Friday, October 7, 2011

Grass-Owl in flight

I’ve been to Candaba wetlands dozens of times, and I usually stay in the area from dawn until well after sunset. But I’ve gotten near this night hunter in daylight only twice – both cases under the same lighting circumstances and similar time of day.

The late afternoon sun was covered by heavy clouds, making it appear that nightfall was coming in ealier than it should. Perhaps seeing that it was already dusk, the owl came out to hunt, flying low and silently over the grassy areas of the wetlands. Just before the sun disappeared in the western horizon, the clouds thinned somewhat, allowing some light to illuminate the place. This made it possible to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the bird in the air.

This raptor acted like it was curious – it circled around and looked straight at me while I was trying to acquire focus in the low light. The out of focus grasses in the distance provided a pleasing creamy background to the nocturnal bird of prey.

Many of the shots were misfocused, probably because the dim light was straining the AF system or maybe because I was trembling with excitement as I was tracking the subject. Whatever the reason why I missed many frames, I wouldn’t know for sure. But I got at least one photo sharp, and this made me do the “dance of joy” once I confirmed the keeper in the 1D MII’s LCD.

__________

Australasian Grass-Owl (Tyto longimembris, resident)

Habitat – Grasslands and canefields.

Shooting Info – Candaba wetlands, Pampanga, Philippines, May 27, 2008, Canon 1D MII + EF 500 f4 IS, f/4, ISO 800, 1/500 sec, 475B/3421 support, near full frame, manual exposure in available light, pushed +2/3 stop in RAW conversion.

A short video of the Australasian Grass-Owl.
 

1 comment:

ludwig diesta said...

Hello Sir

I really admire your wild bird photography...i really wish i could meet you in person & shoot birds with you here in BULUSAN LAKE in SORSOGON BICOL..that will be the greatest day of my life. My Name is JAY LUDWIG V. DIESTA i'm from Sorsogon Bicol

here is my facebook https://www.facebook.com/AkoC.SimSimi
and my email
xear3d2006@yahoo.com

Thank you & Keep on Posting!

