Birdie Tale - Chestnut-naped Forktail that is...

It was a chirpy bird and moved fast. Managed to get some decent shots under the challenging light conditions and this hyper-jumpy bird made it no easier to get a lock on either.




Sun came out briefly for me to get this pretty shot.


This one had something in its beak...


Was a frog! Or rather only half of it.


Its young had frog-legs for lunch.

(Some) Birds of Fraser's Hill

Chestnut-capped Laughing Trush:




Long-tailed Sibia:




Silver-eared Mesia:







Scarlet Minivet (M):



Yet-to-ID:





Blue Nuthatch:




Lesser Racquet-tail Drongo:

Tucked Away Amidst Nature

This was our abode for a quick getaway. A bamboo & attap hut that was built by the Orang Asli (Indigenous People). A stream runs under the hut.



A balcony to chill out.


The stream as seen from the back window.


The interior is bare basics i.e. just mattresses but this was more than enough. It gets cold here during the night. I measured it at 23 deg Celsius ard 4.00am.


Don't make so much noise and nature will reveal itself near you... like this little birdie calling out to its mate.

Herons

Herons at Pucung Lake/Island.
For more on the Heronry -> http://mnsperak.wordpress.com/category/conservation-site/

Colourful Birds from Borneo

Taken during a night-walk in a swampy area near the Kinabatangan River. These represent the best bird pictures shot todate.

More Kingfisher Shots

An unexpected opportunity + friendly subject + camera on hand = best kingfisher shot to-date.

Just a mere 25 feet away and not bothered with what the fuss is about below:




A few moments after this shot, it flew off to intercept something in mid-flight. It caught something in its beak and perched higher on a nearby tree. Milo's shots on his super-tele managed to make out that it was a lizard in its beaks! Photo of the kingfisher with the lizard in its beak can be viewed here -> Dreamer's Cove (Meet the King).

Kuala Gula - Birds (Woodpeckers)

Greater Flameback Woodpecker (female).



Greater Flameback Woodpecker (male).




Pygmy Woodpecker busy at work:

Kuala Gula - Birds (Weaver)

Baya Weaver bird:



Looks like nest is still under construction. The nest is only used once.

Kuala Gula - Birds (Lesser Adjutant)

Lesser Adjutant. Spotted about 5 of these birds during our visit. A bit far off for my meager 70-300 telephoto lens and the out-going tide made sure we would not get any closer.

A short run...



... and its airborne:




Another individual making a meal of a dog-faced snake:

Kuala Gula - Birds (Kingfisher)

Stork-billed Kingfisher... one of the elusive (for shooting with a camera) birds that have caused me a great deal of frustration with its seemingly mocking cry "ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke" as it flies off before you can get close enough for a good shot.



Not going to let it get away that easy this time...


... and another "better-than-nothing" shot of it.

Kuala Gula - Birds (Night Hunters)

Barn Owl:


Spotted-wood Owl on a power-line pole.



Spotted-wood Owl - probably grumbling over the fuss:

Feathery Residents of Fraser's Hill

We were at Fraser's Hill for spiders but along the way had some encounters with the feathery residents. Unlike those who came to Fraser's with fancy-spamchy bins (binoculars) and spotting scopes, we made do with what we had; Nikon & Canon dSLRs with 70-300mm mounted and Canon G7 & G9 among the uninitiated.

* Special thanks to Seng & Carol for their assistance in identifying and giving a brief commentary about the birds*

Long-Tail Sibia - always in a pack, quite noisy, moving along as they feed.



Long-tailed Sibia taking flight.




Silver-eared Mesia - the Jewels of Fraser's Hill; a babbler, also moves around in small groups. Males have red rumps, females yellow.







Large Niltava, female - Irresdescent blue/purple patch on shoulder and on top of head. Male is the same except the brown is replaced by black. Has a sweet 3-note call. Usually in a pair.

*Following pictures were shot under high ISO (1600) due to low-light conditions. The Digic-IV gives excellent image quality with little noise. Btw, I was not paid by Canon to say this.

Bird Tales