See Some, Miss Some

It felt kinda strange that some birds we saw one week ago in Baras were now missing, and on the other hand we saw a few species that were not seen then. 

Our day started by seeing an Ashy Minivet perched on a tree branch not that far from where we had our breakfast along Jerez Street. It had been a while since we saw this bird here.

We proceeded to the area near the water tank and were surprised by some bird activities. Here we spotted several species that we didn't see the week before: Arctic Warbler, Black-naped Monarch, Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker and Elegant Tit.

Arctic Warbler

Black-naped Monarch

Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker

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Elegant Tit

What we missed were the Savanna Nightjar, the Little Ringed Plover and the Philippine Cuckoo Dove.

Thankfully we still saw quite a number of the resident birds here. The highlights of which were the Blue Rock Thrush (which we saw after three tries). The Stripe-headed Rhabdornis and the Philippine Hanging Parrot were both feeding on the red flowers near the clubhouse.

Blue Rock Thrush

Stripe-headed Rhabdornis

Philippine Hanging Parrot

Target Acquired

Thankfully LA Mesa Ecopark (LMEP) is now open to seniors over 65 years old. That was good news to us because recently a Common Kingfisher had been seen (and photographed) there. Not that it would be a lifer for us but it had been quite a while since we've seen one.

Saturday morning we purposed to go to LMEP to see the kingfisher of course! But first we birded along the way, beginning at the Greenmeadows Avenue. Our first stop was by the small waterway where a Little Egret is almost always a sure sighting. We were not disappointed.

 

Just above us a Philippine Pied Fantail was frolicking.

 

From there we proceeded to the parking area of the Christ the King Parish church. The first bird we saw was a Brown Shrike.

 

Surprisingly an immature Black-naped Oriole was singing out loud on top of a bare tree.

 

Another bare tree has a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker basking in the rising sun.

 

Of course we had to take the obligatory shot of the resident Zebra Dove.

 

Another surprise was a Spotted Dove.

 

Our next stop was at Rodic's in U.P. Diliman for our breakfast. After our morning repast we went to the Astronomy area and got the Long-tailed Shrike.

 

We made another round and this time it was the Crested Mynas that posed for us.

 

We also got a good enough shot of the migrant Arctic Warbler.

 

Then off to LMEP we went. The guards were so nice and very helpful in getting us through the entrance protocols. By the pond where the Common Kingfisher had been seen, we met fellow bird photographers Nelson and Benjie. They had gotten a shot of the kingfisher early in the morning and they were both waiting for it to show up again. Almost an hour passed and the kingfisher was still a no show. Cynthia and I were both considering to give up when I saw a bluish bird fly by and landed on a bare branch on the pond. We hurried to where we could get a better look at it and after some waiting it perched out in the open. We were surprised that there were actually two of them - an adult and an immature!

Immature

 

 

Adult

 

We were so happy that we finally got what we came here for. Target Acquired!

Impromptu Birding

Me: Remember the overstaying Brown Shrike we saw in U.P.  early this month but we didn't have a camera then?

Cynthia: Yes, what about it?

Me: Remember I told you we would come back and take pictures of it?

Cynthia: Yes, and.....?

Me: Let's go and do it now!

It was nine o'clock Monday morning - an unusual time to go birding, especially with the ongoing heat wave. Perhaps it was the boredom of being cooped up in our condo that made be do such an impromptu decision. Thankfully, my wife agreed.

Off to U.P. we went. Our first stop, of course, was the parking of the MSI (Marine Science Institute) where we saw the Brown Shrike. It didn't take long for us to see our target bird. The photo I got could be perfectly captioned as "Were you looking for me?"

 From there we went to the Astronomy area to look for the Long-tailed Shrike. For the longest time, seeing this species here is a guarantee. However, this time it was a no show. I thought that was strange and hoped that it was still alive and thriving elsewhere. What we saw, and quite unexpectedly, was a friendly Collared Kingfisher.

 Another surprise was a few White-breasted Woodswallows. This was the first time we saw them in this place.

 Of course, the uber common Yellow-vented Bulbul was frantically calling our attention to take a shot at it.

 Also nearby was a pair of Zebra Dove, which surprisingly, were skittish that we only got a documentary photo of one of them.

 We returned to the MSI and got even got better shots of the Brown Shrike.

 And an obligatory shot at the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

 Then we heard the repeated calling of a Black-naped Oriole. I located the source of the sound and even got a good photo of the Oriole.

