Ornithography: Sept 23-29 2013

It's been a while, let's start with this spider..I was at shooting site and this was in the way, of course i did not mess with this spider. I just let him stay there. It was a cold windy morning and this web was being swayed by the breeze.

Egrets in a flying formation, very graceful flyers. It was peaceful to see.

another group.

A Pied Thriller

ornithography: Aug 2, 2013

Wood Swallow

Long Tailed Shrike

Straited Grassbird

Barred Rail (Gallirallus torquatus)

ornithography: July 31, 2013

Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)

While driving up the valley on our way to school (valley golf, Penny Lane, Antipolo) we spotted this bird foraging the road and quickly grabbed the camera, We used our car as camo, I drove passed the bird then backed up slowly. It's awesome that birds have gotten used with the shape of vehicles that it's not that much of a threat to them anymore.

ISO 800 300mm F/8.0 1/640sec

and just a couple meters, we saw this

Long Tailed or Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach)

We also spotted a Straited grassbird.

Lifer List (since I started shooting for this blog)

1.   Golden bellied Flyeater
2.   Long tailed shrike    
3.   Olive backed sunbird  
4.   White Collared Kingfisher
5.   Pacific Swallow      
6.   Black naped Oriole    
7.   Yellow vented bulbul  
8.   Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
9.   Pied Thriller        
10.  Elegant Tit          
11.  Brown Shrike          
12.  Large billed Crow    
13.  Eurasian Sparrows    
14.  Blue throated bee-eater
15.  Pied Fan tail
16.  White-breasted Woodswallow
17.  Zebra Dove
18.  Straited Grassbird
19. Scaly breasted Munia
20. White rumped Munia
21.  Lowland White Eyes
22.  Pied Bushcat (not photographed)
23. Spotted Dove


Also, allow me to post bird photos I took from our trip at the beautiful Naga City (July )


Scaly-breasted Munia or Spotted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

 White-rumped Munia or White-rumped Mannikin (Lonchura striata)

Mount Iriga or Mount Asog a 1,196 m stratovolcano

ornithography: July 26, 2013

Back to school at Faith Academy!

New Lifer on the list

Lowland White-Eyes (Zosterops Meyeni)

ISO 800 300mm f/5.6 1/250

Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos maculatus)

1.   Golden bellied Flyeater
2.   Long tailed shrike      
3.   Olive backed sunbird    
4.   White Collared Kingfisher
5.   Pacific Swallow        
6.   Black naped Oriole      
7.   Yellow vented bulbul    
8.   Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
9.   Pied Thriller          
10.  Elegant Tit            
11.  Brown Shrike            
12.  Large billed Crow      
13.  Eurasian Sparrows      
14.  Blue throated bee-eater
15.  Pied Fan tail
16.  White-breasted Woodswallow
17.  Zebra Dove
18.  Straited Grassbird
19.  Lowland White Eyes
20.  Pied Bushcat (not photographed)

ornithography: may 27, 2013

Zebra Dove(Geopelia striata)

ISO800 f/8.0 1/200 flash

Found this perched on the same kalachuchi branch as before, a very gentle bird. They forage in groups and is always careful. Had to use flash because It was cloudy and not too much light to expose.


Dragonfly

Shot outside my house this Saturday morning.

ornithography: may 9, 2013

Straited Grassbird (Megalurus palustris)

Spotted by my wife, did not have time to make a proper exposure..I had just a few seconds before he took off.

Lifer update:

1.   Golden bellied Flyeater 

2.   Long tailed shrike       

3.   Olive backed sunbird     

4.   White Collared Kingfisher

5.   Pacific Swallow         

6.   Black naped Oriole       

7.   Yellow vented bulbul     

8.   Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker

9.   Pied Thriller           

10.  Elegant Tit             

11.  Brown Shrike             

12.  Large billed Crow       

13.  Eurasian Sparrows       

14.  Blue throated bee-eater 

15.  Pied Fan tail

16.  White-breasted Woodswallow

17.  Zebra Dove

18.  Straited Grassbird 

18 Species 2 Endemics

White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)

These guys are hanging out near the pool area of the school.

ISO 800 300mm f/22 1/200 built-in flash

F/22 killed chromatic abberation.

White Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

Faith Academy Sentinels!

ISO 800 300mm f/9.0 1/250

ornithography: may 8, 2013

White Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

There were lots of clouds yesterday, I guess marking the start of the rainy season. Gloomy and humid weather at the high thirties. There wasn't much light for good exposures. But I was able to take a couple of pictures of kingfishers who i think are permanent residents of valley golf already.

