Infanta Sad

It was sort of an impromptu decision to go birding in Infanta on Christmas Day. Initially our plan was to go to Baras, but being Christmas we thought that the Palo Alto would be closed to visitors. Another reason that made us decide on Infanta was that being a holiday, there would be less "traffic" particularly bikers along the way. Thankfully, our hunch was right and we arrived at our destination faster than expected. 

Our birding started well with a very cooperative Flaming Sunbird enjoying the red hibiscus flowers not that far from where we stood.

 

Unfortunately that was one of the very few instances we got to photograph the local avian population. We spent almost three hours birding the area from kilometer 93 to 110 and we only were able to take pictures of three other species: the Elegant Tit - there was a flock that frolicked among the trees across the street.

 

Were it not for its loud whistling, we would not have been able to see the solitary Philippine Fairy Bluebird.

 

And finally, Cynthia got a few and not so good shots of a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

 

On our way back we also got some backlit photos of a couple more of the more "common" birds like the Brown Shrike and Pacific Swallow.

 

We did hear some other birds such as Flowerpeckers and Philippine Bulbuls but never had a chance to see any of them.

It was indeed a very sad and disappointing trip seeing only six species in more than two hours of birding. Most of the private places where we used to able to get in, thanks to the very friendly owners/overseers, were now open as resorts and had a lot of guests when we passed by.

As we were having lunch at The Gathering Cafe, we both agreed that it would be a while before we return to this place.

 

Too Little, Too Late

Recent postings in Facebook of some beautiful birds taken in Infanta by our friends made us consider going there to try our luck. Again, because I was told that there are several checkpoints on the way, I was a bit concerned that we may not be allowed to go through, being senior citizens. Then Cynthia wisely said, we wouldn't know unless we tried.

Saturday we were set to go. To my shock, our car wouldn't start! I did a quick prayer and tapped on the battery terminal. Thank God the car started and never gave us any trouble afterwards. At the first checkpoint in Tanay, the soldiers were very strict. The vehicle ahead of us was asked to turn around. When it was our turn, the soldier asked where we are going. I replied (in English) that we plan to go birdwatching along the road in Real going to Infanta. To our surprise, he smiled and let us go through. 

As we reached our destination, our first stop was at Francis' house. Unfortunately he was at work. His wife was so nice and even pointed a Pacific Swallow perched just below their roof.

We thanked her and we moved on. Surprisingly, there weren't birds by the roadside probably because the hagimit trees were no longer in fruit. We proceeded to the area behind the chapel. There we met a group of bird photographers led by Mark Ghee. They told us that they saw an Amethyst Brown Dove and Philippine Fairy Bluebirds. As we waited for these birds to reappear, one of the guys pointed at a tiny bird moving around. We took some photos of the very active Buzzing Flowerpecker.

Without any more birds seen or heard the group decided to leave. Cynthia and I stayed behind hoping that some bird, any bird, would appear. Then came a flash of yellow-orange. "Scarlet Minivet!" I excitedly told my wife. This was the first time we've seen this species here in the Philippines!

Happy that we got good shots of this colorful species, we climbed back to where our car was parked. At an open space we saw a couple of Large-billed Crows at a distance roosting on a pine tree. I got a shot at one of them. 

That open space was where we used to see a Paddyfield Pipit. However, we didn't see any this time. As  we exited that place, by the roadside, we saw two Paddyfield Pipits!

It was almost 11 am and as we were about to leave, we made a short stop at Gina's Garden. There Cynthia was able to get a shot at a Philippine Fairy Bluebird.

It was quite disheartening that in more than 3 hours of birding we only were able to photograph six bird species! We were too late because the usual trees that attract the birds were no longer fruiting.

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.

No Cream

I always add cream to my coffee. As a matter of fact, the creamier the better for me. Will I ever drink java sans that dairy product? Most likely not. Then how far will I go just to complete my morning joe? Good question. Especially when applied to birding. I may be stretching the analogy a bit, but let me explain: How much risk am I willing to take just to add a species to my life list?

That situation actually happened last Saturday. The three of us (me, my wife, and our friend, Peter) went to Infanta to look for a particular lifer - the Cream-breasted Fruit Dove. We already knew that there would be some difficulty accessing the site where the said dove was nesting. 

