Green-billed Malkoha in flight

I spotted a large, long-tailed bird foraging in a Rambutan tree beside my neighbor's house.

As I approach it to take a photo, it jumps and flies away.

I fired in high-speed continuous, approx. 7.0 shots/sec. Canon 5D Mark IV.

What photographers say is "Fire and pray".

These are three pictures that are sharp enough to be worth sharing.

Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis longicaudatus)

Burung Cenok Kera in Malay - Creeps through the foliage like a squirrel (Kera in Malay).

The Green-billed often has a clear white border to the red face patch.

flying past a coconut tree

 

15 Muharram 1445 - Full Moon

Testing the old Tamron 1.4x SP TC (Teleconverter).

I bought this tiny TC in September 2007 for only RM575.00. Now it has cost RM1780.00 (3 times over 15 years). Seldom do I use it because the autofocus is slow. It is good for stationary subjects (as in the moon below), but not for fast action and birds in flight. The TC reduces the aperture to f/8 Max, only new cameras can do that.

My 5D Mark IV can AF at the center only. The original Canon 1.4 TC version III extenders can AF up to 61 points.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 560mm, f/8, ISO 1000, 1/800 sec, -5 step

Birds eat Spanish Cherry fruit

 

Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi)  Tanjong Tree.Bullet Wood

Pokok Tanjung, Spanish Cherry tree

This tree was planted by a housing developer just 2 meters from my house's perimeter wall. The fruit ripens in July after flowering in April.

Also known as "bullet wood," this is a strong and tough wood. I have pruned it a few times, and even the small branches are hard to cut with a parang. After the fruiting is over, I will give it another prune.

  

Tanjong Tree, Bunga Tanjung or Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi)

The fruit is about 2-3 cm in size, yellow-red when ripe.

Yellow-vented foraged in Spanish Cherry tree

Yellow-vented bulbul (pycnonotus goiavier)

I also sported Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis strigata) and Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) eating the fruits, but unable to photograph it.

 The fruits are too big to swallow whole, so the bulbul just nibbles the exocarp.

I have documented this bubul eating fucus fruits, Fucus Benjamina  HERE

The bird eats the sweet mesocarp the fleshy middle layer of the pericarp of a fruit.

I collect the dry flower, the half-eaten fruit, and the seeds discarded by the bird.

Half day birding at Desa Anthurium, Cameron Highlands

I went to the Cameron Highlands recently for a private visit. On Sunday, that tourist site was crowded with heavy traffic jams. I spent a few hours photographing a common highland bird. 

Here are a few pictures captured with a short 400mm f5.6 telephoto lens.

Desa Anthurium, Cameron Highlands, sunrise @ 6:59am

Anthurium flowers; the apartment name may originate from this flower.

This flamingo flower, or elephant ear plant, fetches a high price during the Covid-19 MCO (movement control order) pandemic.

Blue-winged Minla (Minla cyanouroptera)

This rather small (14–15.5 cm) babbler hopped in the pine branches looking for insects.

Blue-winged Minla

Everett’s White-eye (Zosterops everetti)

The white-eye also joins the forage.

Pink Hibiscus and Female Black-throated Sunbird - (Aethopyga saturata)

The mountain fulvetta (Alcippe peracensis)

This mountain bird landed on a Giant/King Fern (Angiopteris evecta) fern leaf.

Cameron Flower Pink day-lily flowers

Jungle Crow makes a loud noise in a tall forest tree.

Hume’s White-eye (Zosterops  auriventer).

Medinilla speciosa flowers Cameron Highland

Mountain Bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii peracensis)

Cameron Murai and  Angel’s Trumpet Flowers

Magpie Robin - male

Cameron Pink daylily flowers

Spotted Dove- adult and juvenile

Cameron Highlands White Eye on the pine tree branch.

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Cameron - Agapanthus africanus (African lily)

Common Myna brings nesting material (grass)

Common Myna is cleaning its beak on a street light metal beam.

Common Tailor bird perched on hibiscus tree.

Spotted Dove drying its feather, morning backlighting shows a nice water droplet.

Plantain Squirrel

birding location

Photographer in action from the 4th-floor balcony.

Cameron Tahi Ayam Lantana camara Flower

Stripe-throated Bulbul - (Pycnonotus finlaysoni)