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romy ocon | profile | all galleries >> Wild Birds of the Philippines (Photos) >> Bird Galleries by Location >> Archives of Older Galleries by Location >> Archives - Part 6 >> The elusive Indigo-Banded Kingfisher! tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

The elusive Indigo-Banded Kingfisher!

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I've been chasing this endemic fellow all over the place - in the streams of Mt. Makiling, Subic rainforest, Quezon National Park, Masinloc mountains... everywhere. And the best shot I got of it was a flashed one in high ISO at a great distance, enough to make an ID but far from suitable for printing even at the smallest photo size.

Just when I'm not expecting to find it, it showed itself. And wow! Somewhere in a nature resort in Tiaong, Quezon (Philippines), it strutted before me like a beauty pageant candidate, showing all its angles and colors.

It was actually so cooperative that I was able to get really close to it. I got over 200 pics, some even using ISO 200 and MLU in very dim light. Modesty aside, these pics are probably the most detailed ever taken of this species in the wild. If I rate the recent capture of the Rufous Hornbill at 9.9/10, these ones will easily make 10/10 - uncommon endemic, difficult to see and almost impossible to photograph well in mountain streams because the canopy restricts the supply of good light. Consequently, one of these pics is now my site's cover photo.

Enjoy the amazing colors and one-of-a-kind beauty of the male Alcedo cyanopecta captured in natural light.
Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.6 sec shutter speed)
IMG_0819-1000x750.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.6 sec shutter speed)

Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.5 sec shutter speed)
IMG_0968-800x600.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.5 sec shutter speed)

 Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.8 sec shutter speed)
IMG_0895-800x600.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.8 sec shutter speed)

Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)
IMG_0883-profile.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)

Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)
IMG_0883-100crop.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)

Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)
IMG_0869-leg_detail.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)

 Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 1/20 sec shutter speed)
IMG_0801-back_detail.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 1/20 sec shutter speed)

Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 1/5 sec shutter speed)
IMG_0946-breast_patch.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 1/5 sec shutter speed)

Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.6 sec shutter speed)
IMG_0958-underparts.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG), using MLU at 0.6 sec shutter speed)

 Indigo-banded Kingfisher (a Philippine endemic, male) Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)
IMG_0917.jpg

Indigo-banded Kingfisher
(a Philippine endemic, male)

Scientific name - Alcedo cyanopecta

Habitat - Uncommon, restricted to clear fresh water streams up to at least 1500 m.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)
Lowland White-eye (a near Philippine endemic) Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1103-800x600.jpg

Lowland White-eye
(a near Philippine endemic)

Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni

Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

Lowland White-eye (a near Philippine endemic) Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1166-1000x750.jpg

Lowland White-eye
(a near Philippine endemic)

Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni

Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

 Lowland White-eye (a near Philippine endemic) Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1198-800x600.jpg

Lowland White-eye
(a near Philippine endemic)

Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni

Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

Lowland White-eye (a near Philippine endemic) Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1243-800x600.jpg

Lowland White-eye
(a near Philippine endemic)

Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni

Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

Lowland White-eye (a near Philippine endemic) Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1155-800x600.jpg

Lowland White-eye
(a near Philippine endemic)

Scientific name - Zosterops meyeni

Habitat - Second growth, scrub and gardens.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

Grey Wagtail Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_0751-800x600.jpg

Grey Wagtail

Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea

Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

 Grey Wagtail (Non-breeding plumage) Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_0898-900x600.jpg

Grey Wagtail
(Non-breeding plumage)

Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea

Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

Grey Wagtail Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1025-800x600.jpg

Grey Wagtail

Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea

Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]

Grey Wagtail Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations. [350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]
IMG_1000-900x600.jpg

Grey Wagtail

Scientific name - Motacilla cinerea

Habitat - Streams and forest roads at all elevations.

[350D + Sigmonster (Sigma 300-800 DG)]


comment | share
Guest 01-Mar-2007 15:27
one of a kind shot!keep it up..(",)
Guest 28-Nov-2005 05:00
wow love the kingfisher... stunning little fellow. :-)
and excellent photo capture too!
Moses28-Nov-2005 01:52
Absolutely phenomenal Romy!! Wonderful work!
Guest 27-Nov-2005 20:23
very very good Romy!! amazing to see how heart shaped the chest patch is.
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