Puerto Princesa Birding

Introduction


Allow me to borrow a Dickensian term to describe our birding experiences in Puerto Princesa, Palawan: 


It was the best of times because we met some wonderful people whom Cynthia called "angels" (which will be the underlying theme of the subsequent blogs on Puerto Princesa). We enjoyed some good food and stayed at very relaxing hotels. Above all we added two more species to our life list and saw some gorgeous and unique birds. 


It was the worst of times because even though we saw many birds  we also missed most of our target species. Blame it on the rainy weather and also some bad luck. Despite the research we've made prior to our visit, there were still some glitches - like needing a permit to get to the Underground River in Sabang. We thought that this could be obtained by the local hotels inasmuch as they sponsor tours to this place as part of their packages anyway. Apparently there had been a recent change in procedures that now require potential tourists to get their permits personally from the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) office in Puerto Princesa City (a good 80 km from Sabang). 

We also declined the offer to take the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour for fear of having our cameras getting wet not just from the waves but also from the pluvial downpour. Did I mention that it was raining off and on throughout our stay in Palawan?


Despite these setbacks we still enjoyed our stay in Puerto Princesa. Even before embarking on this trip we knew there would be uncertainties and we prepared ourselves accordingly by not expecting a lot. For my wife and myself this was some sort of a "casing the joint" adventure. Based on what we went through we learned a lot that would make us more successful next time around.


As we boarded the plane to take us back to Manila we were already drawing up plans to return. When the rainy season is over.

Oh nest to goodness

Recent posts by fellow bloggers and birder friends Maia and Trinket about wild bird's nests found in urban areas piqued my interest. But I didn't do anything about it. Constant  prodding by another birder friend, Adri, to see the nests at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) campus - a few minutes drive from home - also failed to lift my butt from being glued to my computer chair. Friday night my wife and I still have not finalized any plans to go birding on Saturday. The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) group were going to Palay-palay but the meet-up time being three in the morning (which means we have to wake up at two) sort of hosed down any enthusiasm we had to go birding with them. Then came a text message from another friend, Bong, who asked if I wanted to see the nests at U.P. I texted back asking him what time he planned to go (not when it is still dark, I prayed). Seven am, he replied. Well, I certainly can live with that! So we arranged to meet along Magsaysay Street on Saturday morning.


My wife and I arrived early - about 6:30 - and started driving along the street where the nests were. Magsaysay St. is not long, probably not more than 10 blocks from end to end. And for the life of me, Cynthia and I could not locate the nests of the White-breasted Woodswallows and Crested Mynas. A frantic text to Maia. We get an immediate reply saying the nests were just across the Alumni Center. We found the building quite easily (it's not like we haven't been here before) and at once we saw the Woodswallows. I parked the car, took out my equipment and as soon as I had it ready, the Woodswallows flew away. My Kainis Poreber character was starting to surface when Cynthia pointed to the wooden electric pole to our right. "Crested Myna!" she exclaimed.


The adult birds were flying back and forth bringing food to what we assumed to be several chicks inside the top of the pole. Cynthia, meantime, joined her friends whom we met earlier at the Chocolate Kiss cafe at the next building for some girl talk. I on the other hand, stood, waited, photographed, then waited again for the Crested Mynas. 


A text message. It was from Adri apologizing for not replying earlier (I asked him for the nest location the night before). He also said that the Woodswallow chicks were now fully fledged and therefore no longer stays at the nest area. But the Mynas are still there he assured me. I thanked him and told him that I saw the Mynas already.


Another text message. It was Bong this time. He wanted to know where the nests are. I gave him the directions. After exchanging several more texts, he asked where I was. Standing at the sidewalk I told him. Apparently he already drove by a couple of times and still did not see me. My camouflage must be very effective. And I'm not even wearing one. Frustrated, he texted Cynthia instead. She promised to meet him in front of the cafe. A minute later both of them were parking next to my car.


Not long after Bong arrived, we were joined by Eve, his better half. For the next couple of hours, Bong and I watched and photographed the diligent parenting duties of the Crested Mynas while our wives engaged in some heavy conversation.

First the entree

then comes the dessert

and clean up afterwards

During one of the lulls, both our wives were alerted by some shrieking overhead. Colasisi! Cynthia yelled. A flock of about 4 or 5 birds landed in the tree across the street. Bong and I grabbed our gears and rushed beneath the said tree. It was a challenge. We only saw one individual and it was perched in the darkest part of the leafy tree. All I got were some "documentary" shots.

