I got quite close to this micro-jackhammer feeding at a low tree branch in Subic rainforest this weekend. Formerly called Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, it's the smallest Philippine woodpecker at about 5-1/2 inches in total length.
Light was golden and sweet at just past 4:00 pm, and the hand held 400 f4 DO II at 560 mm was enough reach to fill the frame with the small subject. I used AI servo AF to maintain precise focus on the active forager and to compensate for my hand holding movement. Of the many 10-fps frames that I shot, at least one caught the bird while it paused pecking for a split second.
No pixel was harmed nor thrown away in this full frame capture.
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Philippine Woodpecker (Dendrocopos maculatus, a Philippine endemic)
Habitat - Smallest Philippine woodpecker, common in lowland and montane forest and edge,
in understory and canopy.
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