There Fewer

The last time we went to Mt. Palay-palay was in September of 2016. Back then I already bemoaned the fact that we saw only a few birds. (My blog about that).

Last Saturday, my wife and I, together with our friend, Peter, returned to this place. We hadn't gone far up the road when I spotted a female Luzon Hornbill perched nonchalantly on a tree. It was a bit surprising considering that several guys were beneath the tree getting ready to mow down the grass on the side of the road. 

I thought that it would be good indicator that we would be seeing more species as we continued our journey. Unfortunately, we didn't. For one thing, it had been cloudy the whole morning, with only a few quick bursts of sunlight. Which resulted in mostly backlit photos, particularly those of the Brahminy Kites flying above us.

The next bird we encountered were the Whiskered Treeswifts. Three of them.

At the gate of the (now closed) Caylabne Resort, the hoped for raptors were a no-show. We just contented ourselves with taking BIF (bird in flight) and FIM (food in mouth) photos of the White-breasted Woodswallows.

On the way back we were lamenting the fact that we hadn't seen any Philippine Falconets - a regular in this area. Just then Peter saw a tiny bird perched on the electric wire. "Falconet!" he shouted excitedly. So we spent more than hour photographing these tiny raptors. Three of them.

At the end of our birding morning, we were saddened to realize that we only saw a total of six species (including a flock of Coletos that flew by). We couldn't figure out why birds are getting fewer there at Palay-palay.

The Road Less Birded

It had been quite a while since I last saw postings of bird pictures taken from Mt. Palay-palay. That seemed strange because this place is one of the birding spots close to MetroManila. Perhaps these days birders were being drawn to the "more productive" sites such as Subic, IRRI, and recently, Bangkong Kahoy Valley.

When friends Peter and Wenxing suggested that we try Mt. Palay-palay on Saturday, I hastily agreed. This is basically roadside birding stretching from Ternate going up to the Caylabne Resort. We've had good experiences here before so we hoped that we would be seeing multitudes of bird species. Thus began our trip to the road less birded.

Our first encounter was the endemic Philippine Falconet - one of the world's smallest raptors. Lots of them! At one point there were 7 birds perched in a single tree! A bit far but who's complaining.

After the falconets, birds were as scarce as snowflakes in the Sahara. We just saw one (!) Luzon Hornbill and even failed to take a photo because it was too high in a tree and didn't even stay long for a photo-op! The Brahminy Kites were there alright but they were soaring so high up. 

On our way back I was lucky enough to photograph one perched on a tree across the road.

The only other birds of note were the swallows/woodswallows.

Pacific Swallow

White-breasted Woodswallow

While Peter and Wenxing were "kiting" (taking pictures of the Brahminy Kites) a small flock of Striated Swallows perched on the electric wire above where Cynthia and I were taking refuge from the scorching sun. The swallows were taking turns flying off then returning to their perches. My wife and I thought this would be a good opportunity to practice our BIF (birds in flight) shots. Once again, I was outshot by my better half and thereby living up to that description.

We got photos of the Coppersmith Barbet, the Coleto and the Stripe-headed Rhabdornis. However, the shots were only of "documentary" quality because these birds were all perched at quite a distance from us.

As we prepared to go home, I took some photos of the Long-tailed Macaques roaming the area. Somehow the look on the face of one of them reflected the mood we were in.

Leaving Mt. Palay-palay it became clear to me why this 17 kilometer stretch had become the road less birded.

Twas the day after Christmas

Twas the day after Christmas. Despite not getting enough sleep, we agreed to go birding with our friend Peter. It was a beautiful morning as we began the trip to Mt. Palay-palay in Cavite. Things seemed to augur well because right off the bat we saw a pair of very cooperative Blue-tailed Bee-eaters.

That was the start of what I would call a B day of photography. The good shots we had were of birds whose names start with the letter B.  Note the term "good shots". We did see other birds that did not have a "B" in the beginning of their names but the photos we got of these were not that great. Consider this extremely backlit shot of a Coleto.

Or a not so sharp image of a Philippine Bulbul behind the foliage.

On the other hand, the ubiquitous Brahminy Kites gave us a show. We even got one perched on a tree.

But the species of the day was the Blue Rock Thrush. It treated us so nonchalantly that we practically have a photo of every possible angle of this colorful migrant.

To cap off our day, a White-throated Kingfisher also posed for us as we were already on our way down from Caylabne Resort. The official name of course starts with a "W" but there are plans to have this species found in the Philippines to be split from its cousins in Southeast Asia. As a matter of fact the proposed name for this bird is Brown-breasted Kingfisher! (Some scientific lists have already confirmed this). So there you are, the final "B" bird in our list.

On our way home, as we passed by the town of Carmona, we noticed this restaurant with an unintentional pun for its name.

