Sg Balang, Hentian Mahkota, & Parit Sagil :: 3rd Nov 2015 ::

So i am back after 3 and half years' silence in Southerwings! I didn't quit of course, just down with some health problems.  Feeling much better now after some cheap medication, so here we go......

I made 2 trips in the last fortnight to one of my fav birding spots (i.e. Sg Balang paddyfields ) and here are the photos..    

Semerah's Nasi Lemak and Curry Puffs 6:30am

The Common Kingfisher is becoming a common migratory species to me nowadays, last year they were sighted on 3 locations just in my home town of Kulai alone. But one would never get tired of shooting them for its gorgeous colours, and a chance to get FIM shots, but after waiting for 6 dives into the stream below with no catch i decided to move on, only to blame myself second later because just 30' ahead, perched silently a species that i have been longing to snap, 

the Japanese SparrowHawk! One quick burst it was gone! Grrrr..... I came back a week later just for this species but she was nowhere in sight.

Japanese Sparrowhawk

As i move on, many familiar species were sighted, Lapwings, Waterhens, Adjutants, Pond Herons, Little Herons, Munias, at least six pairs of BSKs were busy courting and mating. 

Strange that i did not see many raptors in the air though, perhaps the lack of ploughing activity on the paddyfields was the main reason. 

As for wintering species, Blue-tailed Beeeaters were in big number, at least i ran out of fingers and toes to count them. As my friend Ben put it, their number is probably 21!

Pond Heron

 Grey Plover?

I always get lucky with the Snipes, perhaps I always used the same old method i.e. wait patiently for them to come near as they search for food, rather than shoot on first sight and scare they away. I honestly find the shutter noise loud on D7100 because most of the time i could see their eyes staring at me thru the viewfinder each time i click. What takes the camera makers so long to design a totally silence dslr is beyond me. Go mirrorless?

 Snipe

One of the reasons for my eagerness to visit Sg Balang this time was to try out my new toy or rather new setup which i called "LukiKon", i.e. Panasonic Lumix G7 with Kiwifotos's Nikon G-M43 adaptor couple with Nikon G lens (300mm F2.8 here). 

I took some pics with these setup and set the G7 on silence mode (absolutely zero shutter noise!), immediately i noticed the easily-spooked migrants stare less at me, compared to my usual D7100 + 1.4x500mm F4 setup. One might argue that ambience noise alone should overshadow the camera noise but that is something i don't agree, the birds see us as a threat hence a slight movement with a muted noise is good enough to scare them.

The Kiwifotos adaptor has no electronic contact so correct exposure has to be adjusted manually (Aperture-adjust on the adaptor's ring, SS, and Focus). But thanks god the focus peaking works brilliantly on the EVF so keeper rate is really not much of an issue if subject focus is the main concern. 

The frustration for me was when stopping down is needed, half the time i actually try to adjust the aperture on the camera dial, rather than on the adaptor's ring to get correct expose based on histogram reading in the EVF.  

But like many, i buy the G7 solely for its video quality. Although the D5200 is quite acceptable except lacking in sharpness, so once you crop it loses its quality faster you can imagine.  The G7 UHD video OTOH, is so crisp that even when you crop 50% and output to 1080P, still seems better than on my D7100 or D5200 video.  

The video below was originally shot in 4k UHD, uncropped and downscaled to 720p, freeze the video at 27th sec...  

and see below pic of the frame from the 4k video! The image is quite decent indeed as long as you have the right shutter speed. And here i am surprised the snipe was able to bend its upper beak as it yawns! Going thru the video frame-by frame in 4K on my 5yo 27" i7 really enables me to see a lot of behavioral details which i don't normally see on still images, unless you spray high fps on every shoot. 

The G7 also has a 4K photo burst mode which allow you to capture 30fps before and 30fps after hitting the shutter, hence it should be useful for some great action shots, unfortunately i haven't got the time to try it out yet this time. Besides, it 's not easy to shoot birds with two different system. 

I will be using the Lukikon setup for the coming trips in Balang and hopefully able to get some great moments to share.

