Our 1-ton mini excavator, which we named "T-Rex", was delivered this 3rd of March 2021. We plan to use it in sculpting the orchard's terrain - grading the trails, building earth berms in the garden, digging canals to drain run-off rainwater and cultivating the soil (its rake attachment will be used here).
Little Heron (Butorides striatus, resident/migrant, immature)
Habitat - Exposed coral reefs, tidal flats, mangroves, fishponds and streams.
Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal, Pangasinan, Philippines on January 14, 2021, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod + Kenko Realpro ND8 filter, manual focus, manual exposure in available light, recorded at 4K/29.97p, ambient sound and music added in post.
Music - Waterfall, by Aakash Gandhi.
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis, resident/migrant)
Habitat: Common in pastures, ricefields and marshes.
Shooting info - Sony RX10 IV, 600 mm, f/9, 1/60 sec, ISO 100, Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod, manual exposure in available light, 4K/29.97p capture, ambient sound recorded by the camera's built in microphone, Maambal Orchard, northern Philippines, November 21, 2020.
A couple of these perpetual motion birds are always around the mango tree near the orchard's gate. They seem to have become quite familiar with me, allowing me to get close to them.
Under the dark canopy, I've to push the RX10 IV's tiny sensor to ISO 800 to get a shutter speed of 1/125 sec. I was hoping that the camera's 24 fps burst can freeze the bird in between movements, even with the slowish Tv.
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Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica, resident)
Habitat - Common in parks, residential areas, thickets and mangroves.
Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 14, 2020, RX10 IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod,
600 mm (equiv.), ISO 800, f/4, 1/125 sec, manual exposure in available light, major crop resized to 800 x 450.
It has been quite a while since I tried photographing winged creatures (birds and insects) in flight, so my panning reflexes are a bit rusty. To add to the challenge, I was using a point and shoot (Sony RX10 IV), rather than my tested DSLR gear (Canon 7D II + EF 400 DO II).
The EVF and ergonomics of the RX10 IV is not the best for flying creatures, but we have to make do with any gear we have on hand. The 24 fps burst rate and the decent AF speed of this camera somewhat mitigate its shortcomings though.
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A few of these white birds are orchard regulars, and I caught this one while it was flying low in front of a stand of bangkok santol trees.
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis, resident/migrant)
Habitat: Pastures, ricefields and marshes.
Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 10, 2020, RX10 IV,
600 mm (equiv.), ISO 200, f/4, 1/3200 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 800 x 533.
Link to the larger 1500 x 1000 version
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Over the grassy areas of the orchard, numerous dragonflies flit and hover in the breeze. While waiting for birds in flight to appear, I practiced my panning skills at these critters.
Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, Philippines, November 10, 2020, RX10 IV, 600 mm (equiv.), ISO 200, f/4, 1/2000 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 800 x 533.
Link to the larger 1500 x 1000 version
This migratory bird has a total length of about 7-1/2 inches. It's the 4th wild bird species I've filmed in the orchard.
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus, migrant, female)
Habitat - Common in all habitats at all elevations.
The orchard's 9-meter high water tank tower is almost finished, and we need to lift the water tank on top. But without the proper lifting equipment, this turned out to be quite a challenge.
We fabricated a mini-jib crane by welding a 4-inch diameter GI pipe to one of the railing's posts. Then we fashioned an angle bar mast and jib to be inserted into the GI pipe.
Our first version was a disaster - the mast was just too long and not strong enough to carry the weight. The mast bent right at the top of the GI pipe, where the maximum moment occurred.
We shortened the mast to reduce the leverage, reinforced it along its critical section, then tried again.
A medium small egret (19 inch length), this white bird is very common locally. It stays close to cattle or carabao to catch insects the larger animals disturb.
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis, resident/migrant)
Habitat: Common in pastures, ricefields and marshes.
Shooting info - Sony RX10 IV, 600 mm, f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO 100, Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod, manual exposure in available light, 4K/29.97p capture, ambient sound recorded by the camera's built in microphone, Maambal Orchard, northern Philippines, November 7, 2020.
This fantail, with a 7.5-inch total length, ranges in all major Philippine islands. It is conspicuous and noisy in many places, including urban residential areas and parks. It is easily seen and in many instances can be approached closely. However, its continuous tail fanning and constant movement among branches make it probably among the toughest common birds to film well.
Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica, resident)
Habitat: Common in parks, residential areas, thickets, early second growth and mangroves.
Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, northern Philippines, November 7, 2020, Sony RX10 Mark IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod, 600 mm (equiv.), f/4, ISO 320, manual exposure, 4K/29.97p capture.
A short clip of this predatory species, a common resident of the Philippines, filmed in natural habitat. The total length of the bird, from tip of long tail to tip of bill, is about 9.5 inches. This is the second wild bird species I've filmed in this place.
Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach, resident)
Habitat - Open country and scrub.
Shooting info - Maambal Orchard, Pangasinan, northern Philippines, November 3, 2020, Sony RX10 Mark IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod, 600 mm (equiv.), f/4, ISO 100, manual exposure, 4K capture processed to 1080p.
