Wild Bird Photography – Calibrate Your Birding Lens

One of the ways for you to get super sharp bird photos is to know your gear like you know how crazy you are.

WARNING: This blog may have OFFENSIVE content if you have been feeling miserably lately. You may opt to skip reading this blog in its entirety, else, read at your own RISK!

Recently, my workhorse, the Canon 50D, was admitted to the hospital due to sprained shutter mechanism (one of the consumable/replaceable parts of a Canon DSLR). Advertised by Canon to have 100,000 shutter, I was only able to consume around 65,000 shots when intermittent issues popped up with increasing frequency. First was the black vertical arc appearing on my photos against extreme backlights and the last one was the intermittent Error 30 during 6fps bursts. I must have overused it to the point of exhaustion. But I thought there are 35000 shutters more left for me? Aaah, the beauty of advertising.

To cut the story short, I had the shutter mechanism transplanted with brand new parts. It took Canon Philippines a week to fix it and now I have another 65,000 shutters to boot. My Canon 50D is now back in action.

The core of this blog though was the consequence of having a brand new piece of mechanism in my birding rig. As soon as I got it back to working condition, I suspected that some shots were off in terms of sharpness that I used to have. I thought that the only way to get confirmation of this sharpness issue is to go out birding and have the gears tested and re-calibrated if indeed sharpness was off.

Unknown to many, bodies and lenses that you buy, aren’t perfect. The moment you have your lens mated with a camera, you may have brought with it some problems. The mating of the camera body and a lens produces unique combinations. Sometimes both are perfect combinations, sometimes both needs some tuning so minute imperfections are threshed out. One of the most important concern that a birder needs to look at his gears is ‘auto-focusing’. Having perfect ‘focus’ delivers super sharp images. In bird photography, having a mis-focusing rig, however minute, gives you images that are sharp but are not extremely sharp.

So if you really want extreme sharpness, you should know how to calibrate your camera and your lens to achieve perfect focus. You do calibration when one of these things happen:

• after you combine a body and a lens (right after you have bought the set)
• when something in the combination has changed (in my case, some mechanism that might affect focusing was replaced)
• during some regular tune-ups (I typically re-tune my rig once every 6 months)
• when you suspect sharpness is an issue

The good news is that, it is very easy to have your rig finely tuned to achieve perfect focusing. First, you just need to know if your camera body has some feature that allows you to calibrate auto-focus. My Canon 50D has one and it is called Micro Focus Adjustment (MFA). I would suggest at this point that you check your camera’s user’s manual if indeed your camera supports this. If you camera doesn’t have this feature, sorry, you may have to bring your rig to your service center for proper tuning. If you happen to have this feature, check the manual on how to use the feature. this might differ from camera to camera depending on brand and models.

As a bird photographer though this is how I calibrated my camera and lens upon suspecting some sharpness issue caused maybe by the installation of a brand new shutter mechanism.

NOTE: I purposely went to Angono, Rizal yesterday to shoot the Philippine Eagle-Owl and at the same time recalibrate my camera and lens to achieve perfect focusing. This is how I did the tuning:

1. Mount your gear on a sturdy tripod. You must not move your tripod during the entire calibration process.
2. There is no better substitute than to use the REAL THING and do it outdoors! Use bird feathers when calibrating your gears. Feather details are what you are after so using a feather would give exactly the same feedback as shooting birds. Since the Philippine Eagle-Owl is readily available yesterday, I ‘plucked’ a feather from it and use it for calibration. Place the feather at exactly just a bit right outside your MFD (minimum focusing distance). If you can’t get a feather, you are not a resourceful bird photographer. I suggest you shoot landscapes and sunsets.
3. Format your cam’s media card.
4. Set Timer mode to shoot. 2 seconds would do. Go for 10 if you want.
5. Set rig to LIVEVIEW, lens at wide open and set to its longest focal length. Zoom in to the feather @ maximum magnification (10x for my Canon 50D). Focus manually or using contrast-detection focusing. This will enable you to have a visual confirmation on the sharpness of feather details via your cam’s LCD screen. Then shoot! Be sure that you produce an ultra sharp image using this process. Repeat Step 5 until you are able to produce a single ultra sharp image. This ultra sharp image will be used as your guide in achieving perfect focusing. Be sure to delete the ones that are not as sharp as can be. Retain only one image that is the sharpest.
6. Set lens to auto focusing mode. Set the proper limiter (mine @ 3.5 meters) if your lens have these switches. Set lens wide open and its longest focal length (for zoom).
7. Set MFA to zero and shoot at the feather. Using your cam’s LCD, view and compare the output from your previously saved ultra sharp image that was earlier taken via LIVEVIEW. If you happen to have the same ultra sharpness between the two images, then congratulations for having a perfectly tuned and focusing rig and your tuning is DONE. However, if sharpness is doubtful, you may either increase or decrease MFA setting and repeat Step 7. DO this until you achieve the same level of sharpness as the one you had using LIVEVIEW.
8. After you are done, only then you can move the tripod. If you have moved your tripod during the process, then you consider repeating from Step 1.

Here is the result of my calibration earlier using a real Philippine Eagle-Owl feather in Angono, Rizal. Click on the photo for high-resolution viewing.

Prior to my cam’s shutter mechanism getting replaced, my MFA setting was at +4. Long ago, it was at +8. Now with its brand new shutter, it is at +12.

This is all folks! I hope this article has given you an idea on how to know your gears better.

NOTE: No birds were harmed during the calibration process.

Check out my Philippine birds photos @ Facebook!