ISO 800 300mm f/5.6 1/160sec

In flight

ISO 800 300mm f/5.6 1/160sec

This is the closest I have gotten to them and  from this sortie I learned a couple things:

1. Approach them very slowly. No sudden movements.
2. Stop and Go. Move then stop (when you stop for a while they will forget where you are)
3. They have good hearing, they can hear the reflex of the camera shutter even from a couple meters away.
4. They have very good vision, of course..they are hunters.

Spot the two kingfishers

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)

ISO 800 300mm f/5.6 1/200 with flash

We Found this on hubert's house in kapitolyo pasig, had to use camera flash because it was already too dark. This adds to my photographed lifer list.

1.   Golden bellied Flyeater 

2.   Long tailed shrike       

3.   Olive backed sunbird     

4.   White Collared Kingfisher

5.   Pacific Swallow         

6.   Black naped Oriole       

7.   Yellow vented bulbul     

8.   Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker

9.   Pied Thriller           

10.  Elegant Tit             

11.  Brown Shrike             

12.  Large billed Crow       

13.  Eurasian Sparrows       

14.  Blue throated bee-eater 

15.  Pied Fan tail

16.  White-breasted Woodswallow

17.  Zebra Dove

17 Species 2 Endemics

ornithography: may 07, 2013

White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)

Very agile flyer and glider. I love watching them ride the wind. They almost go stationary mid-air! It is so hard to photograph them while perched but if you do, you have to be quick. They always hang-out in flocks  of more than two. They catch insects mid-air.

Flying at the same speed with the wind, they look like they are floating

Awesome flyer and glider

Photographed Lifer list:

1.   Golden bellied Flyeater
2.   Long tailed shrike      
3.   Olive backed sunbird    
4.   White Collared Kingfisher
5.   Pacific Swallow        
6.   Black naped Oriole      
7.   Yellow vented bulbul    
8.   Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
9.   Pied Thriller          
10.  Elegant Tit            
11.  Brown Shrike            
12.  Large billed Crow      
13.  Eurasian Sparrows      
14.  Blue throated bee-eater
15.  Pied Fan tail
16.  White-breasted Woodswallow

16 Species, Two endemics

ornithography: may 06, 2013

Rock Dove (Columba livia domestica)

ISO800 180mm f/8.0 1/100sec

  

ISO 800 300mm f/5.6 1/200sec

These birds are very loyal to us humans. Most of them have become dependent to us, like the ones in these pictures, they are homing pigeons. You can bring them anywhere and expect them to navigate back home. They were used as messengers in early times. I don't think many of us have gone this close to them. My hope is that these pictures will give you the feeling. They are very gentle yet smart!

Manual exposures using available light from the sunset is so beautiful!..If you are serious with photography, 

always shoot manual mode!

Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica)

Hanging right outside of our guitar room today, you hardly ever see these guys on a perch so whenever I get the opportunity I will always take it. 

ISO 1600 1/640 f/8.0 300mm 450d tamron 70-300mm LD

You will always see them in pairs. They love coastal areas but have learned to live in forested area.

Spotted today: Striated Grassbird (Megalurus palustris) - though very common, my wife spotted it for me. Hope to get a picture of it. 

avian photography may 2, 2013

Golden-bellied Flyeater (Gerygone sulphurea)

ISO 1600 300mm f/6.3 1/800sec canon 450d tamron 70-300mm LD

This guy flew back and forth gathering materials for their nest nearby. You can see him holding on to one of it. Flyeaters are so hard to photograph because of their active nature.

these critters wouldn't stop moving

Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

ISO 1600 300mm f/8.0 1/2000 sec canon 450d tamron 70-300mm LD

Kingfishers hanging out in the pines at Faith Academy. I was trying to get the two together in one shot but I was too slow and the other one flew off. 

Eurasian Tree sparrow (Passer montanus)

ISO 400  300mm f/8.0 1/160  sec

If you do not know this bird, you are either colossally dumb, blind or just apathetic. They have adapted to live near humans, city birds they call them, and can be found just about anywhere in the world. Taken by my lovely wife who loves birding too. I am teaching her to expose manually and  maybe later on she'll allow me to buy a 1D and a 100-400mm L IS lens with 1.4x and 2x teleconverters so we can both take pictures. Hehe.

and a DOG!

Flea? Flee? ..Whatever! Both spelling is related to him. You flee if he gets out of the gate and I am sure he has 'em in her body (explains hes "gentleness"). This Bethesda dog "love" me and I "love" her too..hope he accepts the Lord someday. I heard he also hates Toby Huyssen!