Yup, I’ve been doing a lot of birdwatching lately. My camera’s zoom lens has never been this busy, and I’m getting to appreciate why serious wildlife photographers invest gazillions in humungous magnification and focal range extenders. (Remember Philippine wild bird photographer Romy Ocon? He uses, among others, a Sigma 300-800mm DG supertelephoto lens, aptly nicknamed the Sigmonster. Do a Google Image Search of the lens and you’ll see instantly why it’s called that.)

Not having the spare change to plunk down on something which costs the equivalent of three Tata Nanos (and looks almost as big as the car), I’m making do with a 55-200mm zoom lens while shooting from the comfort of the masters bedroom balcony. Not bad actually. You’d be surprised at how much bird activity goes on in our part of Antipolo.

This is the Yellow-Vented Bulbul. It’s said to be, next to the ubiquitous maya (or Eurasian Tree Sparrow), the second most common bird in the Philippines. Its black eye mask and brown mohawk of a crest give it a mean-looking visage. Take note though (pun intended), unlike the gossipy mayas which only chatter away, this bulbul variant makes pleasing low-to-middle pitched burbling trills.

The first part of its name comes from the fact that it has a yellow anal area (or undertail coverts), visible in the photo above. As alternatively defined by The Free Dictionary.com, the word “vent” is used in zoology to refer to “the excretory opening of the digestive tract in animals such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.”

According to one source cited in Wikipedia’s YVB entry -

Bulbuls are not only delightful birds, but also play an important role. As fruit eaters, they disperse the seeds of plants. As insect-eaters, they keep the population of damaging insects under control.

The YVB is larger than the maya and, judging from the few hours I’ve spent observing them, tends to be aggressive. Either by itself or with its lifetime mate (the bird is reportedly monogamous), it chases away smaller flyers from its favorite perches.

While it won’t win any avian beauty contests, the YVB still cuts a striking image, even if it isn’t as up close as a Sigmonster could have done.

P.S. Anyone out there dreaming of getting a Sigmonster might want to fantasize about the soon-to-be-available Carl Zeiss PhotoScope™ 85 T* FL instead! Click here for a YouTube video of its demo.

Posted in: Better Earth, Photo Gallery | | March 2009