Sunday, December 23, 2012

Butastur of Hope Shone Above

It was a humdrum birding for the three of us Saturday morning. None of the expected wave of mixed flocks came to the trees in front of the deck. This was the first time that it happened. Or didn't happen. I had my mind set on getting more, and hopefully even better, shots of the Citrine Canary Flycatchers, Blue-headed Fantails, Elegant Tits and Sulfur-billed Nuthatches. But none came.

We had just finished an invigorating breakfast at Bangkong Kahoy (Wooden Bench) Resort. We were pumped up having overcome the effects of waking up in the wee, small hours of the morning. Sadly the caffeine-induced excitement slowly faded as the day wore on. 

Sure, there were moments when some birds showed up. Especially for our friend, Peter, who got his first ever Rough-crested Malkoha, perched on a branch way down the wooded glen. A pair of Philippine Coucals and a flock of Balicassiaos also made brief appearances. From a distance we caught a glimpse of a soaring Besra.

We reluctantly gave up on the birds we were hoping to see and decided to roam the premises. The only species kind enough to give us photographic opportunities was a White-throated Kingfisher.


To cover more grounds we three decided to split up. Cynthia went ahead and stayed at the lawn next to Ramon Quisumbing's hotel. I saw some Scaly-breasted Munias and decided to stalk them. Peter remained behind and while looking at some White-breasted Wood Swallows got rewarded with another lifer - a Coppersmith Barbet.

It was while we were on our own individual pursuits that the "star" shone above us. Little did we know then that it was the gift that we needed to allay the discouragements we felt at that time. I was about to take a shot at a pair of Munias when a raptor flew overhead. Instinctively I took several shots. Later on when Peter and I joined my wife at the hotel, I was so glad that they too were able to get pictures of that very same bird of prey. I dismissed it then as just the Besra we saw earlier. That night after processing our photographs, I noticed that the "Besra" does not look like one. I consulted Desmond Allen. As soon as he had provided the identification I immediately relayed the information to my wife. Shouts of "Yes!" and accompanying high fives reflected the fact that we have just gotten another lifer: Grey-faced Buzzard, Butastur indicus. I PMed Peter of the good news. He replied back, "We are very lucky!"


Sometimes we don't realize our blessings right away. We often remain focused on our problems and discouragements that we fail to notice the hope shining before us. Just as it was some two thousand years ago when shepherds saw a star. They followed the star and saw a baby lying on a manger. They didn't know then that the star led them to what they were hoping for. Then there were the wise men who travelled hundreds of miles because they saw a star shining in the east. There were times when they were discouraged and seemed to have lost their way. But they knew that as long as they follow that star they will find what they were looking for - the answer to all their questions.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

That's all Itiks

Itik - the Pilipino word for duck, usually, but not always, referring to the domesticated kind.

As my wife and I were standing at the edge of the concrete road, scanning the distant ricefields, we were hoping to find a particular kind of "itik". Tadorna tadorna, as it is known in the scientific community, is an extremely rare visitor to the Philippines. But one was seen by our friends right from the very spot where we were at that moment. Without the aid of a spotting scope and the morning's light not really that bright we were getting frustrated. The group of Philippine Ducks that our target bird usually associates with were so far away they might as well be in Africa.

Even the Ruff crowd that we saw last time were no longer there and thus our hopes for our other target bird, the Black-tailed Godwit, went down the drain. Or in this case the newly planted ricefields.

Cynthia, bless her heart, sensing the growing despair in me suggested we go to the usual birding spots at the Candaba Wetlands. "Maybe we'll see some interesting birds like the Purple Swamphen or the Black Bittern" she said encouragingly. We have not seen both birds this year yet so that is definitely a good incentive. 

To make a long story short, we did not see both species. Not even a glimpse. So as we completed the loop, we just photographed, albeit halfheartedly, some of the local avian denizens that we encountered.


Striated Grassbird
Chestnut Munia
male Pied Bush Chat
female Red Turtledove
It was a palliative of some sort but not quite so. It's like taking a laxative for your constipation but even after some time had passed you still feel kind of bloated, you know?

