Byram, Penang: Paradise lost for bird photographers
Good bird photography requires a number of elements to be in place: 1. Interesting species 2. Good directional light 3. Tidy perches that have a ‘clean’ background 4. An ability to get the subject within lens range 5. Good photographic equipment #4 can be achieved by increasing the lens size, using a hide or having cooperative birds. Byram circa early 2012 and before had the entire elements in the list above. The confluence of different elements: the rubbish dump, the effluent ponds, semi-submerged skeletal trees, a mangrove estuary and coastal location conspired to bring a number of species to a small area. On my first visits in my SUV in late 2011 and early 2012 I was overwhelmed by the perched and swimming species that were boosted by Northern migrants enjoying a warmer climate. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters tossed insects in bushes ...