Winged creatures in flight at Maambal Orchard

[Romy Ocon]

It has been quite a while since I tried photographing winged creatures (birds and insects) in flight, so my panning reflexes are a bit rusty. To add to the challenge, I was using a point and shoot (Sony RX10 IV), rather than my tested DSLR gear (Canon 7D II + EF 400 DO II).

The EVF and ergonomics of the RX10 IV is not the best for flying creatures, but we have to make do with any gear we have on hand. The 24 fps burst rate and the decent AF speed of this camera somewhat mitigate its shortcomings though.

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A few of these white birds are orchard regulars, and I caught this one while it was flying low in front of a stand of bangkok santol trees.

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis, resident/migrant)

Habitat: Pastures, ricefields and marshes.

Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 10, 2020, RX10 IV, 600 mm (equiv.), ISO 200, f/4, 1/3200 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 1500 x 1000.

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Over the grassy areas of the orchard, numerous dragonflies flit and hover in the breeze. While waiting for birds in flight to appear, I practiced my panning skills at these critters.

Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 10, 2020, RX10 IV, 600 mm (equiv.), ISO 200, f/4, 1/2000 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 1500 x 1000.

maambal-orchard.blogspot.com/

[Bobby Kintanar]

Very nice captures Ka Mastah! It's so annoying these days that Cebu has been locked down again. Glad to see you posting every now and then. Cheers!

[Romy Ocon]

Thanks, Ka Bobby! Sad to hear about the lockdown.

Here's another capture from my birding point-and-shoot:

Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica, resident)

Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 14, 2020, RX10 IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod,
600 mm (equiv.), ISO 800, f/4, 1/125 sec, manual exposure in available light, major crop resized to 1920 x 1080.

[Godfrey "Godo" Jakosalem]

Great BIF Ka Mastah Romy!

BTW, I would like to inform everyone that our friend and PBPF member Tirso Paris passed away the other day. His remain is in Los Banos.

[Romy Ocon]

Nov 30, 2020 13:33:06 GMT Godfrey "Godo" Jakosalem said:

Great BIF Ka Mastah Romy!

BTW, I would like to inform everyone that our friend and PBPF member Tirso Paris passed away the other day. His remain is in Los Banos.

Thanks, Godo!

Sad to hear Tirso's passing.... my condolences to his family.

[Bobby Kintanar]

Nov 30, 2020 13:33:06 GMT Godfrey "Godo" Jakosalem said:

Great BIF Ka Mastah Romy!

BTW, I would like to inform everyone that our friend and PBPF member Tirso Paris passed away the other day. His remain is in Los Banos.

Sad news indeed! His bird shots will always stand as testament to his photographic contributions to the world! May he rest in peace.

[Bobby Kintanar]

Nov 18, 2020 11:58:42 GMT Romy Ocon said:

Thanks, Ka Bobby! Sad to hear about the lockdown.

Here's another capture from my birding point-and-shoot:

Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica, resident)

Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 14, 2020, RX10 IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod,
600 mm (equiv.), ISO 800, f/4, 1/125 sec, manual exposure in available light, major crop resized to 1920 x 1080.

Hehehe.. If you hadn't mentioned you used a P&S for that shot, I would not have guessed it. :-)

[Romy Ocon]

Dec 5, 2020 11:22:37 GMT Bobby Kintanar said:

Nov 18, 2020 11:58:42 GMT Romy Ocon said:

Thanks, Ka Bobby! Sad to hear about the lockdown.

Here's another capture from my birding point-and-shoot:

Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica, resident)

Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 14, 2020, RX10 IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod,
600 mm (equiv.), ISO 800, f/4, 1/125 sec, manual exposure in available light, major crop resized to 1920 x 1080.

Hehehe.. If you hadn't mentioned you used a P&S for that shot, I would not have guessed it. :-)

Lol, I already paid my dues to the gods of big glasses with my previous Sigmonster and my current 400 2.8 IS. As we grow "better" with age, our taste for more compact birding gear also becomes keener.