Mountain Shrike from the Cordilleras [HD]

The Mountain Shrike is a high elevation endemic found only in the islands of Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao. It prefers clearings and open areas adjacent to montane forest and is a prolific hunter, preying on lizards, small mammals like rodents and shrews and frogs. It likes to perch on branches near clearings as these provide good vantage points while looking for prey. These are recent videos of a nice pair from Mt. Polis taken during our recently concluded 2015 Tours. An older video from 2010 showing an immature Mountain Shrike can be seen here. Mountain Shrike, Lanius validirostris March 2015, Mt. Polis, Mountain Province, the Cordilleras, Luzon, Philippines Video by Adrian Constantino Digiscoped with a Swarovski 80 ATM HD, Panasonic G3, Panasonic 20 mm F1.7 lens, Swarovski UCA (Universal Camera Adapter) Mountain Shrike

The Butcher is Back!

And here is something for all the backyard birders out there, a cross-post from Birding Adventure Philippines' blogger Trinket Canlas. Original post can be seen here.) As the wind and rain of back-to-back typhoons pedring and quiel blow and pour, there is an uneasy truce in the backyard. the migrant brown shrike has arrived in the garden, much to the dismay of the current ruling species, the pied fantail (well, at least i imagine the pied fantail must feel something akin to dismay). yesterday, i saw a pair of fantails still whizzing across the garden to catch insects from their favorite pot perches, while the brown shrike picked at something it had caught and impaled on the kafir lime bush. a noisy skirmish would transpire when they would meet up at the gumamela bush and the swing base, ending with both parties retreating to their secured territory. the bulbuls must be amused at this tug-of-war for dominance over the backyard. unfortunately, if all goes the way of previous years, the resident fantails will be relegated to the next door empty lot and the high canopy of the mango tree while the brown shrike will rule over the yard for the rest of the season until summer.
the pied fantail's days of lording of the backyard sill soon be over... until summer that is
the brown shrike, the new boss of the backyard, back with his old murderous ways
hardly a week since it arrived, adri and i already caught the shrike with a victim. another poor tree frog slaughtered into choice meat sections strung up on the thorns of the kafir lime.  once again the small head was pierced thru its eye socket, and limbs suspended at the joints. flies and the stench of death surround the crime scene.
flies hovering over a poor decapitated tree frog's head, pierced thru its eye socket
spindly legs, still with a lot of muscle, blood vessels and skin...

the brown shrike making the most of its latest victim/meal
(try to ignore the panting dog in the background... it's just maggie, my cute lab. 🙂 )
 
small animals of the backyard beware.  the butcher is back.
 

Mountain Shrike: a camera shy adult and an a preening immature

Here is a video of an adult and an immature Mountain Shrike from Mt. Polis in the Cordilleras of Northern Luzon, Philippines. The Mountain Shrike (or Grey-capped Shrike) is an uncommon endemic found only in the islands of Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao. It inhabits montane forests, usually perched conspicuously in clearings and forest edge above 1000 meters. Like most shrikes, it is very aggressive and has been observed impaling its prey on thorny bushes. The adult bird was videoed November 2010 while the immature bird was videoed July. Mountain Shrike, Lanius validirostris July and November 2010