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On our third day in Bohol we planned to go birding within the grounds of the Loboc River Resort where we were staying. We had surveyed that area the first couple of days and we both agreed that this place was promising birding-wise.
Bright and early we were out exploring the premises of the resort. Not far from the pond we noticed some movement among the trees. To our surprise it was a Yellow Wattled Bulbul!
That sighting augured well for us because just a few feet away, the male Purple-throated Sunbird displayed its awesome colors to us.
Walking further up the road, I noticed another colorful bird soaring against the bright blue sky. "Bee-eater!" I yelled. When it landed on a branch I confirmed that it was the Blue-tailed Bee-eater.
Across from the bee-eater, a Pied Triller was enjoying its early morning repast.
Then we saw something green fly by. We eventually located where it landed and was thrilled to add the Philippine Hanging Parrot to our birds of the day.
We continued our walk and as we rounded the bend, we were surprised when a group of birds suddenly took off from the river. Because of the curved road, we didn't realize that we were approaching the river and even more so that there would be waders there. Some Black-crowned Night Herons, Little Egrets and even an immature Common Moorhen got spooked as we came by. They all disappeared from view and therefore we weren't able to take any photos at all. But all was not in vain because a small flock of Philippine Ducks simply moved a bit farther but still were close enough for us to get a few shots.
As we neared the resort's restaurant another unexpected species showed up. A single Chestnut Munia flew across and perched on a branch almost at eye level.
That was a fitting end to our birding by the side of the Loboc River. We also four different kinds of doves: Spotted Dove, Red Turtle Dove, Zebra Dove and Pink-necked Green Pigeon. There was even a Grey-streaked Flycatcher but it was perched quite far and high that we could not get a good photo of it.
We then went to the restaurant and had one of the best breakfasts we ever had.
As were about to check out, the owner of resort, Zing, came out to greet us. We told her that we were birders and that we saw a lot of birds in their premises. We then told her that we encountered several lovebirds roaming freely in their grounds. We did see a huge cage with nest boxes in it but the wire covering was already removed. Zing told us that they already set the lovebirds free but the birds decided to stay in the area. Here are a few photos:
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| Lutino Lovebird |
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| Black-masked Lovebird |
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| Peach-faced Lovebird |
A vast majority of our bird photography friends had already seen and posted pictures of the Purple-throated Sunbird in Facebook. This species had been a sure sighting in the garden of another birding friend, Prof. Tirso Paris in Los Banos. So the remaining few of us who still have not yet availed of this opportunity decided to ride the Purple-throated Sunbird train this Saturday. When I contacted our dear Prof. Tirso to request permission to access his sunbird haven, he said he may not be able to guarantee any sightings since the banana flowers that this species feed on had been reduced to only three stalks. The day before, it took almost two hours of waiting before they appeared, our friend told me. Nevertheless I told him that we would still try our luck.
Early Saturday morning, while we were driving to his place, Prof. Tirso messaged me advising us to take our time since it was raining in Los Banos. Indeed it was as we exited the freeway and was on the road along Calamba. After a leisurely breakfast at Jollibees, I got another message from Prof. telling me that we can now go to his garden as the sun was already shining.
(For Cynthia and myself, it had been like this for several occasions. There was a time when we were going to Kinabalu Park in Sabah. Our driver was telling us that we were so lucky because it had been raining non-stop the past few days there but now the skies were clear.)
As we were unloading our gear, another car also parked behind us. We were pleasantly surprised to see friends Maia and Djop. They were also going after the sunbirds. We settled in Prof. Tirso's garden and traded some stories. After two hours (just as our host predicted) the sunbirds came. First it was an immature. Then there was the female. Finally the colorful male completed our set of photos. This happened again twice within 30-minute intervals. At past 11, the four us - me, my wife, Peter and Wenxing - agreed to call it a day since our collective stomachs were now groaning for some lunch. Maia and Djop decided to stay and look for other species in the area. We thanked Prof. Tirso profusely for his kindness and hospitality.
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| Immature |
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| Female |
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| Male |
A short drive to the APEC area yielded only Wood Sandpipers and scads of Munias (both Chestnut and Scaly-breasted) which were either too far or partially hidden among the tall grass for a good shot.
And guess what...after lunch it started to rain again.
Birding in summer in the Philippines is really not a good idea. Still the three of us, my wife and I with our friend, Peter, hoped that our utter disregard for the weather would be justly rewarded.
Unfortunately, it was a bitter disappointment on our first stop. The area around the TREES Hostel was completely devoid of birds! The dead tree by the parking lot where we saw Falconets, Barbets, Rhabornis and even Balicassiaos before was as lifeless as can be. We silently blamed the throng of people who were preparing for an eco-run a few meters away for this.
