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Post by paulbourdin on Apr 4, 2011 3:32:47 GMT
Great pictures. The 'Common' Snipe looks more like either Swinhoe's or Pintail to me. The thin loral line is the giveaway.
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Post by paulbourdin on Feb 13, 2011 10:55:42 GMT
1 is Broad-billed Roller
2 is probably Splendid Glossy Starling, but the Glossy Starlings can be tricky. I think the white eye clinches this one though.
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Post by paulbourdin on Feb 2, 2011 10:57:25 GMT
More commonly known as Pacific Golden Plover I think.
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Post by paulbourdin on Jan 16, 2011 12:16:25 GMT
Excellent photographs! The first two are Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago). The broad white trailing edge to the wing, and the white underwing coverts are the key features in this species. The third bird is either a Swinhoe's Snipe (Gallinago megala) or a Pintail Snipe (Gallinago stenura). The Barred underwing and lack of white trailing edge to the wing eliminates the Common Snipe. The Pintail and Swinhoe's Snipe are extremely difficult birds to separate in the field, with many field guides saying they are essentially inseparable unless the spread tail can be seen. Not sure about that myself, maybe others can comment on that...
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Post by paulbourdin on Dec 31, 2010 9:12:59 GMT
The adults are black with rufous wings, very similar to Philippine Coucal (and others), but the juvenile has this beautiful streaking that you've captured. No other juvenile Coucal in The Philippines has this plumage in the juvenile. The habitat is also wrong for the only other Coucals on Luzon which are both restricted to forest habitats.
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Post by paulbourdin on Dec 31, 2010 5:28:34 GMT
The long thin line / gape that extends beyond the eyes is also not present and the neck is too short for a great. I see a dark gape here, though it seems to go only level with the eye. I think you need a closer photo to really tell however. The neck is definitely not too long for a Great though, but is too long for Intermediate. The bill on the Intermediate also is a bit less orange and more yellow, and has a tiny black tip (again you probably needed to be closer to see this) If by KG you mean Birds of The Philippines, my copy says Chinese Egret do forage in rice fields, especially on migration! The kink in the neck is the clincher though...
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Post by paulbourdin on Dec 21, 2010 21:51:47 GMT
Not in my experience. Juveniles can have greyish or greenish legs, and this is a possibility here.
Bill colour is variable in many species, it can be a reliable indicator, but can also lead you down the wrong path. The Chinese Egret develops a mainly yellow bill in the breeding plumage.
To be honest the ID of Egrets in The Philipines is unexpectedly tricky. At IRRI I have a number of birds that I am quite unsure about, several of them resembling this bird. I've observed Little Egrets in Africa, Europe, The Middle East and Asia. and have never seen any with legs like these. Another feature that seems not right is the structure of the bill. It looks heavier-based, and blunter than Little Egret. A feature of Chinese that I don't notice (on this bird, or those at IRRI) is the thicker, shorter tibia. Also, overall Chinese are supposed to be about 10% bigger. In short I'm just not sure, though if I had to bet I might just put my money on Little Egret now.
On a side-note, I noticed that there is a disagreement between Kennedy et al and Howard & Moore as to the race of Little Egret we have. Kennedy says it is garzetta (the race I am familiar with), H & M says nigripes (which I have never encountered before). That may be the source of my confusion, though the latter sounds like it has black feet!
Update: nigripes occurs in Indonesia south to New Guinea, and it does have black feet.
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Post by paulbourdin on Dec 21, 2010 8:13:51 GMT
These look like Chinese Egret. Little Egret have all black legs with bright Yellow feet. I have a couple of birds exactly like this at IRRI.
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Post by paulbourdin on Dec 14, 2010 9:16:12 GMT
Yes, (Northern) Pintail
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Post by paulbourdin on Dec 10, 2010 10:00:49 GMT
Looks like a Philippine Bulbul. Anything in particular made you think it was a juvenile bird? I don't see a prominent gape.
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 22, 2010 12:26:14 GMT
The pale creamy spots on the scapulars are a feature of only Philippine Nightjar and Large-tailed Nightjar in The Philippines. In The Philippines Large-tailed Nightjar is restricted to Palawan (I believe), so unless this picture was taken there, I feel this has to be Philippine. Kennedy et al says they are "nearly identical". Not sure about that, maybe someone else can comment?
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 22, 2010 4:52:22 GMT
Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 17, 2010 1:02:43 GMT
There was also a Brown-headed Thrush on Saturday and on Tuesday.
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 17, 2010 0:10:15 GMT
Congratulations Butch. I once encountered the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch in Camp John Hay. It was a delight to see them creeping on the branches of a tree at a very fast pace. I can see that both have yellow bills so I don't really know how to distinguished the difference. Mabuhay. The Sulphur-billed Nuthatch used to be considered a subspecies of Velvet-fronted, but has now been split. The photograph here is Sulphur-billed. The Velvet-fronted has a red bill. In The Philippines the Velvet-fronted only occurs on Palawan I believe
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 14, 2010 6:17:14 GMT
Yes indeed!
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 14, 2010 3:47:21 GMT
Canon 7D, EF 400mm f5.6 L, 1/640.
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 7, 2010 8:57:05 GMT
I really don't think it can be anything else, and I'd agree that it's intermediate between juvenile and adult. I've seen a few around SE Asia (though only one here), but have never seen a bird exactly like this before.
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Post by paulbourdin on Nov 7, 2010 2:37:25 GMT
This Raptor was flying (very) high over Makiling this morning. Any help with the ID would be appreciated. I think it may be a Rufous-bellied Eagle, but am open to suggestions.
Shooting Details. Canon 7D, 400mm f5.6 L, 1/640 seconds, f8.0, ISO160
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Post by paulbourdin on Oct 30, 2010 12:54:24 GMT
The right hand bird is an adult (probably) male tschutschensis Yellow Wag, the other is a first year of the same species. Not possible to sex them at this age. The majority of Yellow Wags at the moment are of this type.
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