Friday, May 06, 2022
Singapore Once More
Sunday, April 17, 2022
Baras-ing Up
My age has been catching up on me. This 75 year old senior is now having difficulties doing long drives. That was why we recently erased Baras as one of birding destinations. Although it is only about 40 kilometers away from our place, the traffic on the return trip was quite aggravating.
Friday Cynthia promised to meet up with her daughters (and their families) who were vacationing in Tanay. It being a holiday we were quite certain that traffic would be bearable. And since Baras would be along the way, my wife and I both agreed that we could go birding again at the Palo Alto Subdivision.
True enough there were fewer motorcyclists and bikers along the Marilaque Highway and we arrived at our destination just a little after 7 am. To our surprise the very first species we saw was the Balicassiao, several individuals even!
We moved on near the waterway where we saw a Green Sandpiper.
At the grassy area were the "regulars" - the Pied Bush Chats (both male and female) and the Paddyfield Pipit.
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Pied Bush Chat - male |
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Pied Bush Chat - female |
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Paddyfield Pipit |
As we continued our drive, we saw two kinds of birds perched on an electric wire - A Grey Wagtail and a Brown-breasted Kingfisher.
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Grey Wagtail |
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Brown-breasted Kingfisher |
There were zero birds near the water tank in Cancun Street except for a couple of White-eared Brown Doves feeding on the road.
From there we saw another bird perched on an electric wire - a Collared Kingfisher.
We then headed to Frontera where the Long-tailed Shrike is sure to be seen. Along the way we checked Striated Grassbird and Eastern Cattle Egret on our list.
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Striated Grassbird |
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Eastern Cattle Egret |
Of course, the Long-tailed Shrike didn't disappoint.
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On the way back from Frontera, we got two kinds of Munias - Chesnut and Scaly-breasted.
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Chestnut Munia |
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Scaly-breasted Munia |
Passing another area of the waterway we saw a Little Ringed Plover albeit at quite a distance.
The White-breasted Woodswallows were quite active.
The Savanna Nightjar was still at its usual hangout.
To end our birding day, we got a documentary shot of the migrant Grey-streaked Flycatcher.
It was about half past ten am so it was time to go the family meeting in Tanay. We were so thankful that our Baras birding was quite fruitful. Honestly I am not sure if we would go back to that place again. Maybe on a another holiday?
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Sana Owl
Lately I've been seeing posts in Facebook of awesome photos of a Grass Owl - most of them BIF (Bird in Flight) taken in Imus, Cavite. I would have cherished the opportunity of obtaining that kind of picture, especially because that species would be a lifer for me.
Unfortunately since I am now a septuagenarian, it is difficult for me to drive that far, more so when done while it was still dark. From what I gathered, bird photographers had to be in the area at the crack of dawn because that's when the owl shows up.
Oh well, life goes on.
Note: the title of this blog was a pun on the Tagalog idiom "sana ol" which in English means "hopefully all".
Sunday, January 23, 2022
See Some, Miss Some
It felt kinda strange that some birds we saw one week ago in Baras were now missing, and on the other hand we saw a few species that were not seen then.
Our day started by seeing an Ashy Minivet perched on a tree branch not that far from where we had our breakfast along Jerez Street. It had been a while since we saw this bird here.
We proceeded to the area near the water tank and were surprised by some bird activities. Here we spotted several species that we didn't see the week before: Arctic Warbler, Black-naped Monarch, Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker and Elegant Tit.
Arctic Warbler |
Black-naped Monarch |
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker |
el |
Elegant Tit |
What we missed were the Savanna Nightjar, the Little Ringed Plover and the Philippine Cuckoo Dove.
Thankfully we still saw quite a number of the resident birds here. The highlights of which were the Blue Rock Thrush (which we saw after three tries). The Stripe-headed Rhabdornis and the Philippine Hanging Parrot were both feeding on the red flowers near the clubhouse.
Blue Rock Thrush |
Stripe-headed Rhabdornis |
Philippine Hanging Parrot |
Sunday, January 16, 2022
With a Little Help from Friends
Saturday we were at Palo Alto in Baras. Our first destination was at the clubhouse parking lot hoping to see some Philippine Hanging Parrots. We were not disappointed. There was a pair foraging among the red flowers. Unfortunately lighting wasn't that good as it was quite gloomy that morning.
From there we proceeded to the hill where the Blue Rock Thrush can be seen. And there it was at its usual perch on top of the rocky hillside.
Our next stop was at the area where the Long-tailed Shrike is a sure sighting. It wasn't there! As we turned back, it showed up, perched on a tiny branch for a little while, and then flew off. I managed to get only one shot!
On our way out of the Shrike territory we got good shots of a female Pied Bush Chat and an Eastern Cattle Egret.
Along Palo Alto West road, we chased a White-throated Kingfisher as it would fly off as our car approached, perch for a while, then fly off again as we came near. Eventually it stayed long enough for me to get some passable photos.
We drove towards the creek area and along the way there was a male Pied Bush Chat hunting for insects.
At the creek, I got a long distance shot of the Green Sandpiper.
We both agreed that it's about time we go for the Savanna Nightjar. There we saw friends Loel Lamela and Bert Madrigal. They were so kind to help us get some really close up shots of our target species.
Not far from the Nightjar was a pair of Little Ringed Plovers!
Thanking our friends profusely we told them that we would be exploring the other parts of Palo Alto. This time we would be looking for the ubiquitous Paddyfield Pipit along the road. On the way we encountered a Spotted Dove.
As expected the Pipit was at its usual hangout.
Inasmuch as the weather was now better with the sun finally out, I told Cynthia that we will go back to the Blue Rock Thrush to get better pictures.
There we met friends Elmer Budomo and Christopher Ferrer. They asked us if we've seen the Philippine Cuckoo Dove. We said no. They told us to follow them and they will take us to where that species can be seen. We parked at a nook and they led through a short trail. There we met Trinity Gatuz, another birder friend. Elmer pointed at the fruiting Malapapaya tree and informed us that that was where the Cuckoo Doves (note the plural) come to feed. We didn't have to wait long as several individuals came and enjoyed the red berries.
Having gotten enough shots, we bade our friends goodbye and thanked them for their kindness.
"You know what we still haven't gotten a picture of? Grey Wagtail!" I told my wife. And guess what, as we drove toward the rotunda, a Grey Wagtail posed for us.
As I mentioned earlier, weather had improved so I suggested to Cynthia that we make a visit to the clubhouse before we go home. Feeding on the red flowers was a Striped-headed Rhabdornis!
Of course, the Philippine Hanging Parrot was still there.
That was the grand finale of our birding trip to Baras. Thanks to our friends, we were able to get some pictures that most likely we would not be able to on our own.