Mark Jason Villa goes Birding

I'm sexy and I know it!

2012-01-02T23:36:00.002+08:00

My first bird for 2012 is none other than the sexiest owl out there, the Philippine Eagle Owl. I can just hear the LMFAO song in the bg. I mean just look at her. She knows everyone is watching her and what does she do? Stare back and wink.....

and tilt her head and just act sexy. Look at those big eyes and powerful claws.

Partridge on a Rock

2011-12-24T16:57:00.002+08:00

One day til Christmas. Actually just a few hours now.

I just booked a ticket to Borneo for next year! So I decided to post a picture of a partridge taken in Borneo.

It's not on a pear tree though.

It is a Red-necked Partridge, endemic to Borneo. Back then I was still using Panasonic Lumix FZ-28. We managed to get extremely close, it was just sitting in front of us. It was dark and flash was used on this picture. Pardon the bad quality.

Merry Christmas to all.

2 Turtle Doves

2011-12-23T04:36:00.000+08:00

Not that I feel much Christmas spirit but It's 2 days til Christmas so I thought of posting these 2 Red Turtle Doves. Digiscoped with Swarovski scope and Nikon Coolpix.. a long time ago.. in Bethlehem.. I mean in Candaba.

Something Red

2011-12-20T10:29:00.001+08:00

Here's a trial post because I am wondering why pictures are not coming out on my other posts on this new dynamic blogger layout. I honestly really like it.

Just because it's almost Christmas. I'll post something red. See if it works.

Cocky shrike

2011-12-19T16:53:00.001+08:00

Just posting a pic of a very confident looking Long-tailed Shrike, taken at University of the Philippines.

Gotta love 'em shrikes.

Missing you, do you miss me too?

2011-12-19T11:08:00.000+08:00

Dear Blog,

It was a crazy year, 2011. I am sorry I neglected you for so long. It is almost 2012 and I think it is going to be almost as crazy. I have so much in me to give you but I really hope I can give you some more of my time, even just a little. Maybe once or twice a month will work? How about that? I hope you understand.

How about I post 3 pics from my year to show you I still care? More to come, I promise.

Love,
Mark

Saw this on my birthday this year. :)

A prinia from Indonesia

Crimson Sunbird

Pipits at Camp John Hay

2011-12-17T11:09:00.001+08:00

I gotta hand it to the tree pipits. What skulkers.

It was just behind some grass right in front of me one minute, then another second, it was gone. Did not see movement. Apparently it was already out in the open, blending so well on the ground. We did not even notice it had escaped from our sight. I managed to get one decent shot tho.

As the name suggests, when flushed, it quickly flies from the ground up to a tree, where it nimbly walks from branch to branch.

There were a few of them at the trails in Camp John Hay. About 3 or 4 together. Cool birds. Like the weather they seem to prefer.

Funny bird pictures

2010-10-20T23:43:00.005+08:00

I like it when I take pictures and the birds seem like they are thinking of something and not just posing.

Hey, neighbor!! How are you doing!?

What a mess!

Bit more than I can chew again!

Why so sad, little buddy?

Wait..how come I have more than 5 fingers?

Ooops... Sticky and sweet

Cinchona

2010-09-30T23:00:00.004+08:00

Here are some pics from a recent trip to Cinchona in Mt. Kitanglad. All pictures taken with Canon7d with 100-400mm lens.

A very cooperative White-eared Brown-Dove

An immature Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove.

There was a flock of at least 30 Montane Racquet-tails flying about. They perched and fed on the tree below.

Mindanao montane endemic Black & Cinnamon Fantail

Whiskered Treeswift

Naked-faced Spiderhunter gets a spider

2010-09-19T17:02:00.001+08:00

Got this series of shots of the Naked-faced Spiderhunter taking a spider from its web then gulping it.

Slender-billed Crow aka Sierra Madre Crow

2010-09-16T10:25:00.007+08:00

I found a pair of Sierra Madre Crows in Amro watershed, Aurora. I heard some weird noises that I had not readily recognized. They were a kind of a continuous werk werk werk but softer and mellower than the loud duck-like quack of Slender-billed Crows in Palawan.

It fed on that plant thing on the perch. Sorry I don't what it is. I will ask my plant expert friend.

They also seem to like palm and was seen cutting one of its leaves as seen in the picture.

They seem to flap their wings a lot... Many of my pics are of it flapping while on perch.