By now the weather was getting hotter by the minute. There weren't anything new happening around us bird-wise so we decided to call it day.


Brunch at the Cafe Via Mare was good. Somehow food tastes even better when shared with good friends.

The heat is on

When our friend, Prof. Tirso Paris, posted his bird photographs taken in Los Banos in the internet, we drooled. I was reminded of the comment the elderly lady made with regards to Meg Ryan's character at the deli scene in the movie When Harry Met Sally: "I'll have what she's having!"


So when another friend and budding birder, Peter Ting, asked where we plan to go birding on Saturday, I said "Los Banos" unhesitatingly. "I'll pick you up at 5 am", he said. I immediately communicated with Prof. Tirso and asked if he could show us where he got those fabulous photographs. He said yes. And even volunteered to take us inside the hallowed grounds of IRRI (International Rice Research Institute). Inasmuch as that is a research facility where they conduct experiments on the various strains of rice, access is understandably restricted. My wife and I already had quite an embarrassing experience at that place and so we were glad that our professor friend would be able to take us there. (Even then we always had an "escort" all the while we were inside their premises).


At 7:30 am, Tirso was escorting us towards the rice fields, he in his car and the three of us (me, Cynthia, and Peter) in Peter's SUV.  Prof. Tirso drove ahead and scouted the area, then he texted me: pratincoles and skylarks to my left. We followed and sure enough, those birds were there. I have never seen this many Oriental Pratincoles before, flying, simply standing or crouching on the dried rice fields.

That had been our course of action for most of the morning. Prof. Tirso driving ahead then texting me the kinds of birds that he just found. Soon we were also photographing the Oriental Skylarks and the Paddyfield Pipits. A Blue-tailed Bee-eater even perched on a nearby fence post for some good photo-ops.

Oriental Skylark

Paddyfield Pipit

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

This early in the morning, the heat has become almost unbearable. Peter turned on his car airconditioner even with the windows open (we were taking photos from the car) just so we can have some relief from the suffocating heat. 


Not surprisingly, most of the pictures we took of the birds show their beaks wide open in their effort to make the dry, oven-like temperatures more tolerable. 


We heard the low hoots of the Greater Painted Snipes but the blast from the morning sun kept them hidden under the rice stalks. The late-staying waders however seemed to be unmindful of the unusual warmth as they foraged in the ponds. Some were already in breeding plumage. Particularly lovely were the Little Ringed Plovers with their bright yellow eye-rings.

At past ten in the morning we all left IRRI and went to the APEC area but saw nothing! Where there used to be skylarks and pipits, an occasional buttonquail or even a rail crossing now was just an empty, simmering concrete road.


Even a foray into the forest near the TREES Hostel parking lot yielded nothing but a lone Stripe-headed Rhabdornis that perched at the tip of the dead tree. 

It was now nearing noon and we were all drenched in endless sweat. We bid our beloved professor goodbye and thanked him for being our host and guide.


Despite the 36 degree Celsius temperatures we still were able to get some good shots of the local birds of Los Banos. We may not have gotten as many and as good photographs as those that Prof. Tirso posted in the internet, but we were happy.

Whisperings in the dark

Darkness fell. We were all talking in hushed voices as we waited for it. Then a sound.


"Do you hear that?" my wife whispered to me.


"Darling, you know I am hearing impaired, of course I can't hear that!" was my somewhat annoyed reply. "What does it sound like anyway?"


"It's like a bicycle coming to a screeching halt followed by air escaping from a blown tire." 


I tried to imagine that sound.


Then some movement. Flashlights were turned on. I peeped through my camera lens towards where the light was being directed.


"Do you see it?" It was my wife again, whispering.


"Yes, but all I am seeing is the butt," I answered also in a whisper. "And I'm having a hard time focusing!"


Then it was gone. We waited once more, conversing in soft murmurs. After a while the braking bicycle sound again filled the night. Flashlights were aimed at it but we still saw nothing but butt.


A change of tactic was formulated. 


"Let us go to the other side. We should be able to get a better angle there," our host suggested.


So we did. 


Finally, success! A full frontal view was obtained. The flashlight beams were sufficient enough for auto-focusing and an acceptable photograph. We uttered suppressed squeals of delight. There was happy talk, albeit in undertones, as we returned to our original spot.


I turned to my wife and asked, "Why are we whispering?"


"So as not to spook our quarry." was her logical answer.


"But we are standing next to a swimming pool with folks splashing around and talking in normal voices!"


A smile. Then silence.