Blue-tailed Beeeater

The Blue-tailed Beeeater are extremely friendly considering that they are migrants. As long as you shoot with bean bag in the car, 500mm with 1.4TC on crop is often 200mm too long!

Despite a local common sight, Yellow Bittern is a tough species to get a full body shot in close range.  Often it is "now you see, and now you don't", popping its head out of the green in nowhere and long gone before you aim for it!  And I spotted quite a few Cinnamon Bitterns too!

 Yellow Bittern

So is the Brown Shrike a local or visitor? Not far from my hometown i get to see them all year round, as confirmed by the fish pond owner. 

Brown Shrike

I dropped by to Hentian Mahkota to check out the waders, something i always do after shooting at Balang in the morning. 

~4-5km from Sg Balang towards Batu Bahat

From the beginning of the video below you can see the beach is just 200m from the above BP-Balang main road, so don't miss this place next time! Just make sure you don't reach here with an empty stomach at noon time because the food stalls only open at 2-3pm.

 

After Hentian Mahkota, i spent 30mins in Parit Sagil just to have a look-see before heading home....not a single shot of bird here!

Sg Balang 15th/16th Oct

I actually received a friendly "hate mail" from one of my followers - "now that i am hooked with your blog, but you have quit without notice, not fair! :) "


To make thing short. i sent a pic (attached at the bottom of this entry) without words in which he replied humorously "OK, i will buy the remote controller from you, only if you agreed to continue writing for your blog!"

Hey, that is not fair!

I actually make two trips to Sg Balang recently, first was on the 8th and the last was a two day's trip on the 15th and 16th.

8th Oct

Weather was not so kind to me, in fact it started to drizzle on my arrival early in the morning, and the first five sspecies below were the only species i took within an hour before thunderous shower came in. :(


Common Kingfisher - this is the 3rd year i have sighted and captured their images of this migratory species in Balang hence it looks like the CKs are a common sight here afterall during the winter season. 

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Raja Udang * 普通翠鸟 * カワセミ *  Bồng chanh  *  
Martin-pêcheur d'Europe * rybárik riečny * Obyknovenny Zimorodok * 
นกกะเต็นน้อยธรรมดา

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus

Helang Tikus ** 黑翅鸢 *トビ * Diều trắng

 Élanion blanc * luniak sivý * Дымчатый коршун  * เหยี่ยวขาว 

    

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)

  Helang Ekor Cabang * 栗莺 * シロガシラトビ  * Diều lửa

 Milan sacré * haja brahmanská * Браминский коршун * เหยี่ยวแดง

The heavy rain had forced me to make an unscheduled trip to Parit Jawa, ~15km north of Sg Balang along the western coastline, a town famous for the spicy and sour Assam Fish, not really to my liking though as, personally, i prefer the 'thick sauce' version generally found in the southern Johor! Oops!

Weather was excellent in Parit Jawa, so i quickly set up my recently purchased low hide, just to see how close i could get to those "non-Hakka" waders! No kidding, non-Hakka because we never seems to have a close relationship. Perhaps my friendly face resembled the notorious poacher from where they came from....

Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)

Kedidi Sereng * 翘嘴鹬 * ソリハシシギ  * Choắt chân màng bé

  Chevalier bargette * brodník sivý * Morodunka * นกชายเลนปากแอ่น  

Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Kedidi Kaki Merah  * 红脚鹬 *  アカアシシギ   *  Choắt nâu

Chevalier gambette  *  kalužiak červenonohý  * Travnik, Травник * นกทะเลขาแดง

Not so bad after all, even hundreds of mud-skippers were wriggling just a few feet from me happily! And I spend much time observing them, wondering what they feed on and their behaviour, and it seems all the time they were looking for each other in the mud to pick a fight! Lovely creature indeed.

Out of curiousity, i took this shot, and nope,

it doesn't come closer with the hide....

