I was fortunate to be taken on a private tour of the St. Andrews Cathedral by Mr Hali. During the tour, I have the opportunity to set up my tripod and camera in areas where usually photography or access is forbidden.

The tour begins with a basic walk around in the cathedral to have a basic understanding of some of its history.

Bishop's Throne

Nail Cross from Conventry Cathedral

Chalices used during holy communion on the Lord's table

For the East Windows (above), the Centre Light is to the memory of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore and was dedicated to him in 1961. The North Light is to Sir John Crawford, Governor of Singapore 1823-1826 and the South Light is to Maj. Gen. William Butterworth, Governor, 1843-1855. Their coats of arms are borne in the upper portions of the stained glass windows.

We then proceed to towards the West Porch thru the Pews.

Pews

Baptismal Font

Stain Glass

After that, we then went on our way up towards the Bell Tower. This is by no means an easy journey up there. The stairwells are very tight even for a person’s build like mine. But well, its worth the sweat. We first reach the first level where the organ pipes are and from there I get to see a beautiful arial view of the cathedral.

The journey continues up another flights of stairs to arrive at the level where all the church bells are.

 
Then I was told by Hali that I could attempt to go up another level via a ladder towards to roof. So I did.

Upon coming down to the ground level, I was totally exhausted and have to call it a day. But overall, it was very enjoyable to wander into compounds of the church which I never knew existed even though I have been a member of this church for about 10 years.

If you are interested to know more  about St Andrews Cathedral, you can visit their website here.

Meeting point where we were ‘brief’ of the morning’s iternery.

Mounting of equipment. Somehow, I feel these 2 are quite extreme opposite in size.

My safari driver with Zidane (not sure what he’s aiming at)

Along the way, Willis stopped to get his supply of ‘cai tow kuey’ and drinks …

At this point of time, Remo and USM are covering lots of ground ahead of us.

Not sure what Ender is doing to this soft toy in the back seat ….

Morpheus is the man! He leads the way thru the difficult terrain.

This convoy is hard at work.

Tea break time ……

kopi-pod … tripods are not confined to just supporting camera equipment.

While waiting for Remo to contact us on any bird sightings ….

The 3 stooges …

These two are wondering how on earth they created this trail of destruction.

Trying portraits with this lens ….

Shooting macro …

All ends well with a stroll down Boardwalk

Changi cove is a reclaim land next to the Changi airport terminal 2 runway.

Me and group of birding kakis chartered a fishing boat to go out to the Loyang (Squance) Rock to visit these migratory Black Naped Terns which turns up here once a year.

Through the photos I took, I will attempt to sum up what they do on their typical day and how they fight for survival through their unity and hardship.

About Black Naped Terns:  

The black-naped tern (Sterna sumatrana) is an uncommon resident bird of Singapore and its population is estimated at around 100. The plumage of the bird is pure white except for the presence of a black band encircling the sides and back of the crown and extending a short distance to the front of the eye. It breeds in a number of coastal rocky islets from May–August. Courtship involves flight displays and courtship feeding.

The breeding area of these terns is Loyang Rock (also known as Squance Rock). This is a small rocky outcrop off the northern shore of Singapore Island. Although little terns (Sterna albifrons) have been reported to sometimes abandon their breeding site after one or a few seasons, this is not the case with the black-naped terns.

These birds have been nesting in this site continually for more than half a century. The birds arrive well before May, laying, on the bare rock, one to two whitish to light buff eggs that are variously blotched. Incubation takes 21–23 days and the chicks are brooded for seven days. By September, the birds move offshore to spend their time in the South China Sea. Much of the behaviour of the birds in this colony have been published.

My images were used in an article published for the National University of Singapore by Bird Ecology Study Group, Nature Society (Singapore).
That article can be viewed from the NUS website here.

A little history about Punggol

Kampong Punggol, which was located in the vicinity of the Punggol Jetty, was believed to have existed 200 years ago, even before Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. It was one of the oldest settlements in Singapore. The original settlers were predominantly Malays. Fishing was then the main activity. Villagers also planted fruits and vegetables.

In Malay, Punggol (also spelled Ponggol), means hurling sticks at the branches of fruit trees to bring the fruits down to the ground. It also refers to a place where fruits and forest produce are offered for wholesale.