Before we called it a day, we decided to give the search for the Shelduck one more try. Cynthia called our friend, Irene (who was among the first to see this rarity), and asked for specific directions. As soon as she got off the phone, my wife pointed to a small structure sitting atop a berm. "If you go close to that thing, you'll get a better view of the ducks," she said. "But Irene said to be careful as it is not the easiest of trails."



I borrowed my wife's smaller and lighter camera gear and set off towards the horizon. Irene wasn't kidding! The trail was basically hardened mud and so uneven that it challenged my balancing ability. Rudolf Nureyev would have been proud of me. Finally I was at the point where I have a more panoramic view of the birds on the fields below. I can see clearly the flock of ducks huddled close together! Through my binoculars I looked at each and everyone of those hundred or so endemic members of the Anatidae family. Several times! None of them had a white body and a dark head and neck. Not. A. Single. One.



With an aching heart I reenacted my balancing act as I retraced my way back to where my wife was patiently waiting for me.



But wait! we did see a duck with a white body although it was not with the group huddled in the hinterlands. 



It was with this bunch.



And in the end that's all itiks.

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Boat Ride We Would Take

The trail behind the dam yielded nothing but a quick glimpse of a Scale-feathered Malkoha. We were surrounded by a symphony of bird song but the sources of those melodies remained hidden from view. Our host, Karen Ochavo, then suggested we take the banca, a tiny motorized dugout canoe with bamboo outriggers. We would see a lot more birds that way, she assured us. Cynthia and I looked at each other. Being both non-swimmers, we were overcome with extreme hydrophobia - and we were not even bitten by a rabid dog. We hemmed and hawed and made vague promises.

On the way to where the bancas were moored, we noticed our companions, Ruben, Doc Cha, Nina and Irene, all looking up to where Karen was pointing. Okay, there's the sky. Oh, with hundreds of birds zooming about.

"House Swifts!" Karen said.

"I'm not sure" I replied, "maybe sixty miles an hour?"

"No, they are House Swifts, notice they're much bigger than the Glossy Swiftlets?" Karen clarified.

Irene, Cynthia and I (the photographers in the group) tried taking pictures of our lifers but were all unsuccessful. The birds were really swifts.

Then came the moment my wife and I hoped would not happen. We will be doing a boat ride. Just as a precaution all of us were asked to wear life vests. Ruben gave us plastic bags to protect our cameras from getting splashed on or, heaven forbid, dunked. It was established that we will take two bancas; one will have the birders (Karen, Doc Cha, Nina and Ruben) and the other will have the photographers (me, Cynthia and Irene) on board.


photos courtesy of Irene Dy
photos courtesy of Irene Dy
My wife and I uttered a silent prayer as the motor chugged and we headed towards the open waters. The river was calm and even though we were mere inches away from the surface the boat ride was quite smooth. Seeing other bancas loaded with people including small children and not wearing any vests at all somehow gave us confidence on our newfound adventure.

The birds were there alright but as skittish as can be. White-throated Kingfishers (plenty of them), Common Kingfishers and even Indigo-bandeds would fly off before we could get within photographic distance. The same thing happened with several Little Herons we saw along the way. Ditto with a Yellow Bittern.

We also saw several Bulbuls raiding a fruiting tree. They were mostly Philippine Bulbuls but looking at the blurry photographs I took when we got home, I was so thrilled to see a Yellow-wattled Bulbul among them!

The real target of this fluvial expedition was the Grey-headed Fish Eagle. Imagine our excitement when a raptor flew overhead. However our hopes were dashed when we realized it was just a Philippine Serpent Eagle - a species we've seen many times before. 

When we were on our way back, having given up on our quest, our banca started rocking from side to side. The reason for that was because our boatman, throwing caution to the wind (and us almost to the river) suddenly stood up, yelled, "Agila! agila!"and excitedly pointed at something above us. We looked up and there in all its majestic splendor was our second lifer for the day. Not wanting to further rock the boat, despite our eagerness, we slowly lifted our cameras and fired at our backlit subject. Thankfully, the eagle even obligingly perched on a tree top just to assure us that we were not making a mistake in its identity.