Micky, who helped buy this hide from the 

Land of Smiles, should have at least 

told me in advance that it doesn't 

come with a ventilation fan..:(

15th/16th Oct 2011


It's an "old habit die hard" for me , that i must "da-bao" (takeway food) 2 pkgs of Nasi Lemah at the town of Semerah while on my way to the paddy fields of Sg Balang. For 60sens a pkg, this has to be the cheapest breakfast on earth! And the lady stall owner always give 2 extra curry puffs FOC, knowing that i come to patronize her stall yearly from 100km away!

Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus)

Burung Tempua  * 黄胸织雀 * キムネコウヨウジャク *  
 Tisserin baya * pletiarka baja * Ткач-байя * นกกระจาบธรรมดา

There were 9 of us on this 2-day trip and quite a few species we captured. The highlight, however, must goes to the flight shots of the Barn Owls. 

Yipee Yipee Doo!

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Jampuk Putih * 仓鸮  * メンフクロウ * Cú lợn lưng xám

 Effraie des clochers  * plamienka driemavá * Sipukha * นกแสก

We were extremely excited at first sighting the Barn Owls at the Palm trees while we were having lunch under a shade. But no one was able to get the shot as the owl was skittish, until hours later it ran out of patience and decided to test our 'gong-gong' photographic skills by circling us a few times.....

I was glad to have equipped the D3s with 328 and it must be the very first time that i fired continuously for mins, filling up the 4-sec 36 shots buffer several times!

WE NEED 200 SHOTS BUFFER AT 15FPS, NIKON!

 Superimposed img, @ 9 frames/sec, and Micky was right below the owl
in the last three shots.......pointing his 70-200mm up.

Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus

Helang Tikus ** 黑翅鸢 *トビ * Diều trắng

 Élanion blanc * luniak sivý * Дымчатый коршун * เหยี่ยวขาว 

Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)

Pucung Bendang  * 栗苇鳽 *  リュウキュウヨシゴイ * Cò lửa

 Blongios cannelle *  buciacik škoricový * นกยางไฟธรรมดา *   Oхристый волчок  

Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)

Rapang Kerinyut * 金斑鸻 * ムナグロ * Choi choi và

Pluvier fauve * kulík krátkochvostý * นกหัวโตหลังจุดสีทอง * Азиатская бурокрылая 

     

Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)

Kedidi Kuning

Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)

Rapang Minta Duit  * 肉垂麦鸡 *  インドトサカゲリ * Te vặt

Vanneau indien * cíbik lalocnatý  * นกกระแตแต้แว้ด  *   

White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus

  Ruak-Ruak * 白胸苦恶鸟  * シロハラクイナ   *  

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smymensis)

Pekaka Dada Putih   * 白胸翡翠  * アオショウビン * Sả đầu nâu

  Martin-chasseur de Smyrne * rybárikovec hnedohlavý 

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) 

   Kedidi Kayu * 林鹬 * タカブシギ   *  Choắt bụng xám 
    Chevalier sylvain * kalužiak močiarny  * นกชายเลนน้ำจืด  * Fifi  

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Kedidi Pasir * 矶鹬  * イソシギ *  Choắt nhỏ   

Chevalier guignette *  kalužiačik malý  * นกเด้าดิน * Perevozchik

And this, Japanese Sparrowhawk?

Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis)

Field Reports!


And this is what most birders have been waiting for instead of looking at at my crappy shots:


Species sighted/captured recorded in the last trip


Lesser Adjutant - 20+
White-bellied Sea Eagle - 2
Brahminy Kite - 12
Oriental Honey Buzzard - 2
Barn Owl - 2
Black-winged Kite - 6
Japanese Sparrowhawk - 1


Purple Heron - 30+
Pond Heron - 50+
Little Heron - 6
Cattle Ergret - 8
Little Ergret - 5
Cinnamon Bittern - 20+
Yellow Bittern -2
White-breasted Waterhen - 20+
Red-wattled Lapwing - 30+


Common Moorhen - 1
Watercock - 2
Whistling Duck - 1
Swinhoe's Snipe - 6
Wood Sandpiper - 20+
Common Sandpiper - 5
Marsh Sandpiper - 1


