Post by Ely Teehankee on Aug 4, 2013 5:30:42 GMT
For me the most beautiful kingfisher that we have in the Philippines is the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher ((Ceyx melanurus). At 4 3/4 inches it is the smallest forest bird that we have in our country. We can all take pride that this bird is endemic to the Philippines and hope that our government will take the necessary steps to insure that the bird's habitat is protected. Illegal logging, slash & burn, informal settlers should be stopped. Republic Act 9147 dated July 30, 2001 "AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES AND THEIR HABITATS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES" should be implemented and enforced by the authorities. At present we still see birds being hunted, openly sold, and even served in some restaurants. We have heard that that people who have reported this incidents to the Department of Environment & Natural Resources are not given due course with the usual excuse of not having enough people to go after the law breakers, no budget, and occasionally "we will look into it" but that is the last you will hear about it as there is no will to implement the law. If the DENR is serious about it, there should be a procedure that from the start of a reported violation, there should be some kind of a progress report of what is being done about it and what was the end result. This is something that will give Romy Ocon's dream, & ours too come true:"By imaging these magnificent winged creatures in their natural habitat and sharing the pictures and footages through the web, we hope that in our own little way we can help raise awareness for the protection of their habitat. We wish that the children of our children will still be able to behold their beauty long after our generation is gone."
It was a pleasant surprise when I got a call from Ramon Quisumbing, an excellent practicing lawyer, an avid bird photographer, with a passionate desire to preserve the environment for the birds to thrive and be protected. Among the places that is included in his advocacy of making them a bird sanctuary is the Capayas Creek in Coron Busuanga, Bangkong Kahoy straddling Mount Banahaw and Mount Cristobal, Quezon, and Eagle Point Resort in Mabini, Batangas. He wanted to know if I would be interested to join him at Polillo Island, Quezon to photograph the uncommon and rarely seen Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher. He said that Bob Natural has reported sightings of a pair of Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher and this was our opportunity to photograph this bird. Without any hesitation, I told him that I would love to go. Ramon recently had a major knee operation and in spite of the painful process of recovery he never lets go of the opportunity to photograph birds. His last birding trip was in Borneo and had several lifers added to his growing list. He is one of the most active bird photographers and anyone can easily see the pictures of the birds that he has take on the internet.
We were at the airport at 5:30 AM. We were all excited about this trip and really looking forward to see the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher. We loaded our gear for this two day trip, on the small compartment on both sides of the 6 seater helicopter. The other backpacks and stuff occupied a seat between the mechanic and myself. The pilot started the engine and it took us 15 minutes to get clearance from the control tower to take off due to the heavy air traffic at the domestic airport. Most of the time we were flying between 1,000 to 2,000 feet and you could clearly see the familiar buildings, landscape of trees, houses, resorts and see how crowded Metro Manila has become. It took us 38 minutes to land on the school ground of Polillo Island. We checked in our stuff at the Casa Escaralata, a four bedroom pension that is air-conditioned, with TV, Wifi, and water heater. The owner Lalie Escara took good care of us and cooks very well. We were met by the Vice-Mayor, Bob Natural, and the jeep that took us to the pension. We quickly unloaded our luggages, brought the stuff we needed, and headed for the site where the PDKF is frequently seen. It took 50 minutes to get there. The road was made with compacted sand and pebbles and there would be occasional pot holes caused by water from the rain. Some portions of the road are cemented and it is a continuing process that will eventually lead to all of it being cemented. When I first went to Coron, it was the same thing. What took almost an hour before to get to town of Coron, from the airport is now just 30 minutes away. We set up our hides and a few minutes after that we heard the sharp shrill of the PDKF as it landed on the vines near its nesting hole. This is where the excitement and thrill of seeing and photographing the bird begins.
Canon EOS 1DX, Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS USM, Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, M-3.6 Mongoose Gimbal Action Head. Manual exposure in available light.
I processed the pictures both in landscape & portrait mode so that you can see both the environment & the close up on the subject. I am hoping that by sharing these pictures people will be aware of the beauty of having birds in the wild. The first sighting we had was at 8:45 AM.
This picture was taken when our things were being loaded on the chopper. We were filled with excitement and anticipation in having a chance to see & photograph the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher.
It took us exactly 38 minutes to reach the school ground of Polillo Island. Here is Bob Natural, the man who found the nesting pair of Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher.
It is so fulfilling to have been able to see & photograph the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher.
1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/200 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
What is amazing about the colors of this bird it that the feathers behind the ears comes in two layers. The top one is blue and the bottom is white. Although predominantly it has a rufous colored chest, it is strategically washed with lilac on some parts of the body whcih makes the bird even more colorful.
