With the advent of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, the Australian truffle season makes its appearance again from June to September. The popular Mundaring Truffle Festival returns on the weekend of 28-29 July. The Festival will highlight the French black truffles, also known as ‘black gold’ from Oak Valley Truffles farmed in the south west of the State.

The entertaining gourmet weekend set in picturesque Mundaring is just a short 45-minute drive from Perth and will feature an array of truffle-themed dishes, exhibitions and master classes. With a spectacular line up of chefs, the 2012 Festival will welcome Neil Perry, Guillaume Brahimi, Alain Fabrègues, Nino Zocalli, Anna Gare, Bruno Securo, Iain Lawless, Marianne Kempf, Herb Faust, Emmanuel Mollois, Xavier Pique, Dan Masters, Dan Sharpe, Don Hancey, Sophie Budd, Sunny de Ocampo and Vincenzo Velletri … with more to be confirmed!

Ticketed Events (include General Entry):
· Long Table 200 metre (seater) Truffle Luncheon – As the weekend kicks off at the same time as the 2012 London Olympics, Saturday will see the WA Culinary Team compete against Sunday’s French Culinary Team, preparing four-course truffle dishes matched with Watershed Premium Wines.
· Truffle Masterclass – Award-winning chefs Guillaume Brahimi, Alain Fabrègues and Emmanuel Mollois will discuss and showcase how truffles have been infused in a decadent three-course meal matched with Watershed

Premium Wines.
· Rockpool Rocks –Bar and Grill Perth is back showing off the culinary prowess of Neil Perry and Dan Masters complemented by 3 Drops wine tastings!
· The Divine Miss M – The West Australian’s iconic food hero Margaret Johnson will bring this one hour cooking demonstration and tasting alive with a touch of sparkle thanks to Mann Champagne.
· The Truffle & The Riesling – Forrest Hill Winery is celebrating 40 years of making their iconic Riesling with a truffle and wine menu by Chef Dan Sharpe
· The Perth Hills Wine Show – A showcase of the region’s premium wines

Inclusive of General Entry:
· The Buy West Eat Best/Linley Valley Pork Zone –Daily cooking demonstrations and competitions held on stage as well as an exclusive book launch from Nino Zocalli.
· Fresh Truffle and Gourmet Produce Markets –A good selection of products including WA’s renowned Oak Valley Truffles by the gram!
· Food Piazza – Chill out and relax in the dining area, with plenty of truffle dishes to taste!
· European Foods Al Forno – Get a little taste of Europe at the Al Forno, with cooking demonstrations and stalls brimming with coffee, cheese, bread, pasta and baked delicacies.
· Mundaring Arts Centre – Free workshops to get creative juices flowing.
· The truffle dogs are back once again to delight and entertain the crowds.
· Entertainment – Live music, poetry and performers entertaining revelers.

Get in early to avoid disappointment as ticketed activities sell out fast and are only available online! Prices are in AUD

For more information visit: Mundaring Truffle Festival

Manjimup Wine and Truffle Company – Truffle Hunts

Whilst in Western Australia, visit The Wine & Truffle Company in the south west town of Manjimup, just over four hours from Perth. This is the largest producer of Superior Perigord Truffles in the southern hemisphere, with over 13,000 hazel and oak trees. Outside of Australia, Singapore is also one of the select few countries that imports these truffles. The Manjimup Wine and Truffle Company conducts 2.5 hour truffle hunts using trained dogs of mixed breeds including a Beagle, Labrador and Kelpie X Labrador to sniff out the fungus. They undergo a rigorous training regime in the few months prior to each truffle hunt season. Tours with the dogs occur from June to August at A$95 per person and protective clothing is provided. Please visit: The Manjimup Wine and Truffle Company

Mundaring Truffle Hunt Returns 28-29 July

Truffle Hunt With Sniffer Dogs June – August

The most exciting part of this segment of the trip itinerary was not knowing where exactly the resort is tucked away. We couldn’t have chosen a better place when we arrived at Kensville Golf Resort & saw a couple of Black Ibis grazing on the green. If this was an indication of life on the fairway, I wanted to be on the 18th hole scoring this birdie! As soon as I had registered & gotten my key card to the room, I dumped my bags & went for lunch. It was a good way to get acquainted with the others.