Paddyfield Pipit - 20+
Yellow Wagtail - 30+


Blue-tailed Bee-eater - 50+
Brown Shrike - 30+
Prinia - 10+
Common Kingfisher - 2
White-throated Kingfisher - 20+
Baya weaver - 100+


Not forgetting the all season locals, hundreds of Mynah, spotted Dove, Munias etc 

Infield dirt road condition:


Generally I will rate the condition very good compared to the previous years. The main perimetrical road is well laid with crusher run so you can actually drift your Lamboghini w/o the spoiler kits to your heart content, 

The three exits/entrance are perfectly passable to all vehicles!


Areas where I marked 'X'. ignore them if you drive a Hummer or Big-foot, and where I marked 'W', ignore them if your precious 15yo Corolla is about to get a fresh coat of paint, or scrapping your car tomorrow.


Where i marked "M", muddy of course but still passable unless you are a 'gong gong' driver who venture into the dirt road for the first time in your life. The trick is don't stop while maneuvering at the muddy area, engage L or L2 and drive thru slowly. Remember, car wash is cheap in Batu Pahat, and getting stuck in the field and have your vehicle tow out easily cost you RM200 or more.


And lastly, going Sg Balang without a bean bag is like going to the loo for a big one w/o toilet paper. Get a large sofa pillow, anything that can cushion your lens at the window will help a great deal, because as much as 90% of your shots will be shot from the window, and a camouflage fabric covering your window will help a great deal too. 

So, should I go now?


Raptor BIF
By the time i write these, the farmers should be starting to plough the land now for replantation. This process will usually take about one month for the estimated 800acres of paddy field land. Best time to go if you are dying for a raptor diving/feeding shot. 


Don't write to me asking for precise location, just locate the noisy tractor in action, and the circling of raptors in the air over a specific spot is a good sign.

Get a proper hat that cover both sides of your face and neck and use sun tan lotion, this is not the time to dress for good look doing leisure walk, showing off your Piaget watch at Orchard Road. You may have to stand under the hot sun for hours to catch the right moment. Plenty of fluid intake will save you from taking MC too, unless you hate your boss like me!


Micky, Micky, Micky....
And this guy pictured below will go to Heaven! We heard the cries of the puppy while enjoying our delicious 'nasi lemah', and Micky rushed out to save the puppy, which was drowning up to its nose in the mud.

Oops, let me re-phrase that, we all ran to rescue, but Micky just ran faster than us....... 


I actually have the video footage showing the puppy stretches its hand (its leg i mean) when Micky bends down for the rescue... touching moment indeed! 

And we all love Micky of course, for his cooler box mostly. I was told that he will bring his mobile ice-grinding machine to make icy cold fresh Jian-Lut (chendoh) with the extra large indonesian red beans for us in the coming trip! *muah muah* Micky!

We shoot non-feathered species too!
The evening of 15th was fun indeed, we joined some of my Batu Pahat friends for photoshoot in the local park. Yeap, we shoot anything under the Sun, i.e XMMs too!

And of course, much like shooting birds, to make your pic 'pop', besides lighting and angle, you need to click at the right moment.....

 My godness! In broad daylight?. AND don't attempt 

this shot if public stoning is commonly practiced in your country!

Look at her satisfying smile...

The gorgeous model, JieRu 

And thanks to the hospitality of Andy Siam, who chauffeured us around to enjoy some nice scenes of BP, and the sumptuous food at the Swimming Pool Restaurant!

Desmond Soe, risking his life by 

volunteering first to drink the 1000years-old 

recipe herbal tea....from Mars i guess.

Micky, took more than 30mins to finish the 

gremlin juice..... and i tried too, lets not 

talk about the taste......

Andy in blue @ the Swimming Pool Restaurant.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And my little precious, arrived shortly after the BERSIH event..... the main reason why i have been busy for the last few months! 


A boy, healthy and fit like a mud skipper!

Time to cook and wash diapers now, so see you guys in.... err    another two years?