War of the Sparrows (in 4K)

Territorial dispute is not a monopoly of Homo sapiens. 

Two groups of sparrows - Java Sparrows (with black head and white cheeks) and Eurasian Tree Sparrows - contest a choice nesting hole in the trunk of a dead palm tree. 

Shooting Info - filmed in habitat at Maambal Orchard, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines on February 26, 2023, Nikon Coolpix P1000, fluid head + tripod, built-in microphone, manual exposure in available light, recorded and processed at 4K/29.97p. 

_____ 

Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora) 

Habitat - Uncommon in parks, residential areas and scrub, sometimes in neighboring ricefields. 

Size - 5.50 inches total length 

_____ 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 

 Habitat - Common in virtually every inhabited island of the Philippines. 

Size - 5.25 inches total length

 

 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (in 4K)

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus, resident) 

Habitat - Common in virtually every inhabited island of the Philippines. 

Shooting info – filmed in natural habitat at Bued River, northern Philippines on December 27, 2020, Sony RX10 Mark IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod, 600 mm (equiv.), manual exposure in available light.

 

 

A couple of playful Sparrows

Just a short footage of two young sparrows trying to outpeck each other.

_____

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus, resident)

Habitat - Common in virtually every inhabited island of the Philippines.

Shooting info – Bued River, La Union, Philippines, April 23, 2017, EOS 7D Mark II + EF 400 f/2.8 L IS + EF 2x TC II + EF 2x TC III,
1600 mm, f/14, ISO 200, 1/125 sec, WB manually set at CT = 5000K, 1080/59.97p capture processed to 720/23.976p, Manfrotto 516/475B support.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

This bird is found practically everywhere in the Philippines - in all types of habitat, from the lowlands to high mountains, from forest edge to parks to man-made structures to residential neighborhods. With a total length of around 5-1/4 inches, it's a smallish bird. It feeds on many things and this allowed it to thrive in huge numbers in so many places.

The ETS is so common that many local birdshooters do not bother to photograph it anymore (some of us are even hesitant to include it in our photo lifelist!).

However, I always believed that any ordinary subject - if the pose, lighting, environment and background are good - can also be transfomed into a decent image. I'd probably prefer a technically good photo of an ordinary bird over a blurry capture of a rarity in flat lighting, unless the latter is a lifer.

I was waiting for birds in flight below an Acacia tree at Candaba wetlands when this individual started frolicking at a nearby tree trunk. With BIFs slow to appear, I concentrated instead on capturing this bird in a good pose. This image is my favorite of the lot because the interesting head angle gave me a good catchlight.

__________

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus, resident)

Habitat - Common in virtually every inhabited island.

Shooting info - Candaba wetlands, Pampanga, Philippines, January 24, 2011, 1DM4 + 500 f4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC, 700 mm, f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 800, manual exposure in available light, 475B tripod/516 fluid head, near full frame resized to 800x533.

Short footage of a Eurasian Tree Sparrow.