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Wild Bird Photography – Oriental Skylark

One of the most uncommon but conspicuous birds out there in the field is the Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula). Conspicuous, in the sense that when it gets excited, it would stand tall and proud with its crest raised despite its minute size,  and would give a very loud distinct shrill. However, you often get to see these birds in photographically boring dry open fields as this species does not perch on bushes or trees. With these circumstances, shooting the bird at an angle higher than its eye level, you will get the boring ground as its backdrop (as shown below).

In the few times I have encountered this species, I would often wish to capture it on camera properly. What I intend to have is to get a creamy bokeh/background. To do this, you can’t shoot from an elevated angle (as shown above), unless the bird is on an edge of an elevated mass that would eliminate the ground as the backdrop or would make the ground far enough not to be included in your thin depth of field. Instead, you need to be down on all four. This means you need to be on a prone position to achieve the effect (as shown below). This enables you to avoid shooting the ground as the bird’s backdrop.

 

Shooting the bird on the ground on a prone position gives one an eye level shot with both the foreground and background seem to merge and melt leaving the subject greatly emphasized. Below is a sample of this effect.

Shooting Disclosure

• Gears:
  Canon 50D, EF 400mm f5.6L, 2-Pound Rice Bag
• Settings:
  Shot @ f5.6, 1/640″, ISO320, Spot Metering, Auto White Balance, Aperture Priority, Cropped 16:9 to 3.6MP, RAW, Handheld, Prone Position
• Lighting
  8:36am Light, Overcast
• Others:
  Some very minimal sharpening and color vibrancy adjustments in Photoshop

Check out my Philippine birds photos @ Facebook!

Wild Bird Photography – Dollarbird

In wild bird photography, gears and skills do really matter. Both needs to go hand in hand to produce the best snapshot of a beautiful avian subject. In the Philippines, it is often that you and your gears will be tested. For decades, our subjects here are hunted everywhere that birds here often avoid human encounters as much as possible. This cautiousness adds to the fun and challenge to wild bird photography in the country. Because of this, 400mm lenses are considered short. You have to exert more effort in terms of executing the shot to produce decent photographic captures at par with those that have bigger, longer and generally better equipment. However, one cannot fret with what he has. Working a bit more with what you have does the trick and solve some of the problems.

Compensate

Having known that I have a short lens at only 400mm (Canon EF 400mm f5.6L) with a fairly slow speed (f5.6) and a camera that is known to produce noisy images at high ISOs, I need to do a lot more to compensate on the limitations I have. In this article, I would detail how using a 2X teleconverter on a 400/f5.6 lens mounted on a Canon EOS 50D to shoot a very difficult scene can still be accomplished with satisfactory results. Here is how:

Below is a photo of an uncropped 800mm shot of a Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) from more than 30 meters. I dont normally use a 2X teleconverter but I was tempted to because the bird perched motionless for minutes after I got several shots with just the bare 400mm lens mounted on my cam and the sheer distance between me and the bird. Getting nearer is also impossible.

Here is a cropped version of the same image. I cropped the photo down to 2.8 megapixel.

Shooting Disclosure

• Gears:
  Canon 50D, EF 400mm f5.6L, Kenko Pro-DG 2X, Manfrotto 755X + Gimbal Head, 2-Pound Rice Bag, Remote Shutter
• Settings:
  Shot @ 800mm, f16, 1/40″, ISO320, Evaluative Metering, Auto White Balance, Full Manual, Cropped 16:9 to 2.8MP, RAW, Liveview, Remote Shutter
• Lighting
  8:42am Light, Overcast
• Others:
  Some very minimal sharpening and color vibrancy adjustments in Photoshop

Often, we hear discouraging comments on the use of 2X teleconverters. It definitely degrades image quality even when use with large aperture wildlife lenses such as those with f2.8’s and f4’s. Using a 2X on an f5.6 lens would surely raise eyebrowes. But when you are limited to shoot with what you got, and in my case, I only have a Canon EF-400mm f5.6L, one needs to do a lot of compensating to get decent output from lowly setup with a 2X. And a couple of requirements to effectively know how to compensate is you need to know how a photograph is made and you know very well your gears’ capability and limitation.

In the above photo of the Dollarbird, despite the constraints I had during the time of the shoot, I still managed to get a decent shot. Here are the key ingredients in executing this shot:

• LiveView. Knowing that using a 2X on an f5.6 will force you to go full manual, using LiveView is one very effective technique. But of course this can only apply since the Dollarbird lingered long enough for me to set things up. Using LiveView in this scenario, one would get AUTOFOCUS using contrast detection method. My Canon EOS 50D allowed me to do this. Some cameras would probably do the same. Using LiveView in this scenario, it also allows you to visually zoom in to 10X using your LCD to get better confirmation if you have focused well on the subject. In the 50D, you can have these features work for you. You get to zoom in to your subject and get aufo-focus.
• 2-Pound Rice Bag. At 800mm, very minute shaking is very visible. By increasing your LCD view to 10X (via LiveView), not only is the shake visible, it can make you dizzy :P. Putting weight on your rig would dampen the effects of this shake. It also speeds up in stabilizing your rig so you get to shoot in the soonest possible time. In my case, I have this useful 2 pound weight functioning as a poor man’s image stabilizer. All I have to do is place the weights on top of the lens where its center of balance is.
• Remote Shutter. Without a remote shutter. This scene is hard to execute. One can use the cam’s timer though but that is cumbersome.

The above key ingredients helped in allowing me to capture this scene. Though it won’t surpass the quality of a shot using a bare lens at the same focal lenght, the result is decent enough to merit a space on my harddrive. Without any one of the three, it would be very hard to get a decent output from this scene. Compensating can do wonders especially for photographers that don’t have those desirable longer and faster lenses and better camera bodies. The same techniques used here can be applied using better gears of course. 🙂

Check out my Philippine birds photos @ Facebook!

