Nature right in our backyard and neighbourhood

We may be living a urban jungle with all the high rise buildings all around us but if we would just open our eyes and keep a look out we'll find an amazing variety of critters and nature around us.

I found this rather unusual Grasshopper at the back of my house one evening. It is not your usual grasshopper as you can see. Looks like some kind of Alien from another planet lol. I have probably come across this species of insect a couple times before. After doing a little research I learned that it is a species of Katidids. Curious about the hook shaped belly at the rear, I searched and found the answer - it is a female and the "scythe-shaped ovipositor" is where the eggs will come out. 

This type of snails I have not seen for a long time. Recently spotted a few crawling in the neighborhood grass patch. Anyone knows what the name for this species?

I have seen squirrels many times in pretty built-up areas. This one at Chip Bee Estate.It has a rather longish snout, longer than others I've seen.

Wild mushrooms anyone? I've seen many different types of wild mushrooms but that's one subject that I am totally unfamiliar with. Any mushroom expert?

Spotted this common Kingfisher in a HDB neighborhood, Commonwealth Cresecent. White Throat Kingfisher? Too bad I don't have a long lens but I am glad today's mobile phone comes in real handy with it's camera feature. I have a Sony Ericsson VIVAZ and I like it very much. Give me a mobile phone with a good camera in it. That's all I ask : )

This unusually large lizard, 8" long head to tail, and the skin texture and markings unlike our regular house lizards had been spotted a number of times in our kitchen before I decided to capture it for a closer examination. Unfortunately the tail broke off as they always do. I remember when I was young every time we catch a lizard the tail would invariably break off. I found out that it's a self-defense mechanism. If a predator is chasing them and grabs them by the tail, it'll break off, allowing the lizard to escape. The broken tail will wriggle for quite some time. I released it afterward. I have been told that the tail will regrow.

Being a nature lover I somehow have a heightened sensitivity about their presence. I have seen many different types of Parrots and Parakeets in the Bukit Timah district. Once I spotted a Hornbill perched on a rooftop TV antenna. I am beginning to see one of the many benefits of blogging; it pushes me to seek answers which otherwise I would not have bothered.

Dog Event

National Dog Walk & Carnival 2010

Date : 5 September 2010, Sunday
Time : 9am to 7pm
Venue : West Coast Park, Grand Lawn (near McDonald's)
Website : http://www.nationaldogwalk.sg/ 

Time	Events
9.00am	Fun Event - Great Minds Think Alike
9.00am	Carnival commences
9.30am	Dog Demonstration by Police K9 Unit
10.15am	Fun Event - Hot Dog Dunk
10.45am	Dog Demonstration by SCDF DART Team
11.30am	Fun Events - Hot Dog Retrieval
12.00noon	Stage Games
12.45pm	Fun Events - Snoopy Says
1.00pm	Stage Games
2.00pm	Competitive Agility Games Challenge 1
2.30pm	Competitive Agility Games Challenge 2
3.00pm	Competitive Agility Games Challenge 3
4.00pm	NATIONAL DOG WALK 2010
5.00pm	Family Event - Amazing Race
6.00pm	Prize Presentation

Click on image to enlarge

Dog's Name

Naming a dog can be easy for some dog owners but for others it can be quite a task. I found that people who read a lot tend to come up with doggy names more easily and are more creative. Some choose names with a great deal of care like choosing a name for a baby while others seems to do it without much thought. This is reflected in the end result. Kids get excited not just about the arrival of puppy but also in choosing a name for their pet.

Some years back I read that "Max" is the most popular name for our beloved canine. Coincidentally my records from 20 odds years training dogs found that to be true even here in Singapore. Certain names are popular with certain races. Other favorites are "Coco", "Cookie", "Pepper", "Bruno", Buddy", "Monty" and "Snowy".  The Japanese likes "Hana" which means Flower (花) and the Koreans like "Sarang" which means Love. I understand that "Diesel" is a popular with farmers in the west. Here in Singapore I remember "Lucky" and "Blackie" were common for our Singapore Specials (mongrel).

