A swift moment of power

Flash floods at Zone D, 25 Dec'15.

It was midday yesterday when the clouds deposited tons of water around the park. Within an hour of torrential rain the stream grew 20 times its size and created a scene of extraordinary beauty and power. The plains around the stream was for a moment of time a watery playground. I took time to wade in the swift current and took photographs for the record. This phenomena is prevalent in December when Bintulu is under the mercy of the monsoon rains. Once the rains stopped, the flash floods quickly subsided and by the next hour time it back to its normal self. Over the years I begin to admire this natural occurrence and treat it as nature's gift to the park.

Stream at Provinsi Carpentaria, Zone F
25 Dec'15

A rainy Sunday

It's raining at the park
Zone B

Bamboo orchid

It has been raining on and off yesterday, a Sunday (30/8/15).    Even though I normally work on Sunday, it was just good that I called yesterday a holiday due to the rains. My holiday is once a week, a Friday.  Life is too short to have too many free days off in a week.  Life in the park is always occupied everyday, if not to see the plants and wildlife, it is about getting yourself up and kicking everyday and the older you get, the greater the need to be alive.  And the rains, they make you feel  even more energetic.  To capture what happens when it rains and what is the view after the rains.  A Bamboo orchid ( Arundina graminifolia) caught my eyes as I moved about the park in the rain.  The one hour heavy rains brought in a brief flash floods, a subject I love to photograph.  The light conditions are also good for photography.  

Stream overflowing after the heavy rain
Zone F

It's flooding time

The stream overflows and create a unique and beautiful waterscape at Zone F plain area.

 It is really out of the ordinary.  It is, however, a very much welcome change even for a few hours.  The Kambatik stream overflows this morning after a torrential downpour which lasted for  2 hours, between 9.30 - 11.30 am.  The presence the  flash floods is a spectacular phenomena as a result of the park's location in the headlands section of the lowland dipterocarp forest where it is situated.  It is a wonderful feeling walking through the flood water because of the element of fluidity, its sound and speed and the feeling of wetness as I waded against the flow to capture photographs from low camera angles.  If you are slow or your camera is out of battery or not willing to get wet, you'll miss the scenery by remaining indoors during the rain.  This is because the flash floods disappear soon after the rain stopped.  Below are some memorable shots of this morning flash floods.

View of Provinsi Carpentaria, looking upstream

View of Provinsi Carpentaria, looking downstream

Zone D

Location : Road culvert area, view towards Zone B

Clear stream revival, sounds familiar?

Location : Provinsi Carpentaria

Does it sounds familiar?  Clear stream revival! This is the phenomena after every major flash floods that happen in the park.  Follow the stream and you will discover its beauty after it is washed off all the unnecessary debris and murky water that abounds by its sides under normal conditions.  After every torrential rains the stream gets spring cleaned.and refreshed with cleaner water. Because the standards of development at the park are high, the water quality is very good.  In fact, you can bath using the stream water.  The stream is a reflection of life.  The only constant in life is change.  There  are always changes in  contemporary life, the changes are increasing accelerated and becoming more complex.  As the stream flows downriver and into the open sea, it slows down.  It faces friction, conflicts as it lands itself in more level-playing field.  Competition hots up.  What are we to do with life?  Two things I learned today by watching the stream.  Firstly, it is to accept change as part of life and complexity a challenge as we advance in years.  Secondly, what is more important is to understand the direction of change.  By having a good grasp of where we are going we are every ready to face life's complexities and opportunities.  Precisely at this point of writing these words somehow pop out of the blues ...Opportunity awaits the prepared mind.

The meandering stream

View of middle section of the stream as it passes by the verandah or 'Abag' in local Bintulu Melanau terminology.
The broad leaves in the foreground belongs to the 'Jambu Bol' tree (Syzygium malaccense)

Since it is very dry season at the park right now I guess I'll take a moment to share on the status of the stream.  Yes, the water level is very low.  This situation enables me to carryout much clearing works on both sides of the stream.  The pictures in this posting show the middle section of the stream where it meanders and form somewhat like dragon back outline in the middle of the park.  On the sides of the stream the land is flat and its where many types of introduced tree species are planted.  These trees could be fruit trees, flowering trees or palms.  The planting idea is to allow for walks along the stream in shade as much as possible.

View of stream meandering
Foreground is the 'Pong-Pong' tree with its apple-like fruits which turn red when ripe.
This is an example of ornamental planting.
Location: Zone F

More ornamental and fruit tree planting along the stream...coconut palms, Carpentaria palms and flowering trees and tall fruit trees at right of picture (in the background)

The stream overflows but the flash flood subsides quickly too

 Today at about 8.30 am it rained at the park.  Thus not much outside work can be done in the morning.  Time to rest from work.  When it rained heavily the Kambatik stream will get flooded very quickly.  This is because the park is located at the headland of the Kambatik stream.  At many locations along its 500 meters meandering route through the park there are blockages that slowed down the current and causing the stream to overflow.  This phenomena is however short-lived.  Once the heavy rains are over, the floods quickly subside.  Below are the images of the stream overflowing in a matter of minutes....

