Common Birds in Alabang

[Tonji Ramos]

I really like the challenge of the contest for this period. Common birds. It gives me a chance to try to improve my technique. I guess common birds don't have the "wow" factor of the unusual birds like a Philippine Trogon or some of the more colorful mountain or forest birds. Presenting a common bird to look special is an interesting task.

I also like this topic because its helping me to improve my pictures of Alabang birds, all these pictures were taken in the village. Another plus is that I am learning more about the behavior of the birds in my area.

I have posted some pics for the contest, but not these ones. These are some of my attempts for the motif "common birds" of the past few days.

LOWLAND WHITE EYE
Zosterops meyeni
Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 500mm f4, Canon 1.4x tc, 1/160, f8, ISO 400


EURASIAN TREE SPARROW
Passer montanus
Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 500mm f4, Canon 1.4x tc, 1/320, f6.3, ISO 640


ZEBRA DOVE
Geopelia striata
Canon 5D Mk2, Canon 500mm f4, Canon 1.4x tc, 1/1000, f8, ISO 400

[Renoir Abrea]

nice LWE' i have not seen this bird in my place yet, good luck contest'

[Ely Teehankee]

Those are remarkable shots. Looks like your combo fits you to a "T". I think common birds means all kinds of birds that are found within inhabited areas including the Trogon, except for rare birds like the Cebu Flowerpecker. I asked Romy about this at the Forum contest rules (Quoted below). Well done Tonji. Mabuhay.

Ely,

1. The official reference of the Contest is the Kennedy Guide (KG), as mentioned in the Motif Board. Hence, the total length of the bird as mentioned in the KG determines whether it should fall under the small birds category (5" or less) or large birds category (over 5"). In cases of subspecies with varying lengths, the place of capture will determine the subspecies and hence the KG's info on the length of such will apply.

2. The first motif (Common Birds) will be loosely interpreted such that almost all Philippine birds are included as long as such species range within reasonable flying distance of human settlements. About the only exceptions are the very deep forest birds and those that inhabit far flung islets (ex. Boobies of Tubbataha and the like). The places you mentioned are quite near human settlements, so all species recorded in those areas are fair game (allowed as entries).






May 13, 2010, 7:42pm, Ely Teehankee wrote:
I would like to seek some clarification on some of the rules:

1. When you say that the bird should be no longer than 5 inches, how do you determine that?

2. When you say birds ranging near human settlements, what is the range in terms of kilometers? I presume that places like Candaba, Subic, Makiling, Palay Palay, Golf
Courses, and National Parks would all be considered near human settlements.

[mantarey]

Beautiful captures Tonji, all contest ready. You made the common ETS look so nice and I think it's the more impressive capture.

[Ariel Matias]

I don't really shoot at ETS because they are so common and I consider them as "not so beautiful" to photograph. But with your picture, you make the ETS so beautiful!!!

[Edu Lorenzo Jr]

these.. along with your entries, I can describe as "Powerful images" Tonji. They really speak out!

[Bob Kaufman]

Awesome shots, Tonji!

Oftentimes, we tend to ignore the birds we see in our neighborhoods because they're quite ubiquituous. Your photos should make us rethink our stance about this situation. Now I am looking at some ETS and YVBs and finding them rather interesting....and even worth photographing. ;D

[Lydia Robledo]

You do not need a 7D no, Tonji? You can be a judge... suggestion to Canon he, he. Let's eliminate those with fantastic photos of common birds... then make our day!!! lots of cheerps, telyds

[Mark Itol]

Wow set, Tonji! The LLWE is just awesome.

[Tonji Ramos]

Hi Ely, thanks for the heads up about what are considered common birds for the contest. I guess it's actually all birds. That makes it fun as well for those who like to travel and go look for special birds. :)Sylvia and I just came back from Subic today and we were in Palay-Palay a few days ago. It cool that we can use these latest pictures as well. It's kinda funny calling a Philippine Trogon or a Luzon Bleeding Heart common though...

Thanks everyone for the kind comments about my neighborhood birds. I had ignored my neighborhood birds as we enjoyed the excitement of finding new birds in different parts of the country. But my Alabang pictures needed lots of improvement so it's nice to work on some of the birds in our village.

[Nilo Arribas Jr.]

WOW, excellent contest materials Tonji... I like the warm setup of the LLWE.

[alainpascua]

These are great, Sylvia! Excellent pics! Congrats!

[JV Noriega]

Very well photographed common birds Tonji! The LLWE is a killer shot!