Unexpected Thriller

My wife and I walk around our subdivision almost ("almost" being the operative word) on a daily basis. Not an easy task considering that half of the streets are about 40 degrees steep. Of course we always do some birding along the way - a good enough reason for us to catch our breath. Eurasian Tree Sparrows (ETS) and Yellow-vented Bulbuls (YVB) are the most common birds here - as in anywhere else in urban MetroManila. There are times when we get surprises - like Philippine Hanging Parrots or Asian Glossy Starlings. 

On rare occasions, I bring along my camera. Such as last Friday. Good thing I did. One of the very first species we saw (aside from the ETS and the YVB) were some immature Black-naped Orioles noisily calling from a tall mango tree.

Then came the usual suspects in our neighborhood. The Philippine Pied Fantail and the Zebra Dove.

Another surprise was a Crested Myna. It was perched on a rooftop and then slowly walked towards the edge - away from us - thus the really bad photo.

Lately we had been noticing the proliferation of the Golden-bellied Flyeater (aka Gerygone) in our neighborhood. These tiny birds were so hyperactive that getting a shot was an outright challenge.

Nearing the end of our walk, about two houses away from our home, I wanted so much to get a photo of a YVB (yup, you read that right - despite its being widespread, I still wasn't able to get at least one image). So when I spotted a movement in the tree next to us, I assumed it was my target bird. Aiming my camera at it, my jaws almost dropped when the bird came out in the open. It was a Pied Triller! Quite uncommon in our area and totally unexpected.

Quick Fix

There are times when we can't do some serious birding but the desire somehow keeps nagging. What to do in such situations? A quick fix of course. That means birding in our neighborhood. 

On an almost regular basis, my wife and I do our morning exercise by walking around our subdivision, stopping every so often when we see birds. So this particular Saturday morning, I decided to bring along my camera to satisfy my birding itch. There weren't that many birds and I managed to photograph only three species.

Thanks to the Yellow-vented Bulbuls our walk was made "fruitful".

Thanks to the Zebra Dove for giving us a "leg-up".

And finally, thanks to the Philippine Pied Fantail who obliged us despite being haggard looking. We surely are your fans.

I would like to apologize to the Eurasian Tree Sparrows for not taking their photos. You guys were just so busy foraging, no one stopped to pose for us even for a few seconds.