Labels

1.4x tc iii (28) 16-35 f4 L IS (7) 1d miv (4) 2x TC (5) 2x tc ii (5) 2x tc iii (13) 400 2.8 IS (19) 400 5.6l (2) 400 do ii (2) 400 f/4 do is ii (57) 4c tc (1) 4k (1) 4k bird video (18) 4k macro (2) 4k moon (1) 4k moonrise (1) 4x tc (1) 5D MIII (14) 70-200 2.8 l is ii (3) 7d (6) 7d m2 (1) 7d mark ii (61) 7d mii (6) 7d2 (1) abuos (1) Acridotheres cristatellus (3) Acrocephalus stentoreus (1) action photography (1) Actitis hypoleucos (1) Aethopyga bella (1) Aethopyga flagrans (1) aggregates (1) aggregates crushing (1) Alauda gulgula (1) Alcedo atthis (1) Alcedo cyanopecta (1) Amaurornis olivaceus (1) Amaurornis phoenicurus (2) Amur Falcon (1) Anas clypeata (1) Anas luzonica (1) Anser serrirostris (1) ant video (1) Anthus rufulus (1) ants (1) Aplonis panayensis (3) apollo 15 (1) apollo 15 landing site (1) Arachnothera clarae (1) Arctic Warbler (1) Ardea cinerea (3) Ardea purpurea (1) Ardeola bacchus (1) Ardeola speciosa (1) Artamus leucorynchus (2) Ashy Minivet (1) ashy minivet video (1) Asian Glossy Starling (4) astro (6) Australasian Grass-Owl (1) baguio (1) baler (1) baler surfing (1) Barn Swallow (4) baroro (1) baroro beach (1) Barred Buttonquail (1) Barred Rail (1) batch plant (1) bee (2) bee in flight (1) bees (1) bees in slow motion (1) bif (1) binmaley (1) bird in flight (1) bird macro (1) bird video (43) birding places (4) birds in flight (74) birds of the philippines (1) Black Bittern (1) Black-chinned Fruit-dove (1) Black-crowned Night-Heron (1) Black-Headed Gull (1) Black-naped Oriole (1) Black-winged Stilt (2) blue moon (1) Blue Rock-Thrush (6) Blue-headed Fantail (1) Blue-naped Parrot (1) Blue-tailed Bee-eater (5) Bolbopsittacus lunulatus (1) Brahminy Kite (4) Brown Hawk-Owl (1) Brown Shrike (8) Brush Cuckoo (1) Bubulcus ibis (3) Buceros hydrocorax (1) bued (65) bued bridge (1) bued flood (4) bued river (125) bug slomo (1) bugs slow motion (1) Butorides striatus (6) butterfly (9) butterfly macro (6) butterfly slomo (2) butterfly slow motion (1) Cacomantis variolosus (1) camp i (1) camp john hay (1) candaba (1) canon workshop (2) Caprimulgus manillensis (2) Cattle Egret (3) Centropus bengalensis (1) Centropus viridis (2) Charadrius dubius (3) Chestnut Munia (2) Chinese Egret (1) Chinese Pond-Heron (1) Chlidonias hybridus (7) Cinnamon Bittern (1) Circus spilonotus (1) Cisticola juncidis (1) Citrine Canary-Flycatcher (1) Clamorous Reed-Warbler (1) Colasisi (2) colasisi call (1) colasisi song (1) colasisi sound (1) Coleto (1) Collared Kingfisher (3) Collocalia troglodytes (4) Common Kingfisher (1) Common Sandpiper (1) concrete (1) coolpix p1000 (48) cordillera (1) cordillera mountains (1) Corvus macrorhynchos (1) Crested Myna (4) crusher (1) Culicicapa helianthea (1) cute puppies (2) cutest dog fight (5) Dendrocopos maculatus (11) Dicaeum austral (1) Dicaeum australe (9) Dicaeum pygmaeum (2) dji mavic air (4) dog jump (1) dog poker (1) dog poker game (1) dog slomo (2) dog tricks (1) double rainbow (2) dragonfly (3) dragonfly in flight (3) dragonfly macro (5) dragonfly slomo (1) dragonfly video (3) drone (1) drone panorama (1) drone photography (1) Ducula aenea (1) Dupetor flavicollis (1) Eastern Marsh-Harrier (1) eco trail (1) Egretta alba (5) Egretta eulophotes (1) Egretta garzetta (4) Elegant Tit (1) elyu (1) endemic birds (62) Eumyias panayensis (1) Eurasian Hobby (1) Eurasian Tree Sparrow (5) Falco amurensis (1) Falco peregrinus (1) Falco subbuteo (1) Ficedula narcissina (1) Ficedula westermanni (1) Flaming Sunbird (1) fog (1) Gallirallus torquatus (1) Geopelia striata (2) Gerygone sulphurea (3) goat shed (1) Golden-bellied Flyeater (3) grasshopper (2) grasshopper macro (1) Great Egret (5) Greater Sand-Plover (1) Green Imperial-Pigeon (1) Green Sandpiper (1) Grey Heron (3) Grey Wagtail (5) Grey-streaked Flycatcher (1) Grey-tailed Tattler (1) Guaiabero (1) Halcyon smyrnensis (11) Haliastur indus (4) Handsome Sunbird (1) hantik (1) haradrius leschenaultii (1) Heteroscelus brevipes (1) Himantopus himantopus (2) Hirundo rustica (4) Hirundo striolata (2) Hirundo tahitica (1) Hoopoe (1) Hydrophasianus chirurgus (1) Indigo-banded Kingfisher (1) insect 4k video (1) insect video (1) Ixobrychus cinnamomeus (1) Ixobrychus sinensis (1) Java Sparrow (5) Javan Pond-Heron (1) jewel bug (2) jumping tilapia (1) kennon (2) kennon junction (1) kennon road (2) kennon road junction (1) kreto (5) la union (11) labrador (5) labrador puppy (5) labrador puppy training (1) Lalage nigra (2) Lanius cristatus (8) Lanius schach (7) Lanius validirostris (1) Large-billed