Here is the result of so much whisperings in the dark:

Please see the blogs of our friends Trinket and Maia about the same subject of whisperings in the dark.

This was Owl I got!

Arguably the most visited and photographed species nowadays is the Philippine Eagle Owl family in the town of Angono. These birds are so cooperative that their pictures had been taken from almost every conceivable angle.  However when I, together with friends Jun Osano and Mark Jason Argallon, arrived early Saturday morning, not a single one of the three owls were present!


Eventually Jun was able to spot the adult female. Later on we also had glimpses of the juvenile. It was quite unfortunate that these owls never gave us a clean, clear look. Unlike what they did to those who had been here before us. (And may I add also to those who came later). Nonetheless I was quite happy with the photos I got after about three hours of enduring the heat and the pesky mosquitoes. Focusing on the antics of the female, I captured the various facial expressions of this huge bird.

omg! Bob, is that you?

Robo-Owl

trying to impersonate Mr. Magoo

the owl version of O_o

Popeye the sailor owl

ok, enough already, i'm going to sleep

Slosh and Burn

The thought of going to Olango horrified me. I tried not to show it and I hope my wife did not notice it. Perhaps it was the fear of traveling in a pumpboat while carrying my camera and long lens. Although they were stowed in a backpack for easier transportation, images of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment plunging into Davy Jones Locker while crossing the narrow plank to board the boat sort of worried me. Then there was the vision of being caught in the onrushing waters of a coming high tide. Being someone who can drown in a bathtub, that notion scared the bejeebies out of me.


And as it turned out, all that anxiety for nothing.


The planks used for boarding and disembarking from the motorized boats were steady enough for me and my heavy load. Besides there were even improvised handrails and helpful crewmen. What about the high tide? The deepest I got submerged in was up to my ankles only. 


We arrived at the Olango Island Bird Sanctuary around 7:30 am. While registering, we asked the person in charge if Boy the local guide (who was heavily recommended by friends who had been here before) will be coming. To our disappointment we learned that he won't be able to make it since he had to take his child to the hospital. Thankfully, Jun, another employee of the DENR (Department of Energy and Natural Resources), was available and willing to show us where the birds are.  Since it will only be me who will do the bird photography, we agreed that Cynthia will just stay at the observation deck to relax and enjoy the scenery. 

The tide was still very low at that time of day and the birds were only specks in the horizon. I was initially wearing a long-sleeved shirt (to protect my arms from sunburn) but by simply walking from the Nature Center to the observation deck my shirt was sopping wet from my perspiration. I had no choice but to take the darn thing off. Half-naked I followed Jun to the haunt of the waders. For more than three hours, we sloshed through the shallow sea waters stopping every so often when a bird appears within photographic distance, roughly about 20 meters or so. The sun was shining fiercely and since the expanse  offered no cover at all,  I got burned badly. Apparently the sunblock my wife smeared all over my torso and arms didn't do much of a job.

At around 11 in the morning, the tide came rushing in. So did the migrant birds. I only had a short window of time before the swift flowing waters drove the waders farther away. Frantic shooting became the norm. Then all of a sudden the birds were gone.


Once again I waded through ankle deep waters and my skin tanned to a degree of redness that was not unlike that of an American Indian. Red Seawalker should have been my name then. Nonetheless, I was all smiles knowing that through my sloshing and burning I have harvested five lifers that morning.


Lifer # 1

Greater Sand Plover

Lifer # 2

Great Knot

Lifer # 3

Eurasian Curlew

Lifer # 4

Terek Sandpiper

Lifer # 5

Little Tern

Friends in a Frenzy

They came in waves and so did our frenzied photography.


Cynthia, myself and friends Ralf Nabong and Peter Ting were at Bangkong Kahoy at the foothills of Mt. Banahaw. We three guys stationed ourselves at the deck of Ramon Quisumbing's house waiting for the Plain Bush-hens to appear. Resort owner, Dion Pullan, placed some bananas at the walkway hoping to lure the elusive birds into the open. As we waited, Cynthia ventured into the nearby lawn following the bird sounds that she kept hearing.


Minutes passed. Ralf looked at the bananas through his binoculars and was surprised to see a huge rat feasting on it! No wonder the bush-hens chose not to show up. While we were shaking our heads at missing a possible lifer, Cynthia came and showed us a photo of a bird she had just photographed. It was in the trees near the lawn, she said, along with other birds. It was a Citrine Canary-Flycatcher.