Based on our birding experience this morning, even if we did not see the hoped for Philippine Falconet, Luzon Hornbill and Whiskered Treeswift, I would say that it was not Abad day at all.

Shoes to Blame

With the recent spate of birding bad luck still haunting me, I was a little worried about our upcoming trip to Mt. Palay-palay in Cavite. More so because we will have our new friend from the U.S., Zach DuFran, joining us. Since this will be Zach's first time to bird in the Philippines, I was afraid that my misfortunes would continue to plague us and thus deprive our American friend of seeing a lot of local birds.

As we drove towards our destination, Peter (who was driving), my wife, Cynthia, and I were amused because Zach was so excited at seeing even the most common birds such as Yellow-vented Bulbuls, Striated Grassbirds and Cattle Egrets. And yes, he wanted to take photos of those.

Near the gate of Puerto Azul, Peter parked his vehicle and we locals unloaded our cameras while Zach was in high heavens photographing the cooperative Brown Shrike. Now armed and ready, we got back into the car and began the ascent. It wasn't long after that we saw a male Luzon Hornbill! Unfortunately, it flew off before we could take photos. We parked once again and waited, hoping it would reappear - but it didn't. It's still probably my bad luck I thought to myself woefully. 

Then there was some commotion in the nearby trees. "Yellow-vented Bulbuls," I half murmured. But somehow I had an urge to look at them through my camera. "Stripe-headed Rhabdornises!" I exclaimed. (Note the plural). 

Next came our first encounter of another endemic, the Philippine Falconet, perched on a wire.

As expected a Brahminy Kite soon came soaring overhead. Then the kite started harassing another raptor. An Oriental Honey Buzzard flew by totally ignoring the bullying of the smaller Brahminy. We were so surprised by the appearance of the Honey Buzzard that I only got a silhouette.

Eventually we saw the Luzon Hornbill again, this time the female, but it was too far off for a satisfactory shot. A small flock of Pygmy Flowerpeckers foraged on a tree not too far away but they were so active and preferred the inside of the foliage that once again we failed to obtain any respectable picture. While my companions were still looking at the distant hornbill, I noticed another raptor flying overhead. It was smaller and had a different color from the usual Brahminy Kites. I blame my excitement for the blurred photos but at least they were good enough for me to identify it as a Grey-faced Buzzard.

It was also while we were waiting for better views of the Hornbill that Cynthia and I noticed a bird behind the electrical post. 

"It's a woodpecker!" my wife said. I slowly crossed the road so I could get a better view but, as my luck (the bad one) would have it, all I saw was a flash of bright red that zipped from the pole to a tall tree where it instantly became invisible. There were a couple more red flashes after that but that's all there was to it.

Frustrated by the uncooperative Hornbill (not to mention the Luzon Flameback), we continued on our way. I saw something and asked Peter to stop and do a reverse. There, perched on a bare branch was another Philippine Falconet. We all got out of the car, took pictures to our heart's content, and was even given a bonus when another Falconet, presumably its mate, joined the other one.

Next sightings along the way were a White-breasted Wood Swallow and more than thirty Striated Swallows all perched on the electric wire.

White-breasted Woodswallow

Striated Swallow - one of about 30 on the wire

We parked by the gate of the Caylabne Resort. Perhaps half an hour passed and not even the resident Brahminy Kites showed up. With nothing much to photograph, we decided to take a group picture. Luckily, an ice cream vendor was around so we politely asked him the favor of taking the group shot. 

To show our gratitude we bought some chocolate crunch popsicle from him. We were finishing the refreshing ice cream when I saw a bird flying swiftly and then landed on the tall communication tower behind the Resort's gate. 

"I'm pretty convinced that is a Peregrine Falcon," I told my skeptical friends. It was Cynthia's sharp eyes that confirmed that I was not just imagining things. Unfortunately, the raptor stayed at the back side of the tower not allowing for any good photographic shots. Until it decided to fly off. Again, it was my wife that provided photographic confirmation of my identifying skills.

Inasmuch as all of us got good looks and photos of the Peregrine and an apparent turn-around from our heretofore not too good luck in getting images of the birds we saw, we all agreed that it's time to continue with our journey. I was already seated in the car when I saw a bird alight on a branch of the tree across from me. "Philippine Bulbul!" I announced to my companions. "No, wait! Blue Rock Thrush! Blue Rock Thrush!" I couldn't control my excitement. I really did not expect to see this species in this kind of environment since it usually prefers the concrete ledges of buildings.

After the Thrush left, we were all smiling at the bonus that we were just given. That is until I saw another raptor thermalling above us. It was huge, bigger than the Brahminy. It soared slowly, sometimes even stopping in mid-air, allowing us such unusual photographic opportunities. It was only during our lunch at Puerto Azul that we were able to confirm its identity: a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle. A lifer for all us.

