Black-crowned Night Heron at Villa Lorenzo

[Ely Teehankee]

I have not been to Edu’s favorite swampland for sometime, which I fondly call Villa Lorenzo in honor of a “Birdnut” who generously shares his discovery with anyone who is interested to see it. I had my camera and lens micro-adjusted by Canon and was just itching to try it out. The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is listed as uncommon in the KGB when the book was made more than 10 years ago. One of the authors, Tim Fisher used to be a bird photographer himself in the era of film camera, would be pleasantly surprised to know and see that there are hundreds of them in this area alone. There are nests being built in all the trees in that area. It is fortunate that the residents there do not harm or capture the birds. I think they even protect it from outsiders. It seems that the birds here breed continuously all year round. The pictures here show the BCNH that are nesting, immature ones, young adults, thin ones and some have the rolly polly look. The photos were taken at a distance of 19 to 23.8 meters. Sometimes they even get closer than this distance. This is one of my favorite birding place because you don't have to look far to see them, or wait long for them to appear, or hurry to take a shot for fear of them flying away. They come and go and there is no end to it except when the light becomes too harsh or the rain comes pouring in. For me its a paradise for bird photographers. Thank you Edu “Villa” Lorenzo for sharing your discovery with us.


Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM. Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, Wimberley WH200 head. Manual exposure in available light. All pictures are posted full frame.


f/16, ISO 1600, 1/160 second. Starting a Nest



f/13, ISO 1600, 1/100 second. Immature BCNH.



f/8, ISO 400, 1/160 second. Color of eyes are yellow.



f/8, ISO 400, 1/125 second. Bird poop changing the color of the leaves.



f.8, ISO 1600, 1/800 second. Color of the eyes changing from yellow to rufous brown.



f/8, ISO 400, 1/200 second. Slim BCNH



f/8, ISO 400, 1/200 second. Mature BCNH with red eyes.

[Edu Lorenzo Jr]

WOW! Looks like you had a grand time sir! It is really nice to see them and how well they are surviving. The water there now is a bit high as the location is a flood prone area. I wasn't able to visit them last Saturday as I was busy with daddy duties. Thank you sir for posting these.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jul 26, 2010 14:00:10 GMT Edu Lorenzo Jr said:

WOW! Looks like you had a grand time sir! It is really nice to see them and how well they are surviving. The water there now is a bit high as the location is a flood prone area. I wasn't able to visit them last Saturday as I was busy with daddy duties. Thank you sir for posting these.

You are welcome Edu. Thank you too for your appreciation. Mabuhay.

[mantarey]

Very good docu job again Ely, love the first pic with what looks like the nesting pair.

[Toto Gamboa]

lovely BCNH shots sir Ely! more more!

[Bob Kaufman]

nice series of shots, Ely, showing the different plumages of adults and immature herons. I like the last photo the most.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jul 27, 2010 0:56:49 GMT @mantarey said:

Very good docu job again Ely, love the first pic with what looks like the nesting pair.

Thank you Rey. When the opportunity presents itself its always best to make the most out of it.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jul 27, 2010 9:23:01 GMT Bob Kaufman said:

nice series of shots, Ely, showing the different plumages of adults and immature herons. I like the last photo the most.

Thank you Bob. We don't know how long the birds will be around. Its really a good vantage point and I am trying to make the most out of it. Watch for my nest series on the same bird, which I really like.

[Ely Teehankee]

Jul 27, 2010 7:55:39 GMT Toto Gamboa said:

lovely BCNH shots sir Ely! more more!

Thank you Toto. There will be more and I will try to post it by tonight.