Tuba Rich

We attended a wedding in Tuba, Benguet last Saturday. Prior to the ceremony Cynthia and I had ample time to go birding around the premises of the place where we were staying (Green Valley Village). Inasmuch as that place was a subdivision, we didn't expect to see a lot of birds. After a few minutes of walking we saw a patch of greenery. As we rounded a corner we spotted the migrant Blue Rock Thrush perched below a water tank.

As soon as we reached the patch of greenery, we noticed some bird activity on some bare branches. To my surprise, it was a female Red Crossbill with some fledglings.

After a while the crossbill family left. This time the activity was on a small tree across where the crossbills were. A small flock of Warbling White-eyes were busy hunting for food.

At the opposite corner a Turquoise Flycatcher perched almost at eye level.

We needed to get ready for the wedding ceremony so we started to walk back to our lodge. That was when we encountered a Long-tailed Shrike basking in the morning sun.

My wife heard some twittering and looking back to where we saw the Turquoise Flycatcher, there was a male Olive-backed Sunbird on an electric wire, singing loudly.

Along the way, I did the obligatory shot of the common Eurasian Tree Sparrow. I even thought of posting that picture in Facebook and jokingly labelling it as the Benguet Tree Sparrow.

Not far from our lodge there was a house that was still under construction. On it we saw a pair of Pied Bush Chats.

The wedding was held at a different place where we were staying. It was at the Picmar Heritage Lodge also in Tuba. The place had some greeneries as well and even had a vegetable garden nearby. Before the ceremony started we did a quick look at the said garden and saw a flock of Crested Mynas.

After the ceremony, we once again went to the garden area. This time it was a flock of Large-billed Crows that showed up.

The following morning, we again tried the area near our lodge. Somehow the birds were sparse. So I took a shot at the Yellow-vented Bulbul.

Some activity on a low tree attracted our attention. It was a very active tiny brown bird and it was quite a challenge to get a good shot at it. Reviewing my photos after we got back to our home in Pasig, I asked my friends to help me ID that bird. The answer I got was that it was an Arctic Warbler.

It was a really short time birding in Tuba, but I'm glad that despite being in a subdivision, the place was rich with birds - more than we expected.

Contrast that with our birding foray at the Camp John Hay Eco-trail the following day. The only bird we saw was a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch and it was just too far to be photographed even with my long lens.

Halloween Birding

October 31. Halloween. The eve of All Saints' Day. This is when ghosts, ghouls and various evil spirits supposedly celebrate their allotted time before the saints take over the following day.

This was also the time when four birders decided to try their luck at the valley between Mt. Banahaw and Mt. San Cristobal. For me and my wife it was the desire to add two more lifers to our list: The Luzon Sunbird and ver rare Von Schrenck's Bittern. For our companions Ruth (who kindly did the driving) and Doc Cha, it was getting back into the thrill of watching birds once again.

Just before the resort parking area we saw the brothers Lepatan, along with the local guide Jason, photographing something. We joined them and were informed that there were both male and female Narcissus Flycatchers in the trees in front of us. Perhaps it was the halloween spirit that haunted us because we only saw glimpses of the female and none at all of the more colorful male (which I have failed to see despite several attempts for the past 5 years).

When we asked Jason about our target birds he informed us that we had to follow some protocol regarding the bittern. The space where it can be seen was quite limited and also they prefer that no more than 4 people be there at the site at any given time. Since there was already a group that was ahead of us, we were asked to wait for our turn which would depend on how satisfied the present viewers would be.

The Luzon Sunbird, on the other hand, had not been seen for about a week now. The flowers that they feed on were no longer in bloom, Jason said. But we can still give it a try he encouragingly told us.

While the Lepatans were waiting for their two more brothers to join them, Ruth, Doc Cha, Cynthia and myself were entertained by a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo atop a tree near the restaurant.

With the group now complete we all hiked to where the Sunbirds were last seen. It was also near the place where Jason would be showing the White-browed Shortwing to the Lepatans. 

While waiting for the brothers to return from the shortwing site, a Turquoise Flycatcher gave us some good view, although a bit far.

Then it was Ruth's and Doc Cha's turn to see the Shortwing. We didn't go with them because we've already photographed this species in the same spot about 3 years ago. While they were there my wife and I kept looking at the red flowers that the sunbirds supposedly feed on. No such luck however. Only a Red-keeled Flowerpecker showed up and it was so high up that we were not able to get a decent photo.

We did see other birds while we were waiting for our guide to return from the shortwing site. One of them was a Philippine Serpent Eagle flying over. 

It was also while we were in the "waiting area" that it rained off and on. In between downpours birds would reappear. That's when we saw a flock of Mountain White-eyes, and a Buzzing Flowerpecker.

