Post by Sylvia Ramos on Dec 12, 2010 4:32:43 GMT
This was an amazing twitch for me! A very good birding day in Candaba with Tonji and Christian P. The early morning weather was very cool and pleasant. Everything looked so lush, and there were a lot of birds around. We could not keep count of all the White Breasted Waterhens, Common Moorhens, Philippine Ducks, Garganeys, Northern Shovelers, Purple Herons, Egrets, and Black Crowned Night Herons. And, even before we could reach the area of the goose, Tonji and I had a lifer! A Javan Pond Heron in breeding plumage.
After about an hour, we decided to ignore the other birds and look for the goose. We headed to the area where Alex L. said the geese are found. We were taking pictures of the ducks, when Tonji pointed out a small flying flock and said, "That's a different bird!" The small flock flew right on top of us and the three of us clicked away. I got the shock of my life when I looked at my camera and saw that a) my settings were correct! and b) it was a flock of Greater White Fronted Geese!!
As Tonji pointed out in his post, there were 13 geese and they fly in a very orderly V formation. After we realized that, it was easier for us to spot them flying. THey would take off and land in the water about 800 meters in front of us. Once they were in the water, I found it very difficult to spot them among the ducks even with a scope.
Cropped to show the identifying black bars in the stomach. Des pointed out that only the adults have the black bars and white forehead.
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
Couldn't fit all of them in the shot. Cropped this only to make it a portrait shot and remove the excess space at the sides
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
The white tails
f8, iso 400, 1/1600
Canon 5D Mark II, 300 mm 2.8, 2x, handheld
After about an hour, we decided to ignore the other birds and look for the goose. We headed to the area where Alex L. said the geese are found. We were taking pictures of the ducks, when Tonji pointed out a small flying flock and said, "That's a different bird!" The small flock flew right on top of us and the three of us clicked away. I got the shock of my life when I looked at my camera and saw that a) my settings were correct! and b) it was a flock of Greater White Fronted Geese!!
As Tonji pointed out in his post, there were 13 geese and they fly in a very orderly V formation. After we realized that, it was easier for us to spot them flying. THey would take off and land in the water about 800 meters in front of us. Once they were in the water, I found it very difficult to spot them among the ducks even with a scope.
Cropped to show the identifying black bars in the stomach. Des pointed out that only the adults have the black bars and white forehead.
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
Couldn't fit all of them in the shot. Cropped this only to make it a portrait shot and remove the excess space at the sides
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
f8, iso 640, 1/1000
The white tails
f8, iso 400, 1/1600
Canon 5D Mark II, 300 mm 2.8, 2x, handheld
