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MikeBirder - Malaysian Birds

Hi

Welcome to my Malaysian Birding Blog. I migrated to blogspot.com as my blog at multiply.com closed shop in 2012. I wish to showcase all Malaysian birds that I have photographed whether here or overseas. My countdown of lifers started in 2005. Coming to Oct 2022 my countdown of lifers photograph has reached
559/688 species of birds of Malaysia in photos.

My shooting gear was a EF400mm f4 DO lens and Canon 7D body which to me is the ideal setup for mobility and bird chasing at that time. Eventhen the weight over my shoulder is more that 5.5 kg. As of June 2016 I have also acquired a Fuji XF 100-400mm OIS lens to complement my travelling cum birding trip overseas. My Fuji X-T2 went kaput recently and I upgraded to the X-T5 in 2023 ; the weight over my shoulder is much lighter now by 30%. In December 2018 I acquired the Nikon Coolpix P1000 as supplementary camera for distance shooting of 3000mm.
Fuji have finally made available their new XF 200-600mm lens which I yet to decide to spend another RM10,000. As for Fuji body I will stop with X-T5 36megapixel ..........

I am a weekend birder. Do feel free to drop me a line at mikebirding@gmail.com and I see whether you can tag along in my outings. My usual day trip is just an hour ride away to Hulu Langat, Lancang, Kemensah, Krau, Awana, Hulu Kali, Gombak Ole Road, Fraser's Hill , Bukit Tinggi and KSNP & Coastal Sg Janggut Jeram side of the coast . Overnite trip to Merapoh & Cameron, Air Hitam and further north to Kuala Sidim is a seldom affair but for lifer we travel. Panti in Johor is another good birding site that I yet to go. Then there are the Borneo birds of Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia which I seriously much go to chalk up more lifers. This I did in 2018 to Sepilok Sandakan and Kinabalu Park. Next Danum and LahatDatu.......

WARNING Birding is an addiction once you started its hard to stop. The wifey and children are now birding widow and orphan.

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS BLOG ARE COPYRIGHT OF MIKEBIRDER. KINDLY SEEK PERMISSION FROM THE OWNER IF YOU want to use them for commercial purposes.

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Sunday 29 January 2023

Crake (5/7) Jan 2023 - Slaty-legged Crake Lifer 2023 (567/688)

This will be my first lifer for the year 2023 as we Chinese usher the Chinese New year of the Rabbit. I hope to see more lifers and the next target is the Pied Avocet that has arrived in Seberang Perai Penang. Thank Q BnC.
My catch was in Taman Botani Shah Alam which this bird regularly appear during the migration period Nov-Mar. Missed it 2 years back when it sighted in March. Then in Ayer Hitam Penang  and Penang Isle. I did not take the effort to go then. I missed it though in Fraser years back as it was on  transit  back to northern hemisphere.

Slaty-legged crakes are territorial, but are quite secretive, hiding in bushes when disturbed. They probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They forage for berries and insects on the ground, or clambering through bushes and undergrowth. Here in TBSA the bird was not scared by the 20 odd bird photogs at the port setup and come out as near as 25 feet of us.  I was shooting at 1/15s-1/30s at iso 3200 with my Fuji XT-2. It was tough getting it in focus in the low light condition in the early morning. KC Che with his Nikon D500 encounter similar situation. We stayed until we got some decent photos before we walk to other areas to look for the Golden fronted leafbird an escapee/released bird of Thailand. I really wonder how people can stay for hours to shoot thousand of shots of a bird..... perfectionist I guess.

The slaty-legged crake is about 25 cm long. Its body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the undergrowth. It has long toes and a short tail. Colouring includes a brown back, chestnut head and breast, and strong black-and-white barring on the flanks, belly and undertail. The throat is white, the bill is yellowish, and the legs are green. Sexes are similar; juveniles are dark brown above and below, although they have the belly barring and white throat. There is another rarer cousin of Slaty-legged  namely the Red-legged which have similar features except its legs are red which is also a migrant  to peninsula Malaysia. Some overstay and breed here.





 

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