A Triller Nonetheless

Saturday and I was still feeling the aftereffects of my recent bout with sinus cold. I promised my friends that I'll meet up with them at the campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman for some slow-paced bird photography, so despite the doldrums I was there at 6 am. Another factor that contributed to my not so enthusiastic mood was that my wife was not able to go with me.  She would be busy preparing for a welcome lunch for her sister-in-law who'll be visiting from abroad.

The very first place that we (I was now with friends Peter, Irene and Micky) was the mango tree where a Philippine Nightjar roosts. I've had pictures of this bird before so I was just happy watching the three of them take shots at this nocturnal bird.

We then moved on to the Main Library grounds because my friends wanted to see the Coppersmith Barbets, among other birds. This was the time we were joined by our friend, Bong. It must have been a holiday for the avian metalworkers for none showed up that day. Thankfully, the Golden-bellied Gerygones were having a convention and provided my friends some good photo-ops. The highlight of the day though were the Pied Trillers. Normally birds of the treetops, this pair thought that a bamboo grove would be a nice spot to hunt for those tasty caterpillars.

Because I was still feeling a bit weak, I spent most of the time sitting on a bench (which was a strange deviation from my usual forever standing posture). Even though I was also able to squeeze in a few shots at it, for the most part I was just happy to watch my friends get excited by the presence of a Triller. 

Pied Triller after raiding the nearby bamboo grove

That morning I turned from someone who watches birds to one who watches bird photographers. And it was a thriller in a pleasurable sense.