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Scaly Breasted Munia

One of the most common beautiful bird you will encounter in the Philippines is the Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata). It can almost be found anywhere in the Philippines. This species can also be one of the easiest to photograph considering that it is often close to human habitation. Where there are rice fields, you are guaranteed to see this bird.

Below is a photo I got in one of our sorties in San Juan, Batangas. I was patiently waiting for waders on a nearby pond when a few meters from where I hide, this fellow showed up. It probably got curious by my presence that it stayed a while and allowed me to get a bit closer and have some shots that I like.

Shooting Disclosure

• Gears:
  Canon 50D, EF 400mm f5.6L, Manfrotto 755X + Gimbal Head
• Settings:
  Shot @ 400mm, f5.6, 1/50″, ISO100, Spot-Metering, Auto White Balance, Aperture-Priority, Cropped 16:9 to 3.2MP, RAW
• Others:
  Some very minimal sharpening and color vibrancy adjustments in Photoshop

On a mid-day harsh light, I usually go ISO100 to avoid getting a very fast shutter speed so more light gets captured with the sensor shutter being opened much longer. With ISO100, I also avoid some unwanted noise and it enhances the creaminess of background blur. Though it is hard to pull off and increasing the risk of getting a blurred shot, I prefer to shoot around 1/40 secs to 1/200 secs as I almost always get better color in this range (provided I am on a sturdy tripod). I just don’t know the technical reason but I suspect, the more time I allow the camera to absorb light, the better the output I got. This is why I always try to bring down ISO to as much as I can for as long as the shutter speed is within my prefered range. By constant practice, blurring cause by shake and slow shutter speed can be avoided. The bird allowed me to focus on its eye as it gave me a nice glance as shown in the photo. I also got lucky that it perched on a really photogenic decaying branch with a good greeny background from the distance.

The bird gave me a few shots but the above photo is the one I like most. It flew the moment I attempted to get closer.

Check out my Philippine birds photos @ Facebook!

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 3

This is so far a 3 part series of what wild bird photography is to me. I would probably evolve this series over time to make it current as much as possible.
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 1
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 2

Previously,  in part 1,  I discussed how I came to photographing birds and detailed what you need to get a good start. In Part 2, I gave some ideas where one can usually find birds. In this article, I’ll give an idea how a bird photographer goes out there in the wilderness to look and start capturing beautiful images of birds.

A Birdnut’s Sortie

Often, when bird photographers (or birdnuts) go out, it is simply referred to as a sortie. A sortie is basically a mission to go out and photograph birds. Sorties vary from just a few hours birding away from home to weeks-long missions. Sorties can be done in singles or in groups. Sorties can be nearby, or one needs to travel for hours. Some sorties go from one country to another. Most sorties are done on foot, but there are sorties where birdnuts are in the comfort of their cars or boats. Some bird photography sorties involve laying out an elaborate plan compose of preparing the things needed for the trip, plotting destinations, identifying the risk and dangers associated with it and a lot of things go with it.

Reserva, Baler Sortie with Wild Bird Club of the Philippines

But How Do I Go About My Own Bird Photography Sorties?

I am a weekend warrior.  Though there were times when I went out on a whim, I mostly do my sorties on a weekend. I usually plan days ahead of the trip. I would typically go with a birding buddy or with a group for safety reasons. But I have gone out alone.

I usually prepare all the logistics needed and my gears a day before the trip. I’d check the vehicle for its condition and make sure it is ready to go. I’d have all the batteries recharged. I’d have the GPS properly loaded with routes and waypoints. Then I’d go to the nearby grocery or convenience store for my supply of food and drinks. Here is the usual stuff that I buy and prepare:

• bottled water (Absolute) and some flavored drinks (Gatorade’s Propel) for rehydration
• some biscuits (Skyflakes or some other brand) just to fill my tummy when out in the field or when on a long drive
• some sweets (chocolate bars) to give me some caloric/energy boost when things go tough in the field
• first aid kit
• clothing (hat, extra shirts)
• birding gears

I’d make it a point to get enough sleep but often I do get excited that I can’t sleep properly hours before the trip. Typically, I would wake up early in the morning (e.g. 4:00am for Candaba, 3:00am for Subic, 5:30am if it is just nearby), get some quick shower, then off I go. I usually make a quick stop in the nearby 7-11 store to buy me some packed hot meals for breakfast (I love their liempo on plain rice) and some bags of ice to fill my cooler, before I hit some more roads or pick up my birding buddy.

Once  on the site, it is usually breakfast time for me. 🙂 Then after that .. it is mostly birding, birding, birding! Sometimes I don’t get to rest, sometimes I don’t get to eat when in the field. What my day is like will all depend on how many and what kinds of birds I encounter. Then I go home!

My Most Memorable Birding Sorties

For more than a couple of years now, I have been to several birding places all over the country. My most memorable was getting stranded in Subic in 2009 while Metro Manila was being flooded by a record breaking storm Ondoy (Typhoon Ketsana). My birding buddy Dennis and I were just clueless what was about to happen during that day. The next thing we knew, Metro Manila had its most catastrophic flooding while we got stuck somewhere in Subic and left no other choice but to wait out until the storm passes through. Another most memorable birding trip I had was when I had gone with by fellow birdnuts in Mindoro. We had a chance to capture in photograph the rare Scarlet-collared Flowerpecker (Dicaeum retrocinctum).

