Where have all the Chestnuts gone?
I came to live in Penang in August 2011. To start my local photographic journey a friend had given me 4 GPS co-ordinates. They were for; Byram, Batu Kawan, Air Hitam Dalam and Penanti. Both Byram and Penanti were the top locations visited in the subsequent 5 years. Byram was downgraded by a mindless manipulation and I have feared Penanti, a moto-cross track might disappear under a palm oil plantation or mass-produced terrace-row housing. Batu Kawan never held much attraction and Air Hitam Dalam is always worth a visit but Penanti has been a nature photographers dream if you are into actions and behavioral images. The main stars have been the Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, the Blue-throated Bee-eaters and the White-throated Kingfishers…..all involved in ground-based nesting cycles.. I have been eternally grateful for these subjects and the time I have had with them but it now appears we have lost one of the stars……this season the Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters have not shown up. ...