Black Bittern in flight

This uncommon waterbird is secretive and solitary.  It is medium size, being 23 inches in total length, and a resident at all major Philippine islands.

The Black Bittern’s shy nature and dark plumage make it tough to see when in cover. It took me several years of birding at Candaba wetlands to get a good glimpse of the bird.

This one was flying low over the grasses of the wetlands when I chanced upon it. My manual exposure settings were priorly set for mid-toned birds, so I quickly reduced my shutter speed from 1/1600 sec to 1/1000 sec for a 2/3 stop boost in the illumination of the dark subject. The 1D MII’s AF did a great job of locking focus on the dark plumage despite the featured surroundings.

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Black Bittern (Dupetor flavicollis, resident)

Habitat – Uncommon in wetlands from ricefields to mangroves.

Shooting Info – Candaba wetlands, Pampanga, Philippines, July 29, 2008, Canon 1D MII + EF 500 f4 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC II, 700 mm, f/7.1, ISO 400, 1/1000 sec, manual exposure in available light, 475B tripod/ 3421 support.