Like this picture again for example.

Seems like they also flap above horizontal plane at flight. I stitched these two pictures together as it was flying while carrying a branch.

Blue bird ID

2010-09-15T19:57:00.001+08:00

Well... anyway. So I am kind of stumped as to what these birds are. The first picture is presumably of a different individual from the 2 pictures below. Photos were taken on separate instances. I assumed while I had my lens on it that it was Blue-breasted Flycatcher because I was expecting to see one. I have only seen Bbf one time before and not a good view at that. The bill is kind of short and weak for a Bbf and the lack of rufous flanks also puts it off. The only other blue birds in the range are the monarchs but the photos don't look typically much like the 3 monarchs present in Aurora. My best guess at least on the 2 bottom pics are that of immature Short-crested Monarch. What's your guess?

Bluebird 1

Bluebird2

Golden-crowned Babbler nest

2010-09-15T09:52:00.002+08:00

Courtesy of one of our ethnic guides, Mang Ed, we found a nest of a Golden-crowned Babbler. I mentioned I like finding nests right? The Kennedy guide book mentions a previous record of the nest. The descriptions in the book is very similar with what we found.

It was a cup-shaped nest made up of twigs/branches and the outside appears to be covered with moss. It was suspended from a branch about a meter from the ground and very cleverly concealed behind leaves and ferns.

The bird was on the nest and still on the incubating stage. When it was not on the nest, we peered inside and found 3 bluish eggs.

The nest was actually on the main narrow trail on the way to our camp. The bird was easily spooked on any passers-by and would fly away. This explains the bird that flew away from near the ground whilst I was walking the day before.

To take a picture without disturbing it, I sat on the ground upon nearing the nest and slowly slid myself until I got a view. There is a very small opening without altering the nest environment so I had to work with that. Luckily one time in the afternoon the sun shone directly on the nest and gave me quite good lighting on the babbler and gave good detail of its golden crown.

More pictures of Golden-crowned Babblers below. Golden-crowned Babblers are endemic to northern Luzon.

Lifer for me!: Grand Rhabdornis

2010-09-10T10:56:00.001+08:00

I have few lifers left to see in the Philippines so when I see one it is always a treat! At Aurora watershed, amongst a small flock of small birds (Nuthatches, Blue-headed Fantails..), I saw a biggish bird among them. It perched a bit and I got on it and saw that it was a Rhabdornis. I assumed it was Stripe-headed Rhabdornis as we were only at 500masl until I noticed its un-striped head and other features and I knew I was on to something good! The Rhabdornis stayed on, preening its feathers just enough time to be photographed. The set of pics show well the unstreaked crown, grey throat/breast and the last picture showing its back show white spottings on its wings.

1st Asian Bird Fair/ 6th Philippine Bird Festival held in Davao

2010-08-23T07:42:00.000+08:00

Lubao, Pampanga

2010-05-28T12:49:00.002+08:00

Some photos from Lubao, Pampanga.

Watercock, Canon 30D+100-400mm lens

White-browed Crake, Canon 30D+100-400mm lens

Bright-capped Cisticola, Canon 30D+100-400mm lens

Cinnamon Bittern, Swarovski STS80HD+25-50x+Nikon Coolpix P6000

This post is for the Pied Bushchat

2010-05-27T19:08:00.029+08:00

Sometimes in life, harsh things happen.

Predation happens. For naturalists, this is an accepted fact. Predators kill to survive. Either they eat or they die.

BBC's Planet Earth has amazing footages of predation in action (wolves hunting reindeer, a pack of African wild dogs hunting impala or lions preying on a baby elephant). It is exciting to watch and the viewer either roots for the predator or the prey.

It is not often though that we witness actual predation in the wild. (This excludes birds feeding on insects as we don't usually feel much for insects anyway.)

We go on birding trips to look at birds because they are beautiful and colorful and it is fascinating to watch their behavior. We like to listen to them sing or to watch them feed. It is especially good to find nests because birds will stay around in a spot longer than usual, thus making for better observations. I seem to have the knack of finding nests lately, having always found at least one on each of my recent trips.

On a recent trip to Lubao, Pampanga. I found another one.

One afternoon, I noticed that there was a pair of Pied Bushchats that kept coming back and forth to a cemented post. I casually thought, wow, that's a favorite spot. As there were other birds to look at in the same area like Philippine Coucal and Watercock, I did not give it much attention. Pied Bushchats are after all, pretty common.

