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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 12, 2008 22:07:57 GMT
Checked out our Lanai and pond last night and noticed something strange: All those nice, slender brown frogs are gone. Either they ran away when the cobra came or they're all in the cobra.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 12, 2008 7:51:46 GMT
And to think I went birding alone there. In fact, alone is my preferred birding mode (learned my lesson with the Red Horse experience). I'd probably weep for a week if I got held up and lost all my gear.
I'll have to learn martial arts now.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 12, 2008 6:20:48 GMT
I may need to do it more frequent than that. I suspect the snake entered from the garden through the Lanai door so I'll have to sprinkle suphur on the garden edging into the Lanai. Since this ground gets wet, will have to refresh the sprinking every now and then. I hope sulphur's not bad for the grass. Ding, the sulphur works but you have to do it once a year.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 11, 2008 13:54:38 GMT
Dogs are always in the garden and garage downstairs. Maybe that's why the snake prefers the serenity of our main level.
And I always take an afternoon nap in the Lanai where the snake probably came from. Maybe I should catch that owl from Flor's place and keep it in our Lanai. ;D
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 11, 2008 13:36:27 GMT
Got a text message from my wife over lunch saying there's a big cobra in our house. Thought "Yeah, yeah. Probably the same little snakes I keep catching under flower pots and throwing back into the forest." I then called up the maids. They were all excited and told me how the three village guards worked together to kill it. When she said it was brown and the neck flared as it poised to strike, I got worried. Apparently, while Bitchay (our ever bubbly maid) was cleaning our sungka in the family room (right beside where teLyds, Neon, and Bobby had breakfast), it slithered about 2 feet from her. She screamed and it coiled its body and raised its head and hissed. She ran. My wife called the guards. Two came but were too scared. The third one came, apparently experienced in these matters, calmly got a pointed piece of bamboo and speared it. I now ordered a few kilos of sulphur and will sprinkle it around the house tomorrow. Some say it works, some are not sure. Heck, it's worth a try. Anybody got any ideas, let me know, pls. Here are the photos:
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 10, 2008 3:26:57 GMT
Thanks, Neon & Rene
Nestor: Tempting offer. But I’ll have a big dilemma. My two favorite drinks competing at 6AM: beer and coffee
Rey: And you wanted to buy a 500mm?
Romy: In fact, I have a Sigma 10-20. That would be a great contest: Bird Photography with a lens less than 50mm!
I may not have made the shot I wanted of the eagle but what made up for it was all those kids and neighbors got to appreciate the eagle. One of them even remarked: "So that's what it is. We've see that brid occasionally and were fearful it was an Aswang."
To non-Pilipino-speaking people: Aswang is a mythical flying creature that perches atop huts and, with its pointed and extremely long tongue, punctures a sleeping pregnant woman's belly below and proceeds to suck the fetus. Like a vampire but without the elegance of seduction, royalty, and kiss-disguised bites.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 10, 2008 3:16:23 GMT
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 10, 2008 3:06:29 GMT
Thanks, Romy. Thought it may be a bug or some cleanup/archival job.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 10, 2008 1:18:58 GMT
I'm interested! But will have to check my calendar first (am on the road) and the wife (the bigger factor). BTW, we love Kusina Salud. I would recommend that, after the affair, spend the night at Kinabuhayan Cafe, a few minutes drive to Dolores, Quezon. It's a little bit of a roughing-it type of an accomodation: hut, hammock, open-air-hollow-block bathroom. But Jay Herrera, the host and chef is a spontaneous and man-of-a-million-stories guy, and his meals are to die for. Very reasonable rates. You can then bird in the nearby waterfalls in a deep ravine. I posted this review of his place at Click the city: Wife and 2 kids stayed at Jay's Kinabuhayan. The man's an energizer bunny of stories, food, and fun! I have never met anyone with so much joie de vivre; he's infectious! Make sure to get him to talk anything about his colorful life and you'll be convinced life is a treasure.
Listen to his radio broadcasts from his studio (beside the kitchen!) which the town and neighboring communities can hear.
The P500 for the food is almost like stealing. My wife told Jay my comment "How does he make money serving all this food for so little?" to which Jay replied: "As if I care!"
Accomodations are genuine, unpretentious. Food is creative, exuberant and will make you forget whatever diet you're on. Trip to the falls is ethereal. But best of all is the company: Jay and his whole household (even his pets!), in their own natural selves, will make you celebrate life.Check it out at: www.klar.us/kinabuhayan_cafe/Or other accomodations at a cluster of places in teh San Pablo area called Viaje del Sol: guides.clickthecity.com/travel/?p=1612
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 10, 2008 0:59:01 GMT
Is it just me or is the "Most Recent Posts" feature in your profile not working too?
