Capture life as I see it

Joyful munia

2012-01-28T12:05:00.000+08:00

Scaly breasted munia

Evening egret

2012-01-19T12:21:00.000+08:00

...flying back home

A lonely purple heron

2012-01-14T11:43:00.000+08:00

Most of the time I saw purple heron, they are always alone, and stay still for very very long time...

Skywatch Friday #70: Evening egret

2012-01-13T00:02:00.002+08:00

Water Monitor Lizard in Sengkang Riverside Park

2012-01-12T16:48:00.002+08:00

I have spotted quite a number of wildlife have made their home in Sengkang Riverside Park. Mainly are birds, and I found this Water Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator) too. Quite a numbers of them in the river.

A lonely egret

2012-01-11T16:21:00.002+08:00

...waiting for his partner

Milky Stork and Egret

2012-01-10T14:46:00.003+08:00

...at Sungei Buloh, Photo was taken on one of the trip to Sungei Buloh in Nov last year, a unwanted photo in my archive, but I did some photo editing on it, the result surprised me, I love them now.

Egret are free birds in Singapore, they are easily found in our parks and even the empty grass land near my house. But I was told there is no wild Milky Stork in Singapore...But I saw quite a numbers of them @ Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserves during my two visits in 2011.Did they escape from Jurong Bird Park? They seems get along well.

Spider web

2012-01-08T16:15:00.002+08:00

...a big spider web shinning in the morning sun light

Unknown bird

2012-01-07T11:31:00.000+08:00

Skywatch Friday #69: Sunset afternoon

2012-01-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

Three of sunset photos from my archive, I love the sky in the vivid blue and orange color theme

Birds fly over the bridge

2012-01-05T11:15:00.002+08:00

White-breasted Waterhen in flight

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000+08:00

A flock of egret flying over the bridge

2012-01-03T00:05:00.000+08:00

I managed to capture this flock of egret as they were flying near the bridge, I love the beautiful sunset sky and thanks to the couple who just happened to be there...

Our World Tuesday

Flying back home

2012-01-02T10:23:00.002+08:00

...coming back home, egrets flying back in the afternoon with the sunset in the background

Learning something new everyday

2012-01-01T09:14:00.002+08:00

This lonely bird was sitting there, just waiting to have its picture taken. That was late evening time, it was getting dark and the sky was grey. I wanted to take as much of the sky as possible to allow for a huge contrast difference between the sky and the bird. But the result dispointed me, it didnt exposure well on the bird, it is a bit dark, the beautiful orange fur didnt display well. It is not a good photo anyway, but I choose this photo as my new year post, yeah, because I learnt something new.

Yes, I added the texture to the photo, so sorry, I can't remember where I get this texture photo from, I am not able to provide a credit link back to the original art pieces. After some editing, the result is different, I like it espically the last one below. Look back to the year 2011, I have taken more photos than previous year, improved a bit on my photography skill, and I wish I could improve more.
I am looking forward to the coming 2012, and I will get more practice on my photography skill for sure. Learning something new everyday in 2012. Thanks all of you for visiting my blog, encouraging me and critiquing on my photos. Wishing all of you have a magical year 2012!

Happy New Year !

Flying with dreams

2011-12-31T11:41:00.001+08:00

Happy 2012!

Skywatch Friday #68: sunset over HDB block

2011-12-30T23:42:00.003+08:00

Kingfisher

2011-12-29T00:33:00.003+08:00

Kingfisher is my fav bird!! Looks very elegant and colorful..

Egret flying off

2011-12-28T23:57:00.000+08:00

An egret flying off after catching some fish

A blue glassy tiger butterfly

2011-12-27T15:45:00.000+08:00

...not sure why it is called blue glassy tiger butterfly, and I can't spot any blue on it. This is one of the common species in Singapore, particularly in the coastal mangrove areas.
The photo was taken in Sungei buloh wetland reserve

Lonesome beauty

2011-12-26T00:09:00.005+08:00

Linking to Blue Monday

Dancing bird

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000+08:00

Two of a kind

2011-12-24T00:09:00.000+08:00

Skywatch Friday #67: a lonely bird below the clouds

2011-12-23T00:01:00.007+08:00

A little egret in flight

2011-12-22T23:16:00.000+08:00

White egret and its reflection

2011-12-21T00:02:00.000+08:00

Little Egret at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

More reflection here

Lotus pond at Lorong Halus Wetland Park

2011-12-20T00:04:00.013+08:00

There was a lot of lotus flowers in bloom when I visited the place. The most colorful lotus pond in Singapore, almost all softs of lotus flowers have it here, in many color andvarieties.
Lorong Halus is a road leading off the Tampines expressway in north-eastern Singapore. It was a landfill before, but now is an educational site and a biodiversity haven for plants, birds and other wildlife.