Very soon, I was on the fairway with the Phillippinoes going after the Indian Roller! The water bodies situated beside the green was a welcome sight though the afternoon sun was harsh on the censor, casting shadows from the top. We inched forward to witness Green BeeEaters hunting for insects in the air as they land on the turf. There was a Pansy patch that created a colourful dotted background to this beauty. Wagtails were everywhere. I couldn’t get further than the second hole on the golf course as I had already seen more than 10 species! Capturing them was a different story altogether.

Birders must master the art of stalking & still-mimes when it comes to inching forward to where the bird is perched. The Indian Roller was rather cooperative as it fluffed & preened itself on my approach. I had to get closer for a better shot. It was perched about 4 – 5metres above on a branch of a tree, in full light. The irridiscent blue on green feathers made it such a catch on my sensor! Alain Pascua was stalking about 10 metres away from me, Rey Sta Ana was by the lotus pond & Mark Jason Villa was between the trees. Going after different species made it all the more exciting as we gestured with our eyes & gesticulated instead of using words to point to where the birds were. Body language was THE preferred mode of communication when everyone understood the universal code of birding ethics.


A Raptor glided by, hunting for prey as the Red Wattled Lapwing made its tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu calls as it flew across. I wasn’t sure which bird I should aim for when they came at once. My heart was pounding with excitement, waiting for the right time to capture the behaviour of mating pairs. How do I begin to describe the breathlessness that comes from the feeling of awe each time a bird does something??? Birders traverse the world to get to see these magnificent winged creatures when the action is right here on the golf course of Kensville Golf Resort. This was not the start of the official excursion yet  I’m all worked up from the sheer exhilaration of Pink Panther-activity in 13 degree weather.

My Phillippino comrades on the field were great companions as our silent concerted efforts of preying upon the birds proved that we happen to be the birds of different feathers who can flock together.

You can view the pictures here:- Kensville Golf Living Gallery of Birds

Next post, at the wetlands of Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary…..

Note:- The influx of delegates checking into Kenville all at once with some demanding to get service right away just proves that class belonged to the professional English-speaking Indian receptionist instead, who was beseiged with the ire of some jetlagged delegates who had no courtesy whatsoever. What irked me was that some didn’t even know about the prohibition of alcohol in the state, had the gall to throw a tantrum ridiculing a system & belittling the reason behind the ban & that tourists are required to apply for permit to consume/buy alcohol in private properties. This clearly shows their ignorance of the country’s (India) culture & customs when they are too arrogant to read up about the hosting state which is the place of origin of their beloved Mahatma Gandhi. A few began whining about the level of competence while complaining about everything offered to them instead of waiting for their turn. It would be a wonder if they get invited to the state again. One travel writer took it a step further to sabotage the event by writing to the Times of India as well as other presses to allege that he was mistreated & that he had rude hospitality. Well, I received no such mistreatment, neither had anyone been rude to me possibly because I wasn’t making unreasonable demands nor did I accuse the host of putting me up in shared accommodation when the website had clearly stated that we would be sharing with another. These delegates who happen to be from first world countries, behaved worst off than third world countries with their inexcusable manners & lack of appreciation for the reason they were sent to Gujarat for. Let the expenses that the government paid to fly them over to Gujarat be a lesson to never have them back again. With the many tourism boards I have worked with, I have never threatened to go to the media with any service that’s below par. It usually comes in the form of a post-trip report that’s separate from the actual articles that I write about the destinations. This puts the place in a better light & gives a chance for the host to rectify any wrongs that had occured in the process. Thankfully, there’s nothing to report about except the exceptional time I had experienced with the people & the birds!




