Chinese Egret in flight at Manila Bay

This white bird is a rare migrant to the Philippines and easier to see in good numbers at Olango island in Cebu. On some occasions, it also visits Manila Bay to the delight of birdnuts like me. I got fortunate to catch it in flight during a brief birding sortie at the Coastal Lagoon.

This bird breeds in Russia, North/South Korea and China, and winters in some parts of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. It is classified as a vulnerable species, with the worlwide population down to about 3,000 birds according to some estimates.

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Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes, migrant

Habitat – Rare in shallow tidal flats and ricefields.

Shooting info – Coastal Lagoon, Manila Bay, Philippines, November 3, 2010, Canon 1D MIV + EF 500 f4 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC II, 700 mm, f/7.1, ISO 400, 1/1600 sec, manual exposure in available light, 475B/3421 support.