I went back the following day and thought I'd like to take pictures of them. While watching them, I realized they (especially the female) were always carrying prey material in their bills. From experience, this only means one thing. They were feeding a chick!

I watched more carefully, hoping to find the nest. It was in a grassland area. There was a shallow ditch and I saw that the pair kept sneaking down there. They were very careful. They had a few "perch stops" before entering the nest. They made sure to fly away when there were people passing. I had brought my big, green umbrella which served as my hide. It worked to blend me with the surrounding and they got more accustomed of me.

After a while, I eventually found the exact spot of the nest. It was somewhere in a hole near the ground, very well hidden. No one who was just casually around would have seen it. I saw one cute chick that was maybe just a week old.

I watched them that morning and I was careful not to disturb; keeping my distance and making sure they came back to feed the little guy. Seeing that they were fine, I decided to leave for lunch.

After a couple of hours before going back to Manila, I thought I'd take one last look and check how they were doing. When I got to the spot, I was happy to see the pair still at the same spot. But this time, there was something going on. They were flying about almost frantically as if driving something away. The loud chattering they were making was unfamiliar but I knew that it was some kind of alarm call. Something was wrong!

I did not want to disturb but at the same time I wanted to know what was happening. I decided to look down at the nest and to my surprise briefly saw a snake slithering away! Its body width looked like it was wider than my arm. It was a big snake! I can only guess that it was a python. I peered inside the nest and saw that the chick was gone.

At that point, I could not be any sadder. These were not just the common Pied Bushchats I see everytime. These were the Pied Bushchats I spent a few hours with. It was almost as if I knew them. After I scared off the snake, they had calmed down and the angry chattering stopped but the mother bushchat kept coming back near the nest. It was maybe trying to listen if the baby was still calling her. I do not know if animals have human-like emotions but I could say that at that point, it was not very happy.

There is a circle and I understand that. I love snakes and it has to live but more often than not I root for the birds!

I passed by again later on the way to Manila and saw the pair still hanging out in the area. The male was singing and the female was nearby. I am optimistic and I think they will try again. This post and pictures are for the Pied Bushchat pair who lost a chick. I hope they will live to have more baby chicks in the future.

Birding in Palay-Palay with Ford

2010-05-16T18:18:00.017+08:00

After a long time now, some friends and I finally went back for a visit to Mt. Palay-Palay. Thanks very much for the generosity of Ford Philippines for lending us vehicles to get there. We got 2 Ford Everest and 1 Ford Wildtrak Ranger.

We stayed at my friend Kitty's family resthouse near the Marogondon River. That was where I first saw my Philippine Nightjar when I was still a newbie birder. I remember how we saw a nightjar and identified it by its "chuk-chuk" call as described in the book. It is now a very familiar call to me everytime I hear it.

This time, we were greeted by another night bird, a Philippine Scops-Owl, that circled the house the whole night, perching on exposed branches and calling like a cat. We repeatedly saw it briefly flying from perch to perch but did not get good views until later in the night when we got to spotlight it! Lifer for a lot and definitely not easy to see. Dude night birding!

Birding the next day also did not disappoint. We had excellent views of Tarictic Hornbill, Philippine Falconet, Whiskered Treeswift, Blackish Cuckoo-shrike, Philippine Trogon and a lot others. Philippine Hawk-Cuckoos and Black-chinned Fruit-doves were singing everywhere.

At mid-day we just hanged out, had halo-halo and snacks at Puerto Azul. There is a small flock of Black-naped Terns nesting on a cliff nearby. Striated Swallows entertained the photographers as they zoomed over the swimming pool for a drink.

Great easy way to spend a weekend facilitated by Ford Philippines.

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker nest

2010-05-05T14:24:00.005+08:00

While in Mt. Isarog, I chanced upon this nest. I love finding nests. It gives me a chance to watch birds from a spot knowing it will be coming back and back. The birds go in the nest so fast that it is initially difficult to id which flowerpecker is using the nest. There are a lot of other birds in the vicinity including Pygmy and Red-keeled Flowerpeckers but it was the Orange-bellied Flowerpecker that was frequently heard and getting near the area. I confirmed this when I set up my video to point at the nest.