Kambatik stream, viewed from the 'Abaq' ( Bintulu Melanau for  verandah)
Time : 9.30 am

Kambatik stream, viewed from the 'Abaq' ( Bintulu Melanau for  verandah)
Time : 9.45 am

Kambatik stream, viewed from the 'Abaq' ( Bintulu Melanau for  verandah)
Time : 9.55 am

Flash floods in January

The start of the Kambatik stream, swelling up from two tributaries

Between Zone C and F

The rains have not stopped since dawn this morning.  A heavy rain  lasting half a day could easily result in flash floods at the park.  But the flooding is only confined to very low lying areas beside the stream.  My estimate of the areas affected by the flooding covers only less than 5 % of the total park area. I am looking at it the positive way.  Flash floods create a lot of interest.  It is a view that do not happen every day and when it comes it elicits feelings of adventure, anxiety and thrill but all for a short while because once the rains stop the flooding subsides very quickly.  Also the flooding cleans up any debris etc along the stream .  The flood water seems to be murky today due to some earthworks done by one landowner  slightly up the tributary.  The eroded topsoil brought by the surface runoff water normally create an even dressing  of silt once the flood disappears.  Here are some images of the floods from the start of the stream moving downstream...

Zone D

Between Zone D and F
Note : All images above taken on 22 Jan'14

Headland for the Kambatik stream

Headland for the Kambatik stream starting from swampy valley between Zone C and Zone B, looking east.

Kruak or White-breasted Waterhen.
Amaurornis phoenicurus

 There are three headlands that provide for running water to the Kambatik stream.  These headlands are storage grounds for freshwater from the daily or occasional tropical rains throughout the year.  The water storage spreads over a large area and is almost level thus the current is slight , though in continuous and heavy torrential downpours they would collect more rains than usual causing  flash floods to the surrounding areas closet to the stream.  But such flash floods come and go in a few hours time because the Kambatik park is situated at the upland area of the river system.  There are many wildlife that have created their own niches in the low lying areas especially where there are tall grasses and wet conditions.  Chiefly among them are the White-breasted Waterhen or Kruak that breed well here.

Headland for the Kambatik stream starting from swampy valley between Zone G and Zone F, looking south.

Pipit Rawa or Chest Munia
Lonchura malacca

Pipits like swathes of grassland where they feed on the grass seeds. They normally come in a flock and are a noisy lot.  They are not easy to photograph because there are so many eyes and it takes only a pair of eyes to give the danger alarm for the rest to fly away.  Many types of birds make use of the dried glass blades for their nests.  The sea of grass is an important element in garden ecology providing much needed micro-climate to the many organisms in the soil.

Headland for the Kambatik stream starting from swampy valley between Zone A and Zone G, lookingsouth-east

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon fly

There is a very diverse web of life in the headlands due to the presence of water in the ground that are either stagnant or flowing slowly. These headlands create the wet edges to the park that are home to lizards, frogs, mosquitoes, worms, bees, beetles, grasshoppers, snakes and birds.  However, what is particularly relevant at the park is the unique function of these tall grasses as safe passageways  and hideout areas for the regular big animal visitors to the park at night especially the Sambar deer.

December rains

The park looking south-west from hill at Zone C

Zone F

 The Kambatik Park is right in the midst of the monsoon rains which is from the months of November to February every year.  As usual when the rains are heavy the stream waters will overflow and creating flash floods.  Here's some images of the park in the rain today.

Zone F, Provinsi Carpentaria

Zone F, Provinsi Carpentaria

The Kambatik stream overflows...

Zone D, near Heliconia Valley

Eugenia oleina fruits

 Despite the rains, the bulbuls came throughout the day to eat the Eugenia oleina fruits that are in abundance at the park at the moment. The presence of an old dead tree provided convenient perches  for them to rest amidst their flight  schedules.

Bulbuls rest at an old dead tree

Bulbuls rest at an old dead tree

Flowers in the rain (Dillenia suffructicosa)

Flowers in the rain

 In light rain  the little spiderhunter  took to  the brief opportunity to search for food.  While the bulbuls kept themselves busy at the Eugenia oleina fruits the little spiderhunter was hurrying in bewteen the ixora and cream fruit flowers for their nectar.

Little spiderhunter at the cream fruit lowers...(Strophantus gratus)

Red flowers of the Drunken Sailor (Quisqualis indica) in the rain...

Eugenia oleina branches bending over due to the combined weight of the fruits and rain..