The heat is on

When our friend, Prof. Tirso Paris, posted his bird photographs taken in Los Banos in the internet, we drooled. I was reminded of the comment the elderly lady made with regards to Meg Ryan's character at the deli scene in the movie When Harry Met Sally: "I'll have what she's having!"


So when another friend and budding birder, Peter Ting, asked where we plan to go birding on Saturday, I said "Los Banos" unhesitatingly. "I'll pick you up at 5 am", he said. I immediately communicated with Prof. Tirso and asked if he could show us where he got those fabulous photographs. He said yes. And even volunteered to take us inside the hallowed grounds of IRRI (International Rice Research Institute). Inasmuch as that is a research facility where they conduct experiments on the various strains of rice, access is understandably restricted. My wife and I already had quite an embarrassing experience at that place and so we were glad that our professor friend would be able to take us there. (Even then we always had an "escort" all the while we were inside their premises).


At 7:30 am, Tirso was escorting us towards the rice fields, he in his car and the three of us (me, Cynthia, and Peter) in Peter's SUV.  Prof. Tirso drove ahead and scouted the area, then he texted me: pratincoles and skylarks to my left. We followed and sure enough, those birds were there. I have never seen this many Oriental Pratincoles before, flying, simply standing or crouching on the dried rice fields.

That had been our course of action for most of the morning. Prof. Tirso driving ahead then texting me the kinds of birds that he just found. Soon we were also photographing the Oriental Skylarks and the Paddyfield Pipits. A Blue-tailed Bee-eater even perched on a nearby fence post for some good photo-ops.

Oriental Skylark

Paddyfield Pipit

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

This early in the morning, the heat has become almost unbearable. Peter turned on his car airconditioner even with the windows open (we were taking photos from the car) just so we can have some relief from the suffocating heat. 


Not surprisingly, most of the pictures we took of the birds show their beaks wide open in their effort to make the dry, oven-like temperatures more tolerable. 


We heard the low hoots of the Greater Painted Snipes but the blast from the morning sun kept them hidden under the rice stalks. The late-staying waders however seemed to be unmindful of the unusual warmth as they foraged in the ponds. Some were already in breeding plumage. Particularly lovely were the Little Ringed Plovers with their bright yellow eye-rings.

At past ten in the morning we all left IRRI and went to the APEC area but saw nothing! Where there used to be skylarks and pipits, an occasional buttonquail or even a rail crossing now was just an empty, simmering concrete road.


Even a foray into the forest near the TREES Hostel parking lot yielded nothing but a lone Stripe-headed Rhabdornis that perched at the tip of the dead tree. 

It was now nearing noon and we were all drenched in endless sweat. We bid our beloved professor goodbye and thanked him for being our host and guide.


Despite the 36 degree Celsius temperatures we still were able to get some good shots of the local birds of Los Banos. We may not have gotten as many and as good photographs as those that Prof. Tirso posted in the internet, but we were happy.

Meeting "Jack Hanna"

Well, actually it was jacana, not Jack Hanna (sorry, googlers!)


Allow me to elaborate a bit: We were in Candaba, in the province of Pampanga. Here in the Philippines, it is a well known fact that the locals have a tendency to not pronounce the "h" when it precedes a vowel, i.e. "unter" instead of "hunter; and to add an "h" in front of a vowel when there was none, as in "hant" instead of "ant".


Now how does that all fit in my story? As I was saying, we were in Candaba for the primary purpose of looking for Pheasant-tailed Jacanas. Now in their breeding plumage, these birds are quite gorgeous with their long tails and golden napes. Surprisingly, they were quite easy to find. I was photographing one of these beauties when a curious local approached and asked what it was I was taking pictures of.


"Jacana," I replied.


"Jack Hanna?"


I was so tempted to say that the object of my photography was not really wearing any hat nor khaki pants while cuddling some furry animal and therefore could not be um, Jack Hanna. But since the inquirer would probably just scratch his head at my obvious nonsensical words,  I just smiled and nodded.

The real Jack Hanna

It was scorching hot at the Candaba Wetlands when we went early Wednesday morning. 8 am and we were drenched from too much sweat. Birds were not that plentiful at the usual places made even more apparent by the absence of the migrants. The usual thousands of Garganeys and Shovelers were no longer  in their regular haunts. Even at the "other ponds" (thanks to our birder friend, Jun Osano, who gave us directions to get there) the migrant ducks were no longer visible. Only the Philippine Ducks, and even then just a few hundred of them, remained. On the other hand, Oriental Skylarks were bursting forth from the grasses like feathered skyrockets and Oriental Prantincoles were promenading on the trails like some Middle-eastern potentates.

Zitting Cisticolas were zitting on the grass ztalks, zinging all the while. 