Mindoro Sortie with Bulbuleros 400

The Risks

• The hardest part is when going home. Often, you are so tired to move and drive yourself home. When I am with a birding buddy, we usually alternate on the wheels to lessen the risk of getting so sleepy on the road while driving for home. If sleepiness is unbearable, I/we stop to take a nap.
• Insect bites. I remember a birding buddy of mine (Dennis), got hospitalized due to insect bites, after we went to the forest of Subic.
• Wild bee stings
• Snake bites
• Getting attacked by wild animals
• Getting stranded
• Encounters with some not so really nice people (thieves, illegal loggers, etc). I guess the worst thing that will happen to you is when you get kidnapped by known terrorist groups and you would have to save your life as what happened to a fellow bird photographer. I happen to cross paths and shoot birds with Ivan personally one weekend in La Mesa Ecopark. Such a great guy by the way.
• Weird accidents
• Being flown off by a giant jungle woodpecker and be brought to its hole/nest on top of a 500 meter tree

The Lows

• Going home empty handed
• Going home with a ruined camera or a broken lens
• Getting to the birding site only to find out you left your birding lens

The Highs

• Getting stranded
• Getting a rare photo lifer. In bird photography lingo, a lifer means you got to photograph a bird species for the first time
• Getting a close up of a very beautiful bird
• Getting a good photo of a target bird
• Bump in the field with fellow birdnuts
• Lastly, getting attacked by a thousand sunbirds

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 1
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 2

Check out my album of Philippine birds!

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 2

This is so far a 3 part series of what wild bird photography is to me. I would probably evolve this series over time to make it current as much as possible.
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 1
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 3

Previously, on Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part I, I discussed how I got into it and the things one needs to have to start photographing wild birds.

In this article, I’ll list down where you would often find birds. And you bet it right, you probably have been thinking that it is always in a zoo. 🙂 But you may have noticed though that I am prefixing bird photography with the word ‘wild’ in my previous article, and this is because bird photography can also include photographing birds in captivity. It may be cute to photograph birds inside a cage, but wild bird photography is for the real bird photographers.

WHERE THE BIRDS ARE

The next most asked question one would ask me regarding this interest is where I get to photograph these birds. In the Philippines, there are over 600+ species of birds that you can shoot. And the number has been increasing as some new sightings of species that don’t usually range in the country. Some are commonly seen, some seldom seen, and some have never ever been photographed. With the country’s 7100+ islands, one can imagine how dispersed our avian friends are in this archipelago. Some birds can only be found in certain islands in the country. For example, a Tiger Shrike (Lanius tigrinus), which can be found in some Eastern Asian countries, has only been recorded to have occurred only once in Jolo, Sulu sometime in 1887 and this is according to A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. So if one is really bent on taking chances and going for a Tiger Shrike expedition, one should go to Jolo, Sulu.

So far, I have only been to a few places to do some serious bird photography. The farthest up north I had was in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and down south was in Negros Occidental. I am hoping to go to more birding sites as I progress.

So where do I find birds?

There are lots of common and unusual places where birds can be found. You just have to know and find the reasons why they are there. First, there are different types of birds, and each type has their specific habitats. For example, there is what we call shorebirds and they are usually found on our shorelines. Second, we have to know why they get attracted to certain places. It could be that there are lots of food and water sources in the area or they may be feeling secured in one particular area.

On the other hand, knowing when birds aren’t in the area can help a lot too. If the area doesn’t have any fruit tree, you would know there is less chance seeing a fruit eating bird. If the area allows rampant hunting, probably some birds will leave if they feel threatened. In most cases though they just get shot so you won’t find birds in there.

So, back to our question, where do we find birds?  I’ll try to list down the usual places where one can find birds.

1. Where There Are Trees/Vegetation. It is almost guaranteed where there are significant clusters of trees and vegetation, there could be birds. Trees can be found almost everywhere but seeing one in significant clusters are becoming of an issue nowadays due to unnecessary tree-cutting. Forests still do represent an ecosystem where trees abound. One can go to various types of forests to photograph birds. There are lowland forests, some can be found in higher altitude, and some forests dot our coastlines. Some are natural and some are man-made. All these types of forests provide an ecosystem where different kinds of birds can thrive.
2. Near Bodies of Water. Another potential ground where one can find birds are areas near bodies of water such as streams, rivers, lakes, shores, etc. Like any other living things on this planet, birds need water. Even small potholes of water offer birds some comfort. The likelihood of seeing a good number of bird species increases when these bodies of water are near trees and vegetation, or food sources.
3. Near Food Sources. Another good site where birds congregate are areas where there are enough food for them to thrive. Some birds thrive on nectars so where there are flower, they are also there. Some birds eat insects, so where there are lots of insects, birds could be there. Some birds love fish, and one knows where to find these marine beings. You just have to know a birds’ diet and find those places where they could fatten their bellies.
4. Where They Can Build Their Nests. Now this is a more difficult place to find as most birds hide their nests from anyone’s view. Some build their nests on rocks, some on the ground, some on the sand, some on a branch of a tree, and some even build on man-made structures such as tall buildings. Some birds don’t even build their nests in the country. J One needs to study more about birds to be able to locate their nests.
5. Where Humans Are. Some birds have adapted well to people. And where people go, they go there too. These birds usually scavenge human leftovers and wastes.

Virtually, one can find birds almost everywhere but one needs to know certain bird characteristics to be effective in finding specific species.

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 1
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 3

Check out my album of Philippine birds!

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 1

This is so far a 3 part series of what wild bird photography is to me. I would probably evolve this series over time to make it current as much as possible.
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 2
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 3

I have been thinking if I really do have to write about this as I thought there are too many articles written already that can be found in the Internet about wild bird photography. But some friends and photographers who are not into any of these avian stuff have been asking me questions about it and curious why I am doing things like these. So what the heck, why not write about it? Writing about it would probably give others a glimpse on this madness called avian photography. As one bird photographer friend said, wild bird photography is like being a toy or comics collector. You just want to have all of them. There is some kind of addiction that you will develop when you dip yourself into it. So beware.