The Dairy Park, thankfully, was more promising. We first saw a flock of Crested Mynas riding the backs of the grazing cattle. As we approached to get photos of the black birds, the whole herd decided to avoid the now blazing sun and moved to the shady part at the opposite side of the fence - far away from where we were standing. We couldn't blame the cows for wanting some relief from the heat, so while we were fuming at this latest setback I saw some swallows alighting near a puddle. We moved closer - under some shade, of course - and waited for the birds to do their thing. Once they have gotten accustomed to our presence, both Pacific and Striated Swallows came and pecked at the mud. I have seen this phenomena before and I thought these birds were using the mud to build their nests. However, in this case, there were no tall trees nor buildings nearby where the said nests are usually built. Besides, the same individuals would dip their beaks in the mud, fly off, circle back and repeat the routine. Could it be that this was their way of refreshing themselves to alleviate the rising temperatures?
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| Pacific Swallow |
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| Striated Swallow |
During one those times when the swallows would fly off, some Scaly-breasted Munias dropped by a nearby tree for a pause that refreshes.
From the Dairy Park we went to the Agripark where we anticipated seeing Pratincoles, Rails or even Snipes. Again, nada. Not a single bird! The same misfortune happened at the APEC area. The tall grass had been cut down so Buttonquails were nowhere to be seen. No Cisticolas either! Thankfully, some Crested Mynas were flying by and a few perched on the electric wires to take a breather.
We all agreed to try the Botanic Garden. Enduring the climb (Peter and I were carrying our big lenses) in the suffocating heat was a challenge. Only the hope of seeing some birds spurred us on. The lipote tree was no longer flowering so no birds can be found there. What was surprising was that the heliconias and torch gingers were in full bloom, but not a single sunbird appeared. At ten o'clock and still not even a shadow of a bird showed up so we decided to call it a day - with heavy hearts. In one of our many stops to catch our breaths, I spotted some movement on a banana-like plant. I thought at first that it was "just" a female Olive-backed Sunbird. Since we were starved for a bird photograph, we fired away. Looking at the results, I was now convinced that it was a female Purple-throated Sunbird!
It wasn't long that my suspicion had been confirmed when the brightly colored male showed up. Redemption at last!
I believe that it was the first time that we have encountered such scarcity of birds in our outings. The sizzling summer heat made a negative impact on the avian population - even in an elevated place like Mt. Makiling. However, seeing even a few birds turned it into a positive situation.
We heard about it. We knew about it. We just didn't think we would be doing it. "It" refers to the habal-habal, a unique mode of transportation in the Southern Philippines. First of all the name is derived from the Visayan word "habal" which means "having sex" although the reference is usually to animals in general and to dogs in particular. Basically a habal-habal is a motorcycle with an extended back portion to accommodate more than one passenger. Three adults behind the driver would be squeezed in such a way that they would resemble dogs in the act of procreation.
We made arrangements with renowned bird guide Rene Vendiola that we will visit him at his home early Thursday morning. When he said he will have us picked up from the town of Valencia, we thought all along that a motor tricycle would be sent at our disposal - it being the most common way of getting around in this area. When a guy on a motorbike showed up Cynthia and I looked at each other with trepidation. We've never ridden a motorbike before and now we were about to board not just an ordinary bike - we will be riding a habal-habal. Without helmets even. Taking a deep breath and uttering a short word of prayer we began our trip. After what seemed like an eternity while hanging on for dear life, we arrived at Rene's place. He was smiling naughtily as he witnessed two grinning senior citizens, who apparently had a great time having "sex", trying to dismount from the motorcycle with great effort.
Then came the birding. As expected we saw the martial arts specialist of the birding world, the Black-belted Flowerpecker. This species is a can't-miss here at Rene's backyard.
Roaming around the patch of woodland that he owned, Rene was able to present me with another lifer, the noisy Philippine Tailorbird.
The Spotted Wood Kingfisher that he said frequented his place was there momentarily but was chased away by a Collared Kingfisher even before I was able to take a good look at it. The Pygmy Flowerpecker was also quite elusive that I only got a few glimpses. The Purple-throated Sunbird though was more accommodating than its Siquijor cousins.
Rene had other commitments that morning, so we thanked him for his time and hospitality. Inasmuch as it was still early, he suggested that we visit Forest Camp. Although severely damaged by Typhoon Sendong, the place was now accessible, he assured us. And the best way to get there was by, you guessed it, the dreaded habal-habal.
The trip to Forest Camp took even longer and negotiated some road undulations. But we were now veterans to this type of transportation. "Bring it on", my wife and I both said with great confidence as we pasted ourselves to the driver's back.
Forest Camp was indeed accessible and some parts had been restored to a degree of normalcy. But the birds were still sparse. The usually brazen Crimson Sunbirds now remained at the tree tops. The Visayan Bulbuls were calling but were unseen. Only the Philippine Magpie Robins gave us good looks.
After about an hour later, our beloved habal-habal driver, George, came to pick us up per agreement. He volunteered to take us to Dumaguete but we politely refused and asked that we be taken to nearby Valencia instead. After all, at our age, we can only handle so much "sex" in a certain span of time.
A refreshing lunch at Kri somehow brought us back to a sense of reality. Did we really do what we just did? were among the questions that hovered in our minds as we indulged in mahi-mahi and prawns.
Back at the hotel, our birding day ended through the courtesy of a female Olive-backed Sunbird which was building a nest only a few feet above the ground and not far from the laundry room where hotel employees come and go.