Mountain White-eye

Buzzing Flowerpecker

After everyone had seen the shortwing, Jason got news from his brother Chris that the Von Schrenck's had not showed up yet. We hiked back to the restaurant and since it was almost noon we had our lunch.

After lunch we had a debate whether the bird we saw near the restaurant was the very common Brown Shrike or the rarer (and possible lifer) Mountain Shrike. We hadn't come to a definite conclusion yet so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Since news that the bittern was still a no-show, we tried for the Narcissus Flycatcher again and got the female this time.

At 2:30 pm it appeared that we would never be able to get the chance to see the bittern. With heavy hearts we all decided that it's time to go home.

It was a disappointment for me because I dipped on my two target birds for the trip.

Well, it was Halloween so all I could say was: Boo!

Pine Birding - Part II of our Baguio Trip

Once again the enticing aroma of pine trees greeted us as we parked by the "landslide" area along the road to the summit of Mt. Santo Tomas. Our friend, Jho, assured us that the Crossbills come to this area early in the morning. So far, nothing but the ubiquitous Pied Bush Chats frolicked in the morning sun.

Then I saw a silhouette of a bird perched on an electric wire. I walked slowly towards it. Blue Rock Thrush! I only managed to get a few backlit shots before it flew off and completely disappeared from view.

Cynthia detected some movement in the brush. The brown bird popped up and promptly returned back into the dense foliage. The only feature that we both noticed, aside from its color, was its long tail. Could it be the furtive Long-tailed Ground Warbler? Sadly, it never reappeared for us to confirm our suspicions. I even tried to get near the bush where it hid itself hoping it would reappear. Something appeared alright but not the long-tailed skulker but rather a curious Siberian Rubythroat. Just a few feet from me! I was so surprised and excited that I got my camera settings all wrong and managed just a "documentary" shot.

I was about to join my wife when out of the blue, a small bird alighted on the electric wire above us. "Crossbill!" I shouted. We both took pictures and to our delight it flew down to the "landslide" area just as Jho had predicted. Soon it was joined by its less colorful mate. Cynthia and I were surprised and even amazed at the cooperativeness of this pair of Red Crossbills. They just fed on the tiny plants growing besides the rocks as if a couple of human beings holding cameras were not there.

Past ten in the morning and it was us that got tired of photographing these uncommon montane species. We checked out the summit but failed to encounter either the Mountain Shrike or the Fire-breasted Flowerpecker. We were about to board our vehicle when I saw a raptor gliding below us. It was my wife who was better at BIF (birds in flight) shots who got a few photos. It was another puzzler, made even more difficult to identify because of the great distance between the bird and the photographer. It turned out to be an Eastern Buzzard, another lifer for us! (Thanks, Jho, for the ID)

On the way down, the only species we encountered were a flock of Mountain White-eyes and (now I'm quite sure) a Paddyfield Pipit.

We were at the eco-trail a little before 11. It was not long after when Cynthia alerted me. "I can hear them!"she said. First came a huge flock of Mountain White-eyes. Then a solitary Grey-streaked Flycatcher stopped by. A totally unexpected sighting was that of a Colasisi or Philippine Hanging Parrot! 

While I was enjoying my colasisi, my wife was photographing a mystery bird. Unfortunately it was behind a patch of greenery and totally backlit that her shots were all too dark. I can only figure out that it had an orange breast and a blackish head with a tiny strip of white behind the eye. It was while we were comparing the results of our photographic endeavors that another lifer appeared. We added Turquoise Flycatcher to our list.

Happy with our encounter, we broke off for lunch. Past one pm and we were back this time at the eco-trail by the paintball area. Jho told us this was where the mixed flock "wave" passes through. True enough as soon as we were among the pines that the flock came. First was the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch (too far, too dark) then a Citrine Canary-Flycatcher dropped by. It was followed by the Chestnut-faced Babbler (a lifer but no good photo), then a Blue-headed Fantail and finally, an Elegant Tit.

Citrine Canary-Flycatcher 

Blue-headed Fantail 

Elegant tit

After that exhilarating experience, the forest became quiet again except for an occasional Arctic Warbler passing by. We agreed to call it a day. We just had a light snack that evening and were fast asleep by 8 pm.

We had a wonderful time in Baguio - thanks to our friend, Jocelyn Alberto-Floresca, for showing us the birding places in the area. Because of that, we added five lifers to our list: Island Thrush, Red Crossbill, Chestnut-faced Babbler, Eastern Buzzard and Turquoise Flycatcher. We thought about planning a return trip, perhaps stay longer so we can don our tourist hats too. Or just concentrate on birding again. Who knows?