THE BATTLE-SCARRED VETERANS WELCOME A NEW TEAM MEMBER. My birding lenses pose as a group for posterity. The newly added 400 2.8 L IS (second from left,
low light specialist, with a Canon 2x TC II added in this photo) is joined by (from left) the venerable Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG, long shot specialist),
the workhorse 500 f4 L IS (all-around birding glass, with a Canon 1.4x TC II added in this photo), the prime-sharp 100-400 L IS (the "birding lightly"
and all purpose wildlife lens) and the grizzled 400 5.6 L (the hand held flight shot specialist).

[5D2 + Sigma 24 1.8 DG macro, tripod/ball head]

7D + 400 2.8 IS + 1.4x TC, San Juan, Batangas, April 16, 2010, taken with a Nokia N97, f/2.8, 1/167 sec, ISO 100.

Long-tailed Shrike

Scientific name - Lanius schach

Habitat - Open country and scrub.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag, processed 100% crop]

Long-tailed Shrike

Scientific name - Lanius schach

Habitat - Open country and scrub.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag, uncropped full frame resized to 1200x800]

Long-tailed Shrike

Scientific name - Lanius schach

Habitat - Open country and scrub.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag, uncropped full frame, 5616 x 3744 pixels saved as PS quality 9 jpeg, 1.387 MB file size]

Zitting Cisticola

Scientific name - Cisticola juncidis

Habitat - Ricefields and wetter grassy areas.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag]

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Scientific name - Nycticorax nycticorax

Habitat - Variety of wetlands from ricefields to mangroves.

[PINAGBAYANAN, SAN JUAN, BATANGAS, 5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS,475B/3421 support]

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Scientific name - Nycticorax nycticorax

Habitat - Variety of wetlands from ricefields to mangroves.

[PINAGBAYANAN, SAN JUAN, BATANGAS, 5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS,475B/3421 support, processed 100% crop]

AMAZING AF PERFORMANCE. The combo of 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS impresses with its great AF performance (AI servo center point + six assist points).
This is not an aesthetic capture, just a quick test shot to see if the combo can focus on and track a BIF very small in the frame, with a busy background.

[5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS, 475B/3421 support]

EDGE-TO-EDGE SHARPNESS. Many lenses can be sharp edge-to-edge on cropped sensors. But only a few are sharp edge-to-edge, shot wide open, on full frame sensors like the 21 MP 5D2. :)


[5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS, 475B/3421 support]

CROPS - 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + stacked Canon 2x/Sigma 1.4x TC

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Scientific name: Pycnonotus goiavier

Habitat: Common in gardens, urban areas and grasslands but not in mature forests.

[5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TCII, 475B/3421 support, near FF resized to 1200x800]

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Scientific name: Pycnonotus goiavier

Habitat: Common in gardens, urban areas and grasslands but not in mature forests.

[5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TCII, 475B/3421 support, processed 100% crop]

BOKEH - 5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TCII, 475B/3421 support, circa 12-14 feet distance, resized full frame

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Scientific name - Nycticorax nycticorax

Habitat - Variety of wetlands from ricefields to mangroves.

[PINAGBAYANAN, SAN JUAN, BATANGAS, 5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS,475B/3421 support]

Little Egret

Scientific name: Egretta garzetta

Habitat: Coastal marsh and tidal flats to ricefields.

[COASTAL LAGOON, MANILA BAY, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC II, 475B/3421 support]

Little Egret

Scientific name: Egretta garzetta

Habitat: Coastal marsh and tidal flats to ricefields.

[COASTAL LAGOON, MANILA BAY, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC II, 475B/3421 support]

100 % crops - burst of 5 frames

[COASTAL LAGOON, MANILA BAY, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 1.4x TC II, 475B/3421 support]

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Scientific name - Passer montanus

Habitat - Common in virtually every inhabited island.

[PARANAQUE CITY, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC II, 475B/3421 support]

Zitting Cisticola

Scientific name - Cisticola juncidis

Habitat - Ricefields and wetter grassy areas.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag]

Cinnamon Bittern

Scientific name: Ixobrychus cinnamomeus

Habitat: Ricefields, marshes and mangroves.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag]

Pied Bushchat (male)

Scientific name - Saxicola caprata

Habitat - Drier open country, grasslands and cultivated areas.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag]

Zitting Cisticola

Scientific name - Cisticola juncidis

Habitat - Ricefields and wetter grassy areas.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag]

Cinnamon Bittern

Scientific name: Ixobrychus cinnamomeus

Habitat: Ricefields, marshes and mangroves.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS, 475B/3421 support, +1 EC in DPP]

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Scientific name - Merops philippinus

Habitat - Open country usually associated with water along rivers, marshes and ricefields.

[CANDABA WETLANDS, PAMPANGA, 5D2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TC, bean bag]

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Scientific name: Pycnonotus goiavier

Habitat: Common in gardens, urban areas and grasslands but not in mature forests.

[5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TCII, 475B/3421 support]

[5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TCII, 475B/3421 support]

[5DM2 + 400 2.8 L IS + Canon 2x TCII, 475B/3421 support]

A SMALL FISHERWOMAN IN A BIG POND. I was birding at the Coastal Lagoon (Manila Bay) late this afternoon,
and I saw this woman casting her net in the distance. Vignetting was introduced in post process.

[5D2 + 400 2.8 IS, 475B/3421 support]

Grey Heron

Scientific name - Ardea cinerea

Habitat - Uncommon in wetlands.

[SAN JUAN, BATANGAS, 7D + 400 2.8 IS + Canon 1.4x TC, hand held, near full frame]