1/200 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
Using the same picture I processed this in portrait mode to get a closer look at the bird.
Thank you Ramon for this unforgettable experience. It also enabled me to get pictures of the most beautiful kingfisher that I have ever seen.
Here is how we see the bird behind our hide.
This is how the bird sees Ramon if he notices him at all. LOL.
At the request of Ramon, Lalie prepared sea food for our dinner. The prawns were big probaly only 6-7 pieces per kilo and cooked to perfection. The crabs were not so big but fat and very tasty.
It was a pleasant surprise when I got a call from Ramon Quisumbing, an excellent practicing lawyer, an avid bird photographer, with a passionate desire to preserve the environment for the birds to thrive and be protected. Among the places that is included in his advocacy of making them a bird sanctuary is the Capayas Creek in Coron Busuanga, Bangkong Kahoy straddling Mount Banahaw and Mount Cristobal, Quezon, and Eagle Point Resort in Mabini, Batangas. He wanted to know if I would be interested to join him at Polillo Island, Quezon to photograph the uncommon and rarely seen Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher. He said that Bob Natural has reported sightings of a pair of Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher and this was our opportunity to photograph this bird. Without any hesitation, I told him that I would love to go. Ramon recently had a major knee operation and in spite of the painful process of recovery he never lets go of the opportunity to photograph birds. His last birding trip was in Borneo and had several lifers added to his growing list. He is one of the most active bird photographers and anyone can easily see the pictures of the birds that he has take on the internet.
We were at the airport at 5:30 AM. We were all excited about this trip and really looking forward to see the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher. We loaded our gear for this two day trip, on the small compartment on both sides of the 6 seater helicopter. The other backpacks and stuff occupied a seat between the mechanic and myself. The pilot started the engine and it took us 15 minutes to get clearance from the control tower to take off due to the heavy air traffic at the domestic airport. Most of the time we were flying between 1,000 to 2,000 feet and you could clearly see the familiar buildings, landscape of trees, houses, resorts and see how crowded Metro Manila has become. It took us 38 minutes to land on the school ground of Polillo Island. We checked in our stuff at the Casa Escaralata, a four bedroom pension that is air-conditioned, with TV, Wifi, and water heater. The owner Lalie Escara took good care of us and cooks very well. We were met by the Vice-Mayor, Bob Natural, and the jeep that took us to the pension. We quickly unloaded our luggages, brought the stuff we needed, and headed for the site where the PDKF is frequently seen. It took 50 minutes to get there. The road was made with compacted sand and pebbles and there would be occasional pot holes caused by water from the rain. Some portions of the road are cemented and it is a continuing process that will eventually lead to all of it being cemented. When I first went to Coron, it was the same thing. What took almost an hour before to get to town of Coron, from the airport is now just 30 minutes away. We set up our hides and a few minutes after that we heard the sharp shrill of the PDKF as it landed on the vines near its nesting hole. This is where the excitement and thrill of seeing and photographing the bird begins.
Canon EOS 1DX, Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS USM, Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, M-3.6 Mongoose Gimbal Action Head. Manual exposure in available light.
I processed the pictures both in landscape & portrait mode so that you can see both the environment & the close up on the subject. I am hoping that by sharing these pictures people will be aware of the beauty of having birds in the wild. The first sighting we had was at 8:45 AM.
This picture was taken when our things were being loaded on the chopper. We were filled with excitement and anticipation in having a chance to see & photograph the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher.
It took us exactly 38 minutes to reach the school ground of Polillo Island. Here is Bob Natural, the man who found the nesting pair of Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher.
It is so fulfilling to have been able to see & photograph the Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher.
1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
1/200 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
What is amazing about the colors of this bird it that the feathers behind the ears comes in two layers. The top one is blue and the bottom is white. Although predominantly it has a rufous colored chest, it is strategically washed with lilac on some parts of the body whcih makes the bird even more colorful.
1/200 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
Using the same picture I processed this in portrait mode to get a closer look at the bird.
Thank you Ramon for this unforgettable experience. It also enabled me to get pictures of the most beautiful kingfisher that I have ever seen.
Here is how we see the bird behind our hide.
This is how the bird sees Ramon if he notices him at all. LOL.
At the request of Ramon, Lalie prepared sea food for our dinner. The prawns were big probaly only 6-7 pieces per kilo and cooked to perfection. The crabs were not so big but fat and very tasty.
. Stress free and not time consuming 
. Excellent captures as always, Ely!
