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Here’s a hidden place that is worth a visit, particularly if you are already tired of repeatedly shooting paddy fields in Sekinchan. In fact, it’s very near the restaurants, so you may head there after a nice seafood meal.

We took an unbeaten track along the coastal line, away from the jetty, and found a nice and secluded spot for birding, especially to look out for egrets, waders, and terns. It’s a also a good hunting ground for hermit crabs of reasonable size.

We plan to explore this place the next time for sunset, and this time to bring a longer focal length lens for proper birding.

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This is an update to my previous post: http://shutterbutter.com/blog/?p=314

I have applied noise reduction and boost up the colour saturation. This is one of the benefits of shooting in RAW, you can always process the same image with:

1. new skills that you have learned and
2. the latest and more powerful image processing software.

Was quite lucky to have found this bird perching out in the open.

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My first time trying birding seriously. This was the best opportunity to test out the AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED.

I was lucky to have met a fellow bird enthusiast (and his wife) from Thailand. It was their first time here in KSNP, so I agreed to be their tour guide. They had heard that KSNP is famous for being a stop-over for migratory birds.

Birding can be so frustrating to an amateur.

1. Loud chirping and noises are made by smaller birds, which are very hard to be spotted.
2. After you have finally managed to locate them, they don’t perch for long and fly off in a split second.
3. Even if they are perching, the birds are usually hidden by dense foliages and branches.

Although flash is useful to lit up subjects under shade, I have learned that for birding:

1. Flash limits my shutter speed to sync speed. On the D40, it’s 1/500 seconds. Although it’s a fast shutter speed, I barely manage to hold the lens steady at 300mm.
2. I prefer to increase ISO value at the cost of increased noise, in order to obtain shutter speeds that are faster than 1/500 seconds. ISO 800 on the D40 is still bearable.
3. Flash may cast a different colour temperature, especially for subjects under green foliages. I have tried setting my white balance (WB) to either Auto, Flash or Sunny, but I’m still dissatisfied with the outcomes.
4. Flash may not reach a very far subject, unless I have the newly-launched SB 900.
5. Flash scared off some of my subjects. Besides birds, crabs are very easily sensitive towards flash, and they soon scurrying into their protective burrows.

1. Tiger shrike

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4. Yellow-vented bulbul. Was lucky as suddenly we noticed this bird perching on a mangrove fern out in the open.

Manual noise reduction applied.

5. Without noise reduction.

6. Crested serpent eagle.

7. Taking flight.

8. Brahminy kite. A very common eagle in coastal and mangrove areas.

This bird reminded me of the American Bald Eagle, of course the smaller version of it.

9. A pair of common Myna.

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