Malayan Moth Madness

I seem to have neglected to post anything about my second foray to Fraser’s Hill in Peninsular Malaysia. That must be remedied.

I went without Mrs Ha because a) she doesn’t like moths, b) she likes sleeping and c) the road up to Fraser’s Hill makes her car sick. She went shopping somewhere, Seoul I think. Fraser’s Hill is a wonderful place for mothing but I should have realised that the weather would be rather inclement by night. Sadly, that’s when moths get up to most of their mischief. I think it is fair to say that I spent 4 nights dodging downpours. The white sheet turned a soggy grey colour. The lawn was muddy underfoot favouring leeches more than humans. On the 4th night the wind ripped through the moth sheet and put an early end to the mothing. Was the trip worth it? You decide. Let’s start with Loepa siamensis ssp. malayensis and a host of hangers on.

Very similar to Loepa lampei!

Don’t shoot Aspara radians, he’s only the piano player.

Glanycus coendersi is a very scarce and sought after moth at Fraser’s Hill

Brahmaea hearseyi – my 3rd in 20 years

Sarcinodes vultuaria on a stick – lovely

And let’s finish with a lesser atlas moth, Samia kohlli,

These are the some of the larger and more exotic moths but I can easily see 300+ species in 4 nights. I am due to go back at Easter and I sincerely hope it will be possible as the coronavirus is starting to restrict travel in and out of Hong Kong.

All photos shot with a Canon 5D3, a Tamron 90mm macro lens and a Canon dual-headed flash with tailor-made diffusers. Huge thanks to Stephen Hogg and family for their wonderful B&B hospitality,

Odonata

It is a very good time for dragon and damselflies. High summer. This year I am hiding in the cool and struggling to walk up stairs. So I resort to the archives to take us away from the raspberry ripple skies of dawn. Many followers and visitors will not have seen some of my older “ode” shots. Here are my tips for a successful photo of a dragon or damselfly.

I use a 180mm F3.5 macro lens (which has now died on me), tripod mounted. The longer lens gives good working distance so as not to spook the insect. Occasionally I will use a little fill flash at around -1.66 to lift the shadows under the body. Typically I will need an F stop of at least F11 unless I can get perfectly parallel to the body or I am deliberately using a narrow plane of focus for effect. I frame my shots using Live View, so I can see the image on the back of the DSLR before I release the shutter. This also means no vibration from the mirror slap. I use a cable release. Shutter speed is often slow and it is important to wait for breezes to die down. Finding a clean background is often difficult where I shoot. I try to get down to dragonfly eye-level rather than shoot down at it. When all these come together the effect is quite pleasing to me but you can be the judge.

Blue Dasher

Agriocnemis femina oryzae

Polycanthagyna erythromelas

Trithemis aurora

Trithemis aurora – female

Brachydiplax chalybea flavovittata

Lyriothemis elegantissima

Pseudothemis zonata

Copera ciliata

A natural break

A chance exchange on FB last night led to me being out earlyish this morning to try some ‘macro’ shots. I met my photo-buddy and realised within a couple of minutes that I was struggling. Maybe me, maybe the heat. I don’t know but I barely made it 100m, including rests, before I had to find somewhere to sit down. In total I lasted 2 hours before throwing in the towel. Later that morning Mrs. Ha and I drove out and the car told us it was 38C outside.

The two hours could have been productive but I just could not get in the zone. Also my 180mm F3.5 lens kept sticking. Either the humidity is the problem or it just needs a service. I am tempted to look for something lighter to replace it. Still, there were some shots that survived.

Leaf Detail

Oxya chinensis with frass

Skipper – Hesperiidae

I am still trying to nail the skipper, figuratively speaking. I have it down to genus, I think.  All of these were shot with my trusty 5D3, the 180 lens and some fill flash. The tripod alone weighs too much on a hot day. Suggestions for a more lightweight set-up for the summer months will be much appreciated.