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

Infanta Sad

It was sort of an impromptu decision to go birding in Infanta on Christmas Day. Initially our plan was to go to Baras, but being Christmas we thought that the Palo Alto would be closed to visitors. Another reason that made us decide on Infanta was that being a holiday, there would be less "traffic" particularly bikers along the way. Thankfully, our hunch was right and we arrived at our destination faster than expected. 

Our birding started well with a very cooperative Flaming Sunbird enjoying the red hibiscus flowers not that far from where we stood.

 

Unfortunately that was one of the very few instances we got to photograph the local avian population. We spent almost three hours birding the area from kilometer 93 to 110 and we only were able to take pictures of three other species: the Elegant Tit - there was a flock that frolicked among the trees across the street.

 

Were it not for its loud whistling, we would not have been able to see the solitary Philippine Fairy Bluebird.

 

And finally, Cynthia got a few and not so good shots of a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

 

On our way back we also got some backlit photos of a couple more of the more "common" birds like the Brown Shrike and Pacific Swallow.

 

We did hear some other birds such as Flowerpeckers and Philippine Bulbuls but never had a chance to see any of them.

It was indeed a very sad and disappointing trip seeing only six species in more than two hours of birding. Most of the private places where we used to able to get in, thanks to the very friendly owners/overseers, were now open as resorts and had a lot of guests when we passed by.

As we were having lunch at The Gathering Cafe, we both agreed that it would be a while before we return to this place.

 

Flame and Fortune

Having seen the recent posts in Facebook lately of the Flame-breasted Fruit Dove by our birding friends, I told my wife that I wanted to do that too. Early Tuesday morning, we drove to Infanta. 

It was foggy as we approached our destination. Despite the directions given me by our friend, Bong, I (being direction-challenged) still couldn't locate the place where the Fruit Dove was seen. It was good fortune that while I was pondering where to proceed, another friend, Loel, stopped his vehicle when he saw our car. He told us that he and his friend Joel were actually going to the Fruit Dove place and asked us to follow them.

As we entered the site we met fellow birders Fidel, Steve, and George. It was about 8:30 in the morning and Kamote (who is the caretaker of the place) informed us that one of the parent doves would leave the nest between 10 to 11 am and perch on a nearby branch. That would be the time for the photo-ops.

While waiting, we experienced some strange weather phenomenon (climate change?): It would drizzle a bit, clear up, then a bit of sunshine, followed by a heavy downpour. This happened about 3 times in a span of one hour. Once again, good fortune was on our side - at around 9:30 there was a lull in the precipitation. That was when one of the parents perched in full view. All of us took the opportunity to take photos of our target bird.

Having met our "quota" for the day, we told our birding buddies that we will explore the road until kilometer 106. Unfortunately, there weren't any birds along the way and when we got to Km. 106 there was another heavy downpour. 

After the rain ceased we saw a few Pacific Swallows drying up.

Along the road in one of our stops, a Philippine Serpent Eagle flew by taking advantage of the bit of sunshine.

A little after 11 am we checked out Kamote's place again. Apparently the Fruit Dove never showed up again after our encounter with it earlier. Except for Loel and Joel, the other bird photographers have already left. As we were about to board our car, Cynthia noticed some movements at the trees across the road. We were fortunate enough to add two more species to our list that morning: The Elegant Tit and the Flaming Sunbird.

Was it fortune that had our birding sortie start with a Flame-breasted Fruit Dove and ended with a Flaming Sunbird?

Francis of Assist See

We kept hearing the "cu-cu-cu" coming from behind the trees. We looked at where that sound was supposedly coming from but didn't see anything. After a while it came out and for a couple of minutes dried itself in the sun. The Philippine Coucal was our first bird that morning along the road going to Infanta. 

From there we stopped by the places where the hagimit trees were. The fruit of this tree is a favorite food of several species of birds. Unfortunately, summer had come and the fruits were all gone at the areas we visited. Except for one place. We saw friends Conrad and Ralf inside a compound as we were driving by. We quickly joined them and they introduced us to Francis, the overseer of that place. Close to their lawn was a huge hagimit tree with lots of fruits still. While we were catching up with our friends, Francis pointed at the tree, "Buzzing Flowerpeckers," he said. Indeed a pair of that species came and started feeding on the red berries. 

