Birding at Fraser's Hill

After getting my Digital SLR in March '07 and a
the long lens in October 2007, now the time to test it in real-life nature bird photography.
All this while I have taken backyard or garden bird photos from the convenience of my house's windows /doors.
So my family and I went to Fraser's Hill yesterday and stayed at the Jelai Resort, famous among birders and photographers. It was really an eye-opener for me. Despite the long lens (canon 400mm f5.6 + 1.4x extender), tripod, F1 bracket, and better beamers flash accessories, to make bird photography as easy as possible, I found it very difficult and challenging.



I meet Mr. K.S Durai at the Fraser Hill Info Center. A very kind man, he lends me a pair of binoculars. No deposit is needed, I just show him my MNS ID card.

I waited at Jelai's car park at 7.00am, and the first wave of birds started at 7.20am. So many Laughing Trush landed and fed on insects in the car park. I fumble in the excitement of seeing so many birds, all lifer for me. Focusing was so difficult in the low morning light, and AF didn't work, so manual was the thing of the day. Very-very challenging. The birds look tame but never lay still.
Imagine trying to catch them when they jump all over the branches, feeding from one flower to another.

After breakfast, we went for jungle tracking at Hemmant Trail - an easy 1000m trail. The weather was fine and no rain the night before, so leech was not a problem. I got the Cuckoo Shrike pic there.

Here are some of the pictures of that trail.















I snapped hundreds of frames, but mostly crappy out of focus, over/under exposed, or no birds in the frame!

Here are 5 new species, that I managed to catch of the acceptable /record catch.



(1)
Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna)
Kelicap Jantung Gunung












Streaked Spiderhunter












Streaked Spiderhunter








(2) Asian Koel (Eudynamis scolopacea) - male juvenile. This is the species that I miss identified for a long time. After 3 yrs birding I found the answer. Immature Black and Crimson Oriole.











(3)
Long-tailed Sibia (Heterophasia picaoides)
Rimba Ekor Panjang


















Long Tailed Sibia








(4)
Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush (Garrulax mitratus)
Rimba Mata Putih












Chestnut Capped Laughingthrush










(5)
Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris)
Rimba Telinga Putih













Silver Eared Mesia











Scarlet Minivet - Burung Matahari
(Pericrocotus flammeus) ~ Male

Seen, but unable to photograph:
1. Lesser Racquet-tailed Drongo
2. Fantail, White-Throated

I WILL BE BACK to shot more birds!