Crimson Sunbirds

[Ely Teehankee]

This was a great day for me in Bacolod. Thanks to Boymac & Marester for taking me to a private farm where I was able to take some photos of the Crimson Sunbird. In my mind I was only thinking of the male Sunbird but the big bonus is that I was also able to photograph the female which is a beauty in its own way.

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS USM, Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, Wimberley WH200 head. Manual exposure in available light.



It was a good way to start the morning to see the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)vperch across the man made lagoon that has carp swimming in it. At 31.3 meters is was more of a scenic shot than seeing the real beauty of the bird.
1/100 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600




The Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) or Mountain Shrike (Lanius validirostris) was 23.8 meters away and at that distance I would normally just look for another bird. However since there was none I wanted to practice on it. This way when an interesting bird comes along I am already warmed up. The feathers seems to be grey making it possible for it to be a Mountain Shrike.
1/800 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600





It was almost 9:00 AM when the Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) made his presence felt with the loud shrill announcing his arrival. The Ginger plant was planted about 2 meters wide by 10 meters long. So there were plenty of flowers for the Crimson Sunbird to land. But they always choose the flowers that are in the middle so lighting is not ideal. But the excitement was there.
1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male




1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male




1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male




1/100 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Female




1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male




1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male




1/100 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Female




1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male



1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Male




1/80 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600 Female




It was time to leave for Mambukal. We arrived almost lunch time and decided to have lunch before resuming our birding. The first bird that we saw was the White-bellied Munia (Lonchura leucogastra). For a tiny bird they were far at 21.1 meters.
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 800




The White-throated Kingfisher (gularis) ? is now classified as endemic to the Philippines. It is only the throat that has a white spot and does not extend to the breast. I wanted so much to get a picture of it but the bird always flies further away when we see him. This was taken at 41.2 meters.
1/40 sec., f/8, ISO 800




To end the day on a high note, was when the pair of White-throated Kingfisher were together side by side at 35.6 meters.
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 800

[Tirso Paris]

Wow! Beautiful pics as ever. The male crimson sunbird is awesome but the female is pretty as well. Congrats!

[Ramon Quisumbing]

Ely, these are the clearest photos of the Crimson Sunbird that I have ever seen. One of the prettiest Philippine birds, and I have yet to capture it. Congrats!

[Dennis Alfaro]

very nice photos you have Ely!

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 23, 2012 21:59:00 GMT Tirso Paris said:

Wow! Beautiful pics as ever. The male crimson sunbird is awesome but the female is pretty as well. Congrats!

Thank you Tirso. When I was able to photograph the Crimson Sunbird I felt so delighted. Much much later, to the least of my expectations, I saw a bird landing on the flower and chirping happily. I focused on the bird carefully and took several shots as she dance like on tip-toe to her hearts content on top of the flower and sipping her champagne of nectar. I was elated to find out later, that it was the female Crimson Sunbird.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 23, 2012 23:09:24 GMT Ramon Quisumbing said:

Ely, these are the clearest photos of the Crimson Sunbird that I have ever seen. One of the prettiest Philippine birds, and I have yet to capture it. Congrats!

Thank you Ramon. When Boymac told me that it is a sure bird, I thought to myself, I hope so. True enough it came, and it was truly a delight to see something that you are expecting and finally getting to see, photograph and share it.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 23, 2012 23:37:41 GMT Dennis Alfaro said:

very nice photos you have Ely!

I agree with you Dennis and thank you. They are lovely birds and I don't think you can see them here in Luzon. Very fortunate indeed to have seen and photograph these beautiful birds.

[William Lim]

Beautiful series, Ely. The sunbirds were masterfully captured. Well done.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 24, 2012 2:18:42 GMT William Lim said:

Beautiful series, Ely. The sunbirds were masterfully captured. Well done.

Thank you William for your candid appreciation. It was truly delightful to photograph this lively and beautiful Crimson Sunbird.

[Clemn A. Macasiano Jr.]

You nailed them all Elly ! Good to see you in my little home town.

[paulbourdin]

Fantastic photos of the Crimson Sunbird!

The shrike is a Brown Shrike. The race we get most commonly here is lucionensis, which has a pale crown, nape and mantle, often appearing greyish as in this photograph. The Mountain Shrike has a uniform slate-grey crown, nape and mantle, as well as chestnut flanks. It also doesn't occur on Negros, being restricted to Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 24, 2012 3:41:18 GMT Clemn A. Macasiano Jr. said:

You nailed them all Elly ! Good to see you in my little home town.

Thank you Boymac for making this happen. My wife is also from there and I will tell her what a wonderful time I had with the birds. LOL.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 24, 2012 4:59:38 GMT paulbourdin said:

Fantastic photos of the Crimson Sunbird!

The shrike is a Brown Shrike. The race we get most commonly here is lucionensis, which has a pale crown, nape and mantle, often appearing greyish as in this photograph. The Mountain Shrike has a uniform slate-grey crown, nape and mantle, as well as chestnut flanks. It also doesn't occur on Negros, being restricted to Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao.

Thank you Paul for your appreciation and for the name of the Brown Shrike (Lanius lucionensis) With this distinct difference is there a possibility that it will become a sub species in the future and becoming a Philippine endemic?

[Mick Harris]

Great shots esp the Sunbird ones.

Regards,

Mick

[Mark Itol]

Nice set, Ely. Glad you finally posted the sunbird photos; they are really beautiful. The bird's colors are well-complemented by the flowers. I can see it was a tough shooting condition, and you handled it very well. Well done.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 24, 2012 10:35:08 GMT Mick Harris said:

Great shots esp the Sunbird ones.

Regards,

Mick

Thank you Mick. This trip can be classified as one of my best birding trip.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 24, 2012 11:38:15 GMT Mark Itol said:

Nice set, Ely. Glad you finally posted the sunbird photos; they are really beautiful. The bird's colors are well-complemented by the flowers. I can see it was a tough shooting condition, and you handled it very well. Well done.

Thank you very much Mark for your generous appreciation. By the way it may be of interest for you to know that I had my camera & lens recalibrated after this trip. There were some adjustments made and it focuses faster now than before. I owe it to you for showing me what you thought was something wrong with my pictures that led me to double check the issues at hand.

[Lawrence Lo]

Beautiful capture of the Crimson sunbird, congratulations Ely.

[Lydia Robledo]

Wow, what a fulfilling vacation in your wife's hometown. Lovely pair. I am biased towards the female... the color is subdued but beautiful as well. It has a gentler color. The color of the male is just too loud for me... mayabang! (like some bird photographers...ho, ho, ho... joke, joke). lyd

[Ely Teehankee]

Jan 24, 2012 13:40:20 GMT Lawrence Lo said:

Beautiful capture of the Crimson sunbird, congratulations Ely.

Thank you Lawrence. The red of the Crimson Sunbird is the darkest red that I have seen on any bird. I guess this is what makes it look so beautiful.