White collared kingfisher

2011-12-19T00:09:00.000+08:00

Not the clear shot, as it was far and my camera lens is not long enough for wildlife photography, but it was still great to capture this blue and white kingfisher again, this is the clearest shot so far.
The White-collared Kingfisher (scientific name: Todirhamphus chloris) is the most common Kingfisher, it is one of eight documented species of kingfishers in Singapore. They are plenty of wide variety of prey that they take: from fish, crabs and prawns, to small snakes, insects, earthworms etc along the coastal areas and our wet land reserve, park etc.

This blue-and-white bird was featured on the S$10 notes of the "Bird Series" currency notes issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 1976 and 1984. It was also one of the wetland wildlife featured on a 2000 currency sheet with four values.

Flowers at Sinagpore botanic garden

2011-12-18T00:03:00.006+08:00

as bright as yellow

as vivid as green

as soft as pink

as pretty as snow white

as sexy as these hot pink flowers

Linking up to Sundays in My City

Today's Flowers

Yellow lizard on the tree

2011-12-17T10:35:00.000+08:00

Who am I

2011-12-16T00:36:00.003+08:00

Lovely & lonely benches #57

2011-12-15T20:58:00.005+08:00

As pure as white

2011-12-14T20:28:00.002+08:00

Bee-eater show off its wings

2011-12-13T00:06:00.002+08:00

A blue-tailsed bee-eater show off its wings on tree branch.

Blue-tailed bee-eaters

2011-12-12T00:07:00.004+08:00

Bee-eaters, the name tell everything, they catch stinging insects like bees, wasps, hornets, ants etc. But Bee-Eaters also catch and eat other harmless insects especially dragonflies, and also grasshoppers, butterflies. There are plenty of dragonflies and grasshoppers here at Sengkang river, where I saw a few of beautiful bee-eaters here.

Today's flowers: purple lotus

2011-12-11T16:47:00.000+08:00

Bird in flight

2011-12-10T00:01:00.001+08:00

Milky Stork at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Skywatch Friday #66: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

2011-12-09T00:29:00.002+08:00

Umbrellas on the tree

2011-12-08T00:08:00.000+08:00

U for unique

U for unusual

ABC Wednesday U for Unbrella like fungi

White-breasted Waterhen

2011-12-07T16:01:00.039+08:00

White-breasted Waterhens are the most common birds in Singapore, often heard before they are seen. Their loud quarrelsome calls make them very easy to be located whereever they go. This chicken-like bird eat mainly seeds, insects and small fish, small snails. They are resident throughout the island, in mangroves, marshes, reedbeds to grasslands and cultivated areas (ricefields, orchards, gardens, parks). Although they are comfortable with human, but still shy, it is not easy to get close to them. The baby waterhens are black feathered, in my previous visit to Singapore Botanic Garden, I saw a mother proudly leading her brood for their first foray, but I was not lucky enough to capture their family portrait.

Linking up to White Wednesday

Changeable lizard ?

2011-12-06T00:03:00.007+08:00

...not sure the species of this lizard, is it changeable lizard?

...Photo was taken at the entrance of Sungei Buloh

Linking up with Macro Monday and Our World Tuesday

more at

Monitor Lizard at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Stork billed kingfisher

2011-12-05T00:05:00.030+08:00

The Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis (formerly Halcyon capensis), is a tree kingfisher. They usually hunt near freshwater and along coasts or mangroves, that is where I saw him, near the Sengkang riverside park floating bridge area. I was told that the Stork-billed Kingfishers are the largest Kingfishers found in Singapore. But they are rarely sighted because they are shy and less noisy than other Kingfishers. I was just lucky enough to take a photo of its beauty in Sengkang park on a late afternoon after 2 hours heavy rain. This is a large kingfisher, I think it has 25 cm in length. It has very beautiful blue wings and tail, and brown head. Its underparts and neck are very bright yellow. The very large bill and legs are bright red.

