Romy Ocon's Wild Birds of the Philippines

Birds in flight at Maambal Orchard

2023-05-07T16:47:00.001-07:00

After a few years of not shooting birds in flight due to my busy schedule, I finally found time to try catching my feathered subjects in the air again a few days ago. My old 5D III and the 400 DO II (plus 1.4x TC III) were retrieved from storage, they still work thankfully. My reflexes are slow as expected, but improved a bit after a few minutes of BIF shooting.

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Red Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica, resident)

Habitat - Open country or lawns.

Size - 9 inches total length.

Shooting Info - Maambal Orchard, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines, May 7, 2023, EOS 5D MIII + EF 400 DO IS II + EF 1.4x TC III, 560 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec, ISO 640, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 1800 x 1200.

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Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus, resident)

Habitat - Open country usually associated with water along rivers, marshes and ricefields.

Size - 11.5 inches total length.

Shooting Info - Maambal Orchard, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines, May 6, 2023, EOS 5D MIII + EF 400 DO IS II + EF 1.4x TC III, 560 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec, ISO 640, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 1500 x 1000.

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Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum, resident]

Habitat - Drier open areas, dry ricefields, pastures and plowed fields.

White-breasted Waterhen (in 4K)

2023-02-27T18:02:00.002-08:00

White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus, resident)

Habitat – Wetter areas like grasslands, marshes and mangroves.

Size - 11.0 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines on February 27, 2023, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

War of the Sparrows (in 4K)

2023-02-25T20:18:00.001-08:00

Territorial dispute is not a monopoly of Homo sapiens.

Two groups of sparrows - Java Sparrows (with black head and white cheeks) and Eurasian Tree Sparrows - contest a choice nesting hole in the trunk of a dead palm tree.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines on February 26, 2023, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod, built-in microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

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Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora)

Habitat - Uncommon in parks, residential areas and scrub, sometimes in neighboring ricefields.

Size - 5.50 inches total length

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Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Habitat - Common in virtually every inhabited island of the Philippines.

Size - 5.25 inches total length

Java Sparrow (in 4K)

2023-02-24T19:24:00.005-08:00

Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora, resident)

Habitat - Uncommon in parks, residential areas and scrub, sometimes in neighboring ricefields.

Size - 5.50 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines on February 25, 2023, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Kingfisher in light rain (4K)

2023-02-08T16:50:00.001-08:00

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis, resident)

Habitat – Clearings, along large streams and rivers, and in open country.

Size - 10-1/2 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines on February 8, 2023, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + built-in mic, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Pacific Swallow (in 4K)

2022-09-11T04:48:00.007-07:00

Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica)

Habitat - Common along coasts, in towns and open country, rarely over forest.

Size - 5 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines on September 11, 2022, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + built-in mic, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Scaly-breasted Munia (in 4K)

2022-09-09T19:46:00.001-07:00

Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

Habitat: Ricefields, grasslands, gardens and scrub.

Size - 4.25 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines on August 25, 2022, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + built-in mic, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Call of the Black-naped Oriole (in 4K)

2022-09-04T00:16:00.006-07:00

A Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) calling on top of a tall tree.

Habitat - Early second growth, open scrub and gardens.

Size - 10 to 11 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines on August 28, 2022, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + built-in mic, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

White-breasted Wood-Swallow (in 4K)

2022-09-04T00:12:00.005-07:00

White-breasted Wood-Swallow (Artamus leucorynchus, resident)

Habitat - From open country to clearings at forest edge up to 1800 m.

Size - 7.50 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines on September 4, 2022, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + built-in mic, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Call of the Red-keeled Flowerpecker (in 4K)

2021-11-27T18:11:00.002-08:00

Red-keeled Flowerpecker (Dicaeum australe, a Philippine endemic)

Habitat - Canopy of forest, edge and flowering trees.

