This morning I suddenly became aware of a new bird song floating in from somewhere in my neighbour’s Neem Tree. I quickly grabbed my camera but try as I may, I just could not sight the bird. Then just as I was about to put away my camera, the song wafted in overhead; this time from my disused TV antenna. And lo, it was indeed a new visitor to my garden. I managed to shoot a few shots before it flew off just as quickly as it had appeared. That was enough for me to google and discovered it was a Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) as can be seen from its distinguishing red patch near its cheek.
If there is a territorial dispute between an “angry” bird and a “cute” bird, who do you think will win?
I was taking some photos of a family of Pink-necked Green Pigeons feeding on a palm tree in my garden when a drama unfolded. A rather mean-looking Myna quietly crept up and startled the Green Pigeons who understandably flew away terrified. But then the head of the family decided that he was not going to let the Myna get away with it. And very much like a bullying incident, the bully had no stomach for a fight when the victim decided to fight back.
Watch the dispute between a Myna (“angry”) and a Pink-necked Green Pigeon (“cute”) and see the unexpected outcome… Cute overcomes Angry.
On a bright sunny morning, this nippy orange-coloured butterfly Tawny Coster (Acraea violae), flitted among the leaves of a Yellow Turnera or Holy Rose (Turnera ulmifolia) plant. It appeared to be searching for suitable spots to lay its eggs. The Tawny Coster’s dance is captured in the following stills.
The tiny Common Tailorbird is more commonly heard than seen. This is because it is a very loud singer for such a tiny bird but it is very difficult to make it out in the foliage overhead. Very often, by the time you finally sight it, you cannot even get the camera focused to shoot it.
So I consider myself extremely fortunate on this Sunday morning to notice it perched on the overhead cable in clear sight, noisily singing its heart out, calling to its mate.
In case you are curious…. it is a 2-note song, sung with gusto repeatedly: “Chu-it! Chu-it! Chu-it!”
This gallery is now linked to “How Not To Be Embarrased By Your DSLR“.
I am not a professional photographer ( yes, that’s obvious, isn’t it? ) and these are simply my amateur photos taken to compare a DSLR (my Canon EOS 500D) with a Point-n-Shoot (“PNS”), in this case my iPhone 5.
The EXIF data are shown below each photo. The photos were taken with the DSLR set at Shutter Priority to demonstrate my contention that high “Shutter Speed” is the beginner’s best friend.
I just pushed the shutter speed to at least 1/2xfocal length (1 divided by 2x focal length) to ensure that all my handheld shots will be reasonably sharp. The results are not meant for the professional’s eyes but rather they are to be viewed through the eyes of a beginner and see if they are acceptable “keepers”. At the same time, you should not be embarrassed when comparing your DSLR shots to the PNS (iPhone 5), but I must admit, there are a few where the iPhone shots may even be considered superior! You be the judge.
Venice on 2-August-2013, standing on the Scalzi Bridge across the Grand Canal at 6.00am with Kelvin Chin to catch the rising sun.Park Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements designed by Antoni Gaudí.The Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.The Vatican Museums are the museums of the Vatican City and are located within the city’s boundaries.
Urena Lobata seeds when ripeUrena Lobata unripen seedsThe white flower of Urena Lobata in relation to the size of the antsUrena Lobata white flowerA row of Urena Lobata shrubs
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. – The Buddha
