Post by Ramon Quisumbing on Jan 9, 2012 23:47:29 GMT
While it seems like everyone is heading to the swamps of Candaba for waterbirds, I have remained focused on Mt. Banahaw and montane birds.
Dion and I made plans to trek up a horsetrail to an overlook ridge that is about 1,000 feet above my house in BK Valley, or about 3,500 feet above sea level. Dion had gone up 2 days before and got these documentary photos of a Metallic-Winged Sunbird with his little camera - which would be a lifer for me. I was excited about capturing a MWSB and because Dion said there are different and bigger montane birds at that elevation in the mossy forest.
Unfortunately, on early Sunday morning, it was drizzly and foggy. I was impatient and we decided to push through anyway in the hope that the weather would clear when we got up there. We had 3 horses and locals to carry us and my camera gear. The horsetrail, which had been dry and easy the day before, was now muddy and slippery from all the rain. We made it to the overlook ridge in an hour.
Bad luck however because the weather did not get any better except for a very few breaks when we got fantastic views of Mt. San Cristobal and Batangas and Quezon Provinces all the way to Tayabas Bay. There was very little bird action to see because of the drizzle and fog - but I enjoyed the tranquility and stunning beauty of the dense mossy forest. We saw an unidentifiable Leaf-Warbler, Flowerpeckers and White-Eyes in the distance but no good photos.
At 1 pm, we gave up and headed back down. We loaded one of the packhorses with garbage left behind by a local farmer.
On the way down, we saw a flowering tree with feeding Colasisi about 80-90 meters away.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/800 sec. Too bad I did not have time to put on my 1.4x teleconverter.
At 3,000 feet above sea level, I was a bit surprised to see what I thought was a Brown Shrike hunting. But it might have been a Mountain Shrike, which according to the KG is an uncommon endemic found above 1,000 meters above sea level, and which would have been a lifer for me. But the majority view is that it was only a Brown Shrike with variations. I intend to go back ASAP to get more photos, which would hopefully show that it is a Mountain Shrike.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/200 sec., about 25 meters away.
We also saw a little fruiting tree with 2 kinds of Flowerpeckers feeding.
Buzzing Flowerpecker
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/800 sec., 15 meters away.
Female Pygmy Flowerpecker feeding.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/500 sec., 15 meters away.
Male Pygmy Flowerpecker pooping.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/1250 sec., 15 meters away.
Not a very productive day, but I plan to go up again on a clear and dry day.
Dion and I made plans to trek up a horsetrail to an overlook ridge that is about 1,000 feet above my house in BK Valley, or about 3,500 feet above sea level. Dion had gone up 2 days before and got these documentary photos of a Metallic-Winged Sunbird with his little camera - which would be a lifer for me. I was excited about capturing a MWSB and because Dion said there are different and bigger montane birds at that elevation in the mossy forest.
Unfortunately, on early Sunday morning, it was drizzly and foggy. I was impatient and we decided to push through anyway in the hope that the weather would clear when we got up there. We had 3 horses and locals to carry us and my camera gear. The horsetrail, which had been dry and easy the day before, was now muddy and slippery from all the rain. We made it to the overlook ridge in an hour.
Bad luck however because the weather did not get any better except for a very few breaks when we got fantastic views of Mt. San Cristobal and Batangas and Quezon Provinces all the way to Tayabas Bay. There was very little bird action to see because of the drizzle and fog - but I enjoyed the tranquility and stunning beauty of the dense mossy forest. We saw an unidentifiable Leaf-Warbler, Flowerpeckers and White-Eyes in the distance but no good photos.
At 1 pm, we gave up and headed back down. We loaded one of the packhorses with garbage left behind by a local farmer.
On the way down, we saw a flowering tree with feeding Colasisi about 80-90 meters away.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/800 sec. Too bad I did not have time to put on my 1.4x teleconverter.
At 3,000 feet above sea level, I was a bit surprised to see what I thought was a Brown Shrike hunting. But it might have been a Mountain Shrike, which according to the KG is an uncommon endemic found above 1,000 meters above sea level, and which would have been a lifer for me. But the majority view is that it was only a Brown Shrike with variations. I intend to go back ASAP to get more photos, which would hopefully show that it is a Mountain Shrike.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/200 sec., about 25 meters away.
We also saw a little fruiting tree with 2 kinds of Flowerpeckers feeding.
Buzzing Flowerpecker
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/800 sec., 15 meters away.
Female Pygmy Flowerpecker feeding.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/500 sec., 15 meters away.
Male Pygmy Flowerpecker pooping.
Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 800 mm lens, tripod with half-gimbal, F/8, ISO-1000, 1/1250 sec., 15 meters away.
Not a very productive day, but I plan to go up again on a clear and dry day.