Panti :: 24th Oct 2010

I always believe if you reach your destination with a lot of  birds show up before you, that would be a lucky day with few lifers. Phenomenon like this normally those rusty spare CFs would gratefully get their turns before noon.

But I was so wrong yesterday! When I reached Panti at 8am, my pet bird (a fully grown up CHE now) greeted me at the gate, 2 Crimpson-wing woodpeckers were busy pecking at mid-storey near the car park, and half a dozen of Hill Mynas were roosting at a tree barely 30’ from me. Tiger Shrikes were at the usual spot again seemingly begging for a portraiture shot at eye-level.

I didn’t fire a shot for I was late for an appointment with a rare species 3kms away. Halfway down the trail a gorgeous Black-caped Babbler was sighted just 2m away on my left, It was too close I couldn’t get it as I need a min of 10’ for my 500mm lens. It would have been be a lifer on my sensor then.

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma)

Sepah Puteri Dada oren  * 橙腹啄花鸟 * オレンジハナドリ * Chim sâu ngực xá

Then a huge bird waive came, a couple of pigeons, flowerpeckers, and probably the whole population of Olive-winged Bulbuls! A few quick shots and on seeing nothing special I went for my target, but unfortunately for hours it didn’t show up.

Little Green Pigeon (Treron olax)

Punai Siul  * 小绿鸠 * チビアオバト

Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus)

Merbah Belukar * 橄榄褐 * アカメヒヨドリ

And for the rest of the day, nothing was seen along the 8km bunker trail.  I checked my CF card and realized only 30 shots were fired. So it looks hard to beat my last year's record of 6 fired on a miserable Buff-vented Bulbul.

Not so bad after all!