Sunday, March 1, 2015

The forest fringe

Forest fringe of a lowland Dipterocarp forest
Location: Zone C, adjacent to Lada Hill

Red-eyed Bulbul resting
on the fronds of a Nibong palm
 It is vital to keep a forest fringe around the Kambatik park.  This is to enable the continuation of green passageways for the wildlife.  They act as fallback sanctuaries to the park.  In its ecosystem thrives nature's denizens that will want to familiarise themselves to the park.  Some may retreat at night in the forest cover for rest but will soon come out during daylight to scavenge or prey for food at the park.  The forest fringe is a transition landscape and is a site  inhabited or regularly frequented by a rich assortment of wildlife, from ground level to top of canopy, or somewhere in between too.  Most interesting at the park here is the phenomena of the Sambar deer that depend on the forest cover to wander in the night and come out to visit the park areas to enjoy the water from the streams and ponds and to eat some of the cultivated leaves here, chiefly the Tapioca leaves, young leaves of the Cempedak, some Banana species,  grasses and ferns growing on  the oil palm tree trunks.
Plantain Squirrel hunting on the forest fringe

A Monitor Lizard finds temporary comfort on a tall tree trunk on the forest fringe

Plants of botanical interest at the forest fringe
At center is the Staghorn fern

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