Test shoot with my new lens, M.Zuiko 100-400mm F5-6.3 IS at the new Bird Paradise

Found some time to try out my new (used) lens at Bird Paradise. Compared to the old bird park, most of the birds are free roaming in a few giant aviaries. There are many BIF (bird-in-flight) opportunities… really good location to test equipment and skills.

The layout are also quite similar but easier to navigate, just walk from one aviary to the next. To escape the punishing heat and humidity, there are cooling stations in between each one.

Back to the lens test. I found the lens at the maximum 400mm impressive only under very ideal conditions, the shooting the subject within 6m, limiting it to focus within 1.3m-6m mode and low iso (i.e. when lighting is good).

The moment I try to shoot from far, even if I can cover the entire subject within the frame, the details are lost but still usable at the maximum zoom.

Some last words on the new Bird Paradise. The landscaping are better and there were more playgrounds compared to the old Bird Park.

Though I find the new water playground now don’t look as fun as the older one.

Hunting for butterflies at Singapore Science Centre

I heard about the new exhibit at the Singapore Science Centre, Butterflies Up-Close and decided to come down and take a look.

There are really many species here and the unobservant me had a hard time identifying the butterflies. For those keen, here’s a chart I found there.

For the rest, just enjoy the butterflies 🙂

Orchids at Singapore Botantic Gardens

Thanks to all those who put in the hard work to get our Botanic Gardens into the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites!

After savouring the Peking duck, I brought my parents to the Botanic Gardens because my mom love orchids and when she got to know of the event, Botanical Inspirations Orchids of Singapore Botanic Gardens & Their Heritage, she asked to see them and here we are!

Doubt I knew how to appreciate orchids like my mom… and at least I love the variety and colours!

Taken with Sony Alpha a5100 with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS lens

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Extension

I was very happy to know Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve will be expanded and when I read about the opening of the latest extension, I looked forward for a visit. Finally I was able to find time to explore today.

Area I intend to cover today

Let’s get started!

Giant Mud-skipper … so am I expecting to see many of these here?

View from Little Heron Deck with Johor Bahru across the water.

Kranji Dam

Fantail Pod, viewing ‘pods’ like this are very common in this part of the reserve.

Mid-canopy walk

Eagle Point

Typical foot paths along coastal walks

Kingfisher pod

This is a nice place to really explore the mudflats up close… too bad i didn’t notice any interesting creatures here.

Beside the structures, I did find some animals, but mostly spiders (really lots and lots of spiders), dragonflies and snails. I here birds though, but never able to spot them among the trees.

Except this one perched too far for my 400mm (35mm equivalent) lens to reach and a white-bellied fish eagle below.

There are really lots and lots of spiders such as these.

Snails, big and small are very common too.

As well as dragonflies and moths. But most don’t allow me to come close.

And finally I found a mud skipper.

Overall, I found this extension much nicer than the main reserve. There are much more scenic boardwalks and viewing pods. As for creatures to spot, its more skill and luck that matters, both of which I didn’t have much 🙂

Equipment:

1. Olympus E-5 with Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 & Zuiko 35mm f/3.5 macro lens

2. Sony Nex5R with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS lens

3. DxO OpticsPro version 9

Insect hunting at Kent Ridge Park

It had been sometime since I came here to look for insects. Fortunately, I’m quite lucky today.

First I spotted some tiny bee-like creatures flying around the flowers.

Then I spotted some grasshoppers enjoying leaves.

 

Before leaving, I saw a moth resting on the ground.

Short trip to Berlayer Creek

One of the most suitable occasion to do landscape photography is when there is great contrast in the scene. This occurs when the weather is hot and sunny, with some white clouds to break the monotony of an otherwise clear blue sky. But when the sky is very cloudy but not gloomy, it is a great chance to do macro photography. This is because the clouds act like a diffuser for the sun as a source of light and eliminates the strong highlights on a flower or insect if the weather is hot and sunny.

Thus I made a trip to Berlayer Creek just to look for insects.

If one were to jog along the walkway, it would be easy to missed the elusive and little creatures around us.

It is not hard to notice these buzzing fly as it stop for a rest.

This is a very tiny creature and I have no idea what is this. 

One just have to walk slow enough and scan the greenery to look for the rare break in continuous green leaves or grass to spot potential fauna.

This is the second time I chance upon a wild praying mantis and twice, they have their back towards me. I can’t move myself to take the shot from the front because of the bush location.

I originally spotted a butterfly resting on a flower. But strangely, it did not fly away when I approach it. On closer look, I found it was not only dead, but being taken for lunch by a nicely camouflaged yellow spider.

It is not just insects, flowers make good subjects for macro photography too.

Another flower near the one I found the spider.

Ever so often, the hectic pace of life made us oblivious to many interesting things happening around us. It is only when we slow down, will we start to notice them.

Bird watching at the Botanic Gardens

People seldom go bird watching at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and even fewer during noon. But I happen to be one of them when and went to recce the place via the Botanic Gardens MRT station before I met my friend for lunch.

The station exit is very near the Eco Gardens and decided to try my luck there because I remembered there were at least some ducks or swan there. And true enough, despite the light drizzling, the birds are still there this time. The swan is here…

… so are the ducks.

And it is nice to nap in such a nice cool rainy weather.

There are other birds as well, but too far away for my lens (max out at 400mm FF equvialent) except for this one resting on top of a sign post.

Short trip to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

I had brought my family to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve many times. Thus I did not expected to see any new creatures beside the usual monitor lizards or egrets and didn’t bring my DSLR with me. Fortunately, I always make sure at least I had my highly portable but relatively long zoom compact camera, Sony Cybershot HX9V. This was because this time, I finally chanced upon a crocodile.

The tide today also happen to be extremely low, revealing most of the river bed and might explain why I was fortunate enough to see the elusive reptile.

A check on the NEA website shows that the tide was 0.3m this morning.

http://app2.nea.gov.sg/tidetime.aspx

Fun with fisheye lens @ Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges Nature Walk

Took a day leave to enjoy some morning walk alone at the Henderson Waves again. This skywalk bridge had already been around for quite sometime and hence there were already many photographs available on the internet.

One of the many ‘shot to death’ views of the Henderson Waves.

Today, I specifically set out to (re)explore it with my fisheye lens this time.

No, I didn’t bother to correct the distortion.. and decided to work them into my shots instead. But I did made an effort to ‘minimise’ unwanted distortions.

Even though I aim today was to cover the Henderson bridge, but I can’t help to notice so many spiders available for photography… especially when I came across a gigantic one that is really really hard to miss. No macro lens was required for this one.

Front side…

Its back.

Another one.