Caught the longest Munia in the world!!!

[Romy Ocon]

I was shooting some macros in our front yard this morning when I noticed this Munia gathering nesting materials and flying to the top of a not-so-high mango tree to build a nest.

Too lazy to go back to the house and get the 400 5.6L, I decided to try my luck with the 100 2.8 macro. I set the focus limiter to the farther setting to speed up AF, then waited near the trunk of the mango tree. Sure enough, the Munia came flying back with its nesting materials within minutes..... there's even a passenger (an insect) at the end of the blade of grass!


As shot, the bird looks like either a rocketship being launched, or a munia with the longest tail in the world. Will try for a side angle tomorrow morning if the bird is in the mood to gather nesting materials again. ;D


Scaly-Breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
Shooting info - 7D + 100 2.8 macro, 1/1000 sec, f/4, ISO 400, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 1200x800

[Ely Teehankee]

It couldn't have been taken at a better angle. To me this picture shows how hard a bird has to work to put up a nest. If they can teach this is school maybe kids will have a different and friendlier attitude towards the birds. Beautiful capture. Well done Romy. Mabuhay.

P.S. I wonder how it would have look like if it was taken with your 400mm. Might have been fantastic. Perhaps tomorrow?

[mantarey]

Wow your creativity never ceases to amaze me with such unique and interesting captures.

[Romy Ocon]

Jul 24, 2010 7:49:45 GMT Ely Teehankee said:

It couldn't have been taken at a better angle. To me this picture shows how hard a bird has to work to put up a nest. If they can teach this is school maybe kids will have a different and friendlier attitude towards the birds. Beautiful capture. Well done Romy. Mabuhay.

P.S. I wonder how it would have look like if it was taken with your 400mm. Might have been fantastic. Perhaps tomorrow?

Thanks Ely. On second thought, I might skip the 400 and maintain the 100 2.8 macro. The shooting window (from the time I see the bird till it's past me) is just about 3 secs, and that's not enough time for me to acquire the target and lock focus using a longer lens.

If the window is about 5 sec or longer, the 400 can catch small bullets in the air. Of course this one has motion blur, but I guess I've yet to see this species captured in the air while flying full speed. ;D ;D ;D


Golden-bellied Flyeater (Gerygone sulphurea)
1D4 + 400 5.6L, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 400, cropped to kingdom come

Jul 24, 2010 7:56:29 GMT @mantarey said:

Wow your creativity never ceases to amaze me with such unique and interesting captures.

Thanks, Rey!

[Bob Kaufman]

This is art photography at the highest degree! Mastah Romy, you are always making the best of every situation. Now the bar is raised even higher.

[JV Noriega]

Nice avant-garde shot mastah! Something new to open the minds of bird photographers who always aim for the perfect, cliche, traditional pose.. it's another dimension of bird photography, story-telling.. specially when one has already captured the feather-perfect portrait of a particular specie... delightful!

[Neon Rosell II]

It's a rocket!, it's a plane!, Wow!! it's a bird!! Amazing work Ka Mastah!!

[Toto Gamboa]

Another masterpiece

[Mark Itol]

Hehehe, Ka Mastah has probably grew tired of the usual static birds or easy to catch BIFs. You never cease to amaze us, Ka Mastah.

[alainpascua]

Whoooooooooooooooooooooa!

[Edu Lorenzo Jr]

A veeeeeeeeery nice rendition! Some of my photos have more leaves than birds.. this one takes the cake!

[Lydia Robledo]

For the Mastah, it is a piece of cake. Superb photo-art work. A picture that tell a thousand words. saluting, telyds