When we arrived at the Sierra Farm Cabin, the resident guide showed us the "trail" we had to traverse to get good views of our target bird. It was challenging to put it simply. While we were mulling over our situation, another friend, Chin, who was there before us, decided to give it a go. As we watched them negotiate the dangerous path, Cynthia and I offered a silent prayer to protect both Chin and Hanny, the guide. We gasped as our friend slipped a bit. It was then that all three of us agreed not to risk our life or limb just so we can have cream on our proverbial coffee. Later that day when we returned to Sierra Farm we once again met Chin who had just ended his vigil for the Fruit Dove. "Three hours of waiting, and I got nothing!" he said frustratingly. We were thankful that we made the right decision.

We also asked Hanny about the chances of seeing the Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher. He said the trail going down towards the creek was even worse. There will be times that we would have to negotiate a 90 degree slope. 90 degrees! That's completely vertical!

Our Infanta sortie was not a complete disaster though. Not that far from the Cream-breasted Fruit Dove's nest was another similar species which was also nesting. Thankfully, that place was more accessible. Unfortunately, the nest was only partially visible and we only got documentary photos of the Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove. 

The usual places along the road were surprisingly devoid of birds. Luckily for us the area near the veranda of Sierra Farm Cabin was productive, birdwise. It was there that an Elegant Tit was so bold that it came to about a meter away from us.

While taking a break, I spotted a raptor flying overhead. A Crested Honey Buzzard obliged us for a few minutes before disappearing from view.

After the break, we returned to the veranda. While Peter was taking photos of his lifer, the Olive-backed Flowerpecker, a Philippine Fairy Bluebird posed for me.

Yellowish White-eyes cavorted in the branches of a pine tree.

We had lunch at "The Hulk" lodge and restaurant hoping to see and maybe get closer looks at the Rufous Hornbills we saw last week. Sadly not a single one showed up.

As we travelled back home we were obstructed by a kilometer long convoy of some politicians' supporters. While waiting for an opportunity to overtake them, my mind was filled with thoughts of "maybe I should try having coffee with no cream".

Foggy, Fairy, Far Away

Thick, soupy fog blanketed the road as we approached our destination in Infanta. Droplets of rain pelted our windshield. Our moods were as gloomy as the weather we were experiencing. Would we even see any bird? was the question all three of us were brooding on.

A little farther up the road, the mist slowly lifted revealing the lush forest. 

The rain also gradually abated offering hope to this three determined birders. Then we saw a bird running by the roadside. "Quail!" I shouted excitedly. Peter grabbed my camera, which was sitting on my lap, and took some shots of the brownish creature streaking at his side of the road. The bird then scurried inside a thick clump of vegetation and completely disappeared. Peter then showed me the photos he took which unfortunately were mostly blurred. Not his fault, though, the lighting was bad, his car's engine was running, and the subject was constantly moving. At least the pictures were good enough for me to be able to properly identify that bird - a Spotted Buttonquail, and a lifer!

Elated, we proceeded to the area by the brook. As we approached the stake out place we heard the murmuring of a dove. It went on and off for about an hour but the source of that low humming never showed up. In its place came a pair of Philippine Fairy Bluebirds. A lifer for Peter. Somehow these fairies took away the gloom from the precipitation that once again dampened our morning sortie.

Several forays along the rain-drenched road yielded zero sightings. As it was nearing noon and the drizzle was continuously pouring down, we all decided to settle in at "The Hulk" - a lodge with a dining area near Km 97. We met birder friend, Sean, who will be staying overnight there. After lunch the skies stopped shedding tears and slowly inhaled the haze that covered the valley across from us. It was then that Sean came rushing towards us with glowing exuberance and said "hornbill!" We knew what he meant and we eagerly followed him to the edge of the property overlooking the valley. There a teenaged boy named Jay, described (in fluent English) the exact location where the Rufous Hornbill was supposedly perched. Squinting our eyes and looking through our camera lenses we eventually located our hoped-for bird. Yes, it was about a kilometre away and was just a reddish dot in the green forest below where we were standing. 

It was a total surprise when  three more individuals joined the one we were photographing initially. 

This species had been one of our targets in our repeated trips to this place and at last we found them. A whole family even!

It was a joyous trip back home having garnered several lifers (three for Peter and two for me and Cynthia). What started as a foggy, gloomy morning had a fairy tale ending.

Before and After

Sometimes fate has a strange way in dealing with bird photographers. Like when the results of our photographic endeavours were much better at the places along the way to and from our planned destination.