Then there are owners who choose to give their K9 friends human names; "Alex", Billy", "Daisy", "Joe", "Lucy", Stanley", I dislike it. I mean how would you feel if someone called out your name in public but they are actually calling their dog? Unfortunately, I do have 2 grooming clients with the name "Frankie".

But seriously, I am of the view that a name ending with "y" or "ie" is a good name to give to your K9 companion. It's got a cheery pitch to it. Also I am for two syllables names and am against mono syllable names. You know people will often shout their dog's name when they are angry with it. It would come out more harsh sounding with a mono syllable name than one with two syllables name ending with that "y" or "ie". By the way please don't scold your dog this way; using the name in a harsh tone. If you have to reprimand your dog use the words "Ahh Ahh" or "No!" instead.


Our friend, blogger Lam Chun See (http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/) have a dog named "Nappie". According to Urban Dictionary Nappie means :

• A word use in Ireland or UK for a diaper.
• sleeping in the middle of the day
• Or a nasty person who does not take care of them selfs with disgusting or greasy hair that is a mess and not taken care of.

I guess it's chosen because puppies like babies takes afternoon naps.

Dog Problems : http://petzcentral.com

20 Parrot Tricks in 2 Minutes

This guy did a great job in training his pet parrot. World record parrot tricks. Senegal Parrot performs 20 parrot tricks in just 2 minutes.

Super Talking African Grey Parrot

This African Grey parrot named Einstein can really talk. She is not the Einstein that appeared in the TV show Animal Planet Pet Star but just as talented. She have an amazing vocabulary of 128 words, 104 phrases and 26 sounds.



I have an African Grey Parrot named Weiwei. He is not too bad himself. He is Bilingual. Translates English to Mandarin. Whereas Einstein's owner call their parrot "Girl", I call mine "Boy", and similarly I do not know without a DNA test.

World Cup predictions - Mani the Parakeet vs Paul the octopus

"Paul" the octopus in Germany say's Spain is gonna win the world cup 2010. Here in Singapore we have "Mani" the parakeet who has become a sort of celebrity status predicting Holland will win. Considering that Paul the Octopus picked Germany to win the Euro 2008 but Spain won, his credibility should somehow have been dented. Being a Singaporean I am betting on our own psychic animal, haha. In a video clip from Reuters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy4hzSatq8Q) it is reported "Mani, the seven year old bird from Malaysia......". Singapore viewers in particular are left wondering if that statement is true as otherwise it may leave viewers from other parts of the world confused that Singapore is still part of Malaysia. Singapore broke off from the Federation of Malaysia and became independent in 1965. We celebrate our 45th year of independence this year on the 9th of August. Here is a report from our very own CNA Channel News Asia.

Pet Dogs in Shanghai

Regrettably, I wasn't able to make contact with any local doggie business people while in Shanghai. The one new Kennel that I have arranged to visit didn't materialised because the business venture was called off. All I have is a couple of encounters on the streets with dog owners.

I met this lady walking her Spitz puppy "BAOBAO". Obviously Baobao is not trained, as he have difficulty obeying even a basic command such as 'SIT'. And I have to tell you it wasn't because of language barrier cos I do speaka his language lol, Mandarin. The lady owner actually offered to sell me her puppy for 800 yuan would you believe it! I kept telling her that I don't live in Shanghai but she kept up with her sales pitch and wouldn't listen.


 
I met this lady with her Toy Poodle at Yuyuan. It's comes naturally for me to connect with dog owners cos I am able to get the doggie's attention. This Toy Poodle named NANA showed off  her "Paw" trick. A security personnel for the Shopping Complex kept warning her owner not to her  dog out, as it is forbidden. That is China for you, still not very dog friendly in public places. However I am aware that there is already tremendous improvement.

 

Interesting animal behavior

Today I'll share with you some doggie video clips.
Siberian Husky on the treadmill



Pembroke Welsh Corgi enjoying a bath


Chocolate Labrador drink with his nostril immersed in the water