There was a lull after the flowerpeckers left. Then, "Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker!" Francis once again pointed to the fruiting tree.

This routine had become the norm of that morning. Francis, who was lounging on a hammock, would get up when he hears some bird call, look for the source of that call, and assist us to see the bird that would appear in the area. Two more species were shown to us: the Elegant Tit..

and the colorful Olive-backed Flowerpecker.

Around 9 am Cynthia and I decided to go visit the area where the Paddyfield Pipits are sure sightings. We promised to be back by 10:30 as that was the usual time that the Philippine Hanging Parrot was supposed to come to the fruiting tree.

Unfortunately, there were some "tourists" at the Pipit domain. We did see the bird but it was a bit skittish, unlike before, and I never got a good photo of it. On the other hand, farther down the road, a Striated Grassbird posed for us.

By 10:30 we were back at Francis' place. But the Parakeet never showed up. Only the Buzzing and Olive-backed Flowerpecker returned. Conrad told us that about 3 minutes after we left, a Stripe-headed Rhabdornis came, followed later by a Flaming Sunbird. Ah, if only we had stayed and benefited some more from Francis' assistance at seeing the birds in his neighborhood.

Look to the Rainbow

It was still dark as we traversed the road going to Infanta. There was intermittent precipitation - sometimes a soft drizzle, other times a good amount of rainfall. Somehow this did not discourage us. We've been through this experience before and almost always it became sunny when we arrived at our destination. Actually we were glad that finally rain came. There was an ongoing water crisis in MetroManila attributed to the drought caused by El Nino. This downpour would somehow mitigate such problems.

The sun was up when were about half-way to where we intend to go birding. We stopped by the roadside so we could enjoy our takeout breakfast. As I looked behind me I saw this gorgeous rainbow in the horizon.

Rainbows are symbols of hope and of promises of good things to come. We took that as an assurance that we would have a good birding morning.

About half past seven, we were at the Asuncion property. We asked Hanny, the caretaker, if the Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher, which our friend, Bong, saw and photographed just two days ago, was still there. Unfortunately, not anymore, he said. Even the Cream-bellied Fruit Dove was already gone, he told us almost apologetically. Was seeing the rainbow not working at all?

We proceeded to km 107 and our hoped for Paddyfield Pipit gave our diminishing hopes a much needed boost.

Then a Blue Rock Thrush added more zeal to our photographic endeavors.

Pacific Swallows were taking a break from their morning flights.

Actually, what we were really looking for was the fruiting hagimit tree (trees?). Friends have posted photos recently of the various birds enjoying such fruits. Eventually we found one. However, the fruits were now almost gone. The only bird

we saw there was a Buzzing Flowerpecker.

We did see other birds such as a Bicolored Flowerpecker, a Guaiabero, and a Philippine Fairy Bluebird, but they were so skittish that we were not able to get any shots at all.

It was while waiting and hoping that more birds would come to the fruits that a mixed flock came passing by - led by a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

The Elegant Tits were bolder and sometimes would perch not far from we were, albeit not too long, as they would go after some unfortunate insect.

The Blue-headed Fantails were also very active in their pursuit of their morning repasts.

After the flock left, we also decided to look for more hagimit trees. Sad to say none of those we saw had fruits in them. Before we called it a day we stopped by the only tree with the fruits. Despite a long wait we didn't see anything new except for some Philippine Bulbuls.

Even though we did not see the species we were hoping to photograph (and possible lifers) we were still happy that we got good pictures of some colorful birds of the area. Sometimes it is when we do not get what we wanted that we get to appreciate the things we tend to overlook.

It was like looking at the rainbow all over again.

No Cream

I always add cream to my coffee. As a matter of fact, the creamier the better for me. Will I ever drink java sans that dairy product? Most likely not. Then how far will I go just to complete my morning joe? Good question. Especially when applied to birding. I may be stretching the analogy a bit, but let me explain: How much risk am I willing to take just to add a species to my life list?

That situation actually happened last Saturday. The three of us (me, my wife, and our friend, Peter) went to Infanta to look for a particular lifer - the Cream-breasted Fruit Dove. We already knew that there would be some difficulty accessing the site where the said dove was nesting. 