First and foremost, wild bird photography is madness. Perhaps what drives me to ‘shoot’ birds is my love of nature ever since I was a kid. Who has not had an avian pet when he was a kid? Who has not drooled over books and magazines loaded with images of the animal kingdom when he was a kid? Another factor perhaps that has driven me into this hobby is the curiosity I had to hunt. Yeah, who has not toyed with a ‘tirador’ (a slingshot) when he was a kid? Or an air rifle for that matter? My father and I were hunting for birds for years when I was in my teens. Furthermore, ever since I was a kid, I love something graphically and visually appealing. All these stuff were part of my childhood experiences and have greatly influenced my appetite for this madness, or shall I say craft? It now happens that bird photography had all the ingredients of the things I love when I was a kid. Perhaps I can say now that bird photography allows me to relive my childhood days in a more meaningful and rewarding way. I now get to hunt and shoot birds without harming them. I also get to marvel at how visually beautiful these wonders of nature are.

In addition to all these, wild bird photography comes with really difficult challenges. There is always an ingredient of unpredictability, of danger, of extreme frustration and happiness, and unlike other forms of photography, controlling the entire photographic situation or scene isn’t guaranteed. I also happen to love wild bird photography simply becuase it is not everybody’s cup of tea. I had always had that urge to try something different. If there are thousands of portrait or landscape photographers in the country, there is only a band of extremely dedicated and talented, close knit group of bird photographers in the Philippines. They call themselves birdnuts. 🙂

So much about my childhood background and my take on this type of craft and let us go into this madness as they say. I’d probably break down this article into several parts overtime so it is more digestable to my non-birding friends. This article will probably give one an idea on where to start if he or she happens to have the same kind of urges as I have. I also will probably be constantly updating this article for things I have forgotten to include, things that I get to experience out there in the field, when some new techniques are developed or when some new breakthrough technology enhances or changes the way things are done with this craft. I also might improve the article with visuals to support the textual information that I share here. I will also try to limit my coverage on scenarios commonly and uniquely found only in the Philippines. Unknown to many, a lot of foreigners have said tha wild bird photography in the Philippines may significantly differ compared to doing it in other countries. I have limited experience with this as I have only shoot a few birds in Singapore and Hong Kong and I can say it is a lot easier to approach birds in those countries than here in the Philippines.

THINGS YOU WILL POSSIBLY NEED

(1) Camera. Of course, one needs a camera in photography. Any camera can be used but since this is madness, let us aim for what is the norm for crazy people out there. You would need a birder’s camera. Normally, a birder’s camera is a high resolution, fast shooting camera. Pick the most your money can buy. I currently use a 15 Megapixel Canon EOS 50D DSLR. Its high 15MP resolution allows me to capture more feather details, and have more freedom in cropping to get zoomed in. It also can shoot at 6.3 frames or shots per second. You would need this speed to be able to capture a lot of the bird’s very quick movement. If a single wingstroke takes 1 second to complete, a 6 frames per second camera will allow you to shoot 6 wingstroke positions in one second. You would have the ability to choose which frame you like best. You also may optionally want a camera that is protected from weather and other destructive elements like dust and water. There is often a saying in photography circles “wala sa pana yan, nasa indyan yan” (it is not the gun, it’s who pulls the trigger), I’d say drop this notion momentarily if you want to continue reading. In bird photography, the gear is as crucial as the talent and skills of the photographer. We are not talking here about taking a bird photo. We are talking here about taking great bird photos.

(2) Lens. You can’t go out photographing birds without a lens. I mean without a proper lens. The rule of thumb here is buy the longest, sharpest, fastest, brightest, lightest lens your money can buy. The one with a stabilizer is a big plus. Also, the one with weatherproofing could probably give you more reliability in as many kinds of terrain where you often want to be. I currently use a Canon EF 400mm f5.6L lens as my workhorse. It is the most affordable, it is sharp, it is quite fast and very light. It is not the longest though nor the brightest out there. In fact, my lens could probably be the most affordable serious birding lens that is ideal for those who are just starting bird photography. My lens does not have a built-in stabilizer, nor it is weather sealed.

Typically, you would need the following:

• a longer lens (one with longer focal lenght) to be able to shoot a small bird from afar.
• a bright lens (one with a larger aperture opening) to shoot birds in some dark recesses of the forest.
• a fast focusing lens to shoot a bird in flight.
• a very light lens so you can carry it for long period of hours walking and roaming looking for birds

Ideally, you might want to have the following:

• a lens with a built-in stabilizer so you get an added benefit of shooting handheld where a faster shutter speed is desirable
• a lens with all-weather sealing so you can shoot at any harsh condition you may encounter out there in the field

Personally, unless you are not doing this in the Philippines, I’d set 400mm as my minimum focal length.

(3) Support. If you have an arm and legs as stable as a tripod, you don’t need this. In most cases, you need a good support to stabilize your lens. In addition to having a built-in stabilizer, you need ground support. A stable one. Birders typically use a tripod but can utilize anything of use like a monopod, a sand-bag, your vehicle’s window, a pole, a tree trunk or anything that allows you to place your birding gear at rest in its full weight.

(4) Transport. Optionally, you may need one to ferry you from one birding site to another. You may have that all-terrain amphibious vehicle where you can drive through muddy tracks, cut through rocky roads, or cross a stream or river. 😛 Of course, I am just kidding, but if you can afford, that is my birder’s transport. I’d probably discuss this one on a separate article.

(5) MAP/GPS. You would need a lot of travelling once you get hooked with bird photography. You will often find yourself in places where people don’t go. You will often find yourself where roads end and where roadsigns are nowhere to be found. If you are in the Philippines, most often than not, you will find yourself in some uncharted ground. When you are in this situation, having a map and knowing how to chart your directions save you time. You would not want to get stranded wandering your way out inside a forest. An electronic geographical positioning system or device (GPS) can also come in very handy for you as a birder.