Soon we were docking at the shoreline. We rested for a bit and did some leisurely shooting at the Pacific Swallows.



It was a pleasant trip to Ipo Dam. We had the boat ride experience of a lifetime and chalked up two lifers. Our deepest gratitude goes to Karen Ochavo for making all these possible. As Yoda would have expressed it perfectly: Karen, yes, House Swifts they are.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Still Ruff at the Edges

Cynthia was standing at the edge of a huge pond, patiently beckoning to me and Irene and Ha Luong, our friend from Vietnam. But we three were busy taking shots at the Striated Grassbird and Clamorous Reed Warbler who were drying themselves in the morning sun. Ha was fascinated by the Chestnut Munias glowing in the bright sunlight.


Striated Grassbird
Clamorous Reed Warbler
Eventually we relented and scooted over to where my wife was. In front of her were waders, lots of them and also way too far. We tried to move closer gingerly balancing our camera equipment as we negotiated the terribly uneven trail. Just as when we were relatively close, the birds flew off….but returned a few minutes later. Scanning the multitude, I was able to point out the most obvious Black-winged Stilts and a plethora of Marsh Sandpipers. However, there were these birds that were bigger than the Marsh Sandpipers but had a shorter bill. Flipping through the pages of the birdlist in my mind, a light bulb shone over my head.

"Ruff!" I shouted.

"Your skin?" Cynthia asked.

"Dog?" Irene looked around.

"Huh?" wondered Ha.

"No! Those waders over there, they're Ruffs!"

These uncommon migrants have been seen and photographed before by some members of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) and we were hoping that these birds would still be here close to the edge of the concrete road.



Elated at adding another species to our lifelists, we proceeded to the Mayor's House. There we met up with our friend, Bong and his wife, Eve. I was about to go where they were staking out some birds when Ha said, "Pied Triller!" Cynthia repeated, "Pied Triller!" in case I didn't hear it the first time. I was about to ignore them (I have seen and photographed Pied Trillers many times already) when Ha shouted "White-shouldered Starlings!" Again my wife echoed, "White-shouldered Starlings!" albeit  in a louder, higher pitched tone. Irene was already doing her patented "Eeeek!" I looked and saw four, count-em, four starlings cavorting on the tree branches above us. 



I ran towards Bong and Eve and yelled "White-shouldered Starlings!" In a flash they were both beside us. Bong had been wanting to photograph this species for the past two years and now he was having his fill.

For our final mission, we went to where the ducks usually congregate. There they were, thousands of them, seemingly thousands of miles away. There was a small group preening a little bit closer to us. This bunch of snobbish Tufted Ducks avoided the mixed crowd at the other side of the pond. I took a "hail mary" shot of the huge flock. Later that night as I reviewed my photos, it turned out that that duck convention was composed mostly of Garganeys, some Philippine Ducks and a few Northern Shovelers.  However, when we were at Candaba viewing them, we could not distinguish the individual species much to Ha's consternation because she wanted so much to see the Philippine endemic.

On our way back to the Mayor's house, I saw a group of ducks flying not too far from us. I grabbed my binos and excitedly told Ha, "Philippine Ducks!" She grabbed her binos and was so happy to have finally seen what she wanted to see.

A beautiful way to end our birding day. Now to look for a great place to have lunch.

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Earning Her Thrush

It was hot and humid at the La Mesa Ecopark. 

Ha Luong, our Vietnamese guest, wanted to see the Ashy Ground Thrush so she can add it to her life list. Earlier, as we were heading towards the mini-forest, we met Bram, a Belgian bird tour guide who resides here in the Philippines. Bram had just seen the Thrush and he obligingly joined us so he can show the place where he last saw the bird.

All four us were crouched, peering through the dark undergrowth as we showered in our own sweat. It was Cynthia (of course!) who first saw it. She pointed to where it was standing among the shadows. Bram saw it. Ha saw it. I didn't. For the life of me, despite using the binoculars that Ha lent me, I still could not see the Ashy Ground Thrush! And then just like that, it was gone!

