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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 8, 2010 12:59:06 GMT
With the suggestion of Romy, the arrangements made by Prop Jerry, the company of Buboy, and the boat and crew of Engineer Ismael Najera, I was able to make my wish come true of birding in Binmaley and Camantilles, one of the 123 Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan. There were Golden Bellied Flycatchers, Olive-backed Sunbirds, Pied Thrillers, Asian Glossy Starlings, Brown Shrikes, Yellow-vented Bulbuls, White-collared Kingfishers, Black-naped Orioles, and the biggest one of them, the endemic Philippine Hawk-cuckoo (Cuculus pectoralis) It is amazing that smaller birds like the WCK and the Black-naped Oriole have the guts to be chasing the Hawk Cuckoo from the territory from time to time. But the abundance of worms in the area did not keep the Hawk Cuckoo from returning each time he is driven away. Considering that his size is several times larger than the two birds combine, I am surprised that he does not even give them a fight. A very smart bird. He just goes away and returns to enjoy his meal giving me the chance to delightfully take photos of him. Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, EF 800mm f5.6 IS L Lens, Manfrotto 475B Tripod, MF 373 Gimbal Head ISO 1600, 1/160, f5.6  ISO 1600, 1/125, f8  ISO 1600, 1/125, f5.6  ISO 1600, 1/250, f5.6  ISO 1600, 1/250, f8  ISO 1600, 1/160, f8  |
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Post by Agerico M. De Villa on May 8, 2010 15:49:52 GMT
Another of the patented Ely Teeh birds with something in its beak! Good eye contact. Perfect stalking. Fine treasure of details! Congratulations! Did you see the roseate and black-naped terns?
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Post by JV Noriega on May 8, 2010 16:13:56 GMT
Hey Ely! Excellent captures of the PHC! You must have been able to close-in on this guy! Those worms really look sumptuous and juicy! couldn't blame the PHC for coming back for more.. Keep them latest captures coming!
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Post by Edu Lorenzo Jr on May 9, 2010 0:21:51 GMT
what can we say? Signature elytee food-in-beak shots!
Awesome shots and images portraying a healthy habitat! Thank you sir!
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 9, 2010 0:26:20 GMT
Another of the patented Ely Teeh birds with something in its beak! Good eye contact. Perfect stalking. Fine treasure of details! Congratulations! Did you see the roseate and black-naped terns? Thank you Prop Jerry. When I saw the bird actively looking for worms to eat I was hoping that I would be able to catch him doing it. I did not see the Roseate but I did see the Black-naped Terns on a rock while we were bobbing up and down on the sea. I managed to get a photo but nothing great about it. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 9, 2010 0:42:13 GMT
Hey Ely! Excellent captures of the PHC! You must have been able to close-in on this guy! Those worms really look sumptuous and juicy! couldn't blame the PHC for coming back for more.. Keep them latest captures coming! Thank you JV. The PHC that was in your place eats it so fast that there was no chance for me to take a picture of the bird with the worm. This one knows how to savor the juicy worm and at least I got some shots of it with the small worm. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 9, 2010 0:44:56 GMT
what can we say? Signature elytee food-in-beak shots! Awesome shots and images portraying a healthy habitat! Thank you sir! Thank you Edu. It was nice to be there. |
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Post by Romy Ocon on May 9, 2010 1:15:58 GMT
Wow.... you really got close to this one, great shots Ely and thanks for trailblazing another potentially good birding destination!
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Post by Felix Servita on May 9, 2010 6:49:09 GMT
perfect details and good composition. congrats ely !
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 9, 2010 22:03:38 GMT
Wow.... you really got close to this one, great shots Ely and thanks for trailblazing another potentially good birding destination! Thank you Romy for your appreciation and also for your suggestion to me to visit the place. There may be more birds out there but there is also the problem of transferring from island to island with not enough time to do so many things. I stayed in one place and the birds were coming at different times so there was hardly a dull moment which could easily be filled with munching some pototo chips and rehydrating the body fluids with water. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 9, 2010 22:10:24 GMT
perfect details and good composition. congrats ely ! Thank you Felix. The Philippines can really be a birding paradise if more can be done to preserve & improve the environment. The most popular tree which gives a lot of shade and fruits for the birds is the "Balete". If this tree could be planted all over the Philippines it would be a dream come true. Any tree for that matter is good because the worms thrive on it and the birds eat them which in turns allows the new leaf to grow. I have seen a Balete tree shed all its leaves making me think that its dying. A few weeks later the whole tree is covered with new leaves. Soon after that it starts to flower and the birds built their nest. When the fruits ripens birds come to feed on it and the new hatchlings have a source of food that the mother can give to them. Nothing can beat the natural beauty of nature. |
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Post by William Lim on May 10, 2010 0:43:52 GMT
Great shots of the Phil Hawk Cuckoo, Ely. You really have been birding to different places.  |
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Post by Toto Gamboa on May 10, 2010 1:39:48 GMT
Woooow. Great shot of the PHC sir Ely! Wish I get to shoot with any of the cuckoo variety soon. Have a nice day!
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 10, 2010 3:21:29 GMT
Great shots of the Phil Hawk Cuckoo, Ely. You really have been birding to different places. Thank you William. As you know the dry season ia about to end so I am trying to do as much birding as I can while it is still possible. When the rainy season starts, even if I want to, it would not be fun to go birding in the rain. As they say make hay while the sun shines. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 10, 2010 3:27:14 GMT
Woooow. Great shot of the PHC sir Ely! Wish I get to shoot with any of the cuckoo variety soon. Have a nice day! Thank you Toto. You might consider making a trip to Binmaley and than stay overnight at Alaminos to go birding early morning at Cantilles Island. The Island is very small but the place seems to be teeming with worms both on the ground and on the trees. It is very possible that the PHC goes there everyday. It will be difficult to go there when the rainy season starts. |
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Post by Tonji Ramos on May 10, 2010 11:56:16 GMT
Nice photos Ely. I looks like it was posing for you.
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 10, 2010 12:59:30 GMT
Nice photos Ely. I looks like it was posing for you. Thank you Tonji. It was more that he was wary of my presence and watching me very carefully. At the slightest movement he would fly away but coming back after a while. |
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Post by Martin Alvendia on May 10, 2010 13:13:43 GMT
Looks like the Hawk Cuckoo gave you a friendly welcome at Camantilles. Wonderful find and capture Ely.
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Post by Mark Itol on May 10, 2010 14:26:10 GMT
Good harvest from the Hundred Islands, Ely. It looks like the lighting was a challenge.
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Post by Ely Teehankee on May 10, 2010 20:54:15 GMT
Looks like the Hawk Cuckoo gave you a friendly welcome at Camantilles. Wonderful find and capture Ely. Thank you Martin. I guess that would be the best way to described the situation. It was a pleasant surprise to see the bird busy having his breakfast and being chased away by the WKF and BNO. |
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