Time Well Spent

Time flies when you are having fun. I was thinking about this the whole time I was diving, teaching, stalking, climbing, toasting, roasting & poaching myself in the heat of the sun. When I started this blog, I wanted to inspire you to start one too. That’s probably the only way I can get to know you & keep you updated, with my constant travelling & all. And I was going to share with you a piece of my life in serving the people I’ve been put here to serve.

Crocs On Rocks

Stalking the Grey Heron

Heron in snooze position, I managed to stalk this bird to about 4 metres close. Taken full frame!

Along the way, I made people laugh, I made people cry. I cried with them too. I made mistakes that I wished I had never. Learning what makes you sad, can make you a better person because you will begin to cherish every moment that brings you joy. Joy is when I see my students’ happy face when they see fish. Joy is when they laugh uncontrollably at me for a delayed reaction of seeing a lizard fall down in front of me together with the lamp shade it was sitting on. Joy is when you sing ABCD… after a dive to 33 metres with 30 metres plus visibility in the shower area with others who become narcotic later, singing their own versions of ABCD. Joy is anticipating when Jimbo will meet Jimbette & finally getting a Jimbiby. Joy is when you do decompression stops at 10 metres of water & everyone is trying to have their pictures taken in mid water. Joy is when you rise early to catch the birds knowing that the birds will spot you a mile away & not come near to any pink or fluffy thing you wear. Joy is when you know your fellow birders are everywhere on the field with their camouflage equipment & wear, identifying every bird while you sit at your station with a camouflage umbrella & a handheld fan, fanning yourself silly & trying to focus on the swamp-hen & keeping an eye on the buffaloes which are keeping an eye on you. God has a great sense of humour because I was just laughing & laughing at the behaviour of these amazing creatures He had created in Ladang Hutan Chikus, Bidor, Perak. Rising at 4:45am is hardly an activity to rave about but somehow, the thought of being there just kept me awake throughout the journey.

While in Tenggol over the Raya celebrations, I certified my last batch of students for the year before officially closing for the season. The migratory birds had arrived & birds were everywhere. Eagles were swooping down on the bay to catch a tasty fusillier while egrets & a majestic grey heron were flying low across the bay or just standing about. Pek Ling & I climbed rocks & cliff to try to catch a glimpse of these birds catching fish in the evening. We were bitten silly by sandflies but the very fact that they are here once a year kept us from returning to our comforts. Conversation atop rocks overlooking the bay & the black egret fishing is somehow more meaningful than at sea level. We planned to don on camouflage when we serve at the coffee station set up for the pro-birders just for the sake of being there. Watching birds has never been so fun before. I contemplated getting a digiscope system for now & suddenly, every birder wants a scope for the long range viewing too. Great, now I wouldn’t have to blink my eyes from squinting. The weird thing is, from fish to birds, I feel as passionate about meeting ‘life’ as I had first begun watching animal’s behaviour. It’s just gone a little extreme now with additional gadgets but I am so excited with the prospect of meeting winged-chicks!!!

I can just about squeeze everything that I’ve done in the past week & a half here before I leave for work in Thailand. Before that, I leave you with some of my bird shots that I managed to crop out…..hope you enjoy them as much as I have taking them!