(6) Communications Device. In the Philippines, you should not go out birding without one. A cellphone is usually more than enough. Make sure you also have it fully charged or got spare batteries to power it up. In most cases, you will have cellphone signals all over the country. There are only a few dead spots left. You may also want to bring loaded SIM cards of major cell phone operators in the country when going out on very remote places. I usually bring along 2 phones, one is tuned in to Globe Telecoms, the other is on Smart Telecoms. In areas where one doesnt have a signal, most often, you’ll have the other one all tuned in. If you can, you might want to bring extra SIMs for Sun Cellular.

(7) Bird Guide. Aside from avoiding getting lost in some uncharted places, you may want to get the services of bird guides. A bird guide should be able to walk or drive you around a birding site with plenty of knowledge on where you would find the avian friends you would like to photograph. Sometimes, a bird guide can double as your security or interpreter with the locals. Personally, I can’t afford bird guides so I explore on my own when going out there to photograph birds.

(8) Logistics. I am still trying to learn to leave things that I dont need out there in the field. As much as possible, you only bring the essentials and what you will use. I still have the tendencies of over-supplying myself with stuff that I dont get to use out there in the field. Your goal is to lessen the weight you have to carry around while you do your photography. The stuffs I bring also varies per birding trip or sortie. If I get to bring a vehicle, I tend to bring almost everything 🙂

But my backpack and pockets contain usually the following:

1. enough water
2. light high calorie food
3. first aid kit and some essential medicines
4. insect repellant
5. extra shirt
6. enough batteries for the camera
7. enough memory storage for the camera. I usually bring a 32GB card and an extra 8GB card
8. a camo veil
9. a hat
10. a multipurpose knife
11. a large garbage plastic to cover my gears just in case it rains
12. portable GPS device. I use a Garmin 76CXs
13. and some money

(9) Clothing. I always wear something light, some that easily dries up and with earthy/natural colors that would at least conceal me from birds’ view. I think wearing some camo outfit, if wearing them wouldn’t present a problem, would suit me best everytime I go out there to do bird photography. However, for safety and pre-caution, I’d consider wearing a camo on a case-to-case basis. I always have it in mind that wearing one would usually attract attention and could possibly make me a target. Other people also do get uncomfortable and nervous seeing new faces around in camouflage, so as not to startle them, I’d rather not wear them at all as much as possible. But proper clothing is your goal. You would always want something that will conceal you from the birds while keeping you comfortable and healthy.

(10) Footwear. I wear a mid-cut, waterproofed shoes. Wearing a mid-cut shoes could protect your ankle from getting accidentally twisted. Having a waterproofed one keeps your feet dry so you dont get blisters. Several times, my shoes saved me from possible injuries. I remember one time that I have stepped on some rocks on a sloping  ground that gave way from my weight and caused me to almost break my ankle. The pain was excruciating for a couple of minutes but thanks to wearing a mid-cut shoes, I avoided getting my ankle twisted or broken as it sturdily protected the ankle area. The pain dissipated after some minutes. Had I been wearing a regular shoes that time, I could have broken my ankle. So I have to emphasize, if you want to continue and enjoy bird photography, protect your feet. Otherwise, you won’t get anywhere.

(11) Publication Tools. Of course, you want to show your beautiful bird photos to the world. To be able to achieve this, you need the right tools to identify the birds, and publish your photographs in print or in digitized form. Since I am using a Digital SLR, I am forced to use digital tools to process my photos and have it printed or published over the web. I currently use Adobe’s ACR and Photoshop. I use A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Robert S. Kennedy, et al (ISBN 978-0-19-854668-9) to give names to the birds I shoot.

So far, these are the things that you may often need if ever you too would want to try wild bird photography. On Part 2, I would write about where one would usually go to shoot birds.

Hope this article gives everyone a glimpse of what wild bird photography is and how it differs from the usual line of photography that we often see and encounter.

Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 2
Wild Bird Photography in the Philippines – Part 3

Check out my album of Philippine birds!

Birding Tales: Remembering Ondoy

Exactly one year ago, 25th of September, 2009, a week was about to end. Dennis, my birding buddy, and I just acquired some new birding gear and for weeks we have been doing rigorous testing so we can familiarize the things we have. I just shifted then to a Canon system from a Nikon D300/D90/Sigma 150-500 rig and my new glass was giving me creeps as doubts came as to the sharpness of the lens. I suspected having a bad copy and I needed to do some serious testing to verify.

Few days prior, I was experimenting indoors trying to calibrate my new lens, finding ways and techniques to eliminate shake and vibration when shooting. I suspected the very slight blurring I get from my photos was caused by some shake. As the experimentation went smoothly, I figured easily how in-body lens AF calibration work and tried to eliminate shake by putting some 2 kilo bag of rice on top of the rig while shooting. After doing several indoor tests, it seems the weight of the 2 kilo bag of rice helped eliminate shake and does good with my non-IS (Image Stabilized) Canon EF 400mm f5.6L lens and EOS 50D. Of course I can’t bring along some bag of rice out in the field unless there is some cooking needed so I got myself a couple of 2-pound ankle/exercise weights used by athletes and concluded that shake can be stabilized faster with just the added 2 pounds. And I thought the approaching weekend was to be the perfect opportunity to try it on actual birding situations. So we did.

We wanted to go that weekend around the Paralaya, Candaba area. The weather forecast however was a stormy weekend, as a relatively weak storm Ondoy (International Codename : Ketsana) was just around the corner. We continued monitoring through the local news for weather updates and there was no clear advisory on the impending storm. Before nightfall, the weather bureau has downgraded Ondoy as a tropical depression. Rain was intermittent and quite moderate.