We lingered around trying to re-locate the incredibly camouflaged ground dweller. I guess it was more for my sake that my wife and friends wanted to find it again. We spread out for better coverage. It was while I was fighting off those huge, black mosquitoes that I saw it! I fired off a few desperate shots. I emitted a soft whistle to call the attention of Bram and Ha. Luckily, the Ground Thrush remained on the spot until both of them got very good looks of our target species.



"We still have time to look for the Philippine Nightjar in U.P. (University of the Philippines)" I informed everybody, all the while praying that traffic would not be so bad. The Nightjar was also in Ha's wanted list.

On our way out, we passed by the spillway where Ha got another lifer - the Barred Rail.

It was no sweat finding the Philippine Nightjar at its usual roost. I could only say "no sweat" figuratively because we were all sweat, literally. 

We tried waiting for the Philippine Scops Owl to come out of its nest but with all the commotion coming from the students getting ready to go home on a Friday night, it never showed up.

Earlier while we were still at Ecopark an issue had to be settled. The initial plan was for Ha to stay with Ruth for the night. Inasmuch as Cynthia and I are taking our Vietnamese guest to Candaba early the following day, we suggested that Ha stay with us instead. That would be the most convenient and logical way to go especially since Ruth was worried about some personal stuff that she couldn't find. After Ruth spoke with Ha advising her of our decision, Ha looked at me and Cynthia with uneasy eyes. Understandable because this was the first time we met face-to-face (we are Facebook friends) so to her we were a strange couple. I mean a couple of strangers. I can imagine what's going on in her mind. She probably was thinking, "Ok, they look like the older version of Brad and Angelina but what if they are modern-day Bonnie and Clydes? Or even worse, they could be Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett in real-life."

To her credit she agreed to stay with us for the night. 

Let's just say that on the day she earned her Thrush we also earned her trust.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Ducks in the Back

Everyone who had recently been to the Candaba Wetlands were saying only one thing: ducks. "Thousands of them" was the unanimous description. With news such as that how can we not go to Candaba? As self-respecting birders shouldn't we also take in the breathless view of thousands of ducks  filling the morning sky?

Well, yeah.

Saturday was designated duck-day and we were supposed to meet up with friends Irene, Ivan and Micky at the wetlands. "Supposed" being the operative word because due to iterated misunderstandings, mostly on our part, we didn't get to see each other until about two hours later.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. While Irene and company were enjoying their breakfast watching the rising sun blocked by thousands of flying ducks, I was gingerly negotiating our vehicle over the deeply rutted "road" towards the Mayor's house with my wife spewing out all the cautionary words in her very deep vocabulary. 

Dawn, I dare say, is probably the time when birds are the least skittish. It is when all their attention and efforts are spent in shaking dry their moist feathers that had been saturated by the night's dew drops.


White-breasted Waterhen
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Zitting Cisticola
At the mayor's house and not finding our friends, we decided to backtrack and try another even more deeply rutted route. Which brought us lots of anxiety (we almost got stuck in the muck) and not a single bird to tally. Well we did see a couple..of humans. Mark Wallbank and Paul Bourdain came from the opposite direction and regaled us with duck tales. Not to be outdone I showed them my photo of, get this, an uncommon Island Collared Dove that I got earlier which elicited some "cracking shot you got there!" remarks from them.



Finally after several frantic text messages and phone calls, we met our friends and proceeded yet again to the mayor's house. From there we all crossed on foot the two concrete slabs that passed for a bridge. Ivan did a now-you-see-him-now-you-don't trick as he took his spotting scope to look for the - you guessed it - ducks! and promptly disappeared from view.

Now the four us, me, my wife Cynthia, Irene and Micky perambulated the rough road and gazed at the pond on our left.

"Quack! quack! quack!"  

"Ducks!" Irene yelled.

"Um, actually that was my ringtone" I said sheepishly. I checked my cellphone and it was just some nasty telemarketer reminding me to get a loan because interests are quite low.

We stopped under the shade of the trees alongside the road. While we were taking a breather, I saw an airborne flock flying towards our direction.

