Post by Tonji Ramos on Nov 4, 2010 16:21:49 GMT
The Apo Sunbird can only be found in Mindanao in the higher elevations. It takes some doing to see them.
We started climbing at 6:15am and got to our final destination at 11:20. We reached 6100 feet. After around 5 hours of climbing we saw our targets. Two female and one male. I was able to focus on a female for 2 seconds and I got a clean shot of the male for around 8 seconds.
Sylvia got the first female in only two frames. Around one second. The second female she got for only a few shots as well. Then they flew away.
After all that we still had the long trek home. It took a few hours to get down because it started to rain and get slippery, as it always does in the higher portions of the mountain where the Apo Sunbird hangs out. We slipped and fell. A few bumps and cuts. But we were happy.
A crazy eight hour hike for one species. Eight hours for a little over 12 seconds of photography. Birdnuts is a weak name.
But were lucky enough to see it and even luckier to be able to take a few photos. These are not our best as we had to manual focus in the dark. We were tired. We were excited. It was dark. The bird was in the darker areas and our AF was unable to get a lock. For these and a host of other reasons this is not our best work, but maybe our hardest earned.
We post these pictures with a little bit of pride, not for the technical perfection of the images but rather as a reflection of the utter madness that drives us to look for these elusive birds.
Right after we took these photos we sat down and rested. Then a Philippine Eagle passed by really close. What a day. Thanks to Nicky for making it happen.
APO SUNBIRD male
Canon 5dmk2, 500mm, tripod
APO SUNBIRD female
Canon 7D, 300mm, 1.4xtc, 580 ex2, better beamer, handheld
We started climbing at 6:15am and got to our final destination at 11:20. We reached 6100 feet. After around 5 hours of climbing we saw our targets. Two female and one male. I was able to focus on a female for 2 seconds and I got a clean shot of the male for around 8 seconds.
Sylvia got the first female in only two frames. Around one second. The second female she got for only a few shots as well. Then they flew away.
After all that we still had the long trek home. It took a few hours to get down because it started to rain and get slippery, as it always does in the higher portions of the mountain where the Apo Sunbird hangs out. We slipped and fell. A few bumps and cuts. But we were happy.
A crazy eight hour hike for one species. Eight hours for a little over 12 seconds of photography. Birdnuts is a weak name.
But were lucky enough to see it and even luckier to be able to take a few photos. These are not our best as we had to manual focus in the dark. We were tired. We were excited. It was dark. The bird was in the darker areas and our AF was unable to get a lock. For these and a host of other reasons this is not our best work, but maybe our hardest earned.
We post these pictures with a little bit of pride, not for the technical perfection of the images but rather as a reflection of the utter madness that drives us to look for these elusive birds.
Right after we took these photos we sat down and rested. Then a Philippine Eagle passed by really close. What a day. Thanks to Nicky for making it happen.
APO SUNBIRD male
Canon 5dmk2, 500mm, tripod
APO SUNBIRD female
Canon 7D, 300mm, 1.4xtc, 580 ex2, better beamer, handheld