Dumaguete, Day 2 - Flaming Desire

Up at the crack o'dawn. Sleepy-eyed Cynthia and I filed into Doc Clemn's pick-up. Sitting beside Doc is his lovely wife, Marester. Joining us at the back seat was our birder friend from Singapore, Jimmy Chew. The other vehicle in the caravan was Christian Perez's SUV. With him was his buddy Ruben, Tonji and Sylvia and Ju Lin. Our destination was the Twin Lakes Resort.

Somehow the trip seemed a lot shorter today than when we drove to this place yesterday. Perhaps the difference was that now I am inside the vehicle whereas yesterday along with Tonji and Alex we were shaken - and stirred - at the back of Doc Clemn's pick-up.


We have barely stepped out of our vehicles when a huge raptor flew just a few feet above us. It was "just" a Philippine Crested Eagle. Nothing to get too excited about. We were all lined up at the viewing deck as the morning sun bathed the whole place in glorious light. Flashes of green before us and shouts of "Blue-naped Parrots!" broke the sylvan serenity.


Soon we (and Christian Perez, most especially) were all agog as species after species started flying in towards the trees in front of us. First came the Bar-bellied Cuckooshrikes, followed a bunch of the white-bellied susbspecies of the Balicassiao. Then came the Coletos with their quaint fleshy heads. We were following some cuckooshrikes which we thought at first to be those oh so ordinary bar-bellied types when Sylvia yelled, "White-winged Cuckooshrikes!" Which sent everyone into a euphoric state as this bird was a lifer for all of us.

Then came the calm. The wave of birds had passed and now we had time to indulge in having breakfast (which the hotel had kindly packed for us, thanks to Marester's forethought and arrangement). It was while having breakfast that we noticed some movements within the hibiscus grove surrounding the trash dumpsite behind the pavillion. Sunbirds, most likely, and our primary suspect was Crimson which we saw almost close-up yesterday. So we didn't give that place much concern and instead concentrated on the nearby bamboo clump after we have finished our morning repast.


That bamboo trees hosted a flock of Yellowish White-eyes which was another surprise. What made it more interesting was this particular group had some orange tinge on its lores (something that the Kennedy Guide did not mention regarding the nigrorum subspecies).

Back at the deck, Jack, the tourism representative who just arrived together with Alex Tiongco, Marts Cervero and a Japanese birder, was pointing to a family of Elegant Tits feeding close by.

Meanwhile, at the trail covered with huge stone slabs, Tonji and the Macasianos were getting shots of the Philippine Tailorbird (which Cynthia and I unfortunately missed). When we joined them, they were chasing after another wave of birds that were frolicking in the tree branches just above a pig pen. Here we saw Black-naped Monarchs and Blue-headed Fantails going after the insects attracted to the sty. Lemon-throated Leaf-warblers (a lifer!) joined the White-winged Cuckooshrikes in the feeding frenzy. As in any bird waves, they all eventually moved on and everything was quiet once again. Except for the incessant chirping from those invisible tailorbirds.

Lunch was "tinolang manok" (a kind of chicken stew) which was not exactly my favorite. It was during lunch that all of us once again noticed some activity at the hibiscus area. Paying closer attention, we were all elated to discover that such activities were coming from no other than Flaming Sunbirds! It has been our desire to see this species not only because of its gorgeous beauty but also because it would be another lifer for us. For the next couple of hours we were entertained by these tiny avian jewels that glowed with a whole spectrum of colors shining brightly under the noonday sun.

Four off the Bench

All four of us were seated, chatting idly as we waited for some action. Occasionally we would exchange pointers on how to improve our game. Sometimes we would reminisce the thrills we had from places we've been to. At about seven, we stood up, took our positions, and looked intently ahead filled with great anticipation.


Soon they came. A trickle at first, then followed by a flock.


Cynthia and I were enjoying the hospitality of Ramon and Poch at Ramon's house at the slopes of Mt. Banahaw in a place called BK Valley (the BK stands for Bangkong Kahoy or Wooden Bench). Ramon had been telling birders and bird photographers that the trees in front of his balcony hosts a variety of birds. And boy, he wasn't kidding! There before us were birds galore! Led by the colorful Blue-headed Fantail (lifer!)

the mixed flock also consisted of two kinds of White-eyes; the Yellowish and the Mountain (both lifers!)

the active Citrine Canary-Flycatcher (lifer!)

the gorgeous Sulfur-billed Nuthatch

and the black-and-yellow Elegant Tit. 

Ramon later described it as having a furious 15-minute photography session with these tiny, active birds. As is the nature of any mixed flock of forest birds, they eventually moved on. Recovering from the burst of adrenaline rush, we relaxed a bit. I took that opportunity to answer the call of nature. Upon my return, my wife was frantically waving at me and pointing at the tree in front of her. I noticed that Ramon and Poch were already firing off shot after shot from their vantage points. I looked at where Cynthia was pointing and was amazed to see a Brush Cuckoo perched insouciantly some 7 meters away!

A little past eight and bird activity died down somewhat. We thanked Ramon profusely and returned to the resort's restaurant to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Which was interrupted by the appearance of a Red-crested Malkoha alighting on the tree right next to the restaurant. I grabbed my wife's camera, almost scrambled on the way to the tree where the big black bird was, tried to get it's photograph but bungled the job miserably.


Back to our delicious breakfast, Cynthia and I were so happy to have visited this quaint resort in the town of Dolores, in Quezon province. Our gracious host, Dion Pullan, made sure that our stay at BK Valley was comfortable and pleasant. 


Did I mention that I got four lifers off the Wooden Bench?