Say the word..

Since the pandemic, Baras had become a favorite birding place for us. For one thing it is not that far from our home - about 40 kilometers away. And of course because there are quite a number of birds to be seen there. Although the place we go to is a subdivision (Palo Alto), it has not been fully developed yet. The area is vast with various types of environments and there are only a few residential houses. 

The morning of Philippine Independence Day we once again visited Palo Alto. We arrived at our destination in about an hour after undergoing through the nerve-wrecking experience of driving on a narrow road that was filled with countless bicyclists and motorcycle riders.

As soon as we entered the subdivision I saw a Philippine Magpie Robin near the entrance. I parked by the roundabout to unload our gears, a Common Emerald Dove swooshed across Cynthia and perched in front of her. I quickly handed over her camera and she was able to get some shots at it.

 

We then walked towards the place where I saw the Magpie Robin earlier. Even before we got there, my wife heard its call and eventually located the bird high up a tree. To high for a good picture so all I got was a "documentary" shot.

 

As we were returning to our car, Cynthia took a photo of a bird on a bare tree. I think it's a Philippine Bulbul she told me. It was only when I was processing the images at home that I was able to confirm that it was indeed a Philippine Bulbul. That was the first time we saw that species at Baras.

 

From there we proceeded to Campeche Road where we had our take-out breakfast from Jollibee. After breakfast we moved on to Alicante Road. Along the way a bunch of Scaly-breasted Munias were feeding by the roadside.

 

As we turned the road at Palo Alto West, some Crested Mynas were on top of a electric post.

 

At Cancun Road, three Collared Kingfishers were perched quite low and in really bad light. 

 

Paddyfield Pipits were fewer than the last we were here. We were lucky to find one at the usual place along Almansor Road.

 

Not far from it were Pied Bush Chats - both male and female.

 

Strangely, the Spotted Doves were skittish. I managed to get a shot at one just before it flew off.

 

On the other hand White-throated Kingfishers were common. We've seen them in four different areas. This one was at Alicante Road. 

 

After taking shots at the Kingfisher, we heard the loud pok-pok-pok of a Coppersmith Barbet. We found it calling from a high perch. 

 

Near our car I was surprised to see a Zebra Dove so close that I got an almost full frame shot.

 

We noticed some movement at an aratiles tree. After much patience waiting for it to show up we got another surprise seeing a female Bicolored Flowerpecker!

 

Cynthia then suggested we go to Frontrera Road where we saw a Long-tailed Shrike the last time we were here. I stopped at the place where it hangs out. "It's not there", my wife sighed. "It's there!" I pointed to her our quarry roosting a bit higher than where it used to stay.

 

From there we proceeded to the steep road where the Blue Rock Thrush was seen early this year. While on the way, my wife said that we haven't seen the Blue-throated Bee-eaters the several times we've been here recently. As I was about to turn back, voila! Blue-throated Bee-eaters!

 

Another species we haven't seen lately was the Whiskered Treeswift. It used to be that we always see them on a wire along Palo Alto East near the roundabout. As we continued on back towards Cancun, guess what we saw!

 

We were so happy that the birds we were hoping to see would suddenly appear before us. Hoping our luck would continue, we both said that we also haven't seen White-breasted Woodswallows for quite a while. We were already driving along Escano Road on our way out when we saw Woodswallows flying over. We watched and then saw them land on a bare tree! Photo ops!

 

It was while taking pictures of the Woodswallows when a Striated Grassbird came and bullied the Woodswallows away.

 

And that was how our birding day ended at Palo Alto, Baras. We just said the word and the bird we mentioned would show up! It was such a blessing!

3 and 1

Some people don't like 3-in-1 coffee. It's not real coffee they say. On the other hand, there are those who enjoy drinking it. It's convenient and comparatively cheaper than brewed coffee were the reasons they like it. In a way, there are some good and some not so good qualities in 3-in-1 coffee.

In a similar manner, we had some good and some not so good experiences in our birding trip to Infanta last Saturday. It was 3 and 1 - 3 misses and 1 hit. Our main targets that day were the Philippine Trogon, the Philippine Cuckoo Dove and the Flame-breasted Fruit Dove. We didn't see them - not a single one.

First, the Fruit Dove was a no show. And to think that it was there the whole day the day before according the caretaker of the place. The Philippine Trogon was there we were told, albeit only the female. However, getting to the place where she tends to her nest was a huge deterrent to these two senior citizens. The path going there was not that steep but it was slippery and I didn't want to risk our limbs and camera gear for this colorful bird. The Cuckoo Dove, we were informed, was also a no-show. Not a total loss because all three were not lifers for us anyway.

Now for the good news: we might have had 3 misses, but we did get 1 lifer. As we were about to board our car to go to the next birding spot, I saw a raptor gliding majestically against the blue sky. We both took shots and looking at the images we got, I was so elated to discover that it was a Rufous-bellied Eagle!

