Wild Shots

During my last photo-shoot session at the Taman Rimba of Kota Damansara, I met a gentleman who was cleaning his fishing net at the car park. It may have been a ridiculous idea to think that the man had been netting fish in the lake of the Park, but nonetheless, I did throw the question to him to which he politely deny. Apparently an avid angler (and trawler), he travels quite a lot to rivers and lakes of Selangor and beyond. Then, it was his turn to ask of my presence, noting the camera I was totting. And soon, he was telling me about places which I should go to for better shots of nature, especially birds, such as Tanjung Sepat, Batu Arang, FRIM, Templer's Park, Selangor State Forest Reserve, Batu Dam and quite a number others which I am tempted to go. But for now, till Emak's condition improve to normal, I have to restrict my shots to just within Kota Damansara. Hearing this, he pointed out a section of KD which I was never made aware of; a small natural lake where many more birds and some wildlife still exist. I immediately made my way there, putting on hold my intention of trying to shoot a beautiful Kingfisher I had noticed on previous visits but was too far to capture on film, as well as the thoughts of shooting birds (swifts) skimming the waters of the lake at Taman Rimba. And I was glad I did.

On my first visit, I managed to venture into the interior of the forest surrounding this nameless lake accompanied by several schoolboys whom I met there and who kindly led the way.

I was stunned by the simple beauty of the lake and the natural world there. For the 3 odd years I have been here, I never thought that such a place could exist just on the fringe of a city, and took quite a number of shots as seen in this entry (more are being compiled for later). However today, when I tried to get more shots, the weather was not too permitting.

At past noon, the area was still shrouded with mist due to the long morning downpour. Still, not to be outdone, I waited and was suitably rewarded but not with the picture below.

Looking at the colour of its plumage as well as the long tail, I would swear the bird is a Macaw. But as evident from the shot, it was too far away to make a distinct identification. Off course, not having the much needed telephoto lens which can cost RM7,000, does not help either. This picture of the Macaw is grainy as it had be enlarged several times, unfortunately.

As the Sun was not at its best, I had to adjust the camera setting accordingly resulting in some overexposed shots such as the one of the Toman fish above. This is no fisherman's tale, but the the Toman could have been about twice my arm's length!

And off course, like in many forest, monkeys or apes are bound to be seen such as the baboon above. Perched more like a bird, this baboon looked menacing enough in real life. Much unlike the one below.
If truly the hobby of Sport Fishing and Photography has lots of similarities, then it must be the thrill of the catch (shot) that come one's way after a long wait that top the list. Patience, indeed, has its rewards.