Inasmuch as we will be busy with some personal errands on Saturday, we decided, sort of in a spur of the moment, to go birding in Infanta on Friday. In our previous trips to that place, we had seen, on several occasions, some Rails foraging by the roadside. Since we did not have our gear out when that happened (we were still more than an hour away from our destination) we hadn't been able to take pictures of the Rails. This time we were prepared. Good thing we were, for there nonchalantly walking on the grass was a Barred Rail.

Then there was a pair of Striated Grassbirds that appeared to be drying their feathers on top of a stone wall. Here is one of them.

I thought those encounters were a good omen for our birding day. Unfortunately, they were not. Our experience in Infanta was close to frustrating. We would see birds but either we would not be able to take their photos or if we did, the results were not up to par. Take for example this Philippine Fairy Bluebird. Cynthia got a picture but it was too dark and covered with twigs.

Or this Rusty-breasted Cuckoo that was backlighted.

Another backlighted shot was that of the very common Philippine Bulbul.

One of the better shots we got was that of a Paddyfield Pipit. This was the first time we saw this species here so that somehow boosted our rapidly waning enthusiasm.

Then came another heartache. Our friend, Anthony, who was guiding an Englishman, saw a Philippine Trogon (another first sighting for us here in Infanta). However, before I could take a shot at it, it flew off and landed on a branch that was partially covered by leaves. Of course, that resulted in another bad photo.

Closer to noontime, it was Anthony again who pointed to a wave of a mixed flock of birds. First was a Yellow-bellied Whistler. (As I mentioned earlier, this was not the best bird photography experience we had.)

Then followed a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

The Elegant Tits, though plentiful, were very active, never stopping even for a single moment.

Finally, the Yellowish White-eyes came. These group preferred the upper level of the trees.

After the wave had passed, my wife and I agreed to call it day. Close to our favourite restaurant which was about an hour away, Cynthia pointed to a black bird perched on a fence. "Pied Bush Chat!" she exclaimed. What followed was a photo session with a very willing and cooperative model.

Reviewing our photos, it was apparent that the best shots were taken before and after our birding sortie in Infanta.

Mist Opportunities

Five in the morning. We were traversing the zigzag road in Tanay. Dense fog covered the area in such a way that I couldn't see beyond a meter in front of us. An hour later as we approached our destination in Infanta, the mist continued to blanket the hillside. Fellow birders were already lined up, waiting, hoping for the sun to break through. The birds were already actively foraging among the trees, but because of the haze, we all missed the opportunity to take some good photos.

Occasionally, and briefly at that, sunlight would pierce through the clouds and that was when we took advantage and tried to shoot at anything that moved. Cynthia was able to get a very active Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

Eventually, the lighting conditions became more favorable for photography. Once again, my wife and I waited for our target bird, the Flame-breasted Fruit Dove to appear. Our friend, Ronet, also had the same purpose. Hearing the definitive "humm" of the dove, Ronet called us and pointed at something up in a tall tree. "There it is!" he said. For the life of me, I could not find the "red spot" that he was pointing at. Cynthia peeped through her long lens and clicked. Then she showed me the result of her endeavor. A Flame-breasted Fruit Dove. Terribly blurred but showing the reason for its name.

I, on the other hand, just contented myself at taking photos of the Buzzing Flowerpecker.

Our friend, Mon, told us to go to kilometer 103. "Behind the chapel there is a fruiting hagimit tree and the Olive-backed Flowerpecker is there," he said. So we went only to find out that we had to go down a steep, slippery trail to get to the aforementioned place. We decided not to endanger our physical and photographic properties and just took photos of the Pacific Swallow and Grey Wagtail on the hillside across the road.

Grey Wagtail

Pacific Swallow

At kilometer 100, we saw a group of fellow bird photographers camped down in front of another hagimit tree. After about 30 minutes of waiting for the flowerpecker that never showed up, we returned to Km. 95.

Noontime, and only friends Raymond and Carlo remained. This time the sun was already shining brightly. Suddenly a huge wave of mixed flocks came! Finally we added a couple of lifers to our list - the Philippine Fairy Bluebird and the Lemon-throated Leaf Warbler.

Cynthia even got a great shot of the Yellow-bellied Whistler.

At 1 pm, the flock was gone. Cynthia and I agreed to call it day. As we headed to one of our favorite restaurants, I was glad that good things still came out despite a foggy and seemingly ominous start. We finally got to meet in person birders who, until today, were just Facebook friends. We also met those we haven't seen in a long while.

We were thankful for the opportunities to bond with fellow bird enthusiasts and for getting lifers as well. Mist notwithstanding.