We got some photos of other birds in the area too. Still it was strange that the usual species that we used to see regularly here were somehow missing - such as the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Elegant Tit and Blue-headed Fantail. Instead we got the following:

Philippine Bulbul

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Immature Pacific Swallow

Warbling White-eye

10:30 am and we decided to call it a day. Lunch at the Gathering Cafe fell a bit below expectations. Maybe we should have ordered a 3-in-1 coffee? 

Show us no Pitta

For more than two hours we waited. Two hours of being drenched in sweat and enduring the humidity of a summer. We were at the Mini Forest of the La Mesa Ecopark for a particular purpose: to  photograph the Hooded Pitta and the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. We sadly dipped on both.

But please show us no pity.  The morning was not a total disaster. For one thing a Black-naped Oriole - a species that prefers to stay high among the branches of tall trees - came out in the open and posed for us for a few minutes.

Then a pair of Lowland White-eyes cavorted just above us.

An overstaying(?) Brown Shrike was still hanging around perhaps aware that it was still quite cold in its home in northern Asia.

A surprise was a Philippine Bulbul which have not been seen much in this area.

Also the morning was about people. As we were about to get into the mini forest we met a young guy. He was a campus missionary from our church (Victory Christian Fellowship) in Novaliches. They will be holding a youth ministry at the Ecopark he told us.

While waiting for the Pitta we met an old friend, and fellow birder, Jenny de Villa. We spent some time together catching up and sharing our birding experiences.

Finally, as we were already driving on our way out, I saw a guy dressed in camp and holding a camera with long lens. "Bird photographer!", I told my wife. I waved at him and parked the car. He came over and introduced himself and we did likewise. We just added a "lifer" to our birding friend list - Rey Ibay.

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.

When Dove has Gone

We were met at the gate by the husband-and-wife caretakers of the property. "The Cream-bellied Fruit Dove is gone" the husband informed us, "because the young ones have fledged." That was sort of expected. Before I could even ask about the other dove, he said, in an apologetic manner, "the Yellow-bellied is no longer there. There was heavy rain with thunder and lightning the other night and when we looked the following morning, the nesting dove had already left." "It never came back," he added.

As they say, when it comes to dove, there is no forever. So we did what anyone who lost their dove had done - we moved on. 

Was it by chance that we found redemption at a place not that far from a chapel? We were waiting for the hoped for Grand Rhabdornis - which was once again a no-show - when Cynthia saw a small bird perch on a tree at some distance from where we were. "What is it?" I asked my wife. "I don't know," she answered, "but it looked like a munia."

"A munia??" I exclaimed doubtfully. "In this kind of environment?"

So I looked though my long lens and my face reddened from extreme embarrassment. It was indeed a munia. A White-bellied one even. I mean who would expect a bird that prefers lowland forests and ricefields to be this high up on a mountain. This was the first time that this species had been seen here, as far as I know.

After almost an hour of waiting and no other birds showing up, we both agreed to return to our car. As we approached the chapel, there were some bird calls emanating from a fruiting tree. It didn't take long for one of those sources to come into view. A black bird. Philippine Fairy Bluebird was my guess. But wait, the eyes are not red. I hoped that it would be the uncommon Blackish Cuckooshrike. But...I was right the first time! The reason for the eyes not being red was because it was a juvenile! (Thanks to Rob and Mhark for the confirmation).

As if that wasn't enough, the mood changed from blue to green as a pair of Guaiaberos posed for a few minutes for us. Again, this was another first time sighting of this species for us in Infanta.

Then, a Coppersmith Barbet came in full view, at eye level, offering us our best shot of the day.

Back at the roadside, we chanced upon a fruiting hagimit tree. And where there are fruits, there will be birds. Although not as many this time. Two kinds of Flowerpeckers were feeding on it - the Orange-bellied and the Bicolored.

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

Bicolored Flowerpecker - male

Bicolored Flowerpecker - female

A family of Philippine Bulbuls also came, the parents feeding their young ones.

At around 11 am we decided to call it a day. As we delighted in our sumptuous lunch, we both agreed that even in the absence of dove, there can still be happiness.

Subic Birding - Day 3 - Best

Although we did not see a lot of birds on our third day, those we saw were very friendly. They would even come close that some of our shots were full frame!

First off were the Balicassiaos

Then a Guaiabero were as curious about us as we of it.

The highlight was when a Rough-crested Malkoha, normally a skulker, not only popped-put in the open, it was so close to us and even gave us several poses.

Not to be outdone was a Philippine Bulbul who even chose a flower (fruit?) to perch on.

When we went to the area near the bay, this Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker was so focused on finding its food sometimes just a few feet away from us.

Finally, a White-throated Kingfisher just sat on the wire as we took pictures of it from our car window. Which we found rather strange because the past couple of days, they would fly off as we try to approach it in our vehicle.