I had my very first field trip with my bio content upgrading class on Monday (20/08/12). It was still dark when we arrived at Carpark B at Labrador Park. Apparently, the tides were at its lowest at about 6:30 am. The last time I came to this place was for a barbeque gathering, now I'm here to explore the biodiversity of this nature reserve and its coastal shore.
Upon making our way to Bukit Chermin Boardwalk, we heard the distinct sound of the Kingfisher's call hurtling through the morning air (a mixture of fresh air and a pungent 'rotten egg' smell emitting from the mud as a result of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the mud).
As we climbed down the rocks to the rocky shore, we were told to look out for signs of life. Holes in the sand with tiny sand balls around the hole dug by detritus-feeding crabs (below left); Tiny strands of faeces deposited on rocks by sea slugs. The more obvious ones were the different species of anemone, aquatic plants like sea grass, and shelled creatures like mollusks, sea snails and hermit crabs.
Nope, no crabs were harmed in this field trip. The picture (below right) shows the molted exoskeleton of a crab that Dr Goh found on the beach. It's all in one piece!
Dr Beverly Goh, our lecturer and rocky shore guide for the day, told us that it is important to know what kind of questions to expect from students if we were to bring them on such a field trip.
We should have some basic knowledge of the flora and fauna there and teach the students how to use their senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch) to develop a deeper understanding for nature. The sense of taste should not be encouraged though, imagine placing your tongue on the stinging cells of a sea anemone. Ouch.
(Left) A sea snail which we found under a rock that we flipped over (and of course, subsequently returned to its original position) crawls away for safety.
(Below) A shy crab hiding in a crevice which I spotted when we were hunting for a sea slug.
(Below left) Dr Goh found a sea cucumber!! And this was the edible-kind.
(Below right) We weren't sure if this oyster was alive. It looked kinda scorched.
I really enjoyed myself on this field trip even though I had to get up at 5 in the morning. It lets you get in touch with nature and you learn to appreciate life and all of life's wonders. I believe that students will be really interested in joining a field trip like this despite having to wake up so early.
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