Expanding out of the box

Happy Year of the Golden Rabbit and I should be back to updating this blog on a regular basis. There were many milestones during the last quarter of 2010 and into 2011: -

1. Climbed the Summit at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with my camera gear to photograph migratory birds feeding on a fruiting fig tree (literally huffed and puffed my way up, totally out of shape).
2. Next was parking myself at the playground in Hindhede Nature Park to wait for Mugimaki Flycatchers to appear.
3. Next stop was Bidadari (or as we, avian photographers, jokingly named the area Casperland) for cuckoos.
4. Even hopped across the border into Malaysia for a weekend to explore Bukit Tinggi, a hill resort in Pahang near Genting Highlands for more birds.
5. In between all the running around, four photobooks were completed - Xinjiang, New Zealand and Laos.
6. Over the Lunar New Year weekend explored a section of Pasir Ris Park (PRP).

It seems that PRP is Red Jungle Fowl central. The ancestor of the domesticated chicken is not as rare as we thought. They were everywhere but quite shy. 

There were lots of birds too. A juvenile Large Hawk Cuckoo

A flock of Little Bronze Cuckoo

Two pairs of Pied Hornbills

Spotted Wood Owls

Coppersmith barbet

And at the mangrove area, to my surprise, a pack of four Smooth Otters.

Overall, the six hours spent slowly walking around the area with camera gear was well worth it.