Had class in the morning so I drove and got a free parking space. Found a dead Bittern at the side of the PE block while walking from the carpark. From the looks of it, I think it must have slammed into the building while flying at night. A bittern is a small bird which looks like a heron. It is usually found around bodies of water as its diet includes fish, amphibians and insects which it finds around the bodies of water it resides in. NIE isn't too far away from the sea and if I'm not too mistaken, there are a number of service reservoirs as well as reservoirs in the Sarimbun-Murai live-firing area where these birds are most likely found. NIE has its own pond too (which I discovered to my horror today, had several of its rocks painted, most probably by art students).
Anyway, the bittern is this bird which is pretty reclusive and I've only seen them a few times myself either in Sungei Buloh or other nature parks around the island. I believe that the one I found was a Yellow Bittern. I didn't pick it up or snap a photo of it cos I actually found it kind of morbid to do such things but I'll try returning next week to see if it's still there and if I can get a picture of it. But I doubt it. Anyway here's a nice picture I found of it online on Wikipedia. This is one with its neck outstretched. Usually the neck isn't so outstretched and when I found it, it isn't as large as the one in the photo.
Here's another photo of another type of waterfowl (birds that live near water) that I frequently encounter while gamboling in nature reserves. It's called a White-Breated Waterhen.
These waterhens aren't too difficult to spot and identify as they are pretty used to seeing people around. But please do not approach them as they're considered as wildlife and its always good to keep that respect between us and them. =)
I usually see the waterhen on the fringes of NIE where the school meets the tree-line. I even saw one once beside the expressway in Woodlands.
Sheesh..I'm taking so long to write this entry cos I'm reading up on birds on Wikipedia. Haha. Okok..A few other birds I've seen would be: White-Bellied Fish Eagle, Brahminy's Kite(which I saw just last week at the street soccer court in front of my house, possibly hunting rats), a variety of Kingfishers but mostly the Common and White Throated varieties(I've spotted a few Collared Kingfishers which are a beautiful shade of sheer light blue and white), the two more common kinds of herons, the Grey Heron and the Purple Heron, a Dollarbird that nested in this tree beside the BKE, Koels(those birds that make the loud wailing calls every morning and evening and when you come close, they stop), the usual swifts and..OH OH!..when I was younger, I saw this pair of nesting Hornbills at Sentosa. Was so cool. Hai..back then, it was easier to find such animals. I kinda feel bad that most people in Singapore only know of animals in the zoo and are ignorant enough, when they do see one in the wild, to do things like scaring it away and sometimes killing it (although sometimes you get really silly people asking for 4D numbers ah; let me make a suggestion k? How bout next time they find a cobra, get it to bite them and as they're dying, gather their family members around them and recite a series of random numbers..Do this everytime there's a big payout)
Hmm, how did this post turn into a nature show? Haha. I dunno la. I actually wanted to be a biologist but things didn't turn out that way. Maybe when I'm free from teaching I might try to do something related to it yea?
Oh well, weekend's here. Most probably gonna spend tomorrow doing my assignments and maybe visit Sungei Buloh on Sunday. Sian..
Oh, didnt get to talk to Nur too much today. But just wished her well.
Hmm, about the servicing..haha. My car has a dedicated workshop working on it ah. Most cars nowadays do. It takes the guess work out of having to find a shop to do your servicing for you and anyway its alot safer to use a shop like this. So anyway, I dropped off the car, took my bag and walked to Junction 8. The place's in Sin Ming so most drivers would know where that is. So as I was walking, I noticed that not many people were out at that time (it was 1030 am) so I was just enjoying my walk. Got to Junction 8 and debated with myself over watching a movie and going to a coffee joint to chill since I had my laptop with me. Decided on the movie since I havent seen one for so long, I made the fateful decision to watch Sweeney Todd. So there I was with a drink and nachos in hand with a grand total of 3 other people in the theatre. Haha. The movie being M18 really helped alot. Hmm, I expected something better coming from Johnny Depp but he was a miserable man throughout. Tim Burton really murders his movies and I am once again affirmed on the fact why I don't enjoy movies like The Corpse Bride and Planet of the Apes. Next time I wanna watch a Tim Burton movie, someone please stab me with a razor blade (which I find extremely painful as Alan Rickman got stabbed with it repeatedly in the neck; THE THING'S A CUTTING TOOL FOR EVERYONE'S SAKE! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO STAB WITH IT!) Anyway for those looking to watch it, hmm, try and not eat anything before you go and after you do, you'll find yourself questioning meat pies and singing barbers forever.
So as the movie was ending, the shop called me up and so I began my walk back there. Bishan has alot of winding roads through the neighbourhoods so I just cut through some estates on my walk back. So the car got it's fog lamp bulb changed, a new reverse sensor speaker installed, wheels rotated, oil changed etc. Haha. And it got cleaned and I got a free umbrella. Haha. For $160 I would have asked for two. =P So with the new oil and everything, I kinda sped my way back home. Haha. So fun la when the car can accelerate quickly.
Gosh..I need to get to bed. It's 1230 already. Princess' adopted brother is coming over tomorrow. Don't know if I'll get to talk to her. But I hope I do. I miss her already. =(
Sleep tight, Nur.
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