Just around dinner time, I got a text message from Dennis, confirming if we needed to push through with the birding trip. With caution, I texted back suggesting if we get the itch the next day, we will give it a go … rain or shine. We packed nevertheless and gotten ourselves battle-ready just in case we have that birdnut’s itch. The night went through with intermittent light to moderate rain.

2:00am, I woke up from a text message. Dennis was asking if we feel like going for it despite the rains. So I joked and told him “Kung konting ulan lang eh nde tayo lalabas, walang mangyayari sa atin” (translation: “if we easily get discouraged to go out due to some crazy rain, we will never achieve anything) in reference to a popular quote from one master bird photographer Romy Ocon. Romy was trying to encourage us to go out in the rain when we met him the first time some weeks prior (to test a pre-production Canon 7D) to the same place we planned to go. With the message, we heartily decided to push through despite the rains.

So I left Makati past 3:00am and drove straight to our agreed meeting place: McDonalds, Quezon Avenue corner EDSA. Dennis parked his car there and we boarded mine. Rain was very light so off we went hoping for another great birding day. Just as we approached the Balintawak cloverleaf, rain fell. It was crazy as it was strangely very heavy and road visibility was reduced to just about 5 to 10 meters. As we drove through NLEX, we thought it won’t be wise to proceed to Paralaya, Candaba where we could get stranded as the area has been prone to flooding even with little rain. It didn’t took us long to decide to instead proceed to Subic.

As we approached the other end of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), rain stopped and we thought it was a good sign. We took the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and we reached Subic a bit late for birding around past 7:00am. No rain still and the Subic skies looked gloomy. We went straight to Nabasan trail of the forest.

Eerie was all we could describe when we finally reached our destination. The forest was so quiet, no wind, no chirps, no deafening insect sounds, no monkey chatters, nothing. On a normal day around this time, the forest would be bustling with all sorts of wild life and one could get drown from all sorts of forest sounds. We waited for an hour more and still nothing until we heard a couple of Brown Shrikes from afar. Something is wrong we reminded ourselves. It must be the approaching storm. That was probably past 8:00 in the morning.

As we waited some more, the wind started to get our attention. Not unusually strong, but was enough to tell us to pack up and leave. Then a few meters from us, a Brown Shrike perched. Sensing a fruitless birding day, we wasted no time in photographing one of the most common migratory birds in the Philippine shores. It flew just as we had a few shutter clicks. Shots were no good. We then proceeded to leave the area. After the Brown Shrike, we can only hear the wind as it intensified. Mindful of getting stranded in the forest, we decided to call it a day and headed for early lunch. We found ourselves at Gerry’s Grill situated along Subic’s waterfront area.

As we waited for our lunch to be served, we saw it on the restaurant’s TV that Metro Manila is experiencing some strange flash flooding. Then we started receiving disturbing text messages about the situation in the metropolis. Our loved ones advised us to stay put in Subic instead or risk getting stranded along the way if we go home early. As we monitor, news updates were increasingly becoming so disturbing. We saw on television flashes of images of heavy flooding in areas that were not known and prone to flooding before. Ondoy is unfolding to become one of the country’s record breaking storm.

Just as we were having lunch, one news item got our attention, then another, and then another. Shown on TV, the intersection of Quezon Avenue and EDSA was already waist deep and this is where McDonald’s is situated and where Dennis left his car. Dennis seem a very calm guy and he doesn’t seem worried about the fact that his car could already be submerged as we had our lunch. Rain kept on dumping record breaking volume of water. My other half also texted that water is also getting into their house, first a few inches deep and later about a foot .. it was the first time they were flooded she said. But there was nothing we can do but to hope and pray. We wished everyone to be safe and that my buddy’s car will be fine. Good thing though that my two sisters living in the metro were just as fine as well.

When we had the chance, we bulked up on gas from the nearby gas station just in case some emergency arises. We had ample supply of food and water, enough perhaps for at least the next 2 days. We then decided to just haul ourselves in the car listening to whatever news on AM radio while the wind and rain reached Subic. Occasionally, we got hungry and Gerry’s Grill was kind enough to have stayed open as others closed shop earlier than they used to.

Ondoy’s eye reached Subic around midnight. The wind was so strong we felt as if the car would flip over and belly up. Since we parked a few meters from the beach, we kept on checking if the bay’s seawater becomes a concern. Surprisingly, the waters along the bay were pretty normal … rough but not so rough. It gave me an idea how Subic Bay became one of the best harbors in the world. It is just simply immune to freakish storms. Our car was the only vehicle parked in that lot.

As I remember, I would drift into unconsciousness only to be awakened everytime the wind shakes the vehicle. I felt safe and sound in the driver’s seat and occasionally just waking up to check if we were ok. Dennis was probably doing the same too. I would occasionally text my fiancé and my sisters to check how things were with them. From time to time, I would start the engine just to be sure we can speed right away when necessary. By this time, Metro Manila is submerged in an unprecedented amount of flood water. Every time I tune in to the AM radio, everything and everybody is devastated. Some areas were flooded to the roof and scores of vehicles and debris where floating through the flood. Scores of deaths were also constantly reported. Ondoy just made its mark in the country’s history.

4:00am, we woke up, there was no wind and rain anymore. We got out of the vehicle and assessed what we have to do in the next hours. We checked the news, texted our loved ones that we are safe and sound and we thought we might as well do a couple of hours birding in the forest of Subic before we head back home to Manila. With the very gloomy situation awaiting for us in the metropolis, we might as well get something positive, something to tell that despite Ondoy, birdnuts’ lives go on.

