Inspired by Tina Mallari's close encounter with the Black-naped Monarch, I hied off to Mt. Palay-palay (Cavite) a couple of days ago to try my luck too. I got there in the middle of a storm but managed to grab a few shots during breaks in the rain.

Thanks Tina for the tip on where to look for the Monarch. Here's sharing a couple of birds from that beautiful place...:)

1. Philippine Woodpecker (Dendrocopos maculatus, endemic, formerly known as Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker) - 20D + 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 700 mm, 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/liquidstone/image/63362998.jpg



2. Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea, male, resident) - 1DM2 + Sigmonster, 800 mm, 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 400

http://www.pbase.com/liquidstone/image/63324808.jpg



Regards,

Romy

wow! another great shot!

romy,

great shots yet again! More please!:)

romy, any pics from Quezon National Park?

Very nice photos as usual Romy. For some reason, I can't seem to capture the woodpecker clearly kasi it's always pecking on the wood ... ayun always malabo the head part. It's amazing how you are able to capture all these birds so clearly - iba na talaga ang magaling !!!

More ... more ... more please :)

Great shots Romy! How'd you protect your loooong lenses in the rainy weather? I recently got Kata rain covers for my gear, but it can only handle my 200-500 at it's longest.

Thanks, guys and Tina....:)

TJ, I usually carry in my vest pocket a couple of large garbage bags for rain protection. In this particular sortie, I was shooting close to my vehicle and I just brought the gear inside the car when the showers came.

Estan, I posted a Rufous Hornbill from Quezon National Park in another thread a while back. Here's a high-key Luzon Hornbill (male) for you, captured in QNP at an unusual angle. It's endemic, but it doesn't get my vote as our islands' prettiest bird...:D

350D + Sigmonster, 800 mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO 200, manual exposure

http://www.pbase.com/liquidstone/image/51835549/original.jpg


Romy

Amazing shots Romy.

Hi Romy. You MUST publish a book on Birds of the Philippines. (if you have not yet published) I swear I thought only Africa had these kind of birds:D

Hi Romy. You MUST publish a book on Birds of the Philippines. (if you have not yet published) I swear I thought only Africa had these kind of birds:D

Thanks, Reyno.

Pilar, I haven't published a book on this yet.... perhaps when I get past the halfway mark in the number of Philippine birds captured, I'll be able to do so. I'm currently at 201 species (out of almost 600) and I need to go to Mindanao and Palawan to capture birds than can be found only in those islands.

Indeed, we have so many amazing and beautiful birds in our islands that are just waiting to be photographed...:)

Romy

romy, thanx for that photo. a beautiful bird greatly captured!

What else I need to say except to bow to a superior conciousness. You are setting a very high standard in birding image and capture. Hope we can follow your steps.
cheers,
gil