Forest Wagtail

The forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) is a rare migrant visitor to these parts. Therefore these are extremely lucky shots I got. This little bird seemed unfazed by my presence and went about his business, wagging his tail (from side to side). I also have some video footage of him, but I'd like to make that into a full documentary-type show complete with a cool voice-over (my voice-over person still needs to buy a microphone). Until then, enjoy these still photos.

Behold! The forest wagtail!

A closeup of his mug.

Off he goes into the wild blue yonder.

Brown Shrike

The brown shrike (Lanius cristatus) is a passerine bird that is a common migrant to Penang around this time of year. They make chirrupy little noises that some folks might find cute (or not, the sounds can be a bit annoying). These are the first decent shots I've taken of the bird.

Chestnut Munia

The bird guides say the chestnut munia (Lonchura atricapilla) is easy to find in open country. Clearly the books underestimate their hiding ability, because this is the first time I've seen one for sure. There were actually a whole flock of them, but I could only get one or two on camera.

This guy isn't as scared as the rest of the flock.

They may not exactly be birds of a feather, but the chestnut munia and the scaly-breasted munia do flock together.

The chestnut munia is also known as the black-headed munia.

Bridge Under Construction

They are upgrading the Penang bridge from 4 lanes to 6 by adding an extension on either side of it. The construction work is annoying though, and traffic is horrible even on a weekend. We had to cross the bridge to attend a wedding on the peninsular, and I got a few photos of the bridge being worked on.

Coppersmith Barbet

Occasionally I can see a winged speck perched high up in the branches of a tree. I'll take a picture with zoom and usually I won't find out what it is until later when I have a chance to study the picture. Early this month I got a picture of a coppersmith barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) sitting in a tree at VC Rock in USM. This is the first time I've ever photographed a barbet. If you look closely, you can see its whiskers.

Kingfishers Galore

The kingfishers are plentiful again in my university campus. The migrant common kingfishers have arrived, and Billy the stork-billed kingfisher can be seen fishing illegally in the lakes.

The common kingfisher flits about on poles at Tasik Harapan.

My friend, Billy the stork-billed kingfisher. He's a welcome sight whenever I pass Tasik Aman.

Two white-throated kingfishers are sitting in a mangrove.

This white-throated kingfisher is pondering why I am pointing a camera at him. Little does he know that his pictures are all over the internet now.

I Got My Monitor Stand Back

The stand for my Samsung SyncMaster 943NWX monitor is back from the shop, and it is fully operational. I can use my new widescreen display now! My cat, Schröder, approves of it. Debian Lenny is also installed on this machine, since Etch has trouble getting the native resolution to scale right. The downside is that I have to download a ton of updates every other day until Lenny goes stable. But hey, it's shiny.

Chirpy Things

The long holidays this week means the campus is relatively free of humans. Thus, the birdies own the place when nobody's about. Here are a few of them, happily chirping away.

I don't know why I can never get a solid focus lock on a magpie robin. This shot isn't too bad but I've love to have a nice, large, crisp shot of one.

I think this is the best picture of the pied fantail I've taken. It was flitting around near a small puddle and splashing around happily in it.

I have no idea what this bird is. When birds are perched high up in branches it's hard to get a decent shot from below, since the sky is always going to be overly-bright. If anyone knows what this bird is, let me know.

Creatures From The Green Lagoon

I returned to the lake today to get some better turtle shots. I was somewhat successful at this. I did get two turtles, but not the large ones.

Here's one lazing about on a branch.

I think I haven't seen this type before.

This catfish is aggressive. I put a piece of bread at the very edge of the water, just out of reach. This guy hops onto a rock, grabs it, and hops back into the water.

The Case Against Robin

Will there be a Robin in the future installments of the Nolanverse Batman saga? Some arguments have been tossed around in the media. Christian Bale threatened to quit the franchise if they ever introduced Robin. Jeph Loeb, however, defends Robin. I can see where both of these guys are coming from, though I must admit I've never liked Robin.

The idea of Robin as Batman's little teenage sidekick has always bugged me. Why would a crazy loner vigilante hang out with some kid? There's Batman, a terrifying figure wrapped in a black cloak stealthily lurking in the darkest shadows...and then there's his teenage sidekick, dressed in bright primary colours and sticking out like a sore thumb. The original rationale for his introduction was to "brighten up" the gloomy atmosphere of the original Batman comics, which were seen as being too grim for its time. There was also a need for Batman to discuss his detective work with, like Watson for Holmes. Neither of these two points are relevant in the Nolanverse.

Ever since Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns became a huge hit, we've seen comic book characters become darker and grittier. Granted, this isn't always a good thing, but for Batman it just suits the character. The dark, grim Batman lives in a world populated by insane people, and whether or not our hero is just as insane as the criminals he catches is open for debate. It's this darkness that was captured so well by Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. There is no place for a colourful sidekick in that world. It would just break the subdued, realistic picture that Nolan brilliantly painted as a backdrop for the world of Batman.

Secondly, Alfred already serves as a great sounding board for Batman. The Alfred we see in the Nolanverse is wise, insightful and sarcastic. The banter between Bruce Wayne and his butler is brilliant and funny, and serves both for exposition and character development. Alfred is the voice of reason, the foil to Bruce Wayne's single-minded craziness, and has saved Bruce's life on more than one occasion.

Robin can be a good character when written well, in the comics. He works well as a standalone character too, if ever there is a movie to be made with him in it (perhaps a live action Teen Titans?). However, I sincerely hope Christopher Nolan leaves Robin out of his Batman movies. Perhaps it's time Robin is dropped from the Batman mythos. There is no reason canon can't be revamped.

This has been your Batman-related post for this week. Stay tuned for more. In the meantime, check out Kirsty's article on the Joker for more Batman goodness.