Without wasting time, we stopped by Mini-Stop and had some hot noodles and headed back to Nabasan trail. Along the way, forest debris were strewn everywhere. We proceeded and waited on my favorite spot for the first light to break. I brought Dennis on a tree where I always predict for Sooty Woodpeckers to come out before day break. Told him we might have a big chance to take some good shots of these fellas. So we positioned our car and waited inside a few meters from the tree. At the break of dawn, we noticed some activity in the tree and bingo … three Sooties, hopping from branch to branch, as they emit their familiar calls. I was never wrong that the birds are there. This is the 4th time I got the Sooties at the same spot at the same time. Then we would rapidly shoot at them. The scene did not last a minute. Then the birds flew.

Here is one Sooty I got from that very memorable encounter. It looks fresh and unperturbed from the hellish storm that came the night before. This photo turned out to be one of my all-time favorites.

SOOTY WOODPECKER, Mulleripicus funebris, ENDEMIC, Male

Then nearby, a Brown Shrike, which seemed to have lost parts of its tail from the previous hellish night, perched from where the Sooties came. This must be the same Shrike we photographed badly a day before.

BROWN SHRIKE, Lanius cristatus

We roamed around for about an hour, and not many birds other than the occasional Brown Shrikes which we just ignored.

Then it drizzled. We thought we should not push our luck and instead head back home. That was past 7:00 in the morning. As we are about to go, another Brown Shrike came out and enjoyed the morning shower. We took a few shots and headed back home.

As we traversed the Subic forest roads on our way back, we were a bit sad knowing we will go home empty-handed. As we passed by the old Fed-Ex parking lot, we noticed some bird activity in the nearby forest. We stopped and checked a bit. We thought, hmmmm … Philippine Bulbuls, and plenty of them. We were about to proceed home when we spotted something different beneath the thick foliage. LIFERS!!!!!!!!!!! When the birds finally showed up, the frenzy started. Dennis hurriedly transferred to the back seat so we get equal viewing opportunities.

THE FRENZY

Here we got the Red-Crested Malkoha, a Philippine endemic and a photo-lifer to both us, that seem to perpetually move in and out of the foliage. Got lucky the bird decided to show itself enough for me to get a single decent frame.

RED-CRESTED MALKOHA, Phaenicophaeus superciliosus, ENDEMIC

Then a few meters from where our vehicle were, a kingfisher darted into a tree. I slowly moved near the tree and there was the kingfisher perched inside the dark recesses of the tree. Perhaps sensing it is camouflaged by the dense leaves and the absense of light, it stayed long enough for us to find a very minute opening so our lenses can penetrate. And here is something funny. The small opening only allowed either one of us to have a good view of the bird. When I have the view, Dennis, which was on the back seat wont be able to see the bird. I would alternately move the vehicle forward and back it up several times so both of us have the chance of shooting the bird.

WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER, Halcyon smyrnensis

Whew! Tough shot on this KF!

Then from nowhere, a Common Kingfisher showed up a few meters in front of us.

COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis

While we still have our hands full with the kingfishers, a couple of rather large birds flew by. A pair of hornbills. It was starting to rain heavily again and sensing we might lose the opportunity to shoot the hornbills, Dennis and I hurriedly abandoned the kingfisher and moved the vehicle a few meters away from the pair. With the rain as the backdrop, I got one of my favorite shots ever.

LUZON HORNBILL, Penelopides manillae, ENDEMIC

Still lightly raining, we stayed and shoot from inside the vehicle as I try to move the vehicle slowly as the birds move. Several species showed up all at once and it was like a frenzy that we got confused which ones to shoot first. As we chased the hornbills, there was a brood of Red Jungle Fowls, some White-collared Kingfishers and White-breasted Woodswallows and more Red-crested Malkohas. But we never got our chance to shoot them decently. The last bird shot we had was that of a Brown Shrike at almost 11:00am and we decided to call it a day.

We got back to the metropolis with scenes of heavy flooding along the way, with lots of debris left and right. We saw vehicles that bellied-up along the way. Surprisingly, NLEX was free flowing by the time we were there. We got to McDonald’s easily and Dennis had a big sigh of relief knowing his car was spared.
I went home safe and sound, with a bunch of photo lifers and a gear fully tested. It is unfortunate to know though that I have concluded to have a bad copy of the lens as I have to microcalibrate it to +8 with my 50D to get a really sharp image. To this day, that 2-lbs weight is a fixture inside my birding bag and a regular in my routine. It really eliminates shake faster than you can ever imagine. It is your poor man’s Image Stabilization package. I now fondly call it my ‘2 pound “rice”bag’. Birder friends call it the same too.

I hope Ondoy victims have recovered well after one year. Kung titiklop tayo tuwing may Ondoy, eh wala ng mangyayari pa sa atin!

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A Celebrity Kingfisher

Spotted Wood-Kingfisher
Actenoides lindsayi
Photographed in University of the Philippines, Diliman
Quezon City, Philippines
February 8, 2009

A large, beautiful forest kingfisher known to only be strictly found in the dark canopies and understories of mostly low land forests. This individual unexpectedly showed up almost 2 years ago in the mini forest of UP Diliman in the busy Quezon City. This individual instantly became a celebrity among the local birding organizations as it gamely posed for pictures for hours for several weeks. Bird photography enthusiasts like me came in droves to photograph and see live this rare visitor. It is such a very rare chance to see one wild and alive in its beautiful plumage. I don’t even think even zoos keep one for public viewing.

While this is a welcome visitor of the city, its rare appearance in the middle of a busy metropolis indicates a disturbed habitat for this species. Forests out there are destroyed as we view this.

This kingfisher is endemic to the Philippines … meaning it can only be found in the country. Sightings were only noted in Luzon, Negros and Panay Islands. Labeled once as common, one can rarely see this kingfisher nowadays in our remaining forests.

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