Birding With Y Bird Japan Group Part I

5th - 9th August 2010

Below is some of the birds were seen during my recent trip with these group led by Ken Tanaka who acted as a translator, started at Kinabalu National Park and ended at Tg. Aru Beach.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope EDG85 via FSA-L2 DSLR Photo Adapter on Nikon D300s

At Tuaran paddy field

After the walked at Silau-silau Trail searching for the Whitehead's Trogon & Broadbill

Endemic Mt. Blackeye only found above 1800m asl but occasionally found around 1500mm asl at the Liwagu Restaurant

One of the skulker found at Kinabalu National Park, the Sunda Bush Warbler

Bornean subspecies, Ashy Drongo

Common endemic which favored Medinilla fruits that grow wild at the mountain, Black-sided Flowerpecker

Happy birding everyone.

Great Frigatebird (Fregeta Minor)

28th July 2010

I have seen 3 species of Frigatebird at Mantanani Island last April 2010 but only managed to digiscoped the Lesser Frigatebird. On my recent visit to Semporna town about 537 km from Kota Kinabalu, did not expect to see these rare bird circling above the Dragon Inn Floating Hotel where I was staying for few days.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope EDG85 via FSA-L2 adapter on Nikon D300s.

Thanks to my best friend TS Wong for pointing out the identification of this bird via Facebook yesterday :)

Happy birding !

Nikon Fieldscope EDG85 & FSA-L2 Adapter

19th July 2010

Busy with my new born baby, I took the opportunity to test my new scope, the Nikon Fieldscope EDG85, Digital Photo Adapter FSA-L2 for my Nikon D300s and the EDG 20-60x zoom eyepiece.

Shooting range with DX format is from 750mm - 2625mm (500mm - 1750mm in FX format) on f5.9-f22 at the same time I could use my zoom eyepiece for normal viewing. Changing between zoom eyepiece with the FSA-L2 adapter took me less than 5 seconds because it uses bayonet type mount rather than thread in the Nikon Fieldscope ED82 and shooting is done in manual focus. This is very important considering the unpredictable behavior of birds. Changing eyepiece and adapter on the field is much faster and convenient.

The Field Of View (FOV) of the new EDG 20-60x zoom eyepiece is considered the widest in the market available for its range in magnification compared with the older MC II 25-75x zoom eyepiece. Viewing birds, other wildlife, moon and stars as well for security purposes is a pleasure with the eyepiece offering edge-to-edge sharpness hence the concept of EDG by Nikon.

I have been digiscoping with compact cameras for few years with Nikon Fieldscope ED82 plus the FSA-L1 adapter on Nikon D300s. But with the introduction of Nikon Fieldscope EDG and the elusive FSA-L2 adapter, my picture quality has improved a lot and Nikon has taken Digiscoping into higher level for birdwatchers. It means that, I could shoot in faster frame per second with my Nikon D300s and also recording videos of birds and wildlife in HD format.

For more info regarding Nikon EDG products, check their website at http://nikon.com/products/sportoptics/edg/top/index.htm

Intensive tests done by Italian team :

• http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=it&tl=en&u=http://www.nital.it/experience/edg-reflex.php&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com.my&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiO-Krr6njO0ZUAV3eq5vn3wVKrQw#06
  
  
• http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=it&tl=en&u=http://www.nital.it/experience/edg-coolpix.php&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com.my&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhgUqC5TO6kftYXsD23relR0YuU-nA#05
  

Nikon Fieldscope EDG85 with FSA-L2 Digital Photo Adapter connected on Nikon D300s and external microphone via C-shaped bracket (top photo) attached on the tripod mount.

Digiscoped photos on 500mm processed with Nikon Capture NX2.

Wandering Whistling Duck in flight

Great Egret

Stork-billed Kingfisher considered the biggest Kingfisher in Borneo

White-breasted Wood-Swallow, one of my favorite bird

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Scaly-breasted Munia

Black-headed Munia juvenile

Black-headed Munia

Dusky Munia, common Bornean endemic found at the paddy field

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Asian Glossy Starling

Happy birding and my birding tours will start by next month with Japanese group at Kinabalu National Park.