Cynthia, on the other, heard the pecking sound of a woodpecker. She eventually saw the tiny bird and we got a good enough image of the Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker.

 

Happy that we saw and photographed a good number of birds, we both agreed that it was time to go home. As we were leaving, Cynthia suggested we pass by the Temple Drive hoping we would see some birds there. Unfortunately, the grass where the Munias feed had been cut down. As we were about to get back to our car, my wife said, "There's a Myna behind the fence just in front of us!" I looked and voila! That was the best picture of the day and an exciting end to our impromptu birding.

Minus Mynas

Spending Saturday mornings birding at U.P. Diliman had become sort of a routine for us. With the ongoing quarantine, that is the only place where we seniors are allowed to go to.

As we headed to our first stop, I saw a pair of Crested Mynas on the ground. I parked the car, took out our gear (which was still packed in their respective bags) only to find out that the black birds had flown away. From there we proceeded to our regular first stop - the bare tree along the road. There some Black-naped Orioles were calling to each other.

A pair of Philippine Pygmy Woodpeckers were busily looking for food.

Other than those two species, there were no other birds at the tree. Across from it though was a Collared Kingfisher perched on an electric wire.

From there we went to the MSI grounds. There we were greeted by a family of Philippine Magpie-Robins frolicking on the trees.

Then a Pied Triller showed up with food in mouth even.

A female Olive-backed Sunbird surprisingly was on a branch and not on the flowering shrubs.

At the Astrodome, we couldn't believe that the Long-tailed Shrike and the Zebra Dove were not at their usual hangouts. Thankfully, the Scaly-breasted Munias were there, although a bit farther than usual.

A Brown Shrike was way up on top of a tree basking in the morning sun.

As we were about to get in our car, I saw the Long-tailed Shrike.

We were already driving off when a Zebra Dove flew from the ground and perched on a fence. At last we got its photo taken while we were inside our car.

It was another fruitful birding day at U.P. Diliman. We got most of the birds we expected to photograph, minus the Mynas.

Pleasant Surprise

It had been more than 4 months since we had done any serious birding. The reason for that was the current Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the restrictions had been eased up a bit, my wife and I thought that perhaps it would now be possible to go birding. Saturday morning we went to the campus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. As we approached the entrance we noticed some barriers blocking access to the Oval road. Thankfully, there was another road going in that was accessible. Sadness crept in when we discovered that entry to the usual places we go to were also prohibited. As we coursed through one of the main thoroughfares, we noticed some birds perched on a bare tree. I quickly parked the car on the side of the road and unpacked our gear. 

"Orioles!" Cynthia was shouting as she pointed to a group of this black and yellow birds.

It turned out that a family of Black-naped Orioles were basking in the morning sun. It was totally unexpected to see this species out in the open.

Sharing the same bare tree was a pair of Philippine Pygmy Woodpeckers. They were quite high up the tree and were very active that I only got a "so-so" shot.

Soon a female Pied Triller joined the group.

And then a Philippine Pied Fantail also dropped by.

Of course the ubiquitous Yellow-vented Bulbuls were there too.

A black bird flew by and landed on top of an electric post. We added the Crested Myna to our list that morning.

As I was about to get back to where I parked the car, I noticed a black-and-white bird perched on a branch. "Philippine Magpie Robin!" I exclaimed and waved at my wife for her to see this totally unexpected species.

After the Orioles left the bare tree, some Golden-bellied Gerygones came by.

We decided to move on but before we did, I had to take the obligatory shot of the very common Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

At the MSI parking lot, we heard the constant "pok-pok" call of the Coppersmith Barbet. I was telling Cynthia that this bird always lets its presence known by its constant calling but almost never shows up in the open, when "surprise, surprise!" it landed on a branch and was very visible for photography!

From there we went to the place where we have always seen the Long-tailed Shrike. And it did not disappoint!

From a distance we saw a pair of Collared Kingfishers calling out.

As we were leaving the realm of the Long-tailed Shrike,  we saw a Striated Grassbird fly across. I stopped the car hoping to get a shot of that species but it disappeared like a magician's rabbit. To compensate for that, a flock of Scaly-breasted Munias came feeding on the grass stalks.

On the way out we encountered our last species for the day, the Zebra Dove.

To be able to see and photograph 13 species of birds in about 2 hours was a pleasant surprise considering we saw some that we never expected. Also our worries of not being able to get in the premises of U.P. were unfounded - the security guards, whom we feared would accost us because of the GCQ ruling, were actually very friendly and some even waved at us. Now that was another pleasant surprise!