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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 22, 2010 22:21:17 GMT
The Mountain Shrike (Lanius validirostris) is endemic to the Philippines. The KGB describes it as uncommon in Montane forest. Wikipedia describes it as "It is becoming rare due to habitat loss". I was very fortunate to have encountered the Mountain Shrike on two occassions at Mount Polis at an elevation of about 1800 meters. The distinguishing difference is that the Brown Shrike has brown feathers and the Mountain Shrike has gray feathers on its back. Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM. Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, Wimberley WH200 head. Manual exposure in available light. f/8, ISO 400, 1/160 second  f/8, ISO 250, 1/125 second  f/5.6, ISO 250, 1/125 second  f/8, ISO 250, 1/500  f/8, ISO 250, 1/640 second  f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/250  f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/250 second  |
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Post by Brian Powell on Jul 23, 2010 5:51:09 GMT
Beautiful, Kuya Ely. I am still hoping I get to see this bird one day.
Is the third and sixth picture an immature bird with the yellow beak?
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 23, 2010 10:02:46 GMT
Beautiful, Kuya Ely. I am still hoping I get to see this bird one day. Is the third and sixth picture an immature bird with the yellow beak? Thank you Brian. There must be lots of birds in your place. What birds do you often see that are not common to us here living in Metro Manila? You are right, the 3rd, 5th & 6th pictures are that of an immature Mountain Shrike as the beak is still yellow. This may also be the reason why I was able to see the parents. |
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Post by Bobby Kintanar on Jul 23, 2010 10:27:52 GMT
Nice series once again Ambassador Ely! Keep 'em comin' sir! :-)
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Post by JV Noriega on Jul 23, 2010 10:50:54 GMT
Wonderful captures as always Ely! Its good to see this bird thriving in whatever is left of its natural habitat... i like the mossy branches they are perched on.. well done!
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 23, 2010 12:29:52 GMT
Nice series once again Ambassador Ely! Keep 'em comin' sir! :-) Thank you Bobby. As for Banaue and Mount Polis, I have completed my posting of the pictures that I took. However in answer to your request I will be posting some pictures this weekend which will be a pleasant surprise for you to know that such a bird exist in Metro Manila. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 23, 2010 12:36:46 GMT
Wonderful captures as always Ely! Its good to see this bird thriving in whatever is left of its natural habitat... i like the mossy branches they are perched on.. well done! Thank you JV. If the place were not so far, as it is about 348 kilometers away and about 9 hours drive by car, I would like to go back again. But its the rainy season now and its not worth the trip if you get rained out. I had to cut short my trip as typhoon Basyang was just hours away and arrived the same night that I arrived home. |
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Post by Edu Lorenzo Jr on Jul 23, 2010 14:25:25 GMT
WOW!!! A single nice pic of the Mountain Shrike would have made the trip worth it. But here you are sir, posting a lot! You have more keepers now on every trip sir! Looks like the 1DMk4 is playing music in your hands now.
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 23, 2010 20:56:30 GMT
WOW!!! A single nice pic of the Mountain Shrike would have made the trip worth it. But here you are sir, posting a lot! You have more keepers now on every trip sir! Looks like the 1DMk4 is playing music in your hands now. Thank you for the noteworthy observation. Sometime we get lucky by being at the right place at the right time. This was certainly a day like that. |
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Post by Raymon Maranga on Jul 24, 2010 1:11:12 GMT
very beautyful!!awesome..nice captured sir!
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 24, 2010 3:06:08 GMT
very beautyful!!awesome..nice captured sir! Thank you Raymon. I certainly appreciate your comments. |
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Post by ka rene bajit on Jul 24, 2010 9:24:48 GMT
amazing and jaw dropping shot, ely...and family portrait pa! ^_^ i guess they loved to be "kodakd". very few..or only a few among us can see this. unless we go mt polis.^_^
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Post by Romy Ocon on Jul 24, 2010 10:56:57 GMT
Lovely captures of this montane endemic that's becoming rarer, Ely.... love the inclusion of the environment!
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Post by des on Jul 24, 2010 11:07:56 GMT
I haven't seen photos of a young Mountain Shrike before. The sides are much more orange; there are pale fringes to the tertials (though adults can show this) and possibly wing coverts too. The crown looks to have a brownish tinge. The bill looks less massive, as well as being straw-coloured, and lacks a strongly hooked tip; the tail feathers are notched at the tip, as caused by being jammed into the nest sides during growth, and is generally rather frayed.
cheers
Des
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Post by Neon Rosell II on Jul 24, 2010 13:35:36 GMT
Wow!! Another great documentation work, Ely! excellent captures in all.
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Post by Toto Gamboa on Jul 24, 2010 14:36:47 GMT
Wooooooow. Galeng sir Ely! COngrats on this very substantial set of this mountain shrike.
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 25, 2010 2:39:09 GMT
amazing and jaw dropping shot, ely...and family portrait pa! ^_^ i guess they loved to be "kodakd". very few..or only a few among us can see this. unless we go mt polis.^_^ Thank you Rene. I have noticed that birds are more accommodating for a photo shoot if in the presence of a young hatchling. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 25, 2010 2:43:11 GMT
Lovely captures of this montane endemic that's becoming rarer, Ely.... love the inclusion of the environment! Thank you Romy. After seeing the difference in the color of the feathers between the Mountain Shrike and Brown Shrike, and learning from you of the rarity of this bird, I certainly appreciate having seen and photo this bird. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 25, 2010 2:48:13 GMT
I haven't seen photos of a young Mountain Shrike before. The sides are much more orange; there are pale fringes to the tertials (though adults can show this) and possibly wing coverts too. The crown looks to have a brownish tinge. The bill looks less massive, as well as being straw-coloured, and lacks a strongly hooked tip; the tail feathers are notched at the tip, as caused by being jammed into the nest sides during growth, and is generally rather frayed. cheers Des I would prefer if the colors stayed this way. But just like puppies the color changes as they mature. |
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Post by Ely Teehankee on Jul 25, 2010 2:49:53 GMT
Wow!! Another great documentation work, Ely! excellent captures in all. Thank you Neon for your generous appreciation of my photos. Mabuhay. |
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