A Grey Heron and the viper
Hope you enjoy these photos. I have been really busy with work. I will try to post more. :)
"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself" da vinci
Nature is close to my heart.
My flickr website for more photographs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mendistan
Pictures and videos
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Spiders, insects and other stuff taken over the last month
Macros taken around Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Hope you enjoy these photos. :)
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Whimbrels and Redshanks arrive.. small numbers
Some waders have arrived early! To think I just posted about the Common Sandpiper this morning! NOW, Whimbrels and Redshanks! :) In these attached photographs, you might realise that these birds are quite thin looking. That's because of the journey they have taken! I will see if I have some photos of the whimbrels and redshanks towards the end of migration.
I am so happy to see them! Hide 2D sighting by Mohd Bari, SBWR ranger.
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First sightings of Waders at Sungei Buloh
In anticipation for the coming migratory season, I took several short walks around SBWR last Thursday and Saturday. I was curious whether there would any early arrivals. After 1 hour of walking and listening, I decided to end my walk and headed back to the main bridge; I was at hide 1C.
As I entered the main bridge, a loud "pi pi pi pi" call filled the air; the common sandpiper! I was too slow to catch the bird flying towards the coast of Sungei Buloh Besar. But, the distinctive straightening and flapping of the wings, as well as the size and call, clearly helped me to identify the wader as the common sandpiper. This common sandpiper is EARLY!! :)
Here's a photo of last season's common sandpiper.
I am getting really excited that migration has started! hee hee
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Spider shoot 18 July 2009
I arrived at Sungei Buloh at about 8am to gear up for the spider shoot. After meeting up with everyone at the main bridge shelter, we set off to the right side of SBWR. The first spider we found was the Jolly Telamonia Jumping spider; female. It was a first record for me at the reserve. Subsequently, we found some other common but still interesting.
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Little Terns feeding sequence
It had been a long time since I took photos of these beautiful and magnificent birds. I hope you enjoyed these photos! Oh and in case you might want to know what setup I've attached a photo of it. :)
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A Little Review of the Nikkor 80-400VR
To start of this mini review, I'd say I prefer this lens over the Sigma 150-500 OS. However, there needs some getting used to for this lens to deliver to its fullest potential.
I like how the lens, together with the D3, feels and handle; this combination balances out very nicely. The Nikon D300 with MB-D10 has similar handling together with the 80-400vr. The size of the lens is compact and I like that I can pack it into my Deuter Futura 22 backpack during working days.. Yes, this combo is with me most working days.. hee hee
There were critics who state that the Nikkor 80-400vr is soft. To me, it is not true; subjectiveness prevails. Yes. The 80-400vr isn't as sharp as the Nikkor 300mmf2.8 AFI with TC14E, but, it is certainly good enough for most purposes. The ultimate test of sharpness will be to see feather detail of birds. The photos I have uploaded are shot with the lens at 400mm and at f/6.3. What's your conclusion?
As for flight shots, the archilles' heel of the lens, use it for the medium to larger birds with more consistent flight patterns. The screw driven AF is ok with the Nikon D3 but still, too slow for erratic flight and action shots. I am not saying it cannot do the job. Just that the number of lost opportunities for action is going to be much higher using this lens than say the Nikkor 300mmF4 AFS.
I hope these photos will show you the potential of the Nikkor 80-400mmf/4.5-5.6 VR ED. Overall, I love this lens.
Thanks for reading.
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Spider Survey - SBWR 25 May 2009
The day started well for us to collect and photograph spiders at SBWR.
We had the great opportunity to work with two people from NUS! Diego
and Seok Peng! And they are spider experts too! Great stuff!
So, we had a blast collecting and document many subjects in the day!
The day survey ended at around 6.30pm and we had dinner.
Another group of volunteers and friends came by to join in the night
survey. This started at 7.30pm right up to 11pm. Interestingly, this night survey
was rather quiet. I think it had something to do with the weather.
The star of the night was the domestic
huntsman with its egg sac. It is one of the photos I posted here. :)
Hope you like the photos everyone. Cheers!
1 - Lichen Huntsman, 2-Epeus Flavobilineatus, 3 & 4- Ant Mimic Crab Spider, 5-Giant Ant Mimic Jumping Spider(Juv), 6-Magnolia Jumping Spider with eggs, 7-Baby Huntsman, 8-Mother Huntsman, 9-Two Tailed Spider, 10-Malayan Phaeacius
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Amazing Mangrove Adventure - 6 Jun 2009
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is celebrating World Environment Day with Amazing Mangrove Adventure.
World Environment Day
The Amazing Mangrove Adventure is here again! Form a team of four with your family members and stand a chance to win book vouchers: 1st prize=$350, 2nd prize=$200 & 3rd=$100.
Date: 6 June 09
Time: 1st time slot: 9.30am to 11.30am
2nd time slot: 11.30am to 1.30pm
Registration: 15mins before each time slot (Or email to info@sbwr.org.sg for enquires)
- There are limited slots available! First come first served basis!
Admission to the reserve: $1.00 Adult, $0.50 child/student/senior citizen.
How To Play
The Amazing Mangrove Adventure comprises five (5) stations with different tasks for each team to complete, at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The tasks are designed to expose participants to the mangrove flora and fauna, and the uses of mangroves.
Upon registration, each team will be given an assigned route to follow around the reserve. When a team completes a task successfully, the team will be given a clue to proceed to the next station.
Each team is given a maximum of 2 hours to complete the Adventure. Points will be given for correct answers and successfully completed tasks. The teams that score the most points at the end of their adventure stands to win the 1st prize worth $350, 2nd prize worth $200 or the 3rd prize worth $100. If there is a tie, the team that most quickly assembles a jigsaw puzzle at the final station will be the winner.
Rules and Regulations
1. Team members must be relatives or immediate family members. Please bring along your identity cards and/or student passes for verification purposes.
2. Do be properly attired for the outdoors (comfortable walking shoes, light cotton clothing, hat) and bring along sufficient drinking water. Participants may also want to put on mosquito repellent before entering the Wetland Reserve.
3. Each team will receive a goody bag at the start of their Adventure. If you are new to Sungei Buloh, do not worry. There will be volunteers at each station to help the teams along.
4. Teams can choose to participate in any one of the following time slots for their Adventure: 9.30am to 11.30am or 11.30am to 1.30pm
5. The judges’ decision on the winning teams is final.
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