Raptor close encounter

A few days after Christmas, I was trying to photograph a perching Brahminy Kite that I found in one of my photography spots. Now, I’m such a raptor (those eagles, kites, falcon etc) repellent that I have never successfully captured any images of them perching (this was before my previous posting). Mind you, I have always managed to spot them high up in the sky. There was once, where two juvenile sea eagles were flying relatively low above me and I excitedly took shots after shots. Unfortunately for me, the CF card gave repeated write errors without me realizing and all the money shots got dumped (>50 of them!)

Luck was not about to change for me with regards to this kite, and by the time I got my camera set-up in position, it flew off! Oh well…

Walking away from that spot, suddenly another raptor flew hurriedly away from one of the branches of tree that I was passing though. Luckily for me, it flew a short distance. So I gingerly trod towards it’s presumed landing site.

Just one turn away, my luck changed.

It’s an Oriental Honey Buzzard. A winter migrant that has the body of a typical raptor, but the head is unusually small like a pigeon.
 

So close until I have to cut off the tail in this picture, or risk falling down a monsoon drain…

 

Video of it playing with stick (720p HD option gives higher quality but with slower load time)
 

New Year’s Eve hiking

I was having a day off on New Year’s Eve and I decided to go hiking to Singapore Quarry in the afternoon. The sky was overcast and I was a bit worried that rain would fall before I made it to the site. Sure enough, around 100 meters to the site, it started pouring. Thankfully I managed to make a quick dash to the shelter without getting drenched.

Waiting for the rain to stop, I set up my camera gear in preparation for taking pictures of the Little Grebes that I had previously photographed. Scanning my surrounding, I heard a bird calling and pointed my camera to get a clearer picture.

It was a Tiger Shrike, calling out in the rain. I took some pictures, and the turned on my camera’s video. My apologies for the wind blowing sound in the video. I need to sort this technical issue out.
 

 
Soon, the rain subsided. And after a little while, the Little Grebes appeared at their usual spot. Bobbing in and out of water catching their prey.

First, there is one.

The pair together

Another view

 
While concentrating with these, I noticed far in the distance, a raptor was circling the pond and then proceeded to perch. It was a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle.

Front view

Back view

Last picture

 

Evening time came much too soon and I had leave. While I was packing up, the Sea Eagle proceeded to circle round the pond searching for it’s own meal. Mine was still a hike back away.