encounter a freshwater crab. :o And that's one beautiful crab! :nod: Can anyone ID this crab?
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This is a haruan I spotted in the stream, I think it's pretty hungry to have to eat the bread I offered it. It took it the first two times, but got reluctant on the third. :lol:
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Clip of the Haruan eating bread
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1228784AtQNa6Ez[/veoh]

A red colour damselfly, its body seem to be a little fatter than a typical damselfly's.
Image

A snake I saw along the trail, didn't have time to get a good shot before it ran away
Image

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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by dBs™ »

dom dom ... we have found the frog prince!

Peace is 青蛙王子! :D

Peacy ...why are all your snaky pics no head no tail "没脸见人" one ?

Next time grab its tail n pull it out from the bushes ! :mischieve: :lol:


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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by domvonn »

ahh nice elegant bronzeback ..nice colorations..
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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by Peace »

lol, frog prince. (riibbit :p) The frogs often come out to the trail to play in small puddles of water, usually I only noticed them when they got disturbed by my walking, and more often those bigger frogs would have leaped into the bushes before I can get a shot. The snake was suntanning in the middle of the trail, it wasn't there when I first passed that spot. I discovered it too late and somehow spooked it, and started running away as I fumbled with camera. :o

Angel must lead by example, show us how you pull the snake out from the bushes. :mischieve: Thanks for the id, domvonn. The body looks kind of like those flexible shower hose. :lol:

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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by Peace »

More creepy crawlies again, quite a lot to see on this trip. ;)

A common froggie along the trail
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Another frog, this one has its eyes quite infront
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Developing frog eggs in a water puddle
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A beautiful small snake that was suntanning in the middle of the trail. Didn't know it is a Malayan Banded Coral Snake then, still go touch its tail, luckily this snake is usually inoffensive. :sweatdrop:
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Butterfly
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A preying mantis posing for me
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Saw two stick insects together, this one is short of a leg
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The other one is slightly smaller
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A blue dragonfly with two black patches on its wings
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I saw these fish fries hanging close to a forest snakehead, I think it's the snakehead fries. They kept following their mother(?) which revealed her location to me no matter where she hides. :lol:
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A newly emerged robberfly, it can't fly yet
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Saw these two little cute tiny insects on a plant stem. It's very hard to take because of the low light and the wind keep moving the plant. Only did managed to capture them using flash which didn't turn out too well...could have been a very nice pic. :(
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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by domvonn »

iirc coral snakes belong to the same family as cobras...
The blue Malayan Coral snakes would be nicer..

http://www.wildsingapore.per.sg/discove ... alblue.htm
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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by dBs™ »

domvonn wrote:iirc coral snakes belong to the same family as cobras...
The blue Malayan Coral snakes would be nicer..

http://www.wildsingapore.per.sg/discove ... alblue.htm
such nice n colourful snakes.

Peacy next time must place it round your neck n take a nice close-up shot !

Remember to smile! :mischieve:


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Re: Forest Trekking

Post by t1n_2 »

i had no idea singapore had such places... can bring me one day? promise to be a good boy.

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