Gujarat is fast emerging as an eco-tourism destination; boasting of a wide range of pristine and even hitherto unexplored destinations for avid nature lovers. It is known as land of warmth and hospitality. It is so pleasing that even the angels of nature – birds – feel this spirit and flock down from distant lands. The State hosts over 520 species of birds today, and has been attracting these wonderful creatures for decades.

Gujarat Tourism in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising the Second Global Bird Watchers’ Conference 2012 from 19th to 22nd January 2012 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The 2nd Global Bird Watchers’ Conference, is an endeavor to not only showcase this strength of Gujarat; but importantly to also deliberate on how to preserve this wonderful gift of nature from the many threats posed by the modern world.

Encouraged by the overwhelming success of the First ever edition of the Global Bird Watchers’ Conference in November 2010 held at the wetlands of Khijadiya, near Jamnagar, Gujarat, it has been decided to organise the Second Conference at Gandhinagar. This will give the delegates an opportunity to explore Gujarat as a World Class Bird Watching Destination along with other attractions it has to offer.

The Conference is being held at a time when large numbers of migratory birds shall visit Gujarat. The Conference is expected to be attended by about 500 Bird Watchers, Ornithologists, Travel-writers, Photographers, Tour-Operators, Researchers and Academicians from across the Globe. There will be Interaction Sessions, Panel Discussions and field visits for the guests during these days.

The objective is to promote Gujarat as a special bird watching destination. The USP of the Conference would be the exclusive focus on capitalising on the locational and natural advantage of Gujarat and promotion of Tourism by exposing it to renowned National and International participants. The presence of Travel Media and Travel Writers would offer the desired momentum and branding to this Conference.

A website www.gbwc.org has also been created to provide all the locational and conference related details. Preliminary Registration has to be done through the website. Day 1 of the conference will be the inaugural session.

Day 2 and 3 will be for field trips as below:

1. Ahmedabad – Nalsarovar – Little Rann of Kutch (Bajana) – Thol – Ahmedabad (Overnight at Bajana)

2. Ahmedabad – Bhavnagar Coastal Wetlands – Velavadar – Ahmedabad (Overnight at Bhavnagar)

3. Ahmedabad – Tarapur Wetlands – Khambhat – Ahmedabad (Overnight at Khambhat)

The last Day 4 will be dedicated to experience sharing from the field trips and other interesting topics related to Birding.

While cruising on North Borneo Safari’s quiet, electric engined boat, Alex Tiongco, Marts (speakers from Phillippines) & Hamit Suban, our brilliant nature guide, pointed out a flock of them on a skeleton tree. Unable to contain ourselves, we were rocking the boat with excitement. Each time either one of us did that, none of us could get a focus on the bird with our cameras & binoculars but it didn’t matter! Shaking from excitement is part of the fun. Thankfully for my Manfrotto 055CXPro4 tripod, much of our shakes were minimised & I could still take pictures on the flat bottom boat.

Count the Darters!

A Darter emerging from underwater! Used with permission from Cede Prudente.

Grooming.

These were taken from at least 100m away.

A fishing Darter! Used with permission from Cede Prudente.

That was our first sighting on our first cruise. Eight of them in one frame! Sighting of a lifer is something that birders get extremely excited over especially when the specie doesn’t exist in my part of the world (Peninsular Malaysia), what more seeing eight of them. Their sheer size was also noteworthy & Cede Prudente had the opportunity of capturing this diving bird fishing as well as emerging from the water & it is truly an aspirational picture for me to document it one day……if I get to stay long enough in the river stalking this Darter.

