A Positive Few of the Situation

Birding in summer in the Philippines is really not a good idea. Still the three of us, my wife and I with our friend, Peter, hoped that our utter disregard for the weather would be justly rewarded.

Unfortunately, it was a bitter disappointment on our first stop. The area around the TREES Hostel was completely devoid of birds! The dead tree by the parking lot where we saw Falconets, Barbets, Rhabornis and even Balicassiaos before was as lifeless as can be. We silently blamed the throng of people who were preparing for an eco-run a few meters away for this.

The Dairy Park, thankfully, was more promising. We first saw a flock of Crested Mynas riding the backs of the grazing cattle. As we approached to get photos of the black birds, the whole herd decided to avoid the now blazing sun and moved to the shady part at the opposite side of the fence - far away from where we were standing. We couldn't blame the cows for wanting some relief from the heat, so while we were fuming at this latest setback I saw some swallows alighting near a puddle. We moved closer - under some shade, of course - and waited for the birds to do their thing. Once they have gotten accustomed to our presence, both Pacific and Striated Swallows came and pecked at the mud. I have seen this phenomena before and I thought these birds were using the mud to build their nests. However, in this case, there were no tall trees nor buildings nearby where the said nests are usually built. Besides, the same individuals would dip their beaks in the mud, fly off, circle back and repeat the routine. Could it be that this was their way of refreshing themselves to alleviate the rising temperatures?

Pacific Swallow

Striated Swallow

During one those times when the swallows would fly off, some Scaly-breasted Munias dropped by a nearby tree for a pause that refreshes.

From the Dairy Park we went to the Agripark where we anticipated seeing Pratincoles, Rails or even Snipes. Again, nada. Not a single bird! The same misfortune happened at the APEC area. The tall grass had been cut down so Buttonquails were nowhere to be seen. No Cisticolas either! Thankfully, some Crested Mynas were flying by and a few perched on the electric wires to take a breather.

We all agreed to try the Botanic Garden. Enduring the climb (Peter and I were carrying our big lenses) in the suffocating heat was a challenge. Only the hope of seeing some birds spurred us on. The lipote tree was no longer flowering so no birds can be found there. What was surprising was that the heliconias and torch gingers were in full bloom, but not a single sunbird appeared. At ten o'clock and still not even a shadow of a bird showed up so we decided to call it a day - with heavy hearts. In one of our many stops to catch our breaths, I spotted some movement on a banana-like plant. I thought at first that it was "just" a female Olive-backed Sunbird. Since we were starved for a bird photograph, we fired away. Looking at the results, I was now convinced that it was a female Purple-throated Sunbird!

It wasn't long that my suspicion had been confirmed when the brightly colored male showed up. Redemption at last! 

I believe that it was the first time that we have encountered such scarcity of birds in our outings. The sizzling summer heat made a negative impact on the avian population - even in an elevated place like Mt. Makiling. However, seeing even a few birds turned it into a positive situation.

Green and Bear it

The summer temperature was soaring into unbearable digits. Birding in this type of weather would be almost suicidal. Unless it was done in the mountains where the thermometer reading would be a few degrees lower.

Palos Verdes is a relatively small subdivision in the hills of Antipolo. And it certainly lives up to its name - there are more places with tall green trees here than houses! Thanks to our friends, John and Vivette Webb who reside in this verdant area, we were able to escape the baking heat of the lowlands and enjoy the birds at the same time.

It being summer, there weren't that many feathered creatures around, but for those that were present it was a time of love and war. Avian breeding season is the reason for this. Songs filled the morning as males staked their territories. Inevitably a fight would ensue whenever a trespasser comes or a rival to a prospective mate appears. We have witnessed many instances of this happening - from different species! 

The few birds that we managed to photograph were the common ones usually seen here. This time they were a bit bolder perhaps because they were more focused on reproducing their kind or defending their domains.

Black-naped Oriole

Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker

At this elevation, it was a surprise to see a Pied Bushchat diligently hunting for food.

As we were about to leave, the usually skulking Barred Rail paraded in front of us.

Finally it was time for us to return home. It wasn't long after we left the place of Green Trees that we had to bear with the sad realities of summer - traffic jams and excruciating heat.