"Duck!" I shouted. My companions bent over and covered their heads.

"Philippine Ducks!" I corrected myself. Cameras were raised just in time to capture the magnificent birds as they flew almost overhead. Singaporean Micky was ecstatic because at last he was able to photograph his target Philippine endemic, at flight even.



That routine was repeated several times although on several occasions we were fooled by the Wandering Whistling Ducks who pretended to be the local species as they flew in the same formation in our direction.

Moving on, we went to a nearby mudflats where Little Ringed Plovers, Long-toed Stints, Wood Sandpipers and Black-winged Stilts came to play. And where we almost fainted from the unshaded heat of the day.

Then the questions that had remained unasked so far finally came: "Where are the thousands of ducks?" 

I asked a couple of farmers and a frogger (one who catches frogs) on separate occasions and they were unanimous in saying "There at the back of those trees - thousands of them!" 

Since it has been assumed that Ivan was there (and possibly Mark and Paul as well) Irene and Micky decided to walk in that direction. To which two old, worn-out bodies politely declined. To us trekking to see the ducks at the back of the woods would bring so much displeasure to our backs. 

As we were leaving there was a loud "Quack! quack! quack!"

It was my ringtone.


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

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.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Davao Trip: Logistics and Information

Davao City is a huge place! Birding areas, generally speaking, are about an hour away from the city proper. Here are some tips if you're planning a trip to this place:

Accommodations: We stayed at two different hotels during our stay.

Court View Inn is located at the city proper and is one of the newer hotels in town. The room we had was for P1095 per night. The price includes free breakfast. The room itself is clean, has airconditioning, cable TV and hot shower. The hotel staff are very friendly and helpful. The only nit is that it is not a stand alone hotel. The 41 rooms are located on the 4th and 5th floors of a commercial building with only a single elevator. Nevertheless we highly recommend the place.

Eden Nature Resort is about an hour's drive from the city. The cottage we got cost P2352 (senior discounted) per night. That includes free dinner and breakfast. Our cottage does not have airconditioning but it is cool in the evenings anyway. There is also no Cable TV and the reception for the local programs are quite spotty. Hot shower is available though. The cottages/lodges are at some distance from the reception area and the restaurant, however the resort provides van to pick up and return guests to their respective lodgings. As the name states, this is indeed a nature resort and we did all our birding inside the compound. Also highly recommended especially for nature lovers.


the cottage where we stayed
Check out their website: Eden Nature Park

Transportation: Name it they have it - taxis, buses, multicabs, tricycles and even habal-habal.

Although we had the benefit of Cynthia's brother driving us around, we still had to hire a van to take us to the PEC and Eden Resort. The cost of the van was P2500 per day plus fuel expenses (we paid P1000) and food for the driver.

Since both the PEC and Eden are away from the main roads, a taxi is recommended (haggle for  the cost and arrange for a pick-up as well).

Food: restaurants are everywhere and the food is delicious and cheap!

The restaurants we dined in are:

Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant - excellent fare, and very reasonable price. Either order a la carte or from their self-service section. Check out their Facebook page: Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant

Delongtes Seafood Grill & Barbecue - not as good as Yellow Fin but delicious food nonetheless. Service though is a bit slow. Their Facebook page: Delongtes Seafood Grill

Mamma Maria's Pizza/Gino's Burgers - is located at the first floor of our hotel building. The food here is surprisingly good (considering that these are the fast food joints of Davao). While Cynthia had a single (9-inch) pizza, I had a Mushroom Bacon Burger. For a hamburger sandwich in the Philippines this one is quite big - and only about the same price as a Big Mac at a local McDonalds (where "Big" is an exaggeration). Did I mention that the taste is 100 times better than a McDonalds? Aside from Charlie's in  Pasig and Greenhills, Gino's arguably is the closest to an In-N-Out burger when it comes to taste.



Sito's - is what I would call a "casual dining" place even though it is actually categorized as a fast food place. You have the option of eating "al fresco" or inside an airconditioned area.  Again the food is delicious and unbelievably cheap. Not only that every now and then the waiters would break out in a dance routine for the entertainment of the guests.

