MALAYSIAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

        It is my intention in this article to outline some locations within an hours drive from Penang Island that offer nature photography opportunities. One of my major aims with my photos is to provide illustrations to interested or dis-interested parties as to the beauty of the natural world and what they stand to lose with unthinking and self-interested ‘development’. I prefer to share information rather than sequester it, which too many photographers tend to do. There is always a danger of overpopulation of the long lens brigade that is witnessed currently in land-restricted Singapore. Malaysia is big enough to a greater population of hopefully well-intentioned photographers so my aim is to help them or the overseas visitors. These folk provide the visual window to our precious natural heritage.        I have separate blogs to the delights of the prime photographic locations in the region so those mentioned below are considered secondar...

Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters (Merops leschenaulti), unlike the Blue-tailed and Blue-throated cousins are endemic within the Malaysian State of Penang. They are a resident breeder in the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining regions ranging from India east to South East Asia, including Thailand, Northern Malaysia and Indonesia. This species is not found in Southern Malaysia or Singapore but like other bee-eaters is a beautiful, richly colored, sleek bird and a master flyer. It is predominantly green, with blue on the rump and lower belly. Its face and throat are yellow with a black eye stripe. The crown and nape are a rich chestnut. Newly fledged chicks are the same colors except for a mainly darker green forehead and less distinct demarcation between the colors. The species is 18-20 cm long and it lacks the two elongated central tail feathers possessed by the majority of bee-eater species. There are several subspecies that display variations of the color pattern. The male and females have...