The Pose that Refreshes

Six am and I was alone at the mini forest in La Mesa Ecopark. My wife, Cynthia, decided to sit this one out due to family matters. There I was sweating profusely from the intense humidity even that early in the day. A flash of azure wings caught my eye. "Hooded Pitta" I assured myself. But it disappeared like magic. I sighed and walked slowly. Another flash of wings whoosed above me and landed on a twig. For about ten minutes the Common Emerald Dove just sat there posing as I took shot after shot at it. That photo session made me forget, at least for a short period, the inundation of my clothes from the incredibly endless perspiration that flowed from my body.

Eventually the dove flew off and I moved on. Time slowly passed. After about half an hour, my birding friends arrived. First were Bram and Kath, soon followed by Peter and then finally by Irene. It didn't take long for super spotter Bram to find one of the most sought after birds in the Ecopark. We took our positions as the Slaty-legged Crake meandered on the leaf strewn forest floor - too dark to enable good pictures. To our surprise, there were actually two of them.  They even crossed the path right in front of us several times. Even when we already anticipated these crossings we were still unable to get one good shot at them. There was a time that one walked nonchalantly just a couple of feet from Bram's feet! Still no photos! But we were a patient (and sweaty) bunch of birders and that patience finally paid off when one of the Crakes paused from its food hunting and posed for us. It was as if a cool breeze suddenly blew away the warm, suffocating air.

Happy that we got this skulker, we now concentrated on locating the Pittas, either the Red-bellied or Hooded or preferably, both. We spread out to increase the chances of sighting our target birds. It was when I was alone and wiping my wet brow that the friendly neighborhood male Mangrove Blue Flycatcher alit in front of me with an unidentified object in its beak posing beautifully for me. Ok, no sweat there.

I called Peter but the flycatcher left before he could plunk down his tripod. As if to compensate for his disappointment, the other friendly neighborhood denizen of the park decided to model for us up close. The Ashy Thrush (now jokingly referred to as the Thrashy Thrush since it had become so common here) was indeed a welcome respite for both Peter and myself.

Soon local birder Anthony came and announced that he saw the Pechora Pipit. We all followed him and while the rest of the group were trying to get its picture, Anthony and I decided to let this one pass. Our conversation was rudely interrupted by the loud chattering of a Grey-backed Tailorbird. Now this was another hyperactive tiny bird that always poses a challenge to the most imperturbable of bird photographers. For one of their ilk to pose and sing in the open is a welcome refreshment in this sultry weather.

There was even a bonus in the form of a Lowland White-eye.

It was now half past ten, the heat getting more intense. For all of us, it was now Pitta or bust. The Hooded had been teasing us all morning - singing invisibly and tantalizingly close, or offering brief glimpses and then promptly disappearing in the dark understory. But now we were more resolute. Once again it played hide-and-seek with us. Until, thankfully, it ceased its exploration of the forest floor and posed, albeit partly hidden, for the briefest photographic moment. 

We heaved a collective sigh of relief. Now it was time to go back to our own homes and enjoy the refreshing comfort of our airconditioned rooms.

Beep! Beep!

It would be unthinkable for me to have a three-day weekend and not go birding at all! Heat wave notwithstanding, we set off to Peter's Canyon in the city of Orange, if only to see the Roadrunner that frequents the area near the Ranger's station.

Getting to the canyon wasn't as easy as we thought because "Kit" (from an old TV series called Knight Rider which has a talking car) our GPS guide kept telling us to take Route 261 which was a toll road. Tightwad that I am, I adamantly refused to take Kit's advice and it (he?) kept saying "Turn back. Turn back". Finally silencing the GPS and just looking at the map, we arrived at our destination a little later than we planned to.

Just as we were entering the trail, a roadrunner came running. Towards us! Caught by surprise, we were unable to focus properly on the speeding ball of feathers. In a flash it disappeared among the thick tangle of bushes behind us.

Birds were few and far between as we traversed undulating trails, straining our inexperienced legs. Getting back to the Ranger's station without so much as a couple of yucky shots, I saw the roadrunner standing atop a picnic table. It was heavily backlit so we angled for a better shooting position. It must be our sweaty stench that gave us away for it abruptly sprinted to a low concrete structure and stared almost tauntingly at us. Nevertheless, stealth and patience paid off, as I was able to get off a few good shots. Cynthia was not as fortunate.


The heat was becoming unbearable so we bade goodbye to our target bird. We were already on Jamboree Road so I suggested that we visit Upper Newport Bay. Since we won't have to get out of the car in birding UNB, Cynthia agreed. Once again, there wasn't anything unusual. It was obvious, though, that the high temperatures were affecting even seabirds, as many of them had their beaks open (their way of cooling off, I presume).

We got the hint and headed for the comforts of home.