The early Chinese immigrants, who settled in Punggol from the mid 19th century onwards, were engaged in plantation work (mainly rubber). As more and more Chinese immigrants settled in Punggol, poultry farming and pig rearing activities flourished. Trading on farm produce, fruits and vegetables was carried out in the marketplace at the former eighth milestone of Punggol Road. The Serangoon River mouth became the docking point for fishing boats where fishermen gathered to sell their catch.

In the 1960s, basic amenities like piped water, electricity, paved roads, and drainage systems were introduced through government and self-help programmes. It was also at this time that television became popular and antennas could be seen installed on many kampong rooftops.

Poultry and pig farms were gradually phased out when redevelopment commenced in the 1970s. Land vacated by resettled farmers were then tendered out on short term leases for non-pollutive agricultural activities (eg. vegetable farming). Punggol was also known for its sumptuous seafood and boatels that provided services like docking and renting of boats for boating, water-skiing and skin-diving lessons. These seafood restaurants and boatels have since been relocated to facilitate reclamation works.

abstract from http://www.ura.gov.sg/dgp_reports/punggol/int-hist.html

With recent infrastructure developments in Punggol, this formally rural and nature paradise is fast becoming a very urbanized residential & recreational area.

One place that immediately comes to mind for nature photography will be the Punggol Grassland. Ask any seasoned birder where that is and you will most likely be greeted with a reply “BSK ground”, which simply means that this place is famous for spotting the Black Shouldered Kites.

On good days in the past, if you make a trip in the early morning to the Punggol grassland, you will most likely be greeted by Black-Shouldered Kites (below) at the entrance which leads into the grassland. With recent construction works around there, Punggol is turning into a busy town and these nature creatures have to make way to migrate elsewhere.

But there is more species of birds to spot in the grassland apart from the BSKs. Over the years, birders combed this off-road grassland with their precious sedans, SUVs , vans, jeeps and even lorries to get up close to photograph the various birds available there.

The Bee-eaters (above), mainly the blue-tailed and blue-throated, are one of the more common species that you can see during their migratory period. They tend to breed and nest in groups and can be a handful to photograph as they are really fast and action packed.

Various species of shrikes (above) can also be found there. Mainly the Tiger Shrike, Brown Shrike and Long-Tailed Shrike. Just like with other birds, they are seasonal except for the Long-Tailed which are available throughout the year.

Another commonly found species are the woodpeckers (above). Mainly the Sunda, Common Flameback and the Rufous woodpeckers. Best time to spot theese birds are in the early morning and usually on the dead trees.

I managed to spot these other raptors (above) coming down close for a photographic opportunity. The Peregrine Falcon, Braminy Kite and White Bellied Sea Eagles are the more commonly spotted raptors circling the skies and occasionally hunting in the open fields or river.

There is no lack of waders (above) visiting the Punggol’s coastal lines, drains and canals during their migratory period (September to March). The Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover, Pacific Golden Plover and Greater Painted Snipes have been spotted around in Punggol over the years.
There are other species of birds that could be spotted in Punggol, mainly …

Richard’s Pipit, Lesser Coucal, Yellow Vented Bulbul, Black Headed Bulbul, Peaceful Dove, Spotted Dove, Scaly-Breasted Munia, Baya-Weaver, Pink Necked Green Pigeons, Pied Fantail, Olive-backed sunbird, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White throated Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher…just to name a few.

The other place within Punggol where one can also check out is Punggol Park where there is also plenty of bird life. There is a man-made pond and a large canal at the rear of the park where there is also plenty of bird life and action.

You also could visit the Matilda House (above-image taken in IR) which is across the road and within 5 mins walking distance from Punggol MRT.

And if you venture around further towards into the Punggol Marina area, you will see Punggol Beach (above). There is little bird activities here but it is a nice place to catch the sunset and perhaps do some fishing.
.

But in case you do use the train, use the North East line train route and alight at Punggol MRT Station. Then hop on to a LRT train and alight at Oasis Station to reach the Punggol Grassland.

Bus Service 82 from the Punggol MRT station will bring you to Punggol Beach.

Bus Service 136 from the Punggol MRT station will bring you to Punggol Park.