Catch of the Day

I guessed deep down everyone was disappointed. No significant catch was recorded. No significant sightings were available. The high expectation is diminishing quickly. The high hope is losing ground by the minutes.

When Chai suggested that the group tried out the new place that he had discovered before, everybody was game. It is still early and I believed nobody wanted to go home without any prize trophy under their belt.

This time round the birds did not disappoint us. The guys were having a great time and tried their best to outdo each other. I on the other hand did not fare well. No one's fault actually, all entirely mine. Hubby always told me practice makes perfect. He walked the talk. I did not. And that is a no no when shooting bird photo as they never stand still. The camera should act as part of your limb, moving harmoniously with you. Mine seemed like an artificial limb.

I was preparing myself for disappointment but as fate would have it, I was saved by this...

The guys spotted this nest located about 30 feet away from the roadside. It was on eye level. They even caught glimpses of its occupant but could not determine the species. Based on its whitish underpants with rufous and dark streaks they guessed that it might be a cuckoo. Ron was almost attacked twice by the bird. We believed that it is the parental instinct going full throttle. Any parent would do that to protect their youngs. On the way coming down, we saw the same bird for a fleeting second. It did not return to the nest. We then decided to rest a while at the hut and returned again later.

...only an eye and a small part of the head was visible...

The bird was in the nest when we arrived and everybody started hitting their shutter button furiously. With speed as lightning, it flew out quickly as soon as it spotted us.

This time round we stay put and waited. It was a long wait but still we did not budge from the spot. The bird flew around a few times and at one time tried to attack hubby. Based on its gliding motion, the guys were convinced that it was a raptor. They also theorized the attack on hubby as due to this...

...the night before the trip, hubby camouflagized his white lens...from afar it looked like snake skin...the bird of prey might have mistaken it for food...we could not stop teasing hubby about it...we even wanted to make him as bait to lure the bird out...LOL...



We spread out at the spot to get the best angle when I suddenly spotted a movement further up high on one of the trees at the back. I zoomed out the camera. Yes, it was the elusive bird alright. Even at its maximized length, I could not be sure if I could get a decent shot at the raptor. Hitting the shutter button, I called to the guys giving out its location. I did not know if they had managed to get a shot at it. I was content with my catch. A very minimal catch tho. I prayed hard that the image will turn out clear even if it is one image.

Besra (Accipiter Gularis)

...the original shot using my Canon EOS400D, using EFS55-250mm, f/4-5.6 IS lens...

...after cropping (thanks babe)...a much clearer image of the bird of prey...

...the raptor must have pitied me...it turned around and gave me a different pose to shoot...(thanks again babe)...

It was a long shot.
It was my savior shot for the day.