According to the Kennedy field guide, the OBF nest has not been described in the Philippines. The nest is egg-shaped (oval) and pouch-like hanging from a branch of a tree fern. It is made up of what seems like dried moss with dead leaves pasted and hanging on it. It has a big entrance occupying the upper half of the front of the nest. The tree fern was about 40 feet high so actual measurements was not possible. The nest was pretty small maybe just twice the height of the length of the flowerpecker. so about 8 or 10 inches long.

The birds were not coming back to the nest as frequently as I would expect if there were a chick to be fed already so I assume based on observation that they were still on the finishing process of building the nest. I might be wrong and there might be a chick inside already but from the video it looks like they are bringing in spider webbing and not food material.

Please enjoy this short non-audio video.

Mt. Isarog

2010-05-04T11:33:00.011+08:00

I had read a website a long time ago about Mt. Isarog and for some reason I had always wanted to go. When the Luzon Parrot Project mentioned to me that Mt. Isarog was one of the places they were going to survey, I promptly told them my interest to join.

And so I joined them up there for a week in early May. I had done my research before going and found an old article of the bird surveys previously done of the mountain. There was Rabor in 1966 and Goodman and Gonzales in 1988. One interesting note they got during the 1988 expedition was a flock of 3 Philippine Cockatoos up in 1100meters. I quickly told this to the team to their excitement. We did not find any cockatoos but we found some other good birds.

The Panicuason trail starts at the gate entrance which is already about 500m. There are guest houses and other structures for scientific use here but they are generally not open to the public.We were able to use it with permission from DENR but getting it was not without its troubles. There is also a nearby waterfall popular with tourists. Just in the area there are already some good birds. Saw and heard Spotted Imperial-Pigeon. I am always happy to see this rare bird. Philippine Eagle-Owl was heard at night.

The first camp is at above 900m. We stayed here for a night. There is a nearby stream here and access to water is easy. White-browed Shortwing can already be heard and seen here. Just beyond is almost the upper limit of the lowland birds like Philippine Bulbul and Philippine Fairy-Bluebird (Latter also heard higher up at 1100m). Mixed flocks found here are of Elegant Tit, Blue-headed Fantail, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Yellowish White-eye, Stripe-headed Rhabdornis and Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler.

Mt. Isarog is the only place I've been to where Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler is a rather regular even common member of mixed flocks. I was happy to see some obvious ones with a clear yellow supercilium and throat but there were others that had almost all white throat.

Camp 2 is at about 1200m. The climb from the gate entrance to the first camp is not so difficult but the climb from Camp 1 to Camp 2 requires some great maneuvering and root/branch/tree holding techniques as there is a sharp increase in steepness. From Camp 2 to the higher camps and the peak, the increase in steepness is more gradual. I was looking for Rabor's Wren-Babbler and found one near Camp 2.

Forest frog collage

We stayed for 3 nights at Camp 4 (1600m). Birds like Little Pied Flycatcher, Island Thrush, Chestnut-faced Babblers and Mountain Leaf-Warblers are just around the camp. I recorded a song of the Green-backed Whistler apart from the 2 note whistle it makes. It seems to only sing very early in the morning at daybreak. Luzon Scops-Owl were heard every night.

The mountain goes up to 1966m or 1996m (I don't know who to follow!). The peak is what I call a mossy forest! It is an amazing, almost magical place. It is like being in a different world. I had fun being there. Birds are very friendly and curious and would go near you just like the Metallic-winged Sunbird that checked me out.