When we arrived at the Sierra Farm Cabin, the resident guide showed us the "trail" we had to traverse to get good views of our target bird. It was challenging to put it simply. While we were mulling over our situation, another friend, Chin, who was there before us, decided to give it a go. As we watched them negotiate the dangerous path, Cynthia and I offered a silent prayer to protect both Chin and Hanny, the guide. We gasped as our friend slipped a bit. It was then that all three of us agreed not to risk our life or limb just so we can have cream on our proverbial coffee. Later that day when we returned to Sierra Farm we once again met Chin who had just ended his vigil for the Fruit Dove. "Three hours of waiting, and I got nothing!" he said frustratingly. We were thankful that we made the right decision.

We also asked Hanny about the chances of seeing the Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher. He said the trail going down towards the creek was even worse. There will be times that we would have to negotiate a 90 degree slope. 90 degrees! That's completely vertical!

Our Infanta sortie was not a complete disaster though. Not that far from the Cream-breasted Fruit Dove's nest was another similar species which was also nesting. Thankfully, that place was more accessible. Unfortunately, the nest was only partially visible and we only got documentary photos of the Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove. 

The usual places along the road were surprisingly devoid of birds. Luckily for us the area near the veranda of Sierra Farm Cabin was productive, birdwise. It was there that an Elegant Tit was so bold that it came to about a meter away from us.

While taking a break, I spotted a raptor flying overhead. A Crested Honey Buzzard obliged us for a few minutes before disappearing from view.

After the break, we returned to the veranda. While Peter was taking photos of his lifer, the Olive-backed Flowerpecker, a Philippine Fairy Bluebird posed for me.

Yellowish White-eyes cavorted in the branches of a pine tree.

We had lunch at "The Hulk" lodge and restaurant hoping to see and maybe get closer looks at the Rufous Hornbills we saw last week. Sadly not a single one showed up.

As we travelled back home we were obstructed by a kilometer long convoy of some politicians' supporters. While waiting for an opportunity to overtake them, my mind was filled with thoughts of "maybe I should try having coffee with no cream".

Fire and Flame

We returned to Infanta Saturday morning with the hope of acquiring one, or maybe even two, lifers. At first when we encountered a Coleto in Tanay, not far from where we have our usual breakfast, we thought that it would be a portent of good things to happen. 

Alas, things did not turn out as expected. At our first stop at the "De Castro" area it was a deja vu of the week before. Both the Yellowish White-eyes and Elegant Tits were actively hunting for food.

Yellowish White-eye

Elegant Tit

The almost dried up hagimit tree had its usual customer, the Buzzing Flowerpecker.

A Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker also came by.

A little past km. 103 we saw the now regular feeder at the more fruitful hagimit - the Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

Along with the Elegant Tits were Sulphur-billed Nuthatches.

It was here that we expected to find our hoped-for lifer, the Grand Rhabdornis. So we patiently waited for our quarry. It wasn't long when friends who did a raptor count in Tanay joined us. Several hours passed and still no rhabdornis. Cynthia and I decided to go further up the road. The only bird we saw was an overstaying Blue Rock Thrush.

We rejoined the group who told us that our target bird was still a no-show. Once again, we waited being consoled (or mocked?) by the noisy Coppersmith Barbet and Philippine Bulbul.

Coppersmith Barbet 

Philippine Bulbul

All of us decided to move on since it was nearing noontime. Along the way, the hibiscus were in full bloom and not surprisingly, a pair of Flaming Sunbirds were feasting on the red flowers.

When one member of the group told us that the Rufous Hornbill (another possible lifer) was seen without fail at the Hungry Tummy restaurant at 3 pm, we went there to inquire if that was indeed true. Tommy, the owner, told us that it was actually at around 4:30 pm that the hornbills come to their place. We passed that information to the group. At 3pm, we passed by the Hungry Tummy just to check if the hornbills decided to come early. Tommy greeted us and said it was at 4:30 for sure. Not wanting to be caught in traffic and also since I have difficulties driving at night, with sad hearts my wife and I both agreed to head for home and not wait for the said time of the hornbills' arrival. 

That evening Cynthia texted our friend Ruth, who was with the raptor group if they had seen the Rufous Hornbills at Hungry Tummy at the appointed time. No, she replied. 

Although we did not get any lifers that day, we were still stoked by Fire and Flame, a flowerpecker and a sunbird.