Back at the mayor's place, Cynthia spotted a pair of Wandering Whistling Ducks which elicited an excited "woohoo!" from me.

But it was the Jack Hannas that were the stars of the day. They were at the "other ponds". On our way back they were at the ponds by the mayor's house and as we were leaving, a pair was at the junction of the "back door" trail.

And so it was a fitting goodbye for us, being sent off by a pair of lovely birds with long tails and golden napes.

'Cole Center

I'm not exactly sure why I am fascinated with Oriental Pratincoles. They're not among the gaudiest birds in the Philippines. As a matter of fact it's quite difficult to see them unless they are flying. Perhaps in the deep recesses of my mind I might have seen them in the early years of my birding life, more than thirty years ago. I would travel by public vehicle and get off at the side of some remote provincial road. There, unaided by binoculars or a camera, I would gaze at the freshly plowed rice fields before me and try to figure out what those brown birds moving about were. Maybe they were sandpipers. Or rails. Or pratincoles.


When I returned to the Philippines in March of 2010, I kept asking my birding buddies where I can find these birds whose memories seemed to have been imbedded in my brain. It was in September 10 of that year that I first (again?) saw the pratincoles. The place was San Juan, Batangas, but the birds I saw were fleeting glimpses of what appeared to be gigantic swallows gliding smoothly a great distance away.


Then came that fateful day in February of 2011. My wife and I were in Candaba having just seen a White-shouldered Starling when I saw the same gigantic swallow-like bird fly past us and land at the muddy field nearby. We gave chase and my heart pounded heavily because this time I was afforded a really good look, and even got some pictures of, my dream bird despite it still being a considerable distance from us.


We had another encounter with this species several months later at almost the same spot in Candaba but this time they were once again on the wing and never even bothered to land.


When birding friend, Undersecretary of Agriculture Fred Serrano, informed us that Oriental Pratincoles were quite plentiful at the Agricultural Park in Los Banos, Laguna, we were a bit skeptical. Only because we didn't see any the last time we were there. Then a week ago, Fred informed us that the fields have been recently tilled and the pratincoles should be there, he assured us.


Early in the morning of Saturday, June 4th, Cynthia and I were at the Agricultural Park, this time in the company of Professor Tirso Paris of the University of the Philippines, Los Banos. It didn't take us long to spot the unmistakable flight of the pratincole. But now they were also landing on the muddy fields. Not only that, they were quite close! Which made me conclude that this must be the Pratincole center of the Philippines.

"pratincole center" - trust me, there are two pratincoles in the grassy paddy area

pratincoles up close

This one surprisingly landed only a few feet away from Cynthia, who tried to juggle an umbrella (it was scorching hot even at 8 am) and her camera in order to take this picture. This was the first time we've seen it land on a grassy area instead of the usual muddy one.

Candaba Dabba Doo!

Cast of Characters:
Fred - Bob Kaufman
Wilma - Cynthia Kaufman
Barney - Gabs Buluran




Fred and Wilma, and their friend, Barney, went on a birding trip to Candaba early one Saturday morning.  The skies were gray and it even drizzled a little as they entered the wetlands. Only the Shrikes (both Brown and Long-tailed) and some Striated Grassbirds were brave enough to venture into the rainy dawn. Eventually the heavens cleared up and that was when the trio approached the pond near the entrance. And that was when they all saw the Eurasian Coot, just beginning to stir from its slumber. It was lifer number one for Fred, Wilma, and Barney. Yabba!

Barney then settled down to patiently wait for the White-breasted Waterhen and Striated Grassbird that kept popping in and out of the bushes. Wilma, meanwhile, saw some bright brown birds flying in and landing on the black muddy grounds at the other side from where Barney was preparing his gear. Wilma informed her husband about her discovery and they both moved closer to where the bright brown birds landed. Surveying the area with his binoculars, Fred was so ecstatic to discover that one of his "most wanted" bird species were there right in front of their very eyes. Lifer number two for the husband and wife team: Oriental Pratincole!  Dabba!

Satisfied that they have a photograph of the Pratincole, Fred and Wilma then joined Barney. Just as they were approaching, a flock of White-shouldered Starlings flew and alighted on the branches of a camachile tree. Barney suggested that they all get in his stonemobile and use that as a blind so as not to spook and therefore be able to get pictures of the very uncommon starlings. It was so that the tree was on the side of both Fred and Wilma. Gallant and gracious Barney waited until both had gotten their shots (he can't see the starlings from the driver's seat) until he slowly opened his door so he can take his turn. Unfortunately the Starlings all flew off just when he poked his head out. But for Fred and Wilma, they were able to garner their third lifer! 

In fairness, Fred told Barney where to find the Javan Pond Herons. Sure enough the rare waders were there where they usually hunt for food. And for Barney he got his lifer, too!  Doo!