On 29th July 2022, a female Blue-banded Kingfisher in Selangor, Malaysia, was spotted at an undisclosed location by a few bird photographers who were doing a camera test and me.
Along with YL Camera and Sony Malaysia, six of us headed to the location to test out the Sony A1 paired with a Sony 200-600mm f4 lens, and our objective was to photograph the Rufous-backed Kingfisher here.
Blue-banded Kingfisher in Selangor, Malaysia
We got all our gear from the meet-up point and headed to the spot not far from the car. Some of us had tripods with me, and a few just handheld our cameras. As usual, the waiting game started, but a White-chested Babbler was jumping all over the area.
While waiting, we also caught up with each other as most of us had never met before, apart from being Facebook friends. We must have waited about thirty minutes before a Blue-banded Kingfisher landed and perched on one of the main branches.
Two photographers had gone for a toilet break, and the remaining four of us just started clicking away. It stayed for a minute, grabbed a fish, and took off, never coming back for seconds.
This was my lifer and my first time getting an opportunity to photograph a Blue-banded Kingfisher in close proximity. Wow, now I can see why bird photographers go gila (crazy) over the sharpness of a bird photo.
After the kingfisher left, we moved on to see if there were other birds in the vicinity that we could photograph, and while walking along the trail, I noticed a flock of Black-thighed Falconets on a branch. It was quite high, but the 200-600mm lens captured a decent shot.
When the Sony camera test was over, we returned the cameras, and I equipped my Fujifilm X-S10 with an XF 150-600mm telephoto lens. I walked around to see if there were more birds and eventually returned to the original spot before calling it a morning.
Looking at the pool of water, I was surprised to see the female Blue-banded Kingfisher perched on the branch again. Immediately, I started taking photos with my Fujifilm and also managed to take a video.
Blue-banded Kingfisher Video Malaysia
Below is a video of the Blue-banded Kingfisher I took with my Fujifilm X-S10 paired with a Fujifilm 150-600mm lens. Occasionally, I will attempt to capture bird videos when possible, and this moment was one of the opportunities.
Conclusion
I want to thank Mr Chuan from YL Camera, Shaiful Baker and Sony Malaysia for allowing me to test the Sony A1 paired with a 200-600 f4 lens. I found the system quite impressive, namely the bird tracking function and considering how light the overall system was.
For now, I am a Fujifilm X user and previously converted from a decades-old Nikon user. I gave up my Nikon DSLR to jump on the mirrorless system due to the lightness and, of course, the technology in current models.
I hope you enjoyed this article about my sighting of the Blue-banded Kingfisher in Selangor Malaysia, as it is my lifer too. Follow my Birdwatching Malaysia Facebook Group for more.