We all darted to the lawn and sure enough, birds were all over! The wave had began. Aside from the Citrine Canary-Flycatchers were Blue-headed Fantails, Mountain and Yellowish White-eyes and Elegant Tits. Although I have seen and photographed these birds before, I was so glad that both Ralf and Peter were having a blast at taking the pictures of their lifers.

The wave came at least three times in a span of about three hours. During one of the lulls, I was wondering aloud why the Sulphur-billed Nuthatches seem to be absent from the flock. While I was about to descend to the lawn (coming from the main deck) I noticed something moving along the mossy trunk of a tall tree. At first I thought it was just another Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker which were surprisingly quite plentiful that morning. Looking through my lens, my heart skipped a beat as I realized that it was a Nuthatch! Two of them even. I yelled at my friends who flew from the deck to my side in an instant. And the photographic frenzy once again ensued.

Ten o'clock and lull time. We evaluated our situation. Having already turned down Ramon's invitation to explore the higher elevations due to time constraints, we all agreed to pack-up and head for Villa Escudero where Ralf's family is waiting for him.


We entered Villa Escudero via the Hacienda route which passes through some lush grassland and coconut groves. A preening Paddyfield Pipit greeted us at the rotonda. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and White-breasted Woodswallows were perched on the electric wires offering good photo ops.

As we proceeded to the lunch area, we met our gracious host Mela Balcazar, who regaled us with tales of awesome birding in Zamboanga City.


The lunch area which was next to a cascading wall of water was packed! Weekend vacationers were enjoying the sumptuous lunch while having their feet immersed in cool, running river water. We of course joined in and gorged ourselves with the delicious native fare.


After lunch, Ralf, Peter and myself staked out the Indigo-banded Kingfisher. The presence of tons of people prevented it from returning to its usual haunt. An insouciant Grey Wagtail however stayed close by and itself feasted on its own buffet of insects.

Even when the dining area eventually emptied out, the resident kingfisher remained distant. One glimpse of its silhouette was all that we got in almost three hours of waiting. As a consolation, two Philippine Coucals chased each other among the trees by the river.

At three in the afternoon we decided to call it a day. It was a good birding day for us, especially Peter who is quite new into bird photography. Practically every species that we saw were lifers for him. In my case, although I missed two out of three of my target lifers at Bangkong Kahoy (Plain Bush-hen and Island Flycatcher) I managed to get the third one (Green-backed Whistler). That made me whistle in delight.

Here's Looking at You, Kid!

I've been photographing birds for about seven years now and the results of my endeavors had been pretty much random in terms of poses made by my subjects. Until last Saturday, February 12th. My wife and I, along with fellow bird photographers Ralf Nabong and Peter Ting, went to Bangkong Kahoy first then had lunch and more birding at Villa Escudero. Looking at my photographs when I got home I noticed a curious pattern. Many of the birds that I got pictures of were looking directly at me. Birds from both places, I should add, a bit emphatically.


Here they are:

Blue-headed Fantail

Citrine Canary-Flycatcher

Grey Wagtail 

White-breasted Woodswallow

Eerie, isn't it?

Muniastery

It was a couple of hours past our lunch. The group was getting even more boisterous. Cynthia and I wanted some peace and quiet even for a short time. 


It had been a hectic couple of days with two more days to go in my high school's 50th year class reunion. My wife and I were really enjoying the company of my classmates some of whom I met for the first time in half a century. However, Cynthia and I were both a bit under the weather lately and keeping up with the hyper activities of my batchmates were draining us of what little strength we have.


So it was on that balmy afternoon that my wife and I sort of sneaked out of the resort grounds, now filled with shrieks of delight and peals of laughter as my co-graduates played some games. We wandered around the area enjoying the relative peace and quiet when as we turned a corner, I saw a flock of small brownish birds settle on the stalks of some tall grass on an empty lot. Initially I thought it was just those uber common Eurasian Tree Sparrows. I moved closer. My eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets when I realized I was looking at Scaly-breasted Munias AND White-bellied Munias. White-bellied Munias! I thought this species preferred higher elevations since the two times I saw them were in the mountains of Davao and Antipolo. Even more surprising was that they were not skittish at all. And I did not have my birding camera with me!


Make the most of the circumstances, somebody said, so I used my cellphone camera. Then I remembered I had my point-and-shoot with me. The resulting images were not even of "documentary" quality. 

Trust me there are birds in them thar grasses

A closer look. Scaly-breasted on top, White-bellied on the left.

The important thing, I guess, was that my wife and I saw them and padded our year list from 74 to 76. More than that we were able to get a welcome respite from the rambunctious celebration of my friends. It was like entering a monastery to experience some calming of our souls even for a few minutes.


