Bukit Tinggi 17 January 2010

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Panoramic view of a Japanese Garden in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. The is the main birding area,where the constant lighting at a flower nursery attract insects and birds. (Picture credit to Choo Tse Chien)

I was with more than 20 bird photographers from Malaysia and Singapore at Bukit Tinggi, Pahang on Sunday.
This beautiful bird was the main attraction.
Orange-headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina) - male
Full frame shot with 400mm + 1.4TC at ISO 1600. Just edited with a bit of sharpening and resize with Photoshop CS2.
Upper part of the wing was over exposed due to spot of sunlight shining through the leaves.
Still not master the exposure technique. This is an excuse for another visit to this highland. ;)

This one was edited with +20 saturation

This picture below was edited with Photofiltre with reviving colour and noise reduction with Noiseware community edition ver 2.6

Here a few photographers with bazookas, waiting for that orange bird to land. Not in the forest, but on the main road with so many tourists.

Picture above with my Nokia N79 and below by Choo Tse Chien with iPhone 3GS .

Jimmy Tan, Sreedharan, Wong, TS Chien, yours truly and two photog that I can't remember their name.

Here a redo picture, taken 5 days later with better lighting.

This was taken last year - 2009:02:27

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Birds Photography at Old Pump House Road - Genting Highland

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I heard a lot about the birding trail at Genting Highland in Malaysia, particularly the Old Pump House trail at GohTong Jaya. I always wanted to go there, but didn't have a time to join the MNS  (Malaysia Nature Society) trip last year. Last weekend my dream come true as I had an opportunity to birding there and guided by my new found blogger friend - Wai Yen. - Thank you Yen!
I supposed to meet Yen at 7.0oam at the Sri Malaysia Hotel at GohTong Jaya, so I woke up at 5.00am then driving all the way up the mountain. Arrived 10 minutes before 7.00 and noticed a lot of activities there and rows of cars with Electcoms logo. Electcoms Jelajah Malaysia (Tour of Malaysia Bicycle Race) - Stage 7 (which end at Genting) competition going to take place in front of that hotel.

Tours of Malaysia Support Cars

The trail is actually a private properties,  a service road for maintenance of a water pump for the Genting Highland Resort. The gate officially only open on Sunday, but we found the gate opened last Saturday. So, we went in following the jogger that frequent the area. Lucky we meet the owner of the pump (I forgot his name), and he happily allowed us to birding there.
This front gate photo is from Uncle Khong's Travel Guide site (used with permission).

We saw a lot of birds, but only ONE Lifer for us that day.
Dusky Broadbill (Corydon sumatranus), size: 28cm

Dusky Broadbill (Corydon sumatranus)

We miss the Scarlet Rumped Trogon and had a glimpsed of Great Hornbill that make a loud call at a very tall trees.

The photos below are a few birds and non-bird that I found there.
Grey-chinned Minivet (Pericrocotus solaris) - female above and male below

Orange-bellied Leafbird (Chloropsis hardwickii) - male

Dusky Leaf Monkey or Spectacled Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus)

wild orchid - probably Arundina graminifolia
These two little dogs are guarding the pump house - pretty harmless!

This is the end part of the road to the Old Pump House - Oil tanker just arrived to refill the pump engine. The road is about 3 km one way, so we walked six km carrying more than 7kg of photography gear - that with tinny 400mm (1.25kg) lenses. I don't know how those photographers carrying 500mm (3.9kg) and that 600mm bazooka (5.4kg)

The legendary Old Pump House.

Have a look for more bird pictures at the Bird Photography Weekly @ Birdfreak.com

White-headed Munia at Raub Golf Course

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I found this small (11cm) Munia at open grassland beside the Raub Golf course.
Known as "Pipit Uban" in Malay meaning finch with grey hair - white head and throat.
This is my lifer. There are six species of Munia in Malaysia, and I have only seen two so far - this white headed and Scaly-breasted Munia

Raub Golf course

White-headed Munia (Lonchura maja)

Juvenile (left & below) and adult with white head

Fraser's Hill Silver-Eared Mesia - That's My World

I'm late for this meme, but better late than never! ;)

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Fraser's Hill is a well known location in Malaysia for birding. Situated only about 40km from my home town Raub, at 1280 meters above sea level. This Montana Rainforest host for some 270 species of local and migratory birds.
Out of that 270, one bird that attract my attention. You know why?, sure because of her beauty.
I has been to this Hill Station a few time, twice for birding, but failed to captured a decent image of this small (18cm) that very active jumping around. Last Sunday I was determined to get it.
It was raining by the time I arrived there at 11.15am. I went straight to Jelai Resort and wait for the rain to stop.
After the rain I was rewarded with a flock of this beautiful Mesia and other bird waves.

seen here feeding on rice at Jelai Resort car park.

"wheat-sower" from Japan - Mugimaki Flycatcher - That's my World!

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My Lifer - Sunday shooting at Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. I joined the bird photographers from Penang and Singapore. Meet all the familiar online names (TSChein, Alagan, Adrian Lim, et all). They are all veteran and experience bird photographers with big lenses aka bazookas (meaning 500, 600 & 800mm).
It was really fun shooting this little beauty. We stand waiting in the middle of the road, with those big lenses and tripod for the bird to perch at the lower clean branches, just outside the road's steel barrier. All the cameras already set and prefocus . While waiting we have a chat and look at the bird reference book. Suddenly somebody whispering "there, there Mugimaki!!". Rap-tap-tap-tap, the sound of cameras with 10fps rattling in unison with flash blazing. Surprisingly the bird just stands still posing for us, for a few seconds, so that everybody has enough full framed portrait to bring home, (and to show off at the birds forum). ;-)


Few of bird photographers - pictures with Nokia N70.
Left: Sree and Chien (and Alagan big 800mm). Right: Adrian (in green shirt), Low (Dominator) and Reno. Can you see Adrian's Porche sport rim there! ;)

Mugimaki Flycatcher (Ficedula mugimaki)

All my images are just for my record, croped (not full frame) and not sharp enough, not worth posting at birds forum. ;-)