Birding With Rockjumper Group

19th - 27th May 2010

Familiarization trip by Tourism Malaysia and Sabah Tourism led by a well-known birder, Dennis Yong at West Malaysia and co-led by me while in Sabah. The group came from South Africa and managed to get over 250 species and by the time of writing, they were at Poring Hot Spring for their extension trip with Dennis.

Key species seen here :

• Great-billed Heron
• Ruddy Kingfisher
  
• Whitehead's Trogon
• Whitehead's Broadbill
• Mt. Wren-Babbler
• Everett's Thrush
• Black-headed Pitta
• Blue-headed Pitta

Other non-avian species seen :

• Orang Utan
• Proboscis Monkey
• Silver Leaf-Monkey
• Hose's Monkey
  
• Bornean Gibbon
• Bornean Pygmy Elephant
• Plain Pygmy Squirrel
• Giant Squirrel
• Kinabalu Squirrel

Pictures taken with Nikon equipments.

Waiting for the Chestnut-necklaced Partridge

White-chested Babbler

Rufous-collared Kingfisher

Whiskered Treeswift

Staghorn Bettle

Buffy Fish-Owl

Oriental Darter

White-bellied Fish-Eagle

With Dennis for the Bornean Stubtail

Mt. Kinabalu in the morning




Proboscis Monkey




Bornean Pygmy Elephant near Bilit Rainforest Lodge




Dinner with Noredah from Sabah Tourism Board. From left to right, with their Proboscis Monkey, courtesy from Sabah Tourism Board, Luis, Gavin, David, Glenn, Adam, Markus, me and Dennis.

Check Rockjumper website offering birding tours here

Happy birding folks :)

Nikon Birding & Photography Workshop

7th - 9th May 2010

"Enjoyable workshop and lots of food !" some of the comments from the participants during the first birding and photography workshop ever held at the World Heritage site, Mt. Kinabalu by Sandakan Foto and supported by Sabah Tourism Board and Nikon Malaysia.

The 3 days workshop covered intensively by respective speakers namely Cede Prudente, renowned Wildlife Photographer who has been working with National Geographic and BBC, Kelvin Chan, Director of Photography with an international firm based in Kuala Lumpur, John Kong from Kota Kinabalu, a commercial photographer with main interest in Landscape, TS Wong from Tawau, a hobbyist in Bird Photographer, CS Ling, flown all the way from Singapore and covered about her passion in Wildlife and Nature and myself for Birding and Digiscoping.

At the same time, MOU was signed by the speakers who donated 5 pictures each for sale to Sabah Cheshire Home to raised fund and was witnessed by Tengku Adlin of Sabah Tourism Board, Mr. Shim, Regional Manager for Nikon Malaysia and Irene from Sandakan Foto as the main organizer for the workshop.

Some of the pictures taken with Nikon equipments. Credits to Jollence Lee :)

Signing of MOU

Birding & Digiscoping by me

Cede preparing for his time lapse

CS Ling

John Kong in Discover with Nikon Lenses

Special lounge cum exhibition area for latest Nikon equipments

Kelvin for Travel and Landscape

Bornean Whistler

Indigo Flycatcher

Black-capped White-Eye

Happy birding and see you on the next workshop :)

Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes)

24th April 2010

One of the rarest winter visitor to Sabah and seen only in small number from September to April every year. Best place to check this bird on the West Coast is at Lok Kawi Beach and Likas Bay. For the East Coast, birders should check at Sim-Sim water village and Bambangan Village, Sandakan

According to Birdlife International, estimated around 2600 - 3400 birds that breeds on the small islands of Russia, Korea and mainland China. Main wintering ground for South East Asia is at Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak at Borneo Island with around 50% of the global population that spent their winter here based on the winter counts in 2004/2005.

One bird was seen at Lok Kawi beach mixing with Little and Great Egret. I was looking for the resident Malaysian Plover, but without success.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope EDG65 via FSA-L2 adapter and Nikon D300s.













Happy birding !