In fact, Raja Ampat’s reefs are so healthy and prolific that it begs the question that whether all our reefs once looked like this long before the great declines set in (mainly due to the activities by men). Don’t take my word for it, after all, in comparison to “crusty old salts” I have not been diving long and far enough to lay such claims. Just consider these facts: over 1300 fish and 500 corals species inhabit the reefs surrounding Raja Ampat (1,500++ islands) archipelago, figures that greatly exceed those found in both Caribbean and the Red Sea combined. Since more than 75% of the marine species thrive in the “Coral Triangle” (a triangular area that encompasses the seas of Phillippines, Sabah, Bali and Papua New Guinea, generally recognised to be the richest seas on the planet) are widely found here, it is no wonder that scientists believe that Raja Ampat functions like an incubator/species factory:- Sperms, gametes, larvae and juvenile marine creatures are believed to have been spawned here and flowed with the ocean’s currents (Coriolis effect). in fact, according to Ah Tee, a scuba instructor & founder of Scuba Amigo, the tides in Dampier Straits near Mansuar Island have a disparity of 3 meters between high and low tides, a testament of how much water flows through the strait on a daily basis.

Reef.

Cave Coral with polyps extended.

Diving in Raja Ampat also means that we have to constantly remind ourselves not to take fish for granted just because there are so many of them. When we dive, we often pay more attention to stationary/sedentary objects like Nudibranchs (fondly called ‘nudies’, shrimps and other invertebrates we forget that all the swimming fish deserve attention and respect too. in Raja Ampat, some dive sites are just roiled with thousands of fishes, and it’s so easy to look away although we could be swimming with a school of fishes previously unknown to men (imagine 9 out of 10 world records for fish diversity were charted in Raja Ampat’s sites). So under Tee Kok Yao’s (Ah Tee) helm and guidance we embarked on a “look and count the number of fishes” and “appreciate the terrain and coral formations” mission to justify being a good and observant diver. And we were not disappointed! Some sites were so covered with life that the kind of experience was akin to swimming inside a well stocked aquarium. Having said that, Raja Ampat’s muck diving was great too (probably not as crazy as Lembeh but we were perpetually surprised by many little treasures that we found). Among the first sightings for me: The very famous Raja’s walking shark, Denise and Pontohi pygmy Seahorses, Wobbegong Sharks, Toadfish, Archerfish, Winged Pipefish, some unidentifiable gobies, strange cowries and many more…

Decorator Crab

Scorpionfish lying in wait of prey….

Schooling Sweetlips.

Currents were strong and swift (some up to 2 knots, so getting yourself a reef hook is a good idea) and visibility was remarkable (only 1 day of bad vis out of the 11 diving days). Being a fuddy duddy and pernickety diver armed with a super long wish-list, I have no qualms diving at Raja Ampat. Not even the lack of air and hence missed out on the opportunity talking pictures of 7 cavorting Mantas could dampen my spirits…(well at least I got to snorkel with them, and came to as close as 1 meter with 2 individuals). Well, I have to admit that not every dive was perfect, when the “elements” were not aligned, certain sites were a little less than stellar: Like all of us concurred that the dive at “Passage” was a little “underwhelming”, given its celebrated status we had expected some “spit out the reg” moments but this did not happen. “Citrus Ridge” was having a bad “hair” day as visibility went down and the soft coral polyps were retracted due to a lack of currents. Having said that, there were still lots to spot in both dives and when in a GOOD day that Raja Ampat and its dive sites stepped up in “full bloom”, we all went gaga and refused to surface until we absolutely had to.

Wobbegong Shark

To all those who have plans to go to Raja Ampat, I would strongly suggest a Liveaboard (LOB boat) rather than land based resorts. Thats’s because Raja Ampat dive sites are so widespread and diverse (from Walls to Jetty to Mangroves to Sandy to Corals, 200++ sites and still counting, nearly all world class), some sites would take too long to get to unless you are on an LOB. We did an 11 days diving package and we have only covered the Central and Northern region, and even with that amount of time we had to skim past some famous dive sites because we had to rush to the next which was like 2-3 hours away. There are still the South and South East to explore, and with that it would take another 2 weeks. So this calls for an encored visit… No wonder they say everything in Raja Ampat is SUPERSIZED.

