Reed Warbler 3/4 - Manchurian Reed Warbler (Lifer 548/688)

Manchurian Reed Warbler

 A lifer  in Chui Chak Langkap Perak to end 2021 bird year.

This is a medium size Warbler (upto 14.5cm) compared to the larger local Oriental coming in at 20cm long. It is a shy bird, and poorly understood; this Reed Warbler breeds in the remote marshlands of northeastern China and Russia and winters in drier, grassier habitats in Southeast Asia. I manage to see the Rusty-rumped Warbler, Oriental RW and the Black-browed at the same  stretch of wild hedge. What a crowd.

Warm brown overall with a clean-cut whitish brow and throat; brow extends well behind the eye. Manchurian’s brow broadens behind the eye instead. 

Oriental Reed Warbler is much larger, with a weaker head pattern. Rambling jumbled song consists of high-pitched warbling notes and sharp clicks and rattles; The Manchurian has a more pleasant-sounding than that of Oriental Reed Warbler.

Black-browed Reed Warbler

Oriental Reed Warbler

 

Rusty-rumped Warbler;I was hoping it was the Lanceolated

Bulbul 1/26 Ochraceous Bulbul - Lost posting / listing

 

Avian Report Bukit Tinggi October 2021 - Birding to restart with lifting of MCO for interstate travel in Peninsula Malaysia 11 October 2021

 My Fuji XT-2 was returned from YL without any repair. The nearest Fuji Service Centre is now based in Singapore and it cost a bomb just to repair my camera  flash mount of about RM1000. So I say forget it and please return it as I can live with it without flash. It still function but in bright background open field birding; my picture exposure can go hairwire with burnout pictures I do not really know why. 

You better think twice if you want to invest in Fuji gear as there is no local service centre in KL anymore. Maybe I will be moving to Olympus since I was given a OM-D1 Mk3  as a parting gift. But still waiting for an used 300mm f4 lens. 

Anyway  got back my camera in time for a half day recce to Bukit Tinggi  Pahang just to restart birding  again. I am now retired and I can bird during the weekdays without the tourist crowd. With less crowd in Bukit Tinggi there were many birds to see. 

The highlight of trip is the close encounter of a family of Dusky Broadbills.  I was shooting handheld at 1/60s and did  not expect any sharp photos.

On the way up I met Wendy and her Penang-kia friend Nancy and Alex who were  shooting this Treeswift at close range of 30-40 ft. Rarely you can shoot them so close. There are plenty of them along the road side.

The female  Orange-breasted Trogon pay us a visit but the female was too shy to come close as we were rather rowdy down at the trail. 

At the Ayam port I was hoping to see some migrants but no thrush, robin, flycatcher or any rarity in the month of second half of October. The resident peacock pheasant, white-rumped sharma,  a skirtish rufous-browed flycatcher & Ochraceous bulbul were all we saw there. Surprisingly they are very shy the whole morning coming out only once or twice.

Avian Gear Review April 2021 - Viltrox Mount Adapter EF-FX2 M2 - Rating 2.5/5 stars

 My fuji XT-2 apparently YL have to send down to Singapore for service. Malaysia no longer have the facility. WTF. Since I cannot wait any longer I bought myself an adapter/converter to use my old faithful EF400mm F4 DO lens on my new Olympus OMD-1 MarkIII. As I cannot justify the crazy price of the Metabones (RM2,500), I opt for the second-best the Viltrox M2 at a price of RM500. 

The focus distance is reduced by a multiple of 0.71 when my lens is mounted so my EF400mm becomes 380mm and enhances to F2.8. So if I need a better distance I have to invest in a teleconverter 1.4 

The Pied Fantail shot at 25-30ft was rather soft and need some post sharpening and enhancement. Even then no clear feathers to see.

So far in the real world bird photography using the Viltrox adapter, my general review of the combination of my above set up is a 2.5/5  stars rating.  I did not expect so poor resolution from the combination. Contrast was not there. Colors was just lame.  Focusing speed was not tact fast enough with plenty of hunting when shooting in low light condition.