I was so happy that I photographed this Stork billed kingfisher to add into my birds collection photo, though it was not that very clear. Does anyone have any tips on how to photograph kingfisher? I have seen many awesome images of them on the net and know alot of you are awesome photographers.

Singapore HDB flat

2011-12-04T00:01:00.003+08:00

the beautiful HDB reflection seen in Bishan Park, a new birding place in the city
PS. HDB stands for Housing and Development Board of Singapore

Milky Stork at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

2011-12-03T00:03:00.006+08:00

A wet Sunday morning after rain in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve where I captured this two lovely birds with their reflection in the water.

They are Milky Stork Mycteria cinerea, Alt. names: Milky Stork, Milky Wood Stork or Southern Painted Stork, they are predominantly coastal residents in the mangrove forests.

I captured them standing quietly in a low-tide channel in the middle of the reserve. Maybe it was still early in the morning, they were a bit lazy, not much movement. I knew very little about these big birds but know that they were pretty rare in the wild, I believe they are free-flying escapes from Jurong Bird Park to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

Skywatch Friday #65: sunset over the bridge

2011-12-02T00:07:00.001+08:00

An egret

2011-12-01T23:21:00.001+08:00

Yeah, since my last post about egret, I went a lot of places in Singapore to take photos of egret, I can't resist taking photos of egret, maybe they reminds me the place where I belong to, the city with a lot of egrets. So I post it here to share with you, hope you like this lovely snowy bird.

An egret and it's reflection in the water

The pink things on the rock? They are the eggs of grasshoppers.

But the egret doesn't like it at all...

He walked away...

Birds in flight

2011-11-30T22:15:00.000+08:00

Birds in flight at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Linking to a southern daydreamer

Lovely & lonely benches #56

2011-11-29T00:02:00.000+08:00

Wordless

Fungi from Germany

2011-11-28T16:25:00.000+08:00

Fungi are always on my look-out list when walking the nature trails, but photos of lovely fungi in this post were not taken at any nature trails in Singapore, they were from my previous trip to Germany , I found them in the early morning just out side of our hotel.

There are a few different type of fungi, but I love the photo as below, the color contrast of brown and green,

Submitted for Macro Monday

Lovely & lonely benches #55

2011-11-27T17:16:00.000+08:00

Watch out, fish!

2011-11-26T06:54:00.004+08:00

Do you notice the pink things on the rock? They are the eggs of grasshoppers

Skywatch Friday #64: sunset

2011-11-25T10:16:00.001+08:00

Random thoughts of a bird

2011-11-24T23:23:00.001+08:00

I am not sure what actually I am looking for,

but I am sure I missed something...

I was told

"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up some place else."

But even I know where I should fly to ,

sometime, I did still end up somewhere else...

So just fly

And

I am thankful for being alive

I am thankful for the love

I am thankful for being myself

I am thankful for all of you drop by here at my blog

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Linking to This or That Thursday.

Reflection of a little heron

2011-11-23T21:59:00.000+08:00

a little heron in the morning, Bishan park

Flowers or leaves

2011-11-22T18:49:00.000+08:00

Sweet shot Tuesday

Flowers or leaves?

Harvest time

2011-11-21T23:54:00.000+08:00

The beautiful lalang grass @ Punggol Promenande Riverside Walk

Scaly-breasted Munias feeding on the seeds of the grasses

A little heron huning

2011-11-20T00:07:00.057+08:00

Watching this little heron fishing in Bishan park, and took a dozen shots before it flew off...It was early in the morning about 7 plus when arounding was still a bit dark, photos taken from the bridge, look down in the shallow water down the bridge...

According to Wikipedia, this is a Striated Heron, Butorides striata, also known as Mangrove Heron or Little Heron, they are often encountered at Sungei Buloh Nature Park, so I was surprised to see them in a park just in the center of the city with many housing estate surounding.

But what, it was looking at a dead fish, a big dead fish, a bit big size to this little heron, normally they eat small fish, there are so many small fish in the water, I can see clearly even far up on the bridge.

...a lazy little heron catching a dead fish. :)

Monitor Lizard at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

2011-11-19T13:10:00.001+08:00

During one of my visits to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, I was welcome by one of these monsters not far from the entrance.I was attracted with its shadow while it was slowly crossing the walk board...

and back to bask in the mud

...another monitor lizard was sun bathing on a bamboo platform in the water at the entrance to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the lazy lizard just laid there while many other visitors snapping photos of it.