Size - 4 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on November 28, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

A Singing Golden-bellied Flyeater (in 4K)

2021-11-14T21:54:00.003-08:00

Golden-bellied Flyeater (Gerygone sulphurea, resident)

Habitat – Open country, second growth, mangroves and even in residential areas.

Size - 4.00 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on November 15, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Java Sparrow (in 4K)

2021-11-14T19:20:00.001-08:00

Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora, resident)

Habitat - Uncommon in parks, residential areas and scrub, sometimes in neighboring ricefields.

Size - 5.50 inches total length

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (in 4K)

2021-11-13T20:40:00.003-08:00

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus, resident)

Habitat - Open country usually associated with water along rivers, marshes and ricefields.

Size - 11.5 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on November 14, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher (in 4K)

2021-11-03T20:10:00.002-07:00

Grey-streaked Flycatcher (Muscicapa griseisticta, migrant)

Habitat - Conspicuously perches in tops of trees in forest, edge and open areas.

Size - 5.0 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on November 4, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Long-tailed Shrike in the Rain (in 4K)

2021-08-01T19:56:00.001-07:00

Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach, resident)

Habitat - Open country and scrub.

Size - 9.50 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on August 1, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Philippine Coucal (Centropus viridis, in 4K)

2021-08-01T03:07:00.002-07:00

Philippine Coucal (Centropus viridis,a Philippine endemic )

Habitat – Common from grasslands to forest up to 2000 m.

Size - 16.5 inches total length.

White-breasted Wood-Swallow in the rain

2021-07-25T19:06:00.003-07:00

White-breasted Wood-Swallow (Artamus leucorynchus, resident)

Habitat - From open country to clearings at forest edge up to 1800 m.

Size - 7.50 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on July 25, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Birds in the rain

2021-07-24T23:06:00.007-07:00

It has been raining in our islands for about a week now. Thanks to the P1000's long reach, I can still film birds at extreme distances from a shelter. Here are four species of wild birds filmed under the rain:

1. Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata, sub-adult male)

2. Chestnut Munia (Lonchura atricapilla)

3. Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

4. Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, north Luzon, Philippines on July 25, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Nymphs (young grasshoppers) in 4K

2021-07-11T05:17:00.004-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised to come upon dozens of newly hatched grasshoppers (nymphs) this morning along the banks of Bued River.

Shooting info - Bued River, northern Philippines, July 11, 2021, Sony RX10 IV, 220 mm (600 mm equivalent), 4K/29.976p capture, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, tripod + video head.

Music - "Serenity" by Aakash Gandhi

Crested Myna (in 4K)

2021-06-23T16:21:00.002-07:00

Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus, resident)

Habitat: Open country and agricultural land.

Size - 10 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines on June 23, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Zebra Dove (in 4K)

2021-06-13T01:10:00.004-07:00

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata, resident)

Habitat - Common in open country, cultivated areas and gardens.

Size - 8.50 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on June 13, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Asian Glossy Starling (in 4K)

2021-06-06T04:05:00.006-07:00

Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis, resident)

Habitat - Lowlands from second growth to downtown in cities.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on June 6, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.

Chestnut Munia (in 4K)

2021-06-06T04:01:00.003-07:00

Chestnut Munia (Lonchura atricapilla, resident)

Habitat: Ricefields, grasslands and open country.

Plover Stretch at 10x Slow Motion

2021-04-11T18:07:00.001-07:00

Little Ringed-Plover (Charadrius dubius, breeding plumage)

Habitat - Common, from ricefields to river beds.

Size - 6.50 inches total length.

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on April 11, 2021, Sony RX10 IV, fluid head + tripod, manual exposure in available light, recorded at 1080/119.88p, processed to 1080/23.976p (10% slow motion).

Music - "Apex" by Aakash Gandhi

Scaly-breasted Munia (in 4K)

2021-04-07T03:28:00.001-07:00

Scaly-Breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata, resident)

Habitat: Ricefields, grasslands, gardens and scrub.

Size - 4.25 inches total length

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Bued River, La Union, Philippines on April 7, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + shotgun microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p.