Click Read More for birdlist.
BIRDLIST
1.    Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela    1
2.    Philippine Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus philippensis    2
3.    Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus    2
4.    White-eared Brown-Dove Phapitreron leucotis    10
5.    Amethyst Brown-Dove Phapitreron amethystinus    2
6.    Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus occipitalis    10
7.    Spotted Imperial-Pigeon Ducula carola    2
8.    Metallic Pigeon (White-throated Pigeon) Columba vitiensis    6
9.    Philippine Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia tenuirostris    15    common
10.    Luzon Bleeding-heart Gallicolumba luzonica    1
11.    Guaiabero Bolbopsittacus lunulatus    6
12.    Colasisi Loriculus philippensis    2
13.    Oriental Cuckoo (Himalayan Cuckoo) Cuculus saturatus    1
14.    Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus    6
15.    Scale-feathered Malkoha Lepidogrammus cumingi    4
16.    Red-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus    6
17.    Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis    2
18.    Philippine Coucal Centropus viridis    4
19.    Luzon Scops-Owl Otus longicornis    2
20.    Philippine Scops-Owl Otus megalotis    1
21.    Philippine Eagle-Owl Bubo philippensis    1
22.    Philippine Hawk-Owl Ninox philippensis    2
23.    Pygmy Swiftlet Collocalia troglodytes    10
24.    Spotted Wood-Kingfisher Actenoides lindsayi    3
25.    Tarictic Hornbill      (Luzon Hornbill) Penelopides manillae    2
26.    Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos maculatus    2
27.    Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus    1
28.    Blackish Cuckoo-shrike Coracina coerulescens    4
29.    Philippine Bulbul Ixos philippinus    X    only up to Camp 1
30.    Balicassiao Dicrurus balicassius    X
31.    Philippine Fairy-Bluebird Irena cyanogastra    4
32.    Elegant Tit Parus elegans    30    common mixed flock member
33.    Sulphur-billed Nuthatch Sitta oenochlamys    3
34.    Stripe-headed Rhabdornis Rhabdornis mystacalis    1
35. Chestnut-faced Babbler 40
36.    Rabor's Wren-Babbler Napothera rabori    2
37.    White-browed Shortwing Brachypteryx montana    X
38.    Island Thrush Turdus poliocephalus    2
39.    Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis    2
40.    Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus cebuensis    12
41.    Mountain Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus trivirgatus    20
42.    Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis    1
43.    Grey-backed Tailorbird Orthotomus derbianus    8
44.    Bright-capped Cisticola Cisticola exilis    2
45.    Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra    2    pair
46.    Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni    10    common from Camp 4 to peak
47.    Citrine Canary-Flycatcher Culicicapa helianthea    4    Camp 2
48.    Blue-headed Fantail Rhipidura cyaniceps    10
49.    Green-backed Whistler Pachycephala albiventris    10    from Camp 2 up
50.    Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea    1
51.    Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus    2
52.    Coleto Sarcops calvus    4
53.    Purple-throated Sunbird Leptocoma sperata    1    f
54.    Metallic-winged Sunbird Aethopyga pulcherrima    10
55.    Red-keeled Flowerpecker Dicaeum australe    2
56.    Buzzing Flowerpecker Dicaeum hypoleucum    6
57.    Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma    10
58.    Pygmy Flowerpecker Dicaeum pygmaeum    5
59.    Yellowish White-eye Zosterops nigrorum    1
60.    White-eye sp. Zosterops sp.    20
61.    Chestnut Munia Lonchura malacca    10

Caramoan, Southern Luzon

2010-04-25T02:58:00.005+08:00

Caramoan, Naga

I joined the Luzon Parrot Project team to the forest of Caramoan. Caramoan has lately been gaining popularity as a tourist destination for its beaches. It is in the islands of Caramoan where many foreign countries such as Israel and France film their "Survivor" reality tv franchise. I had no idea that its forest also had very good birding potential. It is not purely pristine forest as there are many patches that have been converted to agricultural use such as kopra but what remains still looks pretty good.

There are accommodations in town but the trail to the good forest bit takes about 3 hours. It was very lucky that there was a fruiting fig tree where we camped. Fruit-eaters like Green Imperial-Pigeons, Tarictic and Rufous Hornbills were constantly around during the 3 days that we stayed there.

There are many trails that can be taken. I briefly joined the survey team on one trail and was rewarded with a small flock composing of Elegant Tit, Blue-headed Fantail, Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler and Black-crowned Babbler.

I stayed near the camp one day just to be a dude and try out digiscoping on the birds around like Coleto, Falconet and Hornbills and Racquet-tails.

I was afraid that due to the schedule we weren't going to be able to go to the famed beaches but we lucked out again as about 15 minute walk from the camp there was a very secluded cove with shallow water that was just perfect for a dip. I went there every night floating and staring up at the night sky.

