In the wild, expect the unexpected!

Another amazing day at RDC.  It rained all morning, and now it's sunny and steaming hot in the rain forest.  Not so many birds to be seen around; like humans, they are looking for the shelter from the mid-afternoon blazing sun.  Stopping to wipe my steamy spectacles something catches my attention: a cute little Black-and-yellow Broadbill is going up-and-down in a treetrunk and keeps on grooming vigorously.  After a moment a Lesser Green Leafbird appears from the very same tree trunk -again-up- and-down, around-and-around, like a spinning top, grooming vigorously - what an earth is this? - cannot definitely be a love story...okay, this is a bird spa!  The storm has left the tree trunk full of water, and now it's serving as a  stimulating, refreshing spa  for the tired birds.

 

 

On the way back to the car I meet a group of local students just " hanging around" and enjoying their day off.  When noticing my camera, they call me: Miss, miss, look! - and are pointing the tree in front of me - yes, indeed, there it is: a female Orangutan has taken an "escape" from her sanctuary in Sepilok Orangutan Centre nearby for some extra afternoon snack, and why not!  She is shy, but I manage to take some pictures before she modestly turns her back to me to devour and slowly takes her way back home - what a lovely surprise!

Few more steps down the road and suddenly I bump into a hunting action...a resident cat has just caught a snake.  I'm totally ignored; motionless, her body all tense, having a tight crib in the snake's throat she is waiting for the snake to give up...what a hunter, and look at her muscles ! Certainly not her first time.  Worrying about the cat's safety I quickly stop the arriving car to avoid any accidents - the driver realizes what's going on and waves back smilingly - the cat is safe.  Involuntarily I leave her to enjoy the catch.

Never a boring day in the rainforest...
Paula Camilleri

Finding your true nature...

Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia October 13th, 2012

It was really some years back when I first moved with my husband to Langkawi
( no fancy shopping malls around) that I discovered a whole new, " wild world" and found a new hobby - photography.  At the beginning it was mainly going around in the tropical climate with my camera with a basic telephoto lens attached trying to get good photos of those colorful birds ( specially my favorite ones, such as Kingfishers and amazing Hornbills), running after huge Monitor lizards, spying on Silver-leaf monkeys, Spectacle Monkeys and Long-tailed Macaque monkeys...and yes, sometimes angry Macaque Monkeys were running after me. 
After some years of great city life in Jakarta, Bandung, Kuala Lumpur, I woke up in a town called Sandakan in Sabah, equatorial Malaysian Borneo - "land below the wind", as it is known.  After settling down, and eating lots of fresh seafood ( delicious garupa and giant prawns ), I discovered Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre - about 40 min drive from town.  To see those beautiful, gentle great apes among the cheeky, funny Pig-tailed Macaques is an eye-opening experience, and a remainder of " the forgotten world".  It took me few weeks- I don't know why- to realize that there is Rain Forest Discovery Centre ( also known as RDC) which is located just nearby - a great place to discover the real nature!  My first home here being the Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan ( the new hotel which boasts of rooms with incredible views and spectacular infinity pool), RDC became my "second home"...a great place to walk in the rain forest; jungle trekking or a canopy walkway - excellent for bird photographing, though, there are a lot of beautiful trees ( The Sepilok Giant for instance), wild flowers, mushrooms, indigenous insects, tree frogs, lizards, "flying" snakes and squirrels ( the famous Giant Flying Squirrel beeing one of them) to photograph as well!

 

 Yes, I have already added a good 50-500 mm lens to my camera for those birds
( still dreaming about that 800 mm-one), and a good, sturdy tripod for a support; I have got lots of good and important advice and tips from high-end professionals and senior birders, I have been taken to exciting photosafari tours in cars, boats, and helicopters in- and -around Sandakan, and, although I still seem to have " a baby-size " tools when comparing to those of my fellow birders, I'm quite happy, since, after all, it's about a whole exciting never-ending learning experience to take good, interesting photos in the wild - and having fun with it!  - maybe one day getting lucky to get that amazing shot of the Bornean Bristlehead, the shy Ruddy Kingfisher, a funny video of Red-bearded Bee-eaters courting, or Verditer Flycatcher taking a bath, and if not that day, at least you are getting a good work-out in the Rain forest (you can forget about the Gym that day) or having a chat with a fellow birder or passing tourist and forgetting about all the troubles of the world...

Here few, early  practising shots of my feathered friends: A Black-and Red Broadbill and  Ruddy Kingfisher catching and looking for breakfast and Red-bearded Bee-eater calling for it's partner.