Far Eastern Curlew

Scientific name - Numenius madagascariensis

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats.

Far Eastern Curlew

Scientific name - Numenius madagascariensis

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats.

Far Eastern Curlew

Scientific name - Numenius madagascariensis

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats.

Great Egret

Scientific name - Egretta alba

Habitat - Uncommon in a variety of wetlands from coastal marshes to ricefields.

Great Egret

Scientific name - Egretta alba

Habitat - Uncommon in a variety of wetlands from coastal marshes to ricefields.

Gull-billed Tern

Scientific name - Gelochelidon nilotica

Habitat - Uncommon in variety of wetlands.

Gull-billed Tern

Scientific name - Gelochelidon nilotica

Habitat - Uncommon in variety of wetlands.

Gull-billed Tern

Scientific name - Gelochelidon nilotica

Habitat - Uncommon in variety of wetlands.

Gull-billed Tern

Scientific name - Gelochelidon nilotica

Habitat - Uncommon in variety of wetlands.

Whimbrel

Scientific name - Numenius phaeopus

Habitat - Along the coast in grassy marshes, mud and on exposed coral flats, beaches and sometimes in ricefields.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Scientific name - Limosa lapponica

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats, and at river mouths.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Scientific name - Limosa lapponica

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats, and at river mouths.

Bar-tailed Godwit

Scientific name - Limosa lapponica

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats, and at river mouths.

Asian Dowitcher

Scientific name - Limnodromus semipalmatus

Habitat - Rare on tidal mud flats.

Brown Shrike

Scientific name - Lanius cristatus

Habitat - Common in all habitats at all elevations.

Little Tern
(Two birds at right)

Scientific name - Sterna albifrons

Habitat - Uncommon along coasts, bays and river mouths.

Little Tern

Scientific name - Sterna albifrons

Habitat - Uncommon along coasts, bays and river mouths.

Ruddy Turnstone

Scientific name - Arenaria interpres

Habitat - Beaches and exposed tidal flats.

Ruddy Turnstone

Scientific name - Arenaria interpres

Habitat - Beaches and exposed tidal flats.

Ruddy Turnstone

Scientific name - Arenaria interpres

Habitat - Beaches and exposed tidal flats.

Olive-backed Sunbird (Male)

Scientific name - Nectarinia jugularis

Habitat - Common lowland sunbird

Little Egret

Scientific name: Egretta Garzetta

Habitat: Common in coastal marsh and tidal flats to ricefields.

Pacific Swallow

Scientific name - Hirundo tahitica

Habitat - Common along coasts, in towns and open country, rarely over forest.

Common Sandpiper

Scientific name - Actitis hypoleucos

Habitat - Common along the shores of wide variety of wetlands.

Greater Sand-Plover

Scientific Name - Charadrius leschenaultii

Habitat - Along the coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats.

Great Knot

Scientific name - Calidris tenuirostris

Habitat - Uncommon along coast on exposed mud and coral flats.

Common Greenshank

Scientific name - Tringa nebularia

Habitat - Ricefields to coastal mud and coral flats.

Grey-tailed Tattler

Scientific name - Heteroscelus brevipes

Habitat - Along coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats, on rocks, and also ricefields.

Grey-tailed Tattler

Scientific name - Heteroscelus brevipes

Habitat - Along coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats, on rocks, and also ricefields.

Grey-tailed Tattler

Scientific name - Heteroscelus brevipes

Habitat - Along coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats, on rocks, and also ricefields.

Grey-tailed Tattler

Scientific name - Heteroscelus brevipes

Habitat - Along coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats, on rocks, and also ricefields.

Common Redshank

Scientific name - Tringa totanus

Habitat - Common, coastal to rice fields.

Common Greenshank

Scientific name - Tringa nebularia

Habitat - Ricefields to coastal mud and coral flats.

Rufous-necked Stint

Scientific name - Calidris ruficollis

Habitat - Mud flats and ricefields.

Rufous-necked Stint

Scientific name - Calidris ruficollis

Habitat - Mud flats and ricefields.

Greater Sand-Plover

Scientific Name - Charadrius leschenaultii

Habitat - Along the coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats.

Greater Sand-Plover

Scientific Name - Charadrius leschenaultii

Habitat - Along the coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats.

Grey Plover

Scientific name - Pluvialis squatarola

Habitat - Exposed mud and coral flats, and beaches.

Greater Sand-Plover

Scientific Name - Charadrius leschenaultii

Habitat - Along the coast on exposed mud, sand and coral flats.

Terek Sandpiper

Scientific name - Xenus cinereus

Habitat - Along coast on mud, sand and coral flats.

Terek Sandpiper

Scientific name - Xenus cinereus

Habitat - Along coast on mud, sand and coral flats.

Common Greenshank

Scientific name - Tringa nebularia

Habitat - Ricefields to coastal mud and coral flats.

OLANGO ISLAND: The tropical Cebu sun provided good light for handholding the 20D + 400 5.6L, a few times even with the 2x teleconverter.
I'm shooting the Gull-billed Tern here, as my legs and feet are sunburned to a crisp...8-)

Nilo Arribas, looking like a soldier in full-battle gear, tries the 300D + Bigma on some waders.

OLANGO ISLAND: I have to use a tripod when I snapped on the Sigma 2x TC to my 400 5.6L while shooting the Little Egret that appears in the Olango Island gallery.
This was in my early bird-shooting days, before I learned that a lower shooting angle is preferred for water birds.

This is part of the Olango tidal flats teeming with marine life, providing a virtual banquet for water birds as Nilo put it.

OLANGO ISLAND: Bird hide no. 1 affords a good view of one of the tidal flats. The elevated walkway is no longer there, probably a victim of government funding red tape.

SHOES NOT RECOMMENDED AT OLANGO ISLAND. If you really want to get close and personal with the Olango birds, sandals are a must.
Better yet, you can wade in your bare feet for that ticklish feeling that the sand makes with your soles. Just avoid the sharp corals and broken shells, of course.