Christmas Tree Worm

Allied Cowrie

Crinoid Shrimp.

Simply put, Raja Ampat is a marine haven. It’s like diving in gin clear water with Corals as big as trees, many within centimetres from the waterline and to be able to dive in a huge school of fishes that swirl over to engulf divers momentarily blocking out the sun. It’s like being at the edge of the mangrove forests with roots system that stretches out to the sea, some even encrusted with sponges and corals. Then immersed with around 300 species of fish (in a single dive!) and to be a part of congregations of hundreds of large fish, all seemingly unfazed by us bubble blowers……The four heavenly kings cast its spell on those who visit them, I, for one, am truly smitten and awestruck. Never mind about its remoteness, the long flights and transits, never mind if it cost me an arm and a leg (and even perhaps a kidney), Raja Ampat holds the throne of a King of Asia’s premier dive destinations.

Hail the majesties!

Phyllodesmium Nudibranch

Batfish staring at me.

Bukit Melapi Resort – private dock.

The crew.

Soon as we got into Bukit Melapi Resort, we headed out on a cruise. Then a boat with foreigners sailed by asking us permission if they could fly a helicopter overhead as they wanted to film. There was a boat tailing this one & looking at the solitary person sitting in front, I did a double take. I asked the foreigners, “Where are you from?” to which they replied, “We are from the BBC!” proudly. As I couldn’t hold my excitement further, recognising the lone ranger on the boat behind, I asked, “Is that Sir David Attenborough???” And they nodded excitedly. Before you know it, Alex, Marts, Hamit & myself were waving frantically saying hello to the living legend! Then I turned to the crew & said, “Sure! Fly whatever you must & take as much footage as you need to show the world what Kinabatangan is all about!!!” And the crew politely thanked us in their thick British accent.

Sir David Attenborough himself!!!

He smiled & nodded, acknowledging our frenzy before continuing their journey. I shot the helicopter alright, with the cameraman sitting precariously over the edge as they filmed.

Later, the helicopter parked by the open space next to our resort & we went over to ‘inspect’ the machine as all curious creatures do when there are subjects of interest in the area. Couldn’t resist the pose with the flying machine!

We didn’t think that we would meet him face to face after seeing tons of his works on TV & being such a fan of them. Saying we were star-struck was an understatement. He was a real-lifer! What else did we find at Kinabatangan? Find out in my next post…..

The owner of the land had wanted to convert the forest into an oil palm estate but upon discovering a family of Proboscis Monkeys in the boundaries, he decided not to cut the forest down. Instead, he went on to set up the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary to protect these primates, admitting visitors to have a closer encounter with these grunting & gleeful golden monkeys.

The Alpha Male

One of the females leaping onto the feeding platform.

Don’t stare……

Feeding them twice a day at two platforms, I was able to see the harem & spotted the alpha male by the sheer size. A macaque was in the vicinity & the Proboscis monkeys were not the least perturbed by its presence. It was exhilarating to see the Silver Leaf Monkeys in the sanctuary too, roaming freely in the building & accepting humans as part of their community. One baby Silver Leaf Monkey scampered across the hall to leap onto a visitors lap, moving to perch itself on her knee. What a sight that I forgot to click the shutter. I had come for these kinds of encounters & allowing the baby monkey to grab my finger was a connection that I can’t describe. The adult monkeys would walk about the railings & plonk themselves right next to humans. One of them watched me while I shot the Proboscis when in fact, I should have grabbed my compact camera to shoot the Silver Leaf Monkey’s curiosity of my gear!

Silver Leaf Monkeys

Baby Silver Leaf Monkey start their lives in golden fur!

Juvenile Proboscis Monkey

There was an ultra clingy Oriental Pied Hornbill adopted by the sanctuary since it fell out of the nest as a fledgling. This hornbill took an extreme liking to one of the girls & by that time, I couldn’t differentiate which bird was shrieking.

