Avian Video - Violet Cuckoo

 This is a short clip of my sighting of a pair of Violet Cuckoo of my yesteryears birding in Kemensah or Taman TAR Ampang. It can be seen in lowland forest and suburbs near forest fringes. It does response to birdcall like most cuckoo do. But guys do not play your recording in prolong period but intermittently when you are out there as not to stress the bird if it do come out.  

Kemensah has changed dramatically in the past years and is now not conducive for birding as encroachment and opening up of the forest trails have push all the birdlife away.  

December 2020 - Avian Sighting Zappey's Flycatcher

 It was a good outing to Ampang during the last week of December to shoot this rarely seen migrant. I was inactive for the past months since the Covid-19 MCO restriction. So when news came my way that the Zappey's have been resighted in Ampang, it was sure thing not to miss the opportunity to see it. The place is 15 minutes from my residence.  This would be my first time shooting the male  bird. Zappey's is the recent split subspecies of the Blue and White. The latter has a darker blue  facial head and upper body as compared to the above male Zappey's which is lighter blue. 

The bird is seen frequently in Ampang for the past month now. It would sally to feed on insects amongst the many frugivorous birds feeding on the fruiting ficus trees. It is a rarity to see a mature male up close as it is very confiding and showy even we were 30 photogs strong chasing & shooting it below during that weekend. It was reminiscing the shooting in Penang Botanic Garden when birders all over the peninsula came to shoot the Emerald Cuckoo.

For the information of many;  the Asian Emerald Cuckoo is been seen in Jeram side  in December 2020.

Avian Nesting July 2020 - Common Flameback Woodpecker

 

In the month of July we can still see nesting in progress. For the past weeks many have come to shoot this Common Flameback  Woodie in the vicinity of Ampang Kuala Lumpur. For the first shooting the hatching period is in progress. I hope the feeding activity may start in early August. 

The parents take turns to sit in the nest. Every now and then popping out to scan for threat. We will see how it fair in the next few weeks.

Lurking on the adjoining tree nearby is this monster which I believe is eying the nest. I hope the woodies will be vigilant of the predator. 

Avian sighting August 2020 - Family of Pale Blue Flycatchers

 

This flycatcher is a middle storey dweller of hill forest and is confiding in the human present. The male can be mistaken for the juvenile or female Verditer minus the black lore. The birds came out separately at a fruiting tree. The juvenile drop in most of the time and will flutter its wings when mom was in sight.

The Pale Blue female have entire buff brownish body from the throat as shown below.  Earlier thought it was the female Brown-streaked which have a whiter throat. So to conclude the junvenile is a offspring of the two to end the debate amongst the present that day. 

                        

Juvenile flycatcher like many other species can be hard to id because they look alike

Iora (3/3) August 2020 - Great Iora (Lifer 542)

 

Finally a fluke appearance of a subadult or  a variant male Great Iora made the trip down  Negeri Sembilan worthwhile. Thanks Tokki for the heads up.

The bird pop out from nowhere as I shouted out  "iora" when  we were shooting a pair of Yuhina or rather Erpornis at a fruiting tree. Scrutinising the wings whether it is plain olive grey.  I was hoping it is a Great.  It sat silently for about a minute or so well behind some foliage in the middle story without calling; just looking at me and the gang . Felt  sorry for Richie who did not manage to sight it nor shoot it from a close distance of 40 ft even as I tried pointing out the yellow bird up on tree. Must bring a laser pointer liao.

The past few years I have tried to get it in Grik Perak a few time but no show. Then David got it in Krau Pahang this year at the bridge side where the Malaysian Blue Fc is often seen. Again no luck then.

The Great Iora is not really that big a bird. It is slightly larger than the other 2 subspecies. It has a sizeable beak like a scimitar babbler though and it wings have no white barring but a tinge of yellow. Its yellow eyering is less conspicuous compare to the others. Usually the adult have blackish head and mane. 

News on this birds

Latest new sighting at Sg Perdik UluLangat in March 2021 by Xialim 

Wader (60/70) August 2020 - White-headed Stilt aka Pied Stilt (Lifer 541)

 

The Pied Stilt or White-headed was always in my look out's list during the migratory period which starts as early as August till December in Peninsula. When news came from TK that there is a sighting here in Sg Balang; it was a no wait and see situation but to drive 170km from KL asap just in case the lifer leaves the spot which did happen for the Wooly, and Glossy Ibis.

It looks like the breeding plumage of the BW Stilt except for its pure white head and body and distinct black mane up to the back of its head. I would note that its head is more rounded (maybe because of the mane) and its beak a bit upturn. It would feed amongst the waterbirds here in the plowed section of the padi fields. It supposed to be smaller but I saw its aggressive behavior of chasing away a BW stilt during a feeding session.

