Going U.P.

Friday night and Cynthia and I still haven't talked about any plans on where to go birding on Saturday. Early Saturday morning as I was preparing coffee to go along with our breakfast which I'm quite certain will be not in our condo, my wife looked at me in the eye. 

"Any suggestions on where to go birding?" I asked her.

"I was thinking U.P.", she replied.

It's just so amazing that we think alike because that was what exactly I had in mind as well.

So off to U.P. we went but, as we also both agreed, we had to pass by the Green Meadow/Temple Drive area to start off our birding. Our first stop was at the waterway next to a subdivision along Green Meadows Avenue. Recently a small store was set up beside it which prevented the local Little Egret from visiting the area. However that morning, the store had not been opened yet and when I looked at the waterway, behold! not just one but five Little Egrets were frolicking there!

 

That was a good start to our birding morning! From there we proceeded to the parking area of the Christ the King Parish church. We saw a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker perched high on a bare tree. Lighting was so bad that I only got a so-so photo.

 

Unfortunately, that was the only bird we saw, other than the resident Zebra Dove.

 

Our next stop was along Giraffe Road where a flock of Crested Mynas were on the electric wires.

 

From a distance was a Long-tailed Shrike basking in the morning sun.

 

Also along Giraffe Road a Collared Kingfisher was also perched on a bare tree.

 

At Temple Drive at the usual spot we were glad to see a flock of Chestnut Munias feeding on the grass stalks. Surprisingly a few Scale-breasted Munias were with them.

 

 

The pond at the Hardin ng Rosas was filled with vegetation so not a single bird was there. On the way out we saw the local Zebra Dove. 

 

Not far from it we saw a migrant Grey-streaked Flycatcher.

 

As we entered the grounds of U.P. a flock of Eastern Cattle Egrets landed just beside the road.

 

We parked at the MSI area where we intend to have our take out breakfast from Rodics. But before we were able to do that, Cynthia heard the call of an Olive-backed Sunbird. We easily found it as it fed on some flowers at eye level.

 

At the Astronomy area the Long-tailed Shrike was nowhere to be seen. Instead the bully Brown Shrike was there albeit quite far.

 

An unexpected sighting in this place was a Striated Grassbird.

 

Not seeing any more species in the U.P. Campus, we both agreed to go the Marikina River. We were surprised to see an immature Barn Swallow perched on a wire just a few feet below us.

 

Of course, the main reason why we went to this place was to once again practice our BIF (bird in flight) shots of the Whiskered Terns.

 

Another surprise was when a Striated Heron flew to the other side of the river. It was so sudden and unexpected that I only got a documentary shot.

 

As Cynthia would say, "we already got our quota" so we both agreed to call it a day.

Kingfisher In, Kingfisher Out

Saturday morning we decided to go birding in Baras. As we entered Palo Alto, it was foggy and the road was wet. 

 

Doesn't augur well, I thought to myself. I opened my car window and looked at the electric wire at the other side of the street. "White-throated Kingfisher!"(or Brown-breasted Kingfisher - depending on which list you follow) I told my wife and started taking photos of it. 

 

After having our take-out breakfast from Jollibee, Cynthia heard some singing. "Philippine Magpie Robin!" she said pointing to the very active black-and-white bird.

 

From there we moved on and got the expected Pied Bush Chat pair.

Male

Female

 

At the East Road we encountered a Spotted Dove.

 

We were surprised to see two species that are usually staying on the grassy areas perched on a tree limb. The male Pied Bush Chat was so close my wife could not get a full body photo, with her shorter lens at that.

 

The other species was a Paddyfield Pipit drying itself in the morning sun.

 

The Cattle Egrets were few this time and I managed to get a shot of an individual.

 

On the way to Cancun, we got the Collared Kingfisher.

 

At Cancun, we were amazed at how friendly the Barred Rails were!

 

Not only the Rails but the Scaly-breasted Munias as well.

 

Near the water tank we were so sad to see a White-eared Brown Dove in a cage. Apparently it was a trap to lure other birds into that cage.

Inasmuch as the migration season has already began, we wondered if the Grey Wagtails are already here. We finally saw one at Jerez!

 

We also got a close up shot of a Little Egret.

 

At the waterway, a Common Sandpiper finally showed up - again it was quite far.

