Unknown Frogs and Tadpoles Identified

Went over to Jurong Central Park in the evening for a brisk walk after the rain. After which I looked around the mini-wetland and found a few tadpoles with glowing heads. I wasn't sure if they were fish or tadpoles but after a noticing their glowing heads and tail, I identified them as the tadpoles of Dark-Sided Chorus Frogs.

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It was difficult to shoot these tadpoles since they swim away quickly when we approach too fast. However, I came up with a trick so as to shoot them. When I see one, I'll slowly have to move my camera along with it, getting close by a centimetre every second. In this way, the tadpoles feel less threatened.

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I left the tadpoles soon. If there were tadpoles, I knew there would be adult frogs as well. I moved to the sides and ends of the marsh as that was were the frogs usually lie. I did spot one tiny one but it swam into the water beneath the shrubs before I could catch it. Meanwhile, there were several Field Frogs around and I managed to photograph one just before it jumped off.

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And then, I spotted another Dark-Sided Chorus Frog. I didn't allow this one to escape. Caught it with a cup that I found nearby and took a few shots. It was extremely tiny.

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This tiny, terrestrial frog species lives near small puddles and ponds in rural areas and secondary forest. It can be hard to find, on account of its small size and its habit of lying concealed in the grass or under leaf litter. Its call is a series of rapidly repeated clicking sounds.

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And finally, one last 'wild' shot of it before letting it go. I left then too.

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Spot the Birds

I had a number of photos of birds with me lately, but I just could not post them since the picture quality is very weak, and the birds are barely visible either. I'm making use of some of these images by asking you to find the birds that are somewhere in the picture. Can you find them?

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First picture, taken at the Marsh Pond in Jurong Central Park. Spot the bird, which is a Yellow-Vented Bulbul.

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Second picture, also taken from the Marsh Pond in Jurong Central Park. I'm not exactly sure about what species of bird this is, but it does look somewhat similar to a Shrike or Sparrow. See if you can spot it or not.

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Last but not least, a photograph taken long ago from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a species of forest pigeon that was hopping around in the undergrowth beside the path leading to the summit. This one should be very easy to spot.

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So, can you spot the birds?

The Common Posy

It was not long before when I spotted two Common Posies in Jurong Central Park. I got a few shots but none of them are very clear. It's my camera's fault.

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[Above] There is another Long Bush Brown, and the 2 Common Posies.

[Below] Two images of some sort of flies mating in the Park.

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The Hunt Begins

Yes, my friend with the big net had finally arrived, and the hunt began. Like before, we could here the frog's calls but could not see them. We used the net to catch fish, but no frogs were caught.

It was when we were losing hopes, and decided to go back, when I saw something near my shoe 'jump.' At first thought it was a type of grasshopper to me, but later I knew that it could be a frog, and so I caught it with the net, looked carefully at it, and,.... Yes! It was indeed a Field Frog!

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We moved it into a container and brought it to a big field a few metres away from the paddy pond.

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These [ABOVE] are some pictures I took after moving it to a big field, so that it does not hop away.

These [BELOW] are 2 pictures, one me holding the frog, and the other is a side view.

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So finally, mission successful. The frogs were all Field Frogs, and so thats how their calls sound like, and thats where to find them! Paddy Ponds!

A perfect spot for Bird Watching

Yes indeed. Jurong Central Park is one really good point to watch common birds. Just sit there and wait. You can see a variety of birds, from Kingfishers to Kites, and Storks to Woodpeckers.

I found a number of birds. They were a few type of Kingfishers like the White Throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis, and a few other birds like Eagles and Water Hens.

Unfortunately, I only managed to get a photograph of this Scaly-Breasted Munia, Lonchura punctulata.

But I did get pictures of these common birds. The first is a Javan Mynah, Acridotheres javanicus, the second picture shows 2 Zebra Doves, and the third is a Common Mynah, Acridotheres tristis.

For the Time Being:

I was in search for the frogs that I saw at Jurong Central Park before. I was quite early, and my friend with the big net had not reached yet. We could hear the frog's calls but could not see them. For the time being my other friend and I decided to hunt for Changeable Lizards. We found many, but most ran away. It was then when I caught one and I took many shots.

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I really like these to shots in the camera where it looks like a movie of it opening and closing its mouth.

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In this picture below the Changeable Lizard looks quite like a Chameleon.
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Is this a Field Frog?

I found this frog in a pond with my friend in a park beside Jurong Point one sunny afternoon. If you zoom into the picture, you can see the frog and you will be able to notice the Black & White stripe on its mouth. I believe that it is a Field Frog, Fejervarya limnocharis. I saw many of these jump into the water from the ground, but I did not manage to get a good look at it. This was the best picture I have. I could here their calls at that time.

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So, Is it a Field Frog?