The lush greenery of the sanctuary

Labuk Bay is about 30 – 45minutes drive from Sepilok, Sandakan & is a destination that you must not miss. Observe the feeding times & go earlier to set up your camera & tripod to catch them leaping into the air to traverse to the feeding platform.

Hamit Suban was our dedicated nature & bird guide who brought us to Kinabatangan River, making stops along the way to see the magnificent monkeys in Labuk Bay while giving us the history of how it all began. He is with the fantastic people at North Borneo Safari, owned & run by Cede Prudente, the NatGeo photographer whom I had hijacked by in 2007 to autograph my bird books. Four years on & I’m finally heading to Sukau, Kinabatangan River!
Let the good people at North Borneo Safari take you to Labuk Bay enroute to Sukau! I can’t wait to have my Orang Utan encounter!!!

Hours / Feeding times
Platform A : 09:30am & 02:30pm Daily
Platform B : 11:30am & 04.30pm Daily

For further information, please contact:-

North Borneo Safari Sdn Bhd
Lot 31, 1st Floor,
Block B4, Jalan BU 5/1, Bandar Utama
Mile 6, 90000 Sandakan,
Sabah, Malaysia.

E-mail:        inquiry@northborneosafari.com
Telephone: +6089 235525
Fax:         +6089 235526
http://www.northborneosafari.com

Pictures do not tell a thousand words when the eye of the beholder does not know the behaviour nor the habitat of the bird the picture was taken in. The level of effort corresponds with the level of commitment to obtain the shot given the probability of  most conditions that are not favourable to photographers. With a very small window of opportunity in the thick foliage of Sepilok jungle, you have a few seconds to respond to adjusting your lens to frame the bird & get it into focus before firing the shutter.

Most times, you need to be up early & light is usually not favourable to you. Making the best of these situations, you either use fill-in flash on 2nd curtain sync or bump up the ISO to the max, depending on how capable your camera is. Pictures shown here are the exact lighting conditions without any adjustments.

Venue:- Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sandakan, Sabah.
Heat & Humidity – This place must be the most awesome creation of tropical foliage in the rainforest of Sandakan but having so much thick cover, the humidity can reach well above 90% on an average day. It’s almost like the foliage on the canopy had trapped a massive amount of moisture for the life below that lingering inside is like a mist-cooker, you would be melting without even moving an inch. Lugging your gear with you & walking in the trails can cause you to be drenched wet with perspiration within your first half hour into your excursion. Solution: Get a Cobber, an expandable water-activated gel tube scarf to tie around your neck, cooling your carotid nerves as the day gets hot & hotter. Wear quick-dry & light attire to wick off moisture & sweat.

Hilly Terrain  – Be prepared to trek uphill as well as downhill. Carrying your mounted tripod if you have a 400mm lens or above would test your stamina & endurance but thats just the beginning. Your essentials are almost always needed on an expedition like this so add it on to what you will be carrying on your photo backpack. Apart from carrying the right bag, an airtight/moisture-tight container is recommended for your batteries, memory cards & any peripherals which you think might be subjected to the humid air. A mini trolley would be an ideal partner for your bag & tripod as walking to the hotspots (spots with rare bird sightings) from one location to another can really drain you. Bring a 1.5litre bottle of water to rehydrate. You would not want to move from your spot for water only to discover from your birding buddies later that the bird landed, courted, fed & possibly mated when you were gone.

Wet Ground – Bring a foldable chair. Camouflaged preferred. I had to resort to sitting on the ground with my Manfrotto carbon fibre tripod shortened to fit into the little window. Alternatively, bring a small piece of spongy, exercise mat to sit on. Wear shoes with traction. I had my Timberlands Chocorua Trail on & it has served me well for the last 6 years.

Here are the shots, unedited, a few of them just cropped to give you clarity.

