U.P. to no good (but with nice ending)

Saturday, November 14, we again went to U.P. Diliman to do some birding. We had a sumptuous breakfast at Rodic's and not far from it on top of the electric posts were some Crested Mynas.

 

As we proceeded to the MSI, the Eastern Cattle Egrets were at their usual place near the museum.

The area in front of the MSI building was a disaster! Several of the tall trees were blown down by the recent typhoon Ulysses. Perhaps it was because of this that there weren't any birds around. The yellow flowers in front of the parking lot of the Child Center were also gone and because of that the Olive-backed Sunbirds that used to enjoy the nectar decided to stay on the top branches of the bare trees instead. Which meant that they were unphotographable. From there we went to the Astronomy Dome. Along the way the Brown Shrike was more cooperative.

At first we thought the resident Long-tailed Shrike had gone because we didn't see it at its usual hangout. Fortunately, we spotted it in the area near the street.

We made another round of the area and parked our car. It was then that I spotted a large brown bird on a tree branch. I took a shot at it despite being backlit and hoped I would be able to identify that mysterious bird. It was only when I was processing our photos that I found out that it was a Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo.

A short foray into the pond yielded a Collared Kingfisher.

Although we saw some species today that we hadn't seen in our previous trips here, it was still a not so good birding trip for us because most of the local birds were missing. Maybe it was because of the destruction of some of the habitats caused by the typhoon.

Thankfully, our birding ended quite well. Before going home Cynthia suggested we visit her daughter in Pasig. After parking our car just outside her daughter's gate, we noticed some bird activity at a nearby tree. While my wife was spending time with Jenn and her family, I brought out my camera and started taking photos of the Lowland White-eyes.

It's Back

The news is that the Philippine Hawk Cuckoo is back at the "Frogs" area in the University of the Philippines' campus in Diliman. There were even postings of its photograph in Facebook. However, during our visits to the place the past couple of months, Cynthia and I never had the luck to see this bird. We did try to look for it but dipped each and every time.

Thursday, February 25 was a holiday (which means there will be relatively less traffic - a good enough incentive to go birding). My wife and I made a quick decision after breakfast to make another attempt at finding the cuckoo - you know, the feathered kind. We invited new friend and new birder, Jo Lapuz to meet up with us at the MSI parking lot. There we also met old buddy, Bong and his wife, Eve. 

As we staked out the place where our target bird supposedly frequently visits, we were joined by Nes Santiago. Later on Sean Melendres, Ben Go, and Jonas Liwag also dropped by.

A little before 9 am, my wife's sharp eyes saw the cuckoo. Unfortunately, it did not stay long enough for us to get good photos. After about an hour I saw the Philippine Hawk Cuckoo alight on the very same tree where we spotted it earlier. This time it was more cooperative. Let me qualify that: yes, it stayed for quite a while for us to get good shots, however, all that time it only showed us its back.

War and Peace Birding

The loud cawing attracted our attention. Following the source of those angry calls my wife and I saw a pair of Large-billed Crows circling a tall tree. Alternately they would dive at something while continuously berating at the object of their wrath. I slowly inched our vehicle closer to the tree of contention. Then I saw it (Cynthia, unfortunately was on the passenger side and therefore could not see what was going on) - the crows were mobbing a Philippine Hawk Eagle! Despite it's bigger size the Hawk-Eagle was unable to ward off its attackers and could only manage some squawks of protest.

We've been to this subdivision in Antipolo City many times to go birding, and this was the first sighting I had of Nisaetus philippensis here. For about fifteen minutes the black marauders harassed the large raptor until finally not being able to stand the hostility and to save face, the Hawk-eagle flew away. Interestingly, the pair of crows did not give chase. Perhaps they have a nest nearby that they were trying to protect from the predator, thus the enmity?

The war between two species now over, the other birds became more active in their foraging for food. A surprise was an Elegant Tit displaying its black and yellow color in the blue morning sky.

Then there was a very active Grey-streaked Flycatcher living up to its name. It would dart after some unfortunate insect and then return to its original perch - just a few meters from us.

After saying thanks to our hosts, the Webbs, we were returning to our vehicle when I saw something big and brown fly across from us. It was my wife's great spotting abilities that eventually located the whereabouts of the mystery bird. I grabbed her camera with the shorter gear so I could be more mobile and chased after it (it kept flying from tree to tree). It was only later that day when I was processing my photos that I was able to determine what the unknown species was - a Philippine Hawk-cuckoo! I thought it was serendipitous to see two uncommon birds whose names start with "Philippine Hawk" in just a few hours birding.

As we were driving out, we encountered a pair of lovey-doveys. Two usually skittish Spotted Doves were side-by-side on a branch cooing to one another, oblivious of their surroundings. 

What started with the ugliness of war, our birding day ended with the beauty of peace…and love!

Things go better with Cuckoo

It's the real thing. I saw it. I got a picture of it. Unlike that self-loving, egocentric, narcissistic, and may I add, imaginary, flycatcher. Cynthia, myself and birding buddy, Ralf Nabong saw the Philippine Hawk Cuckoo in less than ten minutes after we got to the place where the naked woman stands. Unlike the black-and-yellow bird that purportedly stays in the trees next to the building where bibliophiles go but wasn't there the four times we've been there.


The pause that refreshes. After a frustrating, time-consuming, blood-boiling, wasted effort at waiting for something that never comes, it was a refreshing change to see an uncommon bird quite easily. It was a pause that became a catharsis to a soul darkened by a fruitless search.


It was a joy to discover that things indeed go better with Cuckoo. The uncool attitude of the Narcissus Flycatcher made the Philippine Hawk Cuckoo cooler. The day became brighter, our demeanors became more pleasant. So why don't you have a Cuckoo and a smile?