Pygmy Swiftlets in flight

[Romy Ocon]

For several mornings now, I noticed these tiny spitfires darting above the Bued River, hawking insects. I thought this was an excellent opportunity to retrieve my DSLR gear from deep storage and check if the electro-mechanicals are still functioning. Well the 7D II and 400 DO II are still fine, but my BIF shooting reflexes are definitely rusty. I hope these critters will stay for a few mornings more so I can improve my panning skills and get them a bit closer.

Pygmy Swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes, a Philippine endemic)

1. Shooting info - Bued River, Rosario, La Union, Philippines, January 10, 2020, EOS 7D MII + EF 400 f/4 DO II, 400 mm, f/5.0, ISO 640, 1/2500 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held.

Uncropped full frame resized to 900 x 600:

Major crop:

2. Shooting info - Bued River, Rosario, La Union, Philippines, January 10, 2020, EOS 7D MII + EF 400 f/4 DO II, 400 mm, f/4.5, ISO 640, 1/4000 sec, manual exposure in available light, hand held.

Uncropped full frame resized to 900 x 600:

Major crop:

[Bobby Kintanar]

The shots do need to be closer, but the skills are still there Ka Masta! This is great news really. Time to get that old birdbug blood running again! :-)

[Romy Ocon]

Thanks, Ka Bobby!

[Godfrey "Godo" Jakosalem]

Wow! Always Great Ka Mastah! Love to see challenging BIF shot!

[Romy Ocon]

Thanks, Godo!