Oriole Happy?

The trees were laden with fruits. There I was staring unblinkingly at the tree before me lavishly adorned with bright red fruits like an overdone holiday decor. And hoping that some other bird would be attracted to these feasts other than the noisy, ubiquitous Yellow-vented Bulbuls.

Then came a "ki-kiyaw!" So loud that even my impaired ears were able to hear it. Then came another and another, each one louder than the one before. I held my breath. Soon a flash of yellow ungracefully swooped through the green leaves and red fruits and ungainly landed on a branch. Followed by another flash of yellow. Why do they have to perch behind those twigs and bunch of leaves? I waited. Their hunger finally getting over their sense of caution, the Black-naped Orioles gave me some photo opportunities as they plucked the ripe fruits and swallowed them whole.

Having had their fill of these bounty, the orioles left. Only to be replaced by a group of Coppersmith Barbets.

When once again only the Bulbuls were the only ones enjoying the fruits, I started walking back to my car. It was then that my friend and fellow bird photographer, Ralf Nabong, arrived. It was also then that the Philippine Hawk Cuckoo flushed from somewhere and alit on a branch not too far from us. I managed to get off one quick shot while Ralf struggled to assemble his gear. Just as soon as he was ready, the cuckoo flew to an acacia tree. We quickly gave chase but it flew again from tree to tree not allowing us to get a good look at it until the bird flew to where we would not be able to follow.

After calming down our frustrations, Ralf and I decided to go to where the Lowland White-eyes are found. As we approached the fruiting "alagaw" tree, I immediately saw the roosting Philippine Nightjar on the branch of a nearby tall acacia.

Turning our attention to the "alagaw" tree, we met another fellow bird photographer, Rey Sta. Ana. As always the fruiting tree was swarming with Yellow-vented Bulbuls. Once in a while a flock of Lowland White-eyes would fly in to feed on the fruits. All three of us enjoyed the challenge of photographing these constantly moving, tiny green birds that blend so well with the large alagaw leaves.

At around eleven, Ralf had to leave due to some personal duties. Rey and I went back to the cuckoo place but it was nowhere to be found so we too decided to call it a day.

Later that afternoon as I related to my wife our adventures that morning, she asked, "Are y'all happy?"

"Oriolelly am", I replied

Tus' Company

Saturday, seven o'clock in the morning, Cynthia and I were at the parking lot next to the Biology building of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. We were for two reasons: First, to locate the Philippine Nightjar that had been roosting here lately and second, to meet up with my high school classmate and now Biology professor, Augustus (Tus) Mamaril.


We got the nightjar quite easily, thanks to the advice of another U.P. professor, Jerry de Villa, and the help of Mang Donato, one of the building's janitors. I was already busy taking pictures of the Philippine endemic when Tus came. I asked him to tarry a while as I promised fellow bird photographer, Bong, that I'll wait for him and show him where the Nightjar was. That was my way of paying him back for the favor he did for me last week when he waited for me so that I can take photos of the Pink-necked Green Pigeon also here at U.P.

Pretty soon, Bong drove in and I immediately showed him the snoozing night bird. Having done my duty, Cynthia and I asked Tus to join us for breakfast so we could reminisce the good ol' days. Inasmuch as I was a "nobody" (The song "Mr. Cellophane" from the broadway play "Chicago" would be a very apt description of me) during high school, I am quite amazed and even flattered that our valedictorian would remember a lot of things about me. Pleasant moments always fly swiftly by when spent with pleasant company, and so we were surprised to realize that it was already 11 am and Tus had to fulfill some professional obligations. On our way back to the parking lot, we saw a group of bird photographers lined up by the road. They were my birding buddies, Bong, Jun, DocMando, Rey and Val. When queried why they were so seemingly excited, they all pointed to a tree about a hundred meters away and said, "Philippine Serpent Eagle".


We took Tus back to his car and bade him goodbye with the promise to meet again, and rushed back to the where the boys were. We all had a grand time photographing the endemic raptor until it eventually flew off to somewhere we were no longer had the inclination to follow.

It was one of those weekend mornings that everything seemed to fall into place. We got the nightjar which was the bird we came to see and even got a bonus with the serpent eagle. And of course, a wonderful time in the company of friends both old and new.

Dusk unto Dusk

The light was fading fast. It had been a gloomy day to begin with. Looking up at the branches of a tall acacia tree, Cynthia and I were searching for the source of the twittering sound emanating from somewhere up there.

We were at the campus grounds of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. It had been 10 days since we arrived in the Philippines and we've never gone out birding yet. Trying to settle down and getting started again in our native country wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. But my birding itch had to be satisfied. We had finally bought a Nissan X-Trail from a birder-photographer friend that morning and I begged my wife to come with me to UP despite the fact that it was already late in the afternoon. I needed her because she's the one who knows the directions on how to get there. It's been a long while since I drove in the streets of MetroManila and a lot of changes had occurred since then.

There we were listening when suddenly we saw a brownish bird alight and began tapping on the branch. A Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker! A lifer for both us. I managed to get off a few shots of the bird silhouetted against the darkening skies. The photographs turned out to be of "documentary" quality only. As we continued to scour the tree branches for hopefully other species, a young man approached us. He turned out to be Bert Madrigal, another birder-photographer and a co-member of the Philippine Bird Photographers (PBP) group. When asked if he had seen the Scops Owl that was photographed in this area recently, he said that it had not been observed in the last 3 days. As dusk fell, we bade him goodbye and we went home happy that we have gotten a lifer.



Early the following morning, we were at Loyola Grand Villas at the invitation of JV Noriega, another member of the PBP. This time our target bird was the Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo that had been frequenting this area lately. We were soon joined by Ralf Nabong, another PBP member (and the guy who sold me his SUV). Two hours of vigilance but the bird was a no-show. A sumptuous breakfast at JV's home concluded our morning's sortie and erased the disappointment of not seeing the bird we came to look for.

Light was fading fast. It had been another gloomy day to begin with. This time we are in the company of Tonji and Sylvia Ramos and Tina Mallari (all of whom are also members of the PBP) as we staked out an open field in the Ayala Alabang Country Club. Camera gears all set-up we waited for the sun to set. Our target bird this time was the Savannah Nightjar. Three of them actually. 7 pm and the birds started flying in. The unmistakable white stripes in their underwings confirmed that Cynthia and I have seen another lifer. At 7 pm the area was just too dark for my camera to capture the nightjars. We dared not use flashes so as not to spook these intriguing creatures. After about 30 minutes, the nightjars flew off towards the trees. We gathered our gears and thanked our gracious hosts not only for showing us the Savannah Nightjars but also for their generous hospitality.

It was a long drive back home and although a part of me was a bit frustrated for not being able to photograph the birds, the birder in me was quite happy to add another lifer to my list.



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