It was the first record in pictures  here in Muar or rather Peninsula Malaysia according to the resident birder, Thank to Ang for his assist.

Below  as a comparison of the more common visitor  the Black-winged Stilt which have oblong head and dirtied white head and inconspicious mane. 

Avian sighting August 2020 - Finsch's Bulbul & Streaked Bulbul

 

These  are some of  the  less common seen lowland Bulbuls of Peninsula Malaysia. The Finsch's has this puffy yellow throat and dirty yellow body. The bird was quite approachable that day as there were many birds feeding at a fruiting Macaranga tree. It did ventured  down to eye-level for us to shoot.

The Streaked Bulbul on the other hand is a middle storey bird and we were shooting at a distance of 35-40 ft away. 

Jungle flycatcher (3/5) August 2020 - Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher (Lifer 540)

In Peninsula Malaysia we can sight 2 subspecies of Jungle Flycatchers. This one here is a resident of Malaysia virgin jungle. whilst the Brown-chested is a winter migrant visitor. The Fulvous Jungle Flycatcher has not being recorded  in  Malaysia as far as I know but in Southern Thailand and Borneo.

We were lucky to  see a pair during our last hour there.

The bird has a pure white triangular throat patch and the chest is buff to grey in color.  Its also has pale lores  with pale brownish eyering. The beak is totally black and they have pale legs.

I will need to go to Borneo Sabah to  see the other two lifers namely the Fulvous and Rufous -tailed .

 

Avian Sighting August 2020 - Green-billed Malkoha

A pair of Green-billed  was sighted foraging together with a pair Black-browed Barbet in Awana Genting. You seldom get to shoot them in the open. The former is a regular sighting here whilst the Red-billed is more often seen in Bukit Tinggi. 

News came that the Bukit Cincin gate is now closed from entry................

Avian Sighting July 2020 - Blyth's Hawk Eagle

The bird was sighted at Richmond trail in the afternoon. Unfortunately for me  it landed behind the dead tree trunk at about 150 ft out in the ravine. Hence the record shot. It has a single broad white banding to  its tail  compared to the less seen  Wallace's 3 bars. And then there is the other Mountain Hawk Eagle which I have shoot in Fraser's 

Avian Sighting Bukit Tinggi July 2020 - Mountain Peocock Pheasant

Bird life at BT is sporadic and sparse last weekend. The only consolation is the resident MPP  showing up. The male and female come out separately at long interval I suspect there is a nesting down the ravine. So within the nest week or so I hope there will be some chicks to shoot.....................

The Male with its double spikes leg

The Female without spike

 

The Ferruginous Partridges were nowhere to be seen  for the past week. 

The Female without spike

Avian Photo Gear - Arriving of Canon RF 100-500mm, 600mm and 800mm telephoto lenses

Canon RF 100-500mm, 600mm and 800mm telephoto lenses is coming as early as July 2020!

Is this going to be a game changer for Canon Birders. I cannot wait for its review. Hope Canon can do a Demo outing for Malaysian Birders to test the system. 

The affordability & portability is name of the birding game. So at a low price of  RM4,000 for any of them and the weight - no more than 1.5 kg is fantastic news.  Somemore there is OIS stabilisation which complement the  IBIS (whopping 8 stops beating Oly) of their new EVF mirrorless full frame EOS R5 /R6 cameras. However you need to budget RM13,000 for the R5's 45megapixel body.

Question is 1. How good is its AF in lowlight shooting? 2. How is the DOF at the fixed F11 aperture? 3. And of course the sharpness. If its good I will be eyeing the RF 800mm. We will wait and see...........

Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM - Overview (From Canon lens literature)

The RF 800mm IS STM lens is a super telephoto prime lens with 4-stop image stabilisation and a greater reach than its sister lens, the RF 600mm IS STM. It is perfect for the wildlife enthusiast, and ideal for specialist pursuits such as bird and aviation photography. Lightweight, powerful and compact with excellent image stabilisation for handheld shooting, the Diffractive Optic (DO) design, along with the RF lens mount and a fixed, F11 aperture, helps make it a more compact lens and easier to pack into a travel bag. Designed for Canon’s Full Frame mirrorless cameras, its RF lens mount offers a faster communication speed than a conventional DSLR. Smooth and silent focusing from the STM motor is a real advantage too, particularly for video.