Birding Places: Due to our limited stay, we were not able to bird Davao to the fullest. However here are some of the places we visited.

Bacunan Beach is not a beach resort but simply, a beach. Thanks to Pete Simpson, we saw lots of shorebirds here. To get there I suggest you contact Pete (email me for his contact info).

Philippine Eagle Center is the place where the national bird is being bred in captivity for future release in the wild. Needless to say this is a very birdy place. Bulbuls (Yellow-vented, Yellow-wattled and Philippine) can be seen here. Various sunbirds and the Little Spiderhunter had also been observed. If you're lucky you might even see the Silvery Kingfisher.  Fore more details see their website Philippine Eagle Center

Eden Nature Park, as mentioned earlier, is also a good place to see mountain birds. Everett's White-eyes are guaranteed here. At night, if you're patient enough you might see the Mindanao Scops Owl. Outside the resort is an uphill trail where towards the top Whiskered Flowerpeckers can be observed.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Davao Trip: Day 3 - Eden, and then…..

It was because of the heavy downpour last night that we had to cancel our date with Pete Simpson for this morning. The original plan was to meet up with him at the Eden Nature Resort's gate and from there climb up the trail to where the Whiskered Flowerpeckers play. Last night's deluge made that steep trail the slide center of Davao. Concerned about the safety of our cameras - not to mention our antiquated bodies - we called off our appointment with Pete with heavy hearts. 

Surprisingly, the morning was sunny and bright! After a buffet breakfast, we birded the area around our cottage which was dotted with extremely tall trees. Once again, all we saw were Yellow-vented Bulbuls. I was already at the point of exasperation but my more patient spouse kept searching for some movement in the canopies. Finally she saw a flock flew in. Everett's White-eyes! This was our primary target species here at Eden Resort. As in any white-eye flock, the feeding group was frenzied in their movements.



Eventually the white-eyes moved on. I wondered why this flock was composed only of Everett's White-eyes. Normally a flock moving through the forest would have several species symbiotically feeding together. I half expected Sulfur-billed Nuthatches, Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers, maybe some kind of flycatchers or fantails to join them. That wasn't the case here.

Once again there was silence. Long, frustrating silence. There would be some movement…we would look….and it would just either be another Yellow-vented Bulbul or a bullying Brown Shrike. Are we in a forest in Mindanao? I kept asking myself because it certainly doesn't feel that way.

Another movement. I looked and was somewhat relieved to notice the bars on its breast. Finally, not a Bulbul or a Shrike. A female Violet Cuckoo was definitely a surprise. Problem was it was too far up for me to get a decent shot. 

Another problem that I encountered were the gnats! Those tiny flying insects must have had a convention that morning and agreed in toto to attack my eyes. Each time I removed my face from the viewfinder of my camera, wham! a gnat would smack into my eye. Then another. And another! You could almost hear the shouts of "banzai!" as they would zoom then slam into my organs of sight. So for the most part I had my eyes closed. Of course birdwatching wouldn't be what it was if the "watching" part wasn't there. Even worse was that I am slightly hearing impaired and therefore could not even listen for birds. To partially solve this nuisance, I covered my eyes with my hands and peered through the tiny gaps to look for birds. If I find a photographable one, I would paste my right eye to the viewfinder and close my left, then take pictures. After that it was a race on which gets to my eyes first, my hands or those pesky gnats.

As we returned to our cottage, I again saw the little brown bird that was perched on a tall fern frond yesterday. I couldn't make a proper identification then because it was rather dim (it was drizzling yesterday, remember?). Now that the skies were clear, I was quite sure that this was a Grey-streaked Flycatcher. 



Eleven in the morning and check-out time. We headed back into the city and stayed at the Court View Hotel (the same place we stayed at on our first day). As we were finishing lunch and thinking of a birding place to go to afterwards, we received an unpleasant news. It was so heart-breaking that Cynthia and I both agreed to just stay in our room that afternoon to mull over things and fight the depressing feeling that was overcoming us.

