Grovin' on a Sunday Afternoon

We had some pretty good luck birding a week ago at the back side of our condominium complex so we both agreed to give it another try Sunday afternoon.  A few minutes after 4 and the heat was still intense. We looked at the poles beyond the fence and next to the Marikina river hoping to see the Common Kingfisher again. It wasn't there. We soon found out why. The migrant bully perched majestically on the pole as if daring the smaller kingfisher to try and kick him out of his throne.

We moved further into the worker's compound. Of course, it was Cynthia's sharp eyes that caught sight of a tiny bird almost invisible on top of one of the numerous poles in the area. "The Common Kingfisher is still here!" she assured me.

The bank on the other side of the river was peculiarly devoid of the usual Little Egrets. We saw one fly by but were not able to get a good shot. Even the number of Whiskered Terns were sparse. Of the two we saw, none perched on the protruding sticks in the middle of the river. Luckily, my wife got a photo of one as it dove for a fish.

While Cynthia was trying to desperately get better pictures of the couple of terns and one egret, I roamed towards the edge of the compound. The resident Philippine Pied Fantails were at their usual place.

A little before 5 pm, we walked back to our unit. As we passed by a couple of trees, my wife heard the usual twittering of the flock of White-eyes. It was a photographic challenge as the light was fading fast and our subjects, though plentiful, were extremely active and preferred the darker side of the trees. At least we got one good shot.

Although our foray this time was not as productive than the week before, we're just glad that our area of residence aptly named The Grove still offers some good birding opportunities.