Everything was anti-climactic after that. It was almost noon, the weather had become unbearably hot, so it was time for lunch. The only species added to our list were the Pacific Swallow and Asian Glossy Starling.

As we endured the terrible traffic on the way back to Zach's hotel, many things came to my mind. First, we were so glad that Zach was not disappointed even for just half-a-day's birding. My initial fears, thankfully, never materialized. Then, of course, was the obvious change in my birding luck. Cynthia said it's because we bought popsicles from the ice-cream vendor. Maybe that's true, since kindness and generosity has its rewards. Personally I think it's my shoes. Allow me to explain: I had been using my Columbia hiking shoes whenever we go birding until a few months ago. That was when the upper right section of the sole of the right shoe became loose. So I retired the Columbias and in its place I used a new pair that we bought in the U.S. (Realtree brand). Call it coincidence but since I started using that new pair of shoes I did not do well in my birding trips (please read my previous blogs). Last week, using an epoxy, I fixed my old Columbia shoe and that was what I wore when we went to Palay-palay. Let the bird sightings we had there provide the proof to my claim. Need I say more?

Enjoying the Few

Surprisingly it wasn't that birdy Saturday morning at Mt. Palay-palay. Our friend Peter's target birds were unbelievably nowhere to be found. In our previous trips to this place, those species were almost always guaranteed to be seen. Where were the Whiskered Treeswifts? the Luzon Hornbills? the Philippine Green Pigeons? or the Philippine Coucals?

Thankfully, those few that showed up were a bit more cooperative and gave us good photo opportunities. Foremost among these were the Philippine Falconets. They seem to be almost everywhere!

Another bird known for its skittishness - the White-throated Kingfisher - was more friendly this time, posing for us until we've had our fill.

As we were driving up, both Peter and my wife heard a cacophony of bird calls. Peter stopped the car and as we got out, a mixed flock of Grey-streaked Flycatchers, Philippine Bulbuls and Stripe-headed Rhabdornises were congregating on a tree.

Grey-streaked Flycatcher

Philippine Bulbul

Stripe-headed Rhabdornis

Eventually they moved on. Except for the ubiquitous Falconets, we didn't see any more birds as we continued on towards the gate of the Caylabne Resort. A little after 10 am we all agreed to turn around and head home. Halfway down the road, the Brahminy Kites - another regular here - came flying much closer. We were all trying to get that perfect BIF (bird in flight) shot when Peter noticed another raptor soaring with the Brahminys. 

"Serpent Eagle!" he shouted. We all turned our attention at this magnificent bird.

Having done their part, both raptors flew off to the blue yonder. It was an awesome sight. 

As we drove home, we were happy. Despite the scarcity of species, we still enjoyed the few that we have seen.

Weather or Not

Saturday was the exact opposite of last week. Whereas we slept late that time expecting torrential rain coming from typhoon Ruby but turned out to be a sunny day, this time believing the words of the local weather bureau that it would be nice and clear, we woke up early to go birding - to a place more than 90 kilometers away. Only to discover that it was dark and gloomy as soon as we got out of the house. We were all dressed up and ready to go anyway, so regardless of the weather, we still went.

It was a stygian Saturday morning with occasional drizzles interspersed now and then with teasing moments of sunshine. Overall, grey was the color of the day and almost all our photos were unintentionally black and white. Not only that, some of the birds we expected to see at Mt. Palay-palay were not there.

One of the very first birds we saw was a Pygmy Flowerpecker. However, it was so heavily backlit that none of our combined 50-plus shots could even be salvaged through post processing. 

A calmly perched Brahminy Kite yielded only some so-so photos.

Our luck, or rather, Cynthia's luck, turned for the better when I saw a male Luzon Hornbill feeding on some red berries. I said Cynthia's luck because she got at least one great shot while I got a big fat zero.

It was my wife's day, actually, because she was also the one who got better photos of one of our target birds - the Philippine Bulbul.

With the weather not promising to get better, we agreed that it was time to go. The trip home was a sad punctuation to an already unproductive day. Combine drizzles and the Christmas season in the Philippines and what do you get? The worst traffic jam you can imagine.

There He Ghosh

Other than a short, half-hearted stint at the U.P. campus last July, Cynthia and I hadn't done serious birding in quite a while. Blame the summer heat and then the torrential rains that followed after that. Thankfully the weekend had a long awaited break in the weather and Saturday was a wonderfully sunny day.

I was so out of it that I couldn't believe I missed the Carmona exit at the SLEX! Two exits later we made a roundabout and finally got to where we intended to go. 

