Welcome everybody to Round 166 of the Show Me A Photo Contest or SMAP hosted by 
The theme for this week is:
FREE THEME
Yay! We're back with my favorite theme in SMAP and I know I am not the only one who loves and anticipates this theme. This provides an opportunity to showcase what I, for one, cannot do if the topic for the week does not fit my photos. But this week it is anything goes again and my chance to feature one of the birds I have been trying to photograph for oh so long. Before this week, all my photos of this bird has been, at best, long distance shots which if enlarged will result in blurry and indistinct features. This is what I mean.
It is so hard to get near this guy. He just flies away too fast whenever it senses someone approaching. Before the two photos above, the best photo I have of it was this next one. Here I had to crouch and remain so still behind our dog's cage so he would not notice me. But he did sense me and actually had that startled look on its face upon seeing me so near him. He flew at once but not after I took a picture of him.
Well then yesterday, when I was about to go jogging at the unopened subdivision behind our house, I saw him perched atop the gate of the subdivision while I was still about 20 feet away. I immediately stopped and opened my cellphone camera. I was able to get some clearer photos this time.
Introducing the Philippine Pied Fantail. It is a specie that is endemic to our country. Other names by which this bird is referred to are Maria Capra (Philippines), and tarerekoy (Visayas, Philippines).
Rhipidura Nigritorquis. A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of wooded and fairly open areas in the lowlands. Sooty-gray above and white below, with a black chest band and black face. Note the white throat and brow. Often cocks and twitches its white-tipped tail from side to side. Similar in size and color to Philippine Magpie-Robin, but lacks the white mark in the wing. Song consists of varied, rather tuneless and scratchy complex whistled phrases. Source
The last photo is my entry to this Round. Hope you like it. Well then, another week, another Round. This gets better and better by the week. Am already looking forward to the next. Meanwhile, here's to a big good luck to all the participants. Awesome entries! Keep safe and may you all have a blessed weekend ahead.
(All photos are mine. )