Mountain White-eye

Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus, resident)

Habitat - All forest types above 1000 m.

Shooting info – filmed in natural habitat at Elev. 1526 m ASL, Baguio City, Northern Philippines on January 20, 2018, Sony RX10 Mark IV + Uniqball UBH45 + Manfrotto 455B tripod, 600 mm (equiv.), various Av, ISO 100, 1/60 sec, manual exposure in available light, Steadyshot off, 4K/29.97p capture processed to 1920 x 800/23.976p (cinematic 2.4:1 aspect ratio).

A reunion with some mountain birds

After months of no serious birding, I found some time to drive to Baguio and try my luck at Camp John Hay's Eco Trail. I walked the slippery path down to the small stream, and encountered a bird wave along the way. Light was very low under the canopy of pine trees so I had to shoot at high ISOs. 

I had a blast trying to focus at the small birds in dim lighting - just a couple of hours of birding allowed me to meet quite a few montane feathered friends again. 

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Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis, migrant)

Habitat - Variety of forest types at all levels and elevations.  

Shooting info - Elev. 1526 m ASL, Camp John hay Eco Trail, Baguio City, October 1, 2017, 7D MII + EF 400 DO IS II + 1.4x TC III,
560 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO 2500, manual exposure in available light, hand held, near full frame resized to 800 x 533.

High-res 1500 x 1000 version

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 Little Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula westermanni, resident, female)

Habitat - Forest canopy or understory and edge, montane forest down to 800 m. 

Shooting info - Elev. 1526 m ASL, Camp John hay Eco Trail, Baguio City, October 1, 2017, 7D MII + EF 400 DO IS II + 1.4x TC III,
560 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO 2500, manual exposure in available light, hand held, near full frame resized to 800 x 533.

 High-res 1500 x 1000 version

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 Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus, resident)

Habitat - All forest types above 1000 m. 

Shooting info - Elev. 1526 m ASL, Camp John hay Eco Trail, Baguio City, October 1, 2017, 7D MII + EF 400 DO IS II + 1.4x TC III,
560 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 2500, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 800 x 533. 

  High-res 1500 x 1000 version

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 Mountain Verditer-Flycatcher (Eumyias panayensis, resident, male)

Habitat - Mountain forests above 800 m. 

Shooting info - Elev. 1526 m ASL, Camp John hay Eco Trail, Baguio City, October 1, 2017, 7D MII + EF 400 DO IS II + 1.4x TC III,
560 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 1250, manual exposure in available light, hand held, major crop resized to 800 x 533.

   High-res 1500 x 1000 version

Mountain White-eye

At 4-1/4 inches total length, the Mountain White-eye is just a bit longer than its lowland cousin, albeit it is as active and tough to capture. It's a resident bird at higher elevation in most Philippine islands.

I was birding at Mt. Data in 2006, searching for the Mountain Shrike, when a noisy flock of these tiny creatures descended on some flowering shrubs to feed.

One bird suddenly perched upside down on a photogenic flower and started to sip nectar. I had to shoot from the hip, so to speak, to catch the action. My manually set exposure was off by about a stop under, but one of the frames in many short bursts got the subject with a decent pose, catchlight and strong eye contact. Careful post processing work resulted into an image that to me was worth the twelve-hour drive from Metro Manila to the Cordilleras.

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Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus)

Habitat - Noisy and active in all forest types above 1000 m.

Shooting info - Elev. 2155 m ASL, Mt. Data, Bauko, Mountain Province, Philippines, November 6, 2006, Canon 20D + EF 500 f/4 IS + Canon 1.4x TC II, 700 mm, f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/320 sec, 475B/3421support, manual exposure in available light, uncropped full frame.