31 December 2011

Black-headed Gull






A fitting closing for 2011 year. Black-headed Gull only seen near islands but Tanjung Aru proves that it still has some charms that this bird chooses to browse around along its shoreline. It will a miracle to see them again next year.

Happy Holidays and Welcome New Year 2012.

Happy Birding.

17 December 2011

Rail and Crake

White-browed crake - porzana cinerea


Buff-banded Rail - gallirallus phillipensis

Finally before the year ends, a decent picture of this birds.

Happy Birding.

03 December 2011

Pied Avocet - recurvirostra avosetta




A lifer that made my closing year a memorable one.

Happy Birding.

25 October 2011

Hodgson Hawk Cuckoo


This was my best ever capture of this bird. Wish it could stay longer for me to enjoy its beauty but nevertheless it gave me an opportunity that will imprint in my mind forever. Thank you Mother Nature for this gift.





Happy Birding.

20 September 2011

Maliau Basin - The Lost World 15-18 Sept

Female Blue-headed Pitta (pitta buadii)

This was the star of the expedition to Maliau Basin. Despite the heavy activity of leaches it did not damper our spirit to wait for hours and hours until this Female and Male show up from a distance on a high tree covered with ferns.
The word pitta is derived from the Telugu language of Andra Pradesh in India and is a generic local name for small birds.



Male Blue-headed Pitta (pitta buadii)
The male was so fast moving in and out of the undergrowth that it was just impossible to photograph it. Anyways this was the best I could manage.
But surely I will return to this place very-very soon.
Below were the only bird photography that I can managed because most of the time was used to track the Pitta's.


Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker

Dark-sided Flycatcher (muscicapa sibirica)



Whiskered Treeswift - (hemiprocne comata-comata)



Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (phaenicophaeus curvirostris singularis)

Happy birding.

10 September 2011

RED-NAPED TROGON


One of the beauty of the rainforest. The forest is just not the same without them.
Borneo is blessed with 6 species.

Happy Birding.

05 August 2011

Woodpecker - Sunda Pygmy

Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker.
One of the most common woodpecker in Borneo island. Even though considered common little is known about this creature welfare in this island. This Female was busy darting from all sides just to make sure the youngs (2 of them) get enough nutrition everyday.
The Male is normally has a tinge of red on the upper head and sometimes it will be difficult to tell them apart.






Happy Birding

17 July 2011

Green Broadbill


Green Broadbill - calyptomena viridis Male
Taken with Kowa TSN603 + Canon G9
This was the best picture that I could mustered after so many attempt. However I could have taken more with the digiscope but the battery went dead on me and I had to switch to DSLR Nikon D300 with Sigma 150-500mm.
My apologies for the poor shoots.




Happy Birding.

01 June 2011

Whistling Thrush


Bornean Whistling Thrush - Endemic of Borneo

I really wanted to get a good shot of this bird and finally at last. But still miss the female.

Happy Birding

16 April 2011

Pipit

Paddyfield Pipit - anthus rufulus
Borneo has 9 species out of the 66 worldwide (ref: S.Myers)















Happy Birding.

10 April 2011

Rafflesia Centre birds - Crocker Range

Juvenile Blyth's Hawk Eagle

To bird for mountain birds in Borneo, you have two choices of area. The first is Mt Kinabalu where it's a must for all birders and second is the Rafflesia Centre at Gunung Emas or Alap. If you do not have enough time to spare then the choice to choose is Rafflesia Center because its only 1 hour drive from the city.
However there is no trail to take when birding around the Rafflesia Centre, most of the birding is done around the road side and be advise of the in-coming traffic. Weather is also a factor and most of the mountains in Borneo will received rains most of the times especially in the afternoon.
It rain and rain and when it finally stop, it was only 2 hours window and got only this beauties.







Cinereous bulbul




Ochraceous Bulbul

Cinereous bulbul

Happy Birding

Temminks Sunbird female

Temminks Sunbird female

Temminks Sunbird

Temminks Sunbird

Indigo flycatcher

Indigo flycatcher

Yellow Breasted Warbler

Yellow Breasted Warbler

Black Collared Starlings

Black Collared Starlings
2 birds , winter from South China

Starlings Video

Little Heron

Little Heron

Grey Tail Tattler

Grey Tail Tattler

Crested Myna

Crested Myna

Chesnut Cheeked Starling-Sturnus phillipines

Chesnut Cheeked Starling-Sturnus phillipines
Second Lifer

Pink Necked Green Pigeon - video

Crested Myna video

Pink Necked Green Pigeon

Pink Necked Green Pigeon
My best ever effort with digiscoping

Cattle Egret!!

Black Collared Starlings

Black Collared Starlings
Lifer of the Day....spot at Penampang-Dongongon roadside

Oriental Pratincole

Oriental Pratincole
At the road side Penampang/Dongongon bypass

Black Headed Munia

Black Headed Munia
Shot at padi field at Penampang

Waders feeding

Waders feeding
digiscope

Ruff - digiscope

Ruff - digiscope
Only bird / Penampang rice field

Black Wing Stilt - digiscope

Black Wing Stilt - digiscope
Taken at Penampang roadside

Wimbrel - digiscope

Wimbrel - digiscope
Sighted at Lok Kawi Mud flat

Pacific Egret - Grey Form

Pacific Egret - Grey Form
digiscope

Snipe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHP6RE_IS_k

Sunset

Sunset
Nature

Digiscoping Equipment

Digiscoping Equipment

Equipment use for birding

  • Nikon D300
  • SLIK tripod / Monfrotto ProB tripod with Monfrotto Video Head 701HDV
  • Kowa Universal adapter
  • Canon G9 / Nikon L16 Coolpix
  • TSN603 with 45X wide angle / 20X wide angle
  • Nikon Monarch 10x42

Birding at Tambunan

Birding at Tambunan
Mountain Barbet / Andrew and Karim in action

Birding Time with Good Friends

22 April 08

Late updating, few trips with Jason and CK. We had a good sight of the Whitehead Spider Hunter. They took pictures (digiscoping). Have not seen it yet.

Jason on the scope for Whiteheads broadbill

Jason on the scope for Whiteheads broadbill
Broadbill quest

CK (front carrying his scope) and Jason

CK (front carrying his scope) and Jason

Jason - Tabin restaurant platform

Jason - Tabin restaurant platform

Tabin

Tabin
Jason - bird spotting