Copyright © 2018 by Ali Bernie Buga-ay, all rights reserved. Grey-hooded Sunbird: this photograph may not be used without permission.

The Grey-hooded Sunbird or Aethopyga primigenia  is a bird from the Nectariniidae family and is endemic to the Philippines in which Kintanglad can one of the best places to find it. Subtropical or tropical and montane forest are its idyllic habitats and yet it is Nearly Threatened due to habitat loss.

It was extremely disgusting for me to see that the precious treasure of Bukidnon has been violated. From Bukidnon highway almost to the foot of Mt. Kitanglad, it has already been farmed and occupied. I climbed Mt. Kitanglad twice when I was yet a student of Mountain View College and I knew the place so well; finding it today was a total shocking surprise. I was dreaming to see exactly the same lovely rolling hills and valleys, they have been all farmed. Planted with pineapples, bananas, and other crops; the worse is, there are so many houses now. I can’t blame people; this can be the price of progress, the need for jobs (locally) and food (internationally) as these vast plantations occupied the seemingly virgin lands. Virgin and and untouched maybe, but it has already been defiled by illegal loggers long before these sad plantations.

Thanks to Konrad Neil for bring us up there. The terrain was horrible and yet his 4×4 truck took us up there together with Marlon, the local guide and his son Daryl. It was not easy to capture the bird since they are not too many anymore, when you see one, you just have to go berserk to get it.

Kitanglad, Bukidnon, Philippines
April 10, 2018
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
Fotopro TS-85C | Fotopro WH-30 | Carry Speed FS-Slim | Nitecore UNK1

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