1st June 2008: Fraser's Hill, Part 2

I overslept this morning, and by the time I left, there was already quite a flock of bird photographers assembling in the courtyard of the Jelai. I felt a bit foolish driving away from what was certain to be a birding bonanza in favour of what was probably going to be another 3 hours of nothing! Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

On my way to my hide stake-out of the previous morning along the Pine Tree trail, I spotted the dark shape of a male Mountain Peacock Pheasant scuttling down the trail in front of me and over the edge of the trail to the steep slopes below. My camera wasn't ready so I missed my chance of a photo. I decided to set up my hide right there and hope the bird might come back. After an hour or so, and one false alarm caused by a flock of foraging Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrushes, a head popped up beside the trail, and suddenly I was looking at a female Peacock Pheasant!


Despite flinching at my flash initially, she proceeded to walk onto the trail and towards me, stopping every once in a while to feed.








She kept coming closer and closer, so that, even with the lens pulled back to 100mm, I couldn't get her all in frame. Eventually, at about three metres' range, she spotted me and ran off down the trail and into the forest. In Psalm 50, God says "I know every bird in the mountains" and I said a prayer of thanks for bringing this particular one to me for a brief but memorable encounter!

Despite waiting a couple more hours, there was no more movement, so I went to Bishop's Trail again.



I got brief views of a male Pygmy Blue Flycatcher before the rain cut things short and I headed back to Jelai.

Brief views of the owl again this evening, but no chance of a photograph. Today I only photographed two birds, but I'm not complaining!