Even stepping down to F8 or F9 I still cannot get much resolution out of my OMD-1 mark III. ISO was kept low of Asa800. So my rating is a poor rating for the moment until I do further test with other lenses. 

Meanwhile WK Liew have more success with his EF 500mmf4 on his Fuji X-T4 using a Fringer adapter. Maybe it is Olympus smaller sensor or my DO lens is not sharp enuf ...... I got to try out his lens to make sure I am wrong.

As a comparison my XF100-400 with my XE2 body (16mp sensor) fair even much better as shown below in term of feather details. Jpeg without post processing. 

Fuji XF100-400mm with XE-2 body.

Latest - Apparently the Viltrox is only compatible for certain Ef lenses  and my EF 400mm DO L lens is not one of them. My fault for not bringing along my lens to test but used another lens from YL.  So it is very important to do testing with the actual lens you want to use. I hope Viltrox can come out with the update of the firmware asap if not my $$$ is burned. 

Avian Nesting April 2021 - White-breasted Woodswallow

I was surprise to see a nest being constructed on the metal bracing of a electrical post in the open rather than in a tree. It will collect fibrous husk from the nearby coconut tree besides roots and twigs to make its nest.

Photos taken with Olympus OMD1 mark iii using a EF 400mm DO lens and Viltrox adapter. Shooting in good morning lighting but even stepping down to f7.1/8 I still cannot get much better resolution. I definately have to abandon the idea of the setup and return to a Canon body.

 

Avian Photo Gear - Rumor has it Fuji XF 150-600mm lens is coming

 Well fuji has announced that other Lens makers like Tamron and Sigma can now get propriety license to make lenses for Fuji. How soon I don't know but I think soon. I hope Sigma & Tamron would allow those existing owners to bring in their lens in Canon or Nikon mount for conversion to Fuji EF mount.

Rumors have it that Fuji is finally coming out with a new Bigmama. This is good news for birders. if it is priced right and affordable below RM12,000 or less. I will definitely get one if so. I will be waiting for it in 2022! To be lightweight it has to be in f5.6-6.3 similar to Sigma  unit. I hope Sigma & Tamron would allows those exisitng owners to bring in their lens in Canon or Nikon mount  for conversion to Fuji EF mount.

Waterbird - Pond Heron 3/3 - Indian Pond Heron (Lifer 547)

Satisfying moment in the month of April 2021 as I finally close the chapter on Pond-heron of peninsula Malaysia as the final bird is now in hand. Thank Sian.

The birds are there to see whether in Muar Johor,  Melaka or Sekinchan Selangor its a matter of the going out to look for it. The month of April many pond herons will molt to their  breeding plummage. When they are breeding their legs will turn bright red. Some are late in changing their feathers colors like the one pictured below. I am almost sure it is an Indian pond heron too

Indian Pond Heron are visitors from India subcontinent Sri Lanka and Burma side. Adults in breeding plumage have a dark reddish-brown back that contrasts with a yellowish head, neck, and breast. In non-breeding plumage, they are virtually indistinguishable from non-breeding Chinese Pond-Heron or Javan for that matter. In-flight, adults appear surprisingly white due to their strikingly white wings, underparts, and tail. Although typically solitary, large numbers often gather where food is plentiful. 

These photos were shot with my Nikon P1000 at 3000mm focal distance at a range of 250 ft away in the middle of the padi field. Pictures are rather soft with plenty of sharpening required. During the padi planting season you can  only drive along the track and scan the water canals and walk bunds for the birds. Best to shoot from your car.

Their diet comprises mainly of frogs fish crustaceans and insects depending on the season. During my encounter it was on a dry bund  and has the uncanny sense to pluck out grubs from the grassy muddy ground. This happen in the morning. By 10 am it disappeared into the padi field.