Birding Between Rains

It drizzled as we passed by Antipolo on our way to go birding in Baras. Thankfully as we reached our destination the rain stopped. Upon reaching the rotunda, we saw Rufous-crowned Bee-eaters and Whiskered Treeswifts perched on eletric wires. It had been a while since we saw both species so Cynthia and quickly took out our cameras and took shots at them. We did get passable photos considering the lighting wasn't so good with the skies still being dark and cloudy.

From there we went to where the huge water tank is and surprisingly there were no birds! We then proceeded to the hilly area hoping to see the regular resident Long-tailed Shrike. Along the way Cynthia spotted a Barred Rail and was lucky to get some shots at it.

Further down the road we got another regular - the Paddyfield Pipit.

In one of the side roads we were able to finally get a picture of the skittish Spotted Dove.

As expected the Long-tailed Shrike was at its usual domain.

Perched on the wires were a bunch of White-breasted Woodswallows.

Along Nebres Road, we got the Pied Bush Chat.

Perched on the road was a Zebra Dove that looked like it was trying to warm up.

At the creek we were surprised that the Green Sandpiper was there because we thought it was a migrant and it wasn't the time for migratory birds to arrive yet.

Near Jeres we got really good shots at the Brown-breasted Kingfisher.

We then went to the falls area to look for the Indigo-banded Kingfishers (three individuals had been seen there) but we didn't see even one. It was strange that we didn't see a lot of birds this time. Perhaps it was due to the gloomy weather. It did rain while we were driving back home.

First Birding of the Year 2023

After seeing some beautiful bird photos posted by friend Romz Lopez in Facebook, I told my wife, Cynthia, that we should go birding at Baras as soon as possible. Saturday, June 7, thankfully, had a sunny weather (despite predictions of cloudiness) so off to Palo Alto we went. The first bird we encountered was a White-breasted Woodswallow perched on a wire above the rotunda near the entrance.

From there we proceeded to Jerez where we had our take-out breakfast from Jollibees. Nearby was a Brown Shrike waiting patiently for a prey to show up.

After breakfast we proceeded to the clubhouse area where some African Tulip trees were blooming (and where most of Romz's photos were taken). Unfortunately the tree was no longer in full bloom and fewer birds were feeding in it - mostly Yellow-vented Bulbuls and a couple of the Philippine Hanging Parrots - one of our target birds.

Moving on we saw a Whiskered Treeswift also perched on a wire.

As we got into the open area, a Philippine Serpent Eagle was soaring above us.

Our next destination was the hill where the Blue Rock Thrush usually stays. It wasn't there this time. Next was the adjacent hill where a Long-tailed Shrike resides. We saw it, but it flew off before I could take a photo. On the way down, we saw a Pied Bush Chat, albeit at some distance.

Along Palo Alto West road, we got a Brown-breasted Kingfisher. This was the third individual we saw and offered a better angle.

At the creek, we were lucky that the Green Sandpiper was there, again at quite a distance.

Arguably, the best species of the day for us was the Eastern Cattle Egret. There were quite a number of them and were less skittish than the other birds.

Along the road we chanced upon a Collared Kingfisher on a tree branch.

Next was the Grey Wagtail. The challenge was getting a good shot at it as it was always moving and preferred thae darker areas.

Another visit to the clubhouse area resulted in nothing new. The hoped for Stripe-headed Rhabdornis never showed up. At around 10 am we decided to call it a day. On the way out we were surprised to see a pair of Spotted Button Quails by the roadside. Unfortunately, we never got a good shot at them. Surprisingly, we didn't see a lot of birds. What was even strange was that there were no Paddyfield Pipits - not a single one! Still it wasn't bad for our first birding sortie of 2023.

Impromptu Birding

Me: Remember the overstaying Brown Shrike we saw in U.P.  early this month but we didn't have a camera then?

Cynthia: Yes, what about it?

Me: Remember I told you we would come back and take pictures of it?

Cynthia: Yes, and.....?

Me: Let's go and do it now!

It was nine o'clock Monday morning - an unusual time to go birding, especially with the ongoing heat wave. Perhaps it was the boredom of being cooped up in our condo that made be do such an impromptu decision. Thankfully, my wife agreed.

Off to U.P. we went. Our first stop, of course, was the parking of the MSI (Marine Science Institute) where we saw the Brown Shrike. It didn't take long for us to see our target bird. The photo I got could be perfectly captioned as "Were you looking for me?"

 From there we went to the Astronomy area to look for the Long-tailed Shrike. For the longest time, seeing this species here is a guarantee. However, this time it was a no show. I thought that was strange and hoped that it was still alive and thriving elsewhere. What we saw, and quite unexpectedly, was a friendly Collared Kingfisher.

 Another surprise was a few White-breasted Woodswallows. This was the first time we saw them in this place.

 Of course, the uber common Yellow-vented Bulbul was frantically calling our attention to take a shot at it.

 Also nearby was a pair of Zebra Dove, which surprisingly, were skittish that we only got a documentary photo of one of them.

 We returned to the MSI and got even got better shots of the Brown Shrike.

 And an obligatory shot at the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

 Then we heard the repeated calling of a Black-naped Oriole. I located the source of the sound and even got a good photo of the Oriole.

Cynthia, on the other, heard the pecking sound of a woodpecker. She eventually saw the tiny bird and we got a good enough image of the Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker.

 

Happy that we saw and photographed a good number of birds, we both agreed that it was time to go home. As we were leaving, Cynthia suggested we pass by the Temple Drive hoping we would see some birds there. Unfortunately, the grass where the Munias feed had been cut down. As we were about to get back to our car, my wife said, "There's a Myna behind the fence just in front of us!" I looked and voila! That was the best picture of the day and an exciting end to our impromptu birding.