I got sick that night. High fever coupled with a sore throat made sleeping almost an unachievable task. The following morning we dismissed anew any plans to go birding. We ate breakfast just because we had to. Our flight back to Manila was scheduled for 1:35 that afternoon. When we got to the airport at around 11:30 am, we were advised that the flight had been delayed indefinitely. Dismay added to my already weak physical state. At last at 4:05 pm we were off. Everything was a just blur to me since then.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Davao Trip: Day 2 - Dud Birding

Birdwatchers in the Philippines have coined the phrase "dude birding". Basically, it means seeing birds with the least amount of effort - usually from a car window. Now allow me to add another term to the ever growing compilation of birdwatching lingo: Dud birding. It means getting a perfect zero in trying to find your target birds.

And it hurts even more when you travelled great distances to find certain species and ended up with absolutely nothing.

On our second day in Davao, we hired a van to take us to the Philippine Eagle Center. Thanks to the kindness of its Director, Dennis Salvador, we were admitted into the facility way before its normal opening time of 8 am. Cynthia and I immediately stationed ourselves by the pond where target bird #1 - the Silvery Kingfisher - was reportedly hanging out. Minutes excruciatingly crept by. Only the Pacific Swallows and noisy Yellow-vented Bulbuls kept us company. Then a flash of black-and-white! But it was gone before our brains could even react. With even a smidgen of a doubt I cannot call it a "sighting"…and therefore could not claim it as a lifer.

I left my wife by the pond to continue the vigilance while I tried to look for the other two target species:  the Yellow-wattled Bulbul and the Little Spiderhunter. Roaming around the area all I saw were Philippine Bulbuls and Olive-backed Sunbirds.



Cynthia and I then switched positions. I stood by the pond and eyed it with the patience of a vulture. My wife, in turn, looked for the birds on our want list. However all her wanderings yielded only Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers.


Then it was time to leave, Cynthia had a lunch date with her ex-officemates from PNB an hour's drive away.

That afternoon we checked in at the Eden Nature Resort. It was drizzling…leading to a torrential downpour later that night.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Davao Trip: Day 1 - Shore Enough

As soon as my wife and I had checked-in into our hotel, the text messaging began. It was fast and furious. The time and place for the rendezvous had quickly been agreed upon. That being settled we indulged in a leisurely lunch with Cynthia's brother, Chito and his family.

Two in the afternoon, we met up with the guy with whom we exchanged text messages earlier. Pete Simpson, a Brit and a birder, then led us to Bucanan Beach. "Plenty of shorebirds here" he declared in his clipped British accent. It was low tide and sure enough there were shorebirds galore. Except they were too far. Soon Pete was calling out species by species. "Oh easy for this chap, he's using a bloody scope!" I thought to myself. 



I wanted to go nearer but Pete warned me that the shore was mushy at certain areas and my foot just might get stuck. I was giving this warning some serious thought when a couple of fishermen walked from their boat to where we were. And not one of their four feet was swallowed by the mud. Throwing caution to the wind I lugged my gear (with the big lens, mind you) and sauntered over to where the birds….and bunch of frolicking kids were. Which, of course, resulted in the sudden flight of the shorebirds.



I admit that I am not one of those grampas who enjoy the presence of kids. So with self imposed patience I waited until the kids have had their fun and had moved on to another part of the beach. 



The birds, as expected, flew back to the shore albeit more wary than ever. Finally I was able to see and even able to identify the majority of them. Greater Sand Plovers and Kentish Plovers mingled with the Grey-tailed Tattlers and Terek Sandpipers.





There was even a snobbish Whimbrel who preferred to be alone.



One species though that seemed to not mind the presence of humans was the Chinese Egret which was so insouciantly hunting for fish by disturbing the shallow waters with its foot.



At around 4 pm, Chito came to pick us up. We thanked Pete for taking us to this place which was sort of a mixture of the Paranaque Coastal Lagoon (for the trash - though not as many) and Olango (for the shorebirds - though not as many).

It was quite a fruitful first day of birding for us. Sadly the following days were not as good.