 wetlandsa publication of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve |
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10 No 1 Feb 2004 A journey through 2003 Experience of a lifetime International Shorebirds Experts meet Bird RInging in the Reserve 2002 Birds in the Wetland Reserves An Uncensored Census at Sungei Buloh Kranji Nature Trail A green corridor Protected Area Wetland Management Course 6-15 Nov Sungei Buloh 10th Anniversary Celebration Nature and me |
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Uncensored Census at Sungei Buloh Candy Took shares her experience in being a part of the ‘Birds in Wetland Reserves’ project.  It
was a wet and gloomy day as we set off for the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
After a restless 30 minutes, we reached our destination. Mr Krishnan, an Assistant Conservation Officer, was there to accompany us for the bird census. We kept quiet during the trip as the noise would frighten the birds away. We were led to a wooden hut where we saw many metal plates with information on the various species of birds on the walls of the hide. We had a good view of the birds feeding on the mudflats with the aid of telescopes and binoculars. We were informed that the purpose of having a bird census was to see if the various species of birds had increased or decreased over a period of time and if there were new species to spot. We were told not to move around unnecessarily when counting the birds as the telescope stand would vibrate and go out of focus. It was much easier to count the birds at the mudflats because when the tide was high, the birds could not feed in their usual feeding grounds, as they would be flooded. These birds would likely fly to the mudflats at the reserve because water levels were controlled here. The staff had to count very quickly so that they would not double count the birds. These birds might fly off while they were counting and land on another site that the staff have already accounted for. That would make the census inaccurate. While 2 of them were counting, the other was busy writing down the numbers of birds seen and the different species spotted. The birds that we identified and counted at Observation Hide 1 included the following:
The census was done at various hides around the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. To do a proper count, we counted from left to right or vice versa. We also had to count in “patches” so as to be systematic in our counting. Although our eyes were strained from searching and counting the birds, we felt that it was a highly interesting and educational trip. For most of us, it was an eye opener and a memorable one. Candy Took Shi Qin Chongfu Primary School |
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