I always check my most recent posts using this fill-in form so I can see if people have responded to my threads and I can continue the interaction. But I couldn't find the fill-in object yesterday and, today, it's there but someow just returns one thread.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 10, 2008 0:54:02 GMT
Is that an immature or just really well-fed? The ones I see in Hardin are much leaner than this one. That's an amazingly clear shot at that speed.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Jan 17, 2008 13:21:31 GMT
Bright-capped Cisticola ( Cisticcola exilis) 3.5" 19Sept2007, Antipolo 350D + 400mmL + 1.4X Kenko TC, 560mm, 1/200s f/8 ISO200 manual focus, manual exposure, monopod-assisted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- White-bellied Munia ( Lonchura leucogastra) 4.5" 14Jan2007, Antipolo 350D + 400mmL + 1.4X Kenko TC, 560mm, 1/250s f/8 ISO200 manual focus, manual exposure, monopod-assisted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Scaly-creasted Munia ( Lonchura punctulata) 4.5" 21Jan2007, Antipolo 350D + 400mmL + 1.4X Kenko TC, 560mm, 1/500s f/8 ISO200 manual focus, manual exposure, monopod-assisted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Golden-bellied Flyeater ( Gerygone sulphurea) 4" 24Nov2007, Quezon City 350D + 400mmL + 1.4X Kenko TC, 560mm, 1/125s f/8 ISO200 manual focus, manual exposure, monopod-assisted
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Post by Ding Carpio on Jan 23, 2008 23:52:34 GMT
Yes. Now, JP has to put wheels on his floating blind and we'll call it the "Amphibious Blind!" The shooting distances look very far however..
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Post by Ding Carpio on Jan 23, 2008 21:42:43 GMT
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Post by Ding Carpio on Jan 21, 2008 21:35:26 GMT
Can u PM me the location? I grew up in the neighboring town of Malabon so I'm familiar with many parts of Navotas. Is it safe for a single person to be lugging around expensive equipment in the place? Parking? Thanks. Anybody who wants to visit the area, you may PM me. Thanks!
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 4, 2008 7:30:31 GMT
Yep. Some years back, we did the reverse of what you did: Vizcaya, Banawe, Bontoc, Sagada, Data, Baguio. So we can do just the less-trechearous half. But where's the thrill of not potentially getting killed? Just saw this today (my DSL's still down). What a trip! Now I'm thinking how I can convince my family to go again to Sagada for a week. Last time we went was during rainy season about 5 yrs ago and the road cuts and little avalanches on the Halsema Highway (aka Abotion Road) made the road etched on the cliff seem like a scene in an adventure movie. But us birders have always been known to brave severe environmental conditions just to get a shot of a little lifer, right? Ding, The road (Halsema Highway) from Baguio to Mt. Data is all concrete, with just minor road repairs along the way. The stretch from Mt. Data to Banaue is still as you call it abortion road. You can plan a different trip for Banaue and Mt. Polis using the Nueva Viscaya route. Cheers, Neon
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Post by Ding Carpio on Feb 4, 2008 4:35:18 GMT
Just saw this today (my DSL's still down). What a trip! Now I'm thinking how I can convince my family to go again to Sagada for a week. Last time we went was during rainy season about 5 yrs ago and the road cuts and little avalanches on the Halsema Highway (aka Abotion Road) made the road etched on the cliff seem like a scene in an adventure movie.
But us birders have always been known to brave severe environmental conditions just to get a shot of a little lifer, right?
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Post by Ding Carpio on Jan 14, 2008 12:49:55 GMT
I will need to find the time to do that trip, too.
When I was not yet into birding, wife and I took a visiting family from the US to Banawe, Sagada, and Baguio; in that order with me driving.
We did it in July when road cuts were everywhere in Halsema Highway. It was a highway only because it was way up high but not in the high-speed concept we understand. Driving through it (even with my 4WD) was pure terror. At times, my side mirror had to scrape the mountain wall because the road was reduced to less than half its width due to slides. No wonder they called it the "Abortion Road."
But the danger-thrill and the excitement of shooting new birds beckon me again.
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Post by Ding Carpio on Dec 29, 2007 8:36:50 GMT
Here's my crack at it. Re-processed and brightened a bit. Romy: You think it's still too dark?
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Post by Ding Carpio on Jan 30, 2008 21:08:56 GMT
I also share the opinion that it's best to get the body locally and get the lens in HK. But I got mine in HK because of great savings and my bad experience on a warranty challenge on my old 350D; but I won't get into that now.
Just wanted to recommend that, if you go the HK route, try the WingShing/ManShing shops. They're a chain of reliable shops that are recommended by many DPReview forum members.
When I got mine, I emailed in advance to reserve a copy and once there, the shopguy patiently let me try it out and pixel-peep the shots. None of the painful haggling and worrying that I had to suffer through in my past shopping sojourns in this city.
The shop I went to is at 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mongkok(MTR Mongkok Station, D3 Exit). Tel-2396 6886.
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