I Love Caylabne

Caylabne is a private resort in Cavite. It reopened recently after being closed for quite some time. We were grateful to our friend, Peter, for making the arrangements to get us inside this resort to do some birding.

But first, allow me to express our sadness at the lack of birds along the road from Ternate to the gates of the resort. This used to be one of the better birding areas not that far from Metro Manila. It was here that my wife and I got some lifers, such as the Plain Bush Hen and the Blackish Cuckooshrike. We have brought birding friends from Hong Kong and the U.S.A. here and they were not disappointed. However, our experience yesterday was unbelievably heartbreaking. We only saw two species of birds, Brahminy Kites flying overhead and a single Philippine Falconet!

Brahminy Kite

Philippine Falconet

As we approached the gate of the resort, Cynthia yelled "Peregrine Falcon!" which she saw land on the tower. It was partly hidden so we couldn't take any pictures. So we waited for it to fly off. After about 15 minutes it flew and soared away never to return. Luckily, I got one shot that turned out to be good enough.

As we traversed the road to the resort, I saw a dove feeding by the roadside. At first I thought it was a Red Turtledove, but looking at the documentary shots that I got, it turned out to be an Island Collared Dove - a total surprise!

Our next encounter was that of a Collared Kingfisher perched on some dead branches.

Then we saw the pond and there were perhaps more than 50 Philippine Ducks there. We stayed there for a while until the skittish ducks sort of got used to our presence.

Even before we approached the pond, my wife already saw a White-bellied Sea Eagle perched on a tree near the water's edge. However, it was too far for us to get some good shots. It was while waiting for the ducks to come closer that a pair of these eagles flew over and offered better photo ops.

Having our fill with the ducks, we moved on. Hearing some screeching sounds, Peter parked the car and we searched for the source of that noise. It turned out to be four or five Guaiaberos feeding on a fruiting tree.

During some pauses when we were trying to locate the green parrots from among the green leaves, a Grey-streaked Flycatcher would attract our attention by flying after an unfortunate insect and the perching on a branch in full view.

We then had lunch at the resort. After that, on the way back to the entrance, we passed by the "garbage dump" hoping to see some Bee-eaters but they were a no-show. The only bird in that area was a Little Egret near a small pond.

Were it not for the birds we saw inside the grounds of the resort, our birding sortie would have been a total disaster. That's why I love Caylabne.

Hurry Spotter

"Stop!" Cynthia yelled. 

Peter stepped on the brakes.

"Back! Back! Back!"

Peter slowly backed the car.

"Stop!" Cynthia once again commanded. "There!"

Peter and I looked. I tried to follow the direction of my wife's arm sticking out of the rear passenger window.

"There! Hurry!" she said urgently, fearing that the bird might fly away.

After so much squinting and head tilting I finally saw it.

"Do you see it?" I asked Peter. He nodded and slowly opened his door. With camera in hand he sneaked over to our side and started firing away. I was already shooting with my 500mm lens resting on the car window - not even bothering to get off the car.

That, basically, had been our modus operandi that Saturday morning. We were on the road towards Caylabne Resort in Ternate, Cavite - arguably the best roadside, dude birding site. (Note to the uninitiated: "dude birding" is bird watching or bird photography done with the least amount of effort - usually while riding a vehicle.)

As I was saying, it was pretty much dude birding on that gloomy, sometimes drizzly morning. Thanks to my wife's spotting abilities, we were able to see quite a number of birds. The routine was: Peter would drive at minimal speed while I and Cynthia kept our eyes open for possible bird sightings. In this regard, my wife had a distinct advantage over me. She has acute hearing capabilities. Moi, on the other hand, had lost that sense on the higher pitched sounds (which most bird calls are, unfortunately). This is a big handicap for me when it comes to looking for birds. At times however I use that to my advantage as an excuse to tune people out. Particularly on the boring ones and those that have "I" problems.  

Where was I? Ah yes, spotting those feathered creatures while dude birding. I am truly amazed by my wife's ability to locate birds from a moving vehicle. I was sitting on the front passenger seat thus giving me a more panoramic view ahead and on the right side. Cynthia was behind me and despite her limited view she was always the first to see a bird perched on a branch filled with leaves about 50 meters away! Consider the following instances:

Here is an uncropped shot of the area where she saw the Philippine Cuckoo Dove:

Here's the cropped and final photo:

To his credit Peter Ting also acquired the same capabilities. We were inching along the road, both he and my wife listening for bird song.

"Do you hear that?" he asked Cynthia.

"Yes, it sounds like the beeping of a car going in reverse."

Peter stopped the car and looked at the slope on his side of the road. He turned to us with an incredulous look on his face.

"It's white" he whispered.

I peered through his window and felt my jaw drop to the floor.

"A white-morph Philippine Coucal!" I said excitedly.

Cameras were leveled at the insouciant bird who seemed more focused on drying its feathers than get bothered by some bird photographers.

Again, my wife's spotting abilities came through when she pointed at the trees farther up the slope.

"There's a bird there" she stated with unwavering confidence. "Hurry, look!"

I looked through my long lens and once more my jaw hit the ground. It was a lifer - the lovely Pompadour Green Pigeon.

Viewed through the lens (imagine seeing it with the naked eye)

Cropped version:

Later on as we continued our drive towards the Caylabne Resort, deja vu. We were rounding a curve when Cynthia asked Peter to stop, back up a little and there! This time it was a White-eared Brown Dove. Isn't it uncanny that all the birds we saw via this method were of the family Columbidae?

Initial full view

We had to move back a bit more to get this

Of course, there were birds that would just be impossible to miss (although I almost missed this Luzon Hornbill had it not been for Cynthia's and Peter's "hurry, look!" gestures at me).

And, finally, thanks to the Caylabne Resort's staff who spotted the Philippine Ducks for us.