A feast for snails

2011-11-18T22:26:00.001+08:00

Macro Friday

Aiming

2011-11-17T07:33:00.000+08:00

Photohunt: wet

2011-11-16T00:03:00.000+08:00

Purple african violet

2011-11-15T11:15:00.001+08:00

This african violet with purple flowers is one of the houseplants that I have consistently kept over the years, it is almost flowering once every 3 months...I was playing with photoshop the other day, I like the purple flower stand out from the background, share it here, hope you like it too.

Lovely & lonely benches #54

2011-11-14T12:50:00.000+08:00

Bird watching in Sungei Buloh

2011-11-13T18:42:00.000+08:00

It is not easy for me to identify so many migratory shore birds, as they blend so well into the mudflats, I only know some of them as: the common Marsh Sandpiper, Mongolian Plover, The Whimbrels...

...the egret, stand out against the mudflats

Two of a kind

2011-11-12T19:14:00.001+08:00

Two beautiful white flowers

Just wake up

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000+08:00

The little heron just woke up in the morning, haven't decide where to take his breakfast...

Little heron

2011-11-10T20:52:00.001+08:00

Linking to This or That

Color of Autumn

2011-11-09T00:01:00.000+08:00

Lovely & lonely benches #53

2011-11-08T07:06:00.001+08:00

...benches at Dairy Farm Nature Park

Linking to Our Wolrd Tuesday, this is my world, my benches collection at my blog

Today's flowers: cosmos

2011-11-07T23:22:00.000+08:00

Butterfly at MacRitchie Nature Trail

2011-11-06T21:02:00.003+08:00

I would rather say it is not that beautiful, but at least, this butterfly did stay still for me to take a clear photograph, LOL

It is a big challenge to a new photographer luke me to capture a clear butterfly image, they were flying here and there every time I saw them, I am wondering where did those beautiful butterfly photos come from?

This beautiful yellow one captured from far...

The three butterfly photos captured on a quiet afternoon at MacRitchie Nature Trail...
My link to Sunday in My City

The lonely little heron

2011-11-05T07:35:00.001+08:00

The lonely little heron, at bishan park man-made canal

Do you know what is the pink things on the rock?
Wishing the lonely heron have Sweet Pink Saturday !

Skywatch Friday #63: in the morning

2011-11-04T00:03:00.000+08:00

Lovely & lonely benches #52

2011-11-03T07:45:00.000+08:00

Purple flower

2011-11-02T22:52:00.002+08:00

I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for that part of me you bring out. ~ Roy Croft

Actually, I am a lonely purple flower.
This or that

Junngle road

2011-11-01T06:50:00.003+08:00

...edited photo, I love the front part in black & white but with the green in the background

Jungle road... from Venus Drive to Macritchie Nature Reserve, Singapore

Lovely blue at Punggol beach

2011-10-31T07:02:00.001+08:00

a blue kingfisher captured from far at Punngol beach and the lovely blue sky in the evening...

...from one of my evening walk at Punggol beach on Blue Monday

Today's flowers: pink lotus

2011-10-30T07:20:00.002+08:00

Pink lotus at Bishan Park, I only noticed the drangfly on the flowers petal when the photo uploaed.

Do you notice the broken petal? The imperfect beauty.

Photohunt

I love the lovely shadow in this photo

Sunday in my city, found some fun in the nature.

Butterfly

2011-10-29T07:20:00.005+08:00

Skywatch Friday #62: cloud reflection

2011-10-28T00:01:00.000+08:00

Sky watch & weekend reflection

Lovely & lonely benches #51

2011-10-27T16:16:00.002+08:00

Spiderweb

2011-10-26T16:14:00.000+08:00

Marine life at PunGgol beach

2011-10-25T06:48:00.007+08:00

Since the previous walk at Changi beach, I fall inlove with thoses interesting marine life now. I went to Punggol beach after that, that day was only a neap tide, I expected to see nothing, but still there are many interesting found surprised me:

The beautiful blue sponges, I have mistaken it as coral before. :) I am not sure if the yellow one in the picture
on the left are sponges.

On the rocks were many interesting critters, including this cute little onch slug. They looked just like the rocks they were on, it is hard to noticed if you never look carefully.

They are so well-camouflaged.

a tiny black nerites

and those drills, click to see larger version

Smooth spiny drills

...a few juvenile Green mussels (Perna viridis) on the rock, they used to be a lot of green mussels on this shore.