Crow (1) Larus ridibundus (1) Larus saundersi (1) Lesser Coucal (1) lightning (5) lightning photography (5) lightning video (1) liquidstone (5) Little Egret (4) Little Heron (6) Little Pied Flycatcher (1) Little Ringed-Plover (3) Little Tern (1) Lonchura atricapilla (2) Lonchura punctulata (5) Long-tailed Shrike (7) longest dog fight (5) Loriculus philippensis (2) Lowland White-eye (13) lunar eclipse (1) Luscinia calliope (1) Luzon Hornbill (1) maambal (15) maambal farm (11) maambal orchard (14) maambal pozorrubio (12) macro (10) macro slomo (1) Macropygia tenuirostris (1) magnus (3) mangkhut (1) mango farm (1) Marsh Sandpiper (1) mavic 2 pro (9) mavic air (2) Merops philippinus (5) Microhierax erythrogenys (1) migratory birds (79) Monticola solitaries (1) Monticola solitarius (5) moon (4) moonrise (1) moonshot (1) Motacilla alba (1) Motacilla cinerea (5) moth (1) moth macro (1) moth video (1) moths (1) Mountain Shrike (1) Mountain Verditer-Flycatcher (1) Mountain White-eye (4) Muscicapa griseisticta (1) Naked-faced Spiderhunter (1) Narcissus Flycatcher (1) Nectarinia jugularis (9) Ninox scutulata (1) Northern Hobby (1) Northern Shoveler (1) Numenius phaeopus (2) Nycticorax nycticorax (1) nymphs (1) Oecophylla smaragdina (1) Olive-backed Sunbird (9) ompong (1) Oriental Honeybuzzard (2) Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum (1) Oriental Skylark (1) Oriolus chinensis (1) osmo action (12) osmo action slomo (1) Osprey (5) Otus megalotis (1) p1000 (35) Pacific Swallow (1) Padda oryzivora (5) Paddyfield Pipit (1) Pandion haliaetus (5) pangasinan (1) Parus elegans (1) Parus semilarvatus (1) Passer montanus (4) Penelopides manillae (1) Peregrine Falcon (1) Pericrocotus divaricatus (1) Pernis ptilorhynchus (1) Pernis ptilorhynchus philippensis (1) Phaenicophaeus cumingi (1) Phaenicophaeus superciliosus (1) Pheasant-Tailed Jacana (1) Philippine Coucal (2) Philippine Cuckoo-Dove (1) Philippine Duck (1) Philippine Falconet (1) Philippine Hanging Parrot (2) Philippine Nightjar (2) Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (10) Philippine Scops-Owl (1) Philippine Serpent-Eagle (1) Philippine Woodpecker (6) philippines flood (1) Phylloscopus borealis (1) Pied Bushchat (3) Pied Fantail (3) Pied Triller (2) Plain Bush-Hen (1) Porphyrio porphyrio (1) Ptilinopus leclancheri (1) puppies (2) puppy training (1) Purple Heron (1) Purple Swamphen (1) Pycnonotus goiavier (3) Pygmy Flowerpecker (2) Pygmy Swiftlet (4) rainbow (1) readymix concrete (1) Red Turtle-Dove (10) Red-crested Malkoha (1) Red-keeled Flowerpecker (10) resident birds (117) Rhabdornis mystacalis (2) Rhipidura cyaniceps (1) Rhipidura javanica (3) Richard's Pipit (1) romy ocon (6) rosario (1) Rufous Hornbill (1) rx10 4 (1) rx10 iv (48) rx10 iv slow motion (3) rx10 m4 (22) rx10 mark 4 (13) rx10 mark iv (23) rx10 miv (21) san juan (1) Sarcops calvus (1) Saunders's Gull (1) Saxicola caprata (3) Saxicola maurus (1) Scale-feathered Malkoha (1) Scaly-Breasted Munia (5) shih tzu (13) shih tzu mixed breed (2) shih tzu playing (2) shih tzu puppies (9) shih tzu puppy (5) shih tzu slomo (8) shih tzu tricks (1) Siberian Rubythroat (1) Siberian Stonechat (1) singing sunbird (2) sison mango farm (1) sleeping puppy (1) slomo (1) slow motion (1) spider (1) Spilornis holospilus (1) Spotted Dove (1) stacked 2x TCs (1) stacked teleconverters (1) Sterna albifrons (1) Streptopelia chinensis (1) Streptopelia tranquebarica (9) striated heron (4) Striated Swallow (2) Stripe-headed Rhabdornis (2) subic rainforest (2) sunbird call (2) sunflower (2) super blue moon (1) super moon (1) supermoon (1) supertyphoon (1) surfing (4) surfing slomo (1) taboc (2) Tanygnathus lucionensis (1) teaching tricks to a puppy (1) telephoto (1) ten-four (1) ten-four readymix (1) tilapia (1) time lapse (1) tiny bees (1) Todiramphus chloris (3) tplex (4) tplex roasrio-sison (1) tplex rotunda (1) tplex roundabout (1) tplex sison-rosario (1) tplex terminus (2) transcend dp200 (1) Tringa ochropus (1) Tringa stagnatilis (1) tug of war (1) Tundra Bean Goose (1) Turnix suscitator (1) Tyto longimembris (1) udiao (1) Upupa epops (1) vanta (2) versys x300 (1) video (1) wasp (1) wasp macro (1) wasp video (1) Weaver Ants (1) Whimbrel (2) Whiskered Tern (7) White Wagtail (1) White-breasted Waterhen (2) White-breasted Wood-Swallow (2) White-fronted Tit (1) White-throated Kingfisher (11) woodpecker macro (1) Yellow Bittern (1) Yellow-vented Bulbul (3) young grasshopper (1) Zebra Dove (2) Zitting Cisticola (1) Zosterops meyeni (13) Zosterops montanus (3)