Features & Benefits

• Capture safari, aircraft or travel views and shoot the ultimate frame-filling moments in glorious detail that benefit from creative telephoto compression.
• Thanks to 4-stop image stabilisation, super sharp telephoto images are possible, and you can achieve great handheld video footage too.
• Because of the RF mount, an F11 aperture and compact Diffractive Optic design, the lens measures 281.8 mm in length when stored and weighs only 1,260 g.
• An STM motor allows smooth, quiet AF while a Lens Control Ring gives intuitive control over settings. Pleasing bokeh is achieved thanks to a bladeless, F11 aperture.
• Now it’s easy to pack a super telephoto lens in your kitbag with powerful image stabilisation and AF which is available to all enthusiasts who want to travel light.

Availability and Pricing
The RF 800mm F11 IS STM is scheduled to be available at the end of July 2020 for an estimated retail price of $899.99.

*Based on CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) standards. Testing performed using the EOS R camera.

Canon EOS R5 versus the new EOS R6 writeup by Jeremy Gray

Image sensor: The Canon EOS R5 features a new Canon-designed 45-megapixel full-frame image sensor. The R6, on the other hand, features a lower megapixel sensor. The 20-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor of the R6 may not have the resolving power of the new sensor in the R5, but the R6 does have a higher native ISO ceiling: 204,800 versus 102,400.

Autofocus: Both the R5 and R6 feature Canon's latest Dual Pixel CMOS AF II. The AF system delivers 100 percent area coverage via 1,053 zones. In addition to this impressive coverage area, each camera includes eye, head and face tracking for people, dogs, cat and birds.

Performance: Despite the differences in image sensors, the R5 and R6 can both shoot at up to 12 frames per second using their mechanical shutters and 20 fps with the electronic shutter via silent photography mode. Where the R6 separates itself from the R5 in terms of performance is with respect to buffer depths. The EOS R6 can record 1,000 or more compressed raw (C-RAW) images, while the EOS R5's buffer depths top out at 260 C-RAW images when recording to either a UHS-II SD card or a CFexpress card. For regular raw images, the EOS R6 can record up to 240 images before the buffer is full, whereas the EOS R5 slows down after 180 raw images. Both cameras are powered by a DIGIC X processor.

Image stabilization: Both the EOS R5 and R6 promise up to 8 stops of image stabilization via built-in body-based image stabilization.

Design: The Canon EOS R5 and R6 are similar in overall design, but there are a few important differences. The R5 features a top LCD panel, something not included on the R6. The R6 also includes a different dial for selecting modes. The R5 uses the same mode button design as the EOS R, whereas the R6 opts for a more traditional mode dial.

Card slots: As mentioned earlier, the Canon EOS R6 has two SD card slots, both compatible with UHS-II. Rather than two SD card slots, the EOS R5 instead includes a CFexpress slot and an SD card slot (UHS-II).

Video: Thanks in part to its 45-megapixel image sensor, the EOS R5 can record 8K video at up to 30p in addition to 4K video at up to 120p. The EOS R6, on the other hand, records "just" 4K/60p video and no 8K video (there simply aren't enough pixels). Further, the EOS R6 does not record 4K video using the full width of the image sensor, something the EOS R5 can do.

Price: The EOS R6 will cost around $2,500 USD, whereas the EOS R5 will be much more expensive, launching with a suggested retail price of around $3,900.

Avian Photo Gear - Luminar Editing Software Review

Before and After using Luminar4

I was using a trial version Luminar 4.0 recently and I am quite impressed with its ease of use for its simplified scaling bar that suit my liking. The best is the one tap Preset- "SuperSharp" This save me a lot of time to enhance my bird photos. I always wonder  why my fellow birders' photos are so sharp & crispy. Now I know why and no longer envious of their counting feathers pictures lol. 

I would highly recommend  you guys to try it out. IT REALLY AVIANLICIOUS GOOD. I would rate it 4.5 star for its affordable price. Wait for a discount if you intend to get it. BTW I only shoot in Jpeg.

Case1 - One Tap Preset is so handy and easy for anyone to boost the sharpness and vibrancy of your photo. Not to say Fuji colors are out but L4 just give the bird's more contrast and details which pop out......

Original Crop untouched Jpeg from Fuji XT-2

Luminar 4 one tap Preset - SuperSharpening AI

CASE 2 Comparison of my usual Canon Editor vs Luminar4. Both are matching but L4 is more vibrant

Lesser Shortwing - Canon Editor 

Lesser Shortwing - Luminar4

Malaysian Hill Partridge in the morning haze

Avian Post-nesting July 2020 - Feeding time in Bukit Fraser

In the month of June - July the opportunity to get feeding action is there to capture. I was in Bukit Fraser for such an opportunity. It is not easy to shoot at low speed sub1/60s in low light condition.

Best to shoot at 1/250s at least with ISO3200 or higher if you camera can offer good noise control.

Other time you can only shoot the parent grabbing food  to feed its fledgling in the undergrowth.

Somewhat the female juvenile Large Niltava follows the Mum whilst its male sibling follows the Dad