Strengthened by this experience we returned to the resort. Party on!

Nothing but Thrush

I'd been feeling quite trashy these past few days. Runny nose and all those trashy stuff that comes with the common cold kept me housebound. And Cynthia even had it worse!


Saturday morning and my condition was a little better. A quick trip to nearby University of the Philippines' campus would cure me of my birding itch and maybe even my viral ailment. Who knows? The outdoors might be the thing I really needed. My wife preferred to spend her miseries in bed.


Besides I promised our new birding friend, Peter Ting, that I'd meet up with him there. He has not yet seen the annual sweetheart of U.P. birders, the colorful male Blue Rock Thrush. I pretty much guaranteed him that he will definitely, without doubt, get to photograph this bird.


Welllllll........


Of course, he did!


Thankfully, just as soon as Peter got off from his car, the Blue Rock Thrush came flying in, as if on cue, and landed on a branch not that far from us. It was quite a satisfying photo session that ensued afterwards. The thrush even granting us opportunities to take its picture while feasting on those red palm fruits.

Even good things had to come to an end. Our search for other birds near the Vargas Museum turned out to  be so fruitless that we had to resort to photographing butterflies. The area by the beltway was even worse.  By the end of our morning birding sortie we had nothing but thrush to show for our efforts.


At least Peter got his lifer!

Return to Dumaguete, Day 3 - Habal-habal in the morning

We heard about it. We knew about it. We just didn't think we would be doing it. "It" refers to the  habal-habal, a unique mode of transportation in the Southern Philippines. First of all the name is derived from the Visayan word "habal" which means "having sex" although the reference is usually to animals in general and to dogs in particular. Basically a habal-habal is a motorcycle with an extended back portion to accommodate more than one passenger. Three adults behind the driver would be squeezed in such a way that they would resemble dogs in the act of procreation.


We made arrangements with renowned bird guide Rene Vendiola that we will visit him at his home early Thursday morning. When he said he will have us picked up from the town of Valencia, we thought all along that a motor tricycle would be sent at our disposal - it being the most common way of getting around in this area. When a guy on a motorbike showed up Cynthia and I looked at each other with trepidation. We've never ridden a motorbike before and now we were about to board not just an ordinary bike - we will be riding a habal-habal. Without helmets even. Taking a deep breath and uttering a short word of prayer we began our trip. After what seemed like an eternity while hanging on for dear life, we arrived at Rene's place. He was smiling naughtily as he witnessed two grinning senior citizens, who apparently had a great time having "sex", trying to dismount from the motorcycle with great effort.

Then came the birding. As expected we saw the martial arts specialist of the birding world, the Black-belted Flowerpecker. This species is a can't-miss here at Rene's backyard. 

Roaming around the patch of woodland that he owned, Rene was able to present me with another lifer, the noisy Philippine Tailorbird. 

The Spotted Wood Kingfisher that he said frequented his place was there momentarily but was chased away by a Collared Kingfisher even before I was able to take a good look at it. The Pygmy Flowerpecker was also quite elusive that I only got a few glimpses. The Purple-throated Sunbird though was more accommodating than its Siquijor cousins.

Rene had other commitments that morning, so we thanked him for his time and hospitality. Inasmuch as it was still early, he suggested that we visit Forest Camp. Although severely damaged by Typhoon Sendong, the place was now accessible, he assured us. And the best way to get there was by, you guessed it, the dreaded habal-habal. 


The trip to Forest Camp took even longer and negotiated some road undulations. But we were now veterans to this type of transportation. "Bring it on", my wife and I both said with great confidence as we pasted ourselves to the driver's back.


Forest Camp was indeed accessible and some parts had been restored to a degree of normalcy. But the birds were still sparse. The usually brazen Crimson Sunbirds now remained at the tree tops. The Visayan Bulbuls were calling but were unseen. Only the Philippine Magpie Robins gave us good looks. 

After about an hour later, our beloved habal-habal driver, George, came to pick us up per agreement. He volunteered to take us to Dumaguete but we politely refused and asked that we be taken to nearby Valencia instead. After all, at our age, we can only handle so much "sex" in a certain span of time.


A refreshing lunch at Kri somehow brought us back to a sense of reality. Did we really do what we just did? were among the questions that hovered in our minds as we indulged in mahi-mahi and prawns.


Back at the hotel, our birding day ended through the courtesy of a female Olive-backed Sunbird which was building a nest only a few feet above the ground and not far from the laundry room where hotel employees come and go.