Abundant on the shore tehre are many Lined bead anemones (Diadumene lineata), which is the world's most widespread sea anemones.

...many different type of crabs too, but they were running to fast, easily hide under the rock, not easy to photograph them, but I captured this one

...and the one below was dead. LOL

and the dead fish on the shore

Marine life found at Changi beach

2011-10-24T00:02:00.005+08:00

I went to Changi beach for a walk last week, to my surprise, I saw many interesting marine life. They were exposed during the low tide.

The hermit crab first captured my eyes.

I found the sea anemone too, though not the colorful type, and my pictures are blur

The moon snail and the green seaweed

...very common calmshell found on the beach, I put the moon snail on top of it, it shoot out the water very high....

...very interesting to see them fighting

...a sand dollar hide below the seaweed

...many little Marine life attached on the empty shell

.the Common whelk (Nassarius livescens) and the beautiful seaweed

I especially like the last photo, my take for this week Macro shot at Lisa's blog

Night light at Clarke Quay

2011-10-23T22:04:00.001+08:00

Sunday in my city

Breasted Munia

2011-10-22T11:22:00.000+08:00

Skywatch Friday #61: sunset @ Changi beach

2011-10-21T00:01:00.002+08:00

Lovely & lonely benches #50

2011-10-20T07:13:00.000+08:00

...a lonely bench and the old well

...cold stone bench and the red color couplet on the door, very interesting contrast

...photos taken in the ancient city Quanzhou, China

Nemo

2011-10-19T07:05:00.000+08:00

ABC Wednesday N for Nemo, Aquarium clown Fish Nemo

Singapore changi beach park

2011-10-18T07:16:00.002+08:00

Changi Beach Park. A beautiful Park in the Northeastern part of Singapore.

Black eyed butterfly

2011-10-17T07:04:00.000+08:00

Sunday in my city: Singapore changi beach

2011-10-16T11:50:00.001+08:00

At Changi Beach, watching many airplanes fly over to land at Changi International Airport

...the beautiful beach

...an airplane and a bird fly over

Sunday in my city

A banded woodpecker

2011-10-15T16:25:00.002+08:00

A banded woodpecker perch very high up the tree, photo taken at Lower pierce reservoir

edited photo to see the beautiful red

Skywatch Friday #60: morning sky reflection

2011-10-14T00:01:00.002+08:00

Today! Another tranquil morning at Lower Pierce Reservoir park

Lovely & lonely benches #49

2011-10-13T16:11:00.000+08:00

Lovely bench with lovely sunshine

Stone carving on the wall

2011-10-12T23:03:00.010+08:00

...stone carving on the wall, Quanzhou, the ancient city in China

Macaques family at Pierce Reservoir Park

2011-10-11T21:08:00.002+08:00

These charismatic furry creatures are commonly seen in a lot of places in Singapore, you can find them in our parks, nature Rserve, Sentosa etc and even urban areas. They are usually found in trees but may also forage on the ground especially in the evening time around 5-7pm...Here are my captures of a happy family at Lower Pierce Reservoir Park:

My take for ABC Wednesday-M for Macaques, Monkey

Their friends and relatives are here

Old town in China-Quanzhou part two

2011-10-10T21:56:00.031+08:00

an ancient well right in the center of the lane, there are some other wells near the Kaiyuan temple

very narrow alley, my two hands can touch the wall on the both sides

one of the alley in Quanzhou, the ancient city in Chona

view of an alley at night

gourd in front of the house

...photos taken from the trip to Quanzhou China last week

Old Town In China-Quanzhou Part One

2011-10-09T21:53:00.045+08:00

I love the windows & the doors, this is an old house along the old street in Quanzhou, China

...and the other side of the street are those newly built shop houses.

...an early morning when all the shps are not open yet

...some kind of building belongs to local goverment, not bad looking from outside,

...But this is the one I saw once entered the gate, like a haunted house,

...a public toliet outside of the police office in the center of the city, smelly inside...

a moto bike parked behind no parking sign

(Some of my photos taken from a trip to Quanzhou China last week...)
Sunday in My City

Happy hunting

2011-10-08T13:15:00.040+08:00

one afternoon, at Bishan Park, watching an egret happily hunting his dinner...
Do you like this white egret?
I love the 2nd photo.