White-Bellied Woodpecker

Canon EOS 7D, EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x TC @ 700mm, Manual, f/8 (1/200 sec), ISO 640, 0 EV, Tripod, JPG from RAW, Cropped About 50%, Non-Captive Subjects

As some of you may recall, I set off on a second expedition to Sabah, Borneo on May 9th, from which I returned about 11 days ago.

The main purpose of this trip was to return home with a much higher quality of photographic images than I was able to capture last November, and with all I'd learned in the past six months, by way of valued information and feedback I absorbed from members on the NPN (thank you all very much!) as well as countless hours of practice out in the field since, I was reasonably confident that this was an achievable goal.

Having now developed many of the best shots, pleased to say that I'm quiet happy with the progress I've made … but if it's at all due on any of the images I'll be showing you in weeks ahead, I'll leave any trumpet blowing to you ;^)

This first one I've chosen to share with you I took on my first full day at a place called Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sandakan, Sandakan being the capital of Sabah. The RDC is actually located next to the better known Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, which I visited on my last trip but this time I opted to only shoot birds and animals completely in the wild.

The RDC is spread over a large area of ground and situated within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, which makes it an excellent place to walk around with ample opportunities for coming across numerous species of birds, including Hornbills, Raptors, Trogons, Bee-Eaters, Kingfishers, Minivets, Sunbirds and many, many more.

Though my vision was much better than it was back in November (I had laser surgery done in December!) allowing me to catch sight of many subjects on my own, I have to give major credit for most of my sightings to my friend Hamit, who was kind enough to be my trusty guide once again – for those thinking about making such a trip, I can't emphasise the importance of having a good guide strongly enough; having experienced both good, bad and somewhere in between, I can honestly say it makes a huge difference.

Anyhow, before this post gets way out of hand – hey, I've been away and I have a lot to say ;^p – the photo above is of the first birds Hamit pointed out along the canopy walkway we started off on, and I was absolutely delighted to have such a fantastic opportunity with a pair of young Woodpeckers.

These are White-Bellied Woodpeckers, a brother and sister (the male is in the foreground with the red feathers of it's cap leading down to the base of it's beak) waiting for their parents to return with breakfast, and yes, we stuck around long enough to see, and for me to photograph, both the mum and dad coming back repeatedly to their young, images of which I'll be showing you next :^)

Hope this post wasn't too longwinded for most, and thanks for your patience in reading it through if you did ;^)

Candid thoughts, comments and suggestions always welcome, and thanks in advance :^)