In this picture, there is a hole in the tree. What we didn’t know was that this hole, is a secret bathtub for the birds!!! Note the twigs & branches obstructing the view.

Close up shot of the bird bath…..

And I managed to capture a Leaf Bird! I took videos of this bird & will upload them when I have better internet connection!

See the full frame picture……

….and this section here where I pointed my lens!

Here the bird sits quietly as it hunts for food. And a twig was in my way! Grrrr…..!

Sometimes, you get lucky. There were two Kingfishers in this shot! Unfortunately, they were too far in even for my 500mm lens’ reach.

To get a shot of the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (8cm in size only & this male was in a feeding courtship!), there was only one window around the leaves.

This is the ‘window.’ The blurred parts of the picture are leaves obstructing my view.

See the leaves again?

Courtship in action! I gotta find a male who would feed me too! LOL!

I think marriage is on the way…….yay! (Chan Pak, the HK veteran birder, eventually got the mating shot of these OD KF!)

The jungle is filled with sounds of bugs & birds. We were so engrossed with the little Dwarfs that we missed the big red Trogon behind us. The Diard’s Trogon has a red chest but always remain hidden with its back facing us so any opportunity to take a frontal shot is a shot in the dark…..

See what I mean??? Obscured, I managed to get an ID shot of its chest.

Still obscured despite me shifting position & angle.

Getting a little frontal shot is still not considered good enough for any birdmasters, who will never show shots like these.

Finally after a strained neck, a twisted back & wobbly legs from contorting myself to get the shots, I got the Diard’s Trogon!

My foray into bird photography in 2006, was attributed by my best friend, Chien, (who passed away on the 24 August 2011) when he talked to me about how he got those waders by staking out in the water to wait for the right moment. His pictures are astounding. His passion was even more infectious. He was born to teach & by sharing what he knows, he had enlarged his circle of influence to emulate what he did. And everyone enjoyed doing what he taught us to do, birding & learning about the habitat of birds to get the right time & capture the right shots. He had been a great friend & I am a product of emulating what he did with bird photography. I will share with you my discovery along the way just as Chien was so enthusiastic about sharing his discoveries when he was alive. Whatever challenges in bird photography that comes my way, his teachings would always echo in my head.

The people behind the Borneo Bird Festival were fantastic & the resort I stayed in (Sepilok Jungle Resort) gave me a lot of opportunities to shoot birds in their compound. Being appointed as one of the judges in the Bird Photography Contest of the Festival, I want to thank the organisers for that honour & opportunity although it blew my cover as The Wannabe, I still think I do better stalking & reporting in my profession! Make Sepilok Forest Reserve as your next birding destination & be thrilled!

A Sunbird in natural lighting.

The Rainforest Discovery Centres (RDC) brilliant natural surroundings have made Sepilok the quintessence of tropical wilderness that brought into existence, a rare form of dedication for bird photography. In the third inception of the 3-day Borneo Bird Festival held annually, birdwatchers & bird photographers from all over the world had flocked to the quiet town to catch a glimpse of lifers, a term used for a rare bird sighting for the first time.

View from atop the Canopy Walk!

Other notable highlights was the honouring of the birding legends, my best friend Choo Tse Chien (bird photographer & guide), Lee Teck Seng (bird & nature guide) & another naturalist, Isnadil Mohd who all passed away within 48 hours of each other. The birding world was shaken with the loss of three fantastic birders who contributed much to the field & as such, a tribute was given at the welcoming dinner by Sabah Tourism to their parents who were present for the event. Chien was the reason I got into birding & I would have to live on & continue his legacy as The Wannabe.

Tribute wall of Chien, Teck Seng & Isnadil.

Note:- Right after the Bird Festival, I headed to Sukau along Kinabatangan River & internet access here is limited. More stories & pictures will be uploaded when I have better internet connection when I get into Sandakan!

More on birding:- The Challenges of Bird Photography In The Jungles of Sepilok & Kinabatangan.