 

Of course, we had to take an obligatory shot at the White-breasted Woodswallow.

 

Around 10 am, we decided to call it a day. And as we were about to leave, guess what bird, we saw? - The White-throated Kingfisher, of course! The species we saw coming in, and the species we saw going out.

Post Christmas Birding

The day after Christmas - the sun was shining brightly and traffic was surprisingly light - a perfect day to go birding. Our choice destination was nearby U.P. Diliman. On the way, we decided to pass by the "canal" at the White Plains road for a possible Little Egret and maybe, who knows, a Common Kingfisher. Unfortunately, both species were nowhere in sight.  We moved on and along White Plains road, we saw a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker perched on the branch of a bare tree. It was a bit too high and the early morning sun was shining brightly at it thus resulting in only a "documentary" shot.

Below that tree, perched on an electric wire, was a Pied Triller! 

We've passed this road so many times before but it was only this day that we saw these birds here. There were even some Crested Mynas but they didn't stay long enough to be photographed. Also a Long-tailed Shrike showed up (another first in this place) but it was far and backlit. Anyway I'm certain we would get better photos of this species in U.P.

At the Hardin ng Rosas, we also were thrilled to see quite a number of species at the pond. First was a White-throated Kingfisher.

Black-winged Stilts - there were five of them - were already foraging the shallow waters.

A Common Moorhen was out in the open.

Another surprise was an immature Black-crowned Night Heron standing by the waters.

While waiting for the White-breasted Waterhen to come out from behind the Night Heron, I took an obligatory shot of the Yellow-vented Bulbul.

Finally the Waterhen, an immature, came in full view.

As we were leaving the Hardin, a Zebra Dove came right beside our car.

At the campus, we first had breakfast at Rodic's to enjoy the best Tapsilog there is. After enjoying our meal, we proceeded to the Astronomy Department Building where we are sure to find the Long-tailed Shrike. And of course, it was there.

Behind the place was a small patch of "talahib" where Scaly-breasted Munias feed. They were a bit skittish perhaps due to the frequent passing of joggers and bikers. We waited patiently and after a while the flock came close enough for us to get good shots.

There weren't many birds at the usual birding spots in the campus so we both agreed to call it a day. On the way out, I spotted a Brown Shrike at the open field behind the oval.

A short stopover at the subdivision where we used to live only yielded another Brown Shrike.

We went to the White Plains canal again hoping our target birds would be there but still no luck. A Grey Wagtail was there but didn't stay long enough for us to get a photo. On the other hand, a Philippine Pied Fantail was more obliging.

It wasn't bad for a post-Christmas birding especially because of the number of species we saw particularly at the Hardin.

M & Ms

At the grounds of U.P. Diliman, my wife and I headed to the bare tree by the roadside hoping that it would host a lot of birds as it had done the previous times we visited it. To our dismay not a single bird was there! Well except for the "trash" bird, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and technically, it was on an electric post beside the bare tree.

So we moved on. As we rounded a corner, we saw six Crested Mynas on the ground. Soon more came and frolicked on the trees above it. 

It was a little after 6 am and we could feel the warmth of the morning. Even the Mynas seemed to be feeling the heat.

Having had our fill with the black birds, we moved to the haunt of the Long-tailed Shrike. Of course it was at its usual place.

Across from it, on a building under construction, a Zebra Dove was calling.

We then proceeded to where the Scaly-breasted Munias hang out. Of course, they were there. The usual small flock was at first on a small tree then went on to feed on the tall grass beneath.

Cynthia and I both agreed that we should visit the MSI grounds. Along the way, I spotted a Collared Kingfisher perched on an unusual place...the soccer grounds! Strange since there wasn't any body of water nearby.

MSI was a disappointment. The Black-naped Orioles and Coppersmith Barbets were calling but never came into view. Some Golden-bellied Gerygones came by and I managed to get a documentary shot.

Of course, I had an obligatory shot at the Yellow-vented Bulbul.

Thankfully, a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker was nice enough to hunt for food in full view.

Unlike our previous trips here, we didn't see a lot of birds this time. Perhaps it was the sweltering heat that caused the sparsity of avian species. Were it not for the M & Ms (Mynas and Munias) our sortie would have been a bit of a disappointment.