CFZ Sungai Suai Lower

CFZ Sungai Suai 02nd April 2011 - Suai Bridge to Kuala Suai.

Field work: Suai Down river 2 April 2011

Participants:

Joyce, Sara, Musa, Anura & Nazeri (Boatman Azman and Nazeri of Kuala Suai)

Date: 2 Apr 2011

START Time: 18:50

Start Location : N3 45 20.9 E113 32 09.0

Field work FINISH Time: 20:24

End Location : N3 47 37.1 E113 29 39.3

PHYSICAL CONDITION:

a. MoonPhase : New moon

100% High thin cloud sky, dark starry night.

b. Weather: Calm no wind, Slightly windy toward the end of survey.

A digital thermometer reading every minutes and giving an average

readings of the whole trip.

Minimum Relative Humidity: 76%

Minimum Air temperature 28.1 ° C

Minimum water temperature 27.3 ° C

Maximum relative Humidity: 88%

Maximum Air temperature 28.7 ° C

Maximum water temperature 28.7 ° C

Water pH : 6 at starting position , end was 5

Specific gravity: is 1.000 at start and End Location.

c. River Condition Current: slowly moving down, Clear sediment water.

Outboard engine used: Yamaha 15 hp

Survey Average Speed 8.0 Km/hr.

Survey length 12.6 km

Survey period 1 hr 38 minutes.

No haze

Fauna seen:

10 Crocodiles sighted

29 Display trees

2 Black Asian hornbill (duribg daytime assessment of the same river)

No mosquito

The last time we visited Kpg Kuala Suai was June 2009, Musa and Daniel were here sometime in January 2011 during the SWS (Sarawak Waterbirds Survey). The journey downriver to the kampong is's just like a trip going home.

We met our boatman Azman and his younger cousin Nazeri by the Suai Bridge apprixmately 1700hrs, we waited till sunset before commencing our survey.

We immediately started the survey at 1850 hrs, a few minutes after sundown. The journey downriver was approximately 1.5 hrs navigating a winding river in the dark. We spotted a total of 29 display trees with occasional rovers flitting about on the tree tops. There were also several crocodiles spotted playing hide-n-seek under the nipah palm as we made our way further downstream. We came across several boats engaged in fishing activities, mostly aiming for prawns.

A good number of samples were also collected that night that should give us an identification of fireflies common in the area.

On the way back the next morning, we took the opportunity to capture images of the display trees we encountered the evening before.

Our CFZ team at the start of our traverse just past Suai Bridge along the Miri-Bintulu Coastal Highway.


Checking out the fireflies. Image by Sara Wong.


One of the largish rover firefly we stumbled upon post-survey. Image by Sara Wong.

Post-survey chat over hot coffee at our host's at Kpg Kuala Suai. Image by Sara Wong.

WPTTime Coordinate Fauna / Nos / Side / Photo Number / Comment

142 19:50 N3 46 35.0 E113 30 35.1 Suia Coastal Bridge side, start location

125 19:10 N3 46 06.4 E113 32 14.7 Firefly 10 Left 5411

126 19:17 N3 46 24.0 E113 32 22.9 Firefly 100 Right 5397 syncronised

127 19:17 N3 46 26.7 E113 32 22.7 Firefly 100 Left 5385/86,87,88 syncronised

128 19:18 N3 46 29.3 E113 32 22.6 Firefly 100 Left 5381

129 19:19 N3 46 35.5 E113 32 22.3 Firefly 1 Left Rover

130 19:20 N3 46 39.6 E113 32 19.4 Firefly 50 Right 5379/80

131 19:22 N3 46 32.8 E113 32 12.0 Firefly 10 Right 5376/77

132 19:23 N3 46 30.6 E113 32 11.0 Firefly 20 Right 5374/75

133 19:32 N3 46 15.7 E113 31 36.0 Crocodile 1 Right

134 19:37 N3 46 11.6 E113 31 12.8 Firefly 100 Left 5363 young small berebang

135 19:44 N3 46 24.8 E113 30 48.0 Firefly 50 Right 5356/174anura

136 19:44 N3 46 26.2 E113 30 48.8 Firefly 200 Left 5355 Bakau tree

137 19:46 N3 46 32.1 E113 30 51.2 Crocodile 1 Right

138 19:48 N3 46 37.7 E113 30 45.6 Crocodile 1 Left

139 19:48 N3 46 37.2 E113 30 41.8 Firefly 100 Left 5353

140 19:49 N3 46 36.9 E113 30 40.7 Firefly 200 Left 5351/52 syncronised

141 19:49 N3 46 36.7 E113 30 40.1 Firefly 200 Left 5350

142 19:50 N3 46 35.0 E113 30 35.1 Firefly 100 Left 5347/48 161 anura

143 19:51 N3 46 34.7 E113 30 31.6 Crocodile 1 Right

144 19:52 N3 46 34.3 E113 30 23.6 Firefly 200 Left 5342

145 19:54 N3 46 38.1 E113 30 16.4 Crocodile 2 Left

146 19:55 N3 46 41.2 E113 30 14.8 Firefly 50 Left 5338/39 anura 159

147 19:56 N3 46 45.1 E113 30 13.0 Crocodile 1 Right

148 19:56 N3 46 47.1 E113 30 13.1 Firefly 50 Left 5333, 157 anura

149 19:56 N3 46 48.3 E113 30 13.3 Firefly 100 Left 5332

150 19:57 N3 46 49.8 E113 30 13.9 Firefly 100 Left 5331 bakau

151 19:57 N3 46 53.3 E113 30 15.1 Firefly 50 Left 5328 sample, nipah tree

152 20:06 N3 47 06.3 E113 30 22.5 Crocodile 2 Left 5322/23/25 2 Tree close together

153 20:06 N3 47 07.6 E113 30 23.6 Firefly 200 Left 5321

154 20:07 N3 47 11.5 E113 30 26.0 Firefly 200 Left 5316

155 20:09 N3 47 18.2 E113 30 28.1 Firefly 200 Left 5311

156 20:09 N3 47 19.4 E113 30 28.1 Firefly 100 Left 5310

157 20:12 N3 47 31.8 E113 30 23.8 Crocodile 1 Right

158 20:12 N3 47 32.7 E113 30 22.3 Firefly 100 Left 5307

159 20:16 N3 47 28.3 E113 30 09.1 Firefly 20 Left 5304

160 20:17 N3 47 25.7 E113 30 06.1 Firefly 200 Left 5303

161 20:24 N3 47 37.1 E113 29 39.3 End Location

162 10:27 N3 46 12.6 E113 30 58.0 Hornbill 1

163 10:43 N3 46 23.1 E113 32 22.6 Hornbill 1 5401

A typical "bakau" tree that harbored most number of fireflies from image "5397". A major part of the river is covered by Nipah palm. Most of the surrounding area along the river has been earmarked for oil palm plantation except for small packets of forest here and there.

Other than a small isolated patches of forest, the surrounding of Sg Suai is almost entirely dominated by oil palm plantation, some right up to the riverbank.

Data by Musa Musbah/MNS Miri

Images and words by Nazeri Abghani unless specified.