SIDEBAR

A Rare Sighting of a Leucistic Hummingbird

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Oct 23 2016

Many of us have been blessed with a rare sighting of a leucistic Anna’s hummingbird that made its appearances at the University of California, Santa Cruz Arboretum. Many even believe that such unusual encounter symbolizes good prosperity spiritually. I was able to get a few shots back in June when it first made its appearances. It was rather skittish back then that I had to make three trips to get somewhat desirable shots. Perhaps I’m lacking some good luck charms compared to a few local photographers whom I’m always jealous of like Ken Phenicie and Thinh Bui.  I was still not happy […]

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Instant Celebrity of Humboldt County

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Feb 25 2016

Perhaps it was the global warming that brought it to the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park of Humboldt County but whatever the reason, it was certainly a pleasant welcome news for the first sighting of the Great Gray owl within the county’s border in 34 years.  It became an instant celebrity when flocks of photographers gathered around it. The owl didn’t feel intimated by the large numbers of people surrounding it and some even at such close proximity it feels that its privacy and space are violated. It took me over three weeks after the first sighting/report before I decided […]

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BIF

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Jan 24 2016

With the pricing of super telephoto lenses from third party brands becoming more affordable today, more photographers are opting for wildlife shots especially bird as their genre of choice. Naturally, with the increased number of photographers, getting a better shot has become a much more challenging task. Everyone wants to get a ‘wow’ from their viewers or greater self satisfaction for a small number of those that don’t usually share their work in public. A simple shot of a stationary bird perched on a branch is no longer eye-catching compared to one with some actions or at least in flight. […]

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Bald Eagles of Conowingo Dam

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Nov 17 2015
Conowingo DamIncoming Baldie..Bald Eagle - Juvy

It was yet another fun, exciting, and productive out-of-state trip.  Firstly, let’s start with credit where credit is due. As usual, our organizer Thinh Bui did not disappoint us by executing his very thorough planning skills.  Not only can this guy shoot and produce jaw-dropping images, but most importantly he would ensure everyone goes home with a smiling face while letting him take care of all the nitty gritty stuffs.  Salute!  OK, that should be enough.. I hope.  We were also blessed to be surrounded by great company on this trip not to mention great food that we chugged down […]

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Moss Landing – The Terning Point

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Aug 21 2015

Moss Landing is a historic fishing village located in the middle of California Monterey Bay coastline. It has an abundance of sea life surrounded by natural beauty with outdoor activities suitable for folks from all walks of life. These include strolling along the beaches, boating, observing wildlife/nature, whale watching, fishing, kayaking, and last but not least birding, which is what I will be focusing on in this blog. Since Moss Landing is a fishing village, naturally it provides ample of food source and natural habitats for both residents and migratory shorebirds. When it comes to bird photography, in addition to […]

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The Northern Harrier of CHRP

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Aug 08 2015

The Northern Harrier aka the Marsh Hawk flies low by gliding over a marsh or grassland when hunting. It has an owlish face which helps to hear mice and voles beneath the vegetation. All Northern Harriers have a white rump that is visible when they fly. The Northern Harrier is one of the a few raptors including the Red-tailed Hawk and Great horned Owl that are residents of CHRP and can be seen almost all year long at the park. They cover a very wide territory and can be seen gliding over all the marsh areas of CHRP. At times […]

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The Red-tailed Hawk of CHRP

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Aug 01 2015

As she was just about to gain elevation from the launch, searching for a new feeding spot, little did she know a pair of preying eyes had been intensely shadowing her every little move from a nearby tree. A golden window of opportunity finally opened up for the hungry, cold juvenile Red-tailed hawk, who had been hunting to no avail since the break of dawn. Not wasting such an opportunity, the young raptor simply seized the ill-fated female bufflehead in the mid-air with little struggle. It took over three hours for the hawk to devour its fresh catch. This was […]

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The Story Behind the Photo of a Crow Riding an Eagle – Part 3

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Jul 22 2015
Post's featued image.

Many photographers take it for granted but we are blessed to have great lighting in the United States compared to several countries I have visited including Costa Rica, Malaysia, and Singapore. Good lighting allows us to have a good shutter speed setting for shooting handheld without the expense of a high ISO. My main go-to lens is the Canon EF600mm f/4L IS II USM coupled with Canon 1.4X extender III almost full time. I shoot with both the full-frame Canon EOS 1DX and the crop body EOS 7D Mk II. Even though the EOS 1DX produces superior image quality than […]

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The Story Behind the Photo of a Crow Riding an Eagle – Part 2

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Jul 22 2015

Since the eagles were in action all along the beach, we each went our own way in search of our targets. As I was tailing one of the eagles, whose undivided attention was on the water surface for an easy midshipman, a crow approached from behind, about 25 feet below the eagle. In my five years of capturing raptors and birds in flight, I have witnessed crows aggressively harassing other raptors that are much bigger in size in their territories, and usually these ‘intruders’ simply retreat without much fuss. It was absolutely mind-blowing when the crow did not appear to […]

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The Story Behind the Photo of a Crow Riding an Eagle – Part 1

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Jul 22 2015

It all started when I saw jaw-dropping images of bald eagles doing all kinds of aerial actions, taken by a wildlife photographer friend, Conrad Tan, in Seabeck, Washington back in 2013. We were envious enough to want to hop on the next flight to Seabeck, but unfortunately, we had to wait for the next season of the plainfin midshipman fish migration to Seabeck as they are the main prey for bald eagles. The following year, I made my maiden trip to Seabeck, organized by another keen photographer friend, Thinh Bui. Before the trip, Thinh thoroughly researched the best time for photography, […]

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