Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Hasta la Vista, Baby!

Tonight we will be airborne. My wife and I will be visiting our native country, the Philippines, for 16 days. It will be mostly a reunion with family and friends whom we haven't seen for some time. And maybe a little birding here and there.

And one more thing before I go.....

We did one final birding foray last Saturday at nearby Peck Pit. The place was its usual birdy self. Peck Pit despite its unflattering name offers surprises every now and then. Last Saturday we saw a young Orange Bishop for the first time here. For a moment I thought it was a Grasshopper Sparrow which would have been a lifer, but getting an Orange Bishop at such an unexpected place wasn't too bad .

What we enjoyed watching were the numerous Nutmeg Mannikins who were unperturbed by our presence. What made it more thrilling was that in a few days we might be seeing their paler cousins in the Philippines where they are known as Scaly-breasted Munias. They are of the same species (Lonchura punctulata) although the endemic subspecies in the Philippines is known as cabanisi. Those found here in southern California are probably of the nominate variety, punctulata.




Cynthia and I are both excited and we hope to do a little birding in our country, time and weather permitting. My next report will hopefully cover some exotic species.


For other (more sedentary?) birding blogs and photos, please check out:

7 comments:

Nicole said...

Those birdies are gorgeous!
And hey, have fun "at home" :)
Wishing you a wonderful time!

mick said...

Great photos of the mannikins and I hope your trip goes well.

Neil said...

Great photos enjoy your trip.

eileeninmd said...

Love the photos of the Mannikins. They would be new for me, all I have to do is go to California? Have a great and safe trip.

Redzlan aka Tabib said...

No wonder this bird look familar. You are birding in South-east Asia. ;)
This species is very common at open grassland here.

Kelly said...

...have fun on your trip. I look forward to the photos...

NatureFootstep said...

this bird is unfamiliar to me. But so sweet. :)