We were driving slowly towards Mt. Palay-palay when my wife's sharp ears heard the shrieking voice of the Luzon Hornbill. I stopped the car and we both jumped out with cameras in hand. Soon we were photographing the hornbill family - our first official bird after a long hiatus. The birds then flew to a tree much farther than where we first saw them. 

We were about to return to our car when we saw another SUV dislodge its passengers - all three of them carrying cameras with long lenses. "Birders!" I told my wife. As we approached them, two waved at us - they were our friends, Prof. Reuel Aguila and Anthony Balbin. They were guiding a birder from India. We introduced ourselves and we learned that he is Joyjit Ghosh. We told them about the hornbills and they decided to wait and hope that the big-billed birds would fly back. 

We moved on and were surprised at the apparent lack of birds. Towards Caylabne Resort just past the junction to the road to Nasugbu, was where we saw the Whiskered Treeswift. A few kilometers later we got the other "regular" of this place - the Philippine Falconet. 

Again, the scarcity of birds was quite intriguing: Where were the Elegant Tits? The Coppersmith Barbets? the Philippine Bulbuls? Even the Brahminy Kites were not as plentiful.

Turning back, we saw a familiar sight. "There he Ghosh!" I exclaimed, as we saw our new friend from India, sitting behind their SUV. He put his finger to his lips and motioned us to come quietly, then pointed to a tree beside the road. For the life of me, I couldn't see what it was he was pointing at. Prof. Reuel emerged from his hiding place behind a banana tree and told us that there was a pair of Philippine Green Pigeons there. After straining my eyes, I finally saw one. And then the other flew across the road and landed on another tree. Joyjit chased after it while I just contented myself with the one that stayed behind.

"We told the pigeons to stay because we knew you were coming," Prof. Reuel assured us. In turn we informed them where to find the Treeswift and the Falconet. Once again we parted ways as we planned on exploring the road to the tunnel to Nasugbu. That turned out to be a total dud.

A quick foray inside the Puerto Azul Resort only yielded terribly backlit photos of Asian Glossy Starlings.

I was unbelievably exhausted when we got home a little after twelve noon. I plopped on the bed and instantly fell asleep. Those long, lazy non-birding days definitely took the energy out of my body. We need to do more birding trips. Weather permitting.

Thrillogy

American baseball's Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said, "It's like deja vu all over again." It certainly felt that way yesterday. 

My wife and I joined our friend, Peter, and his bird photographer guests from Hong Kong at Mt. Palay-palay in Cavite. Exactly one week ago, we three (Peter, Cynthia and I) were showing British birder, Tony Jackson the local avifauna here.

It was intriguingly a throwback birding trip because the birds we saw and the sequence with which saw them today were almost the same as last week. The theme of the TV series "The Twilight Zone" would have been an appropriate background music. 

We stopped by the entrance of the Puerto Azul Resort to unload our gear. Just like last Saturday, our guests were given fleeting looks of the very active Asian Glossy Starlings.

Continuing on our trip, I was driving ahead with two of Peter's four friends riding with me and my wife. It wasn't long before I saw some movement in a tree. I slowly parked my car by the roadside and Peter followed behind.

"Hornbill! Hornbill!" I shouted to my passengers as soon as I figured what was causing those movements in the tree to our right. The male hornbill popped its head out of the clump of leaves and peered at the gawking photographers below. It then flew across the road followed by its mate. We were all too stunned to realize that there were actually two of them that none of us were able to take a picture of the female. Deja vu indeed as this was also the very first bird we photographed last week.

Seven days ago we were thrilled to see a Coppersmith Barbet perch for quite a long time on a bare branch. Today while looking for the Philippine Bulbuls that kept calling from the dark side of the bushes, good ol' Barbet once again stopped by at the exact spot announcing its presence by its loud, hammering call.

Unfortunately, the Flowerpeckers were conspicuously absent this time. We also kept hearing the Sooty Woodpecker but it decided to stay out of sight.

Whereas last week we saw five Philippine Falconets, this time there were only a pair of them. And, boy, were they a pair! Doing the act of propagating their kind right in front of our cameras. Lest the photos might go viral on the social media, I will just  post their "smoking the cigarettes" pose, metaphorically speaking.

After lunch at Puerto Azul, we stopped by the roadside as we did before with Tony, hoping to photograph the Coletos. However, only the Asian Glossy Starlings were cooperative enough to pause from their frequent fly-bys to give us good looks.

It was also here that the soaring Brahminy Kites gave the Hong Kong crew many opportunities to get a BIF (birds in flight) shot.

By three in the afternoon, Cynthia and I bade our new friends, Wilson and Peggy Dring, Allwatin Choi and Tung Tse, and old friend, Peter, goodbye. They were all smiles and thrilled at the birds that they saw and photographed. For us, although we did not see any new bird, we did have fun in the company of fellow bird enthusiasts.