Click Read more for the Birdlist

BIRDLIST

1. Oriental Honeybuzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus 2

2. Barred Honeybuzzard Pernis celebensis 1

3. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus 2

4. Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela 2

5. Philippine Falconet Microhierax erythrogenys 2

6. Raptor sp. Accipitridae/ Falconidae sp. 1

7. Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus 2

8. Pompadour Green-Pigeon Treron pompadora 1

9. White-eared Brown-Dove Phapitreron leucotis X HO

10. Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus occipitalis X HO

11. Green Imperial-Pigeon Ducula aenea 50

12. Luzon Bleeding-heart Gallicolumba luzonica 2

13. Guaiabero Bolbopsittacus lunulatus 6

14. Blue-crowned Racquet-tail Prioniturus discurus 9

15. Colasisi Loriculus philippensis 1

16. Common Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus 4

17. Scale-feathered Malkoha Lepidogrammus cumingi 3

18. Red-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus 2

19. Philippine Coucal Centropus viridis 2

20. Philippine Scops-Owl Otus megalotis 1

21. Philippine Eagle-Owl Bubo philippensis 1

22. Philippine Hawk-Owl Ninox philippensis 2

23. Philippine Nightjar Caprimulgus manillensis 3

24. Pygmy Swiftlet Collocalia troglodytes 20

25. Philippine Trogon Harpactes ardens 1

26. Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 3

27. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 3

28. Spotted Wood-Kingfisher Actenoides lindsayi 1

29. Tarictic Hornbill (Luzon Hornbill) Penelopides manillae 2

30. Rufous Hornbill Buceros hydrocorax 3

31. Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala 3

32. Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos maculatus 2

33. Sooty Woodpecker Mulleripicus funebris 2

34. White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus javensis 1

35. Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus 3

36. Red-bellied Pitta Pitta erythrogaster 1

37. Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica 20

38. Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus 1

39. Yellow-wattled Bulbul Pycnonotus urostictus 4

40. Philippine Bulbul Ixos philippinus X

41. Balicassiao Dicrurus balicassius 10

42. Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis 3

43. Elegant Tit Parus elegans 4

44. Black-crowned Babbler Stachyris nigrocapitata 2

45. Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus cebuensis 1

46. Grey-backed Tailorbird Orthotomus derbianus X common

47. Blue-headed Fantail Rhipidura cyaniceps 4

48. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 2

49. Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus 2

50. Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis 20

51. Coleto Sarcops calvus 2

52. Flaming Sunbird Aethopyga flagrans 1

Blue-crowned Racquet-tail

2010-04-24T10:34:00.002+08:00

I joined the Luzon Project Team to Caramoan in Naga. They have been traveling and doing surveys throughout Luzon.

We heard and saw racquet-tails flying around our camp and immediately tried to look for them to confirm they weren't Green Racquet-tails. Sure enough they were Blue-crowned Racquet-tails! We noticed that a group of 4 birds were always going back to the same place. They were difficult to miss because they make loud screeching and weird (but very welcome) noises.

I have not seen a Blue-crowned Racquet-tail in Luzon before. I have seen it in Mindoro and Mindanao but it's my first time to see the whiteheadi race. I decided to stay around camp one day and found its nest hole! I waited for some activity and managed to get a few shots including the video below. The video shows a bird feeding another, possibly its pair or an immature. The tree has 2 nest holes with each pair using one.

I heart TN

2010-03-24T23:47:00.001+08:00

Just a few pictures from a recent trip to Taman Negara. Just like Fraser's Hill, bird waves were frequent and most trails were birdy. Amazing place!

Heard the Helmeted Hornbill quite frequently. I thought I knew where the sound was coming from and waited for it to come out and I got rewarded!

Garnet Pitta!

Black and Yellow Broadbill

Banded Broadbill

Banded Woodpecker

Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo

Red Muntjac. TN is also very good for mammals! Some many different species of squirrels and tree-shrews. Wild boars and deer (Sambar and Red Muntjac) were easy at the hide near the resort. I saw another leopard cat again during a night safari.

Power of Digiscoping

2010-03-20T19:26:00.000+08:00

The picture above is a picture of a Blue-rumped Parrot taken in Malaysia. There's nothing really spectacular about the picture but I thought I would share it here because of the distance it was taken from.

On the picture above, I put a big bright red X where the bird was spotted. If you cannot see it well, it is on the very top where there's a clearning (Click to get a bigger picture). I was at the very bottom of the trees on the ground. I was tracking down Banded Broadbills that were singing everywhere when I spotted the parrot.

The parrot was even smaller than the X and blended all too well among the leaves. Blogger always posts the pictures small on the blog but by clicking on it, you can get a slightly bigger picture. The picture is cropped but you can still see details like bill color, eye color and details on the wing. With those details, I can still adequately identify the bird as a male Blue-rumped Parrot.

An hour with the Great Argus

2010-03-20T11:48:00.024+08:00

One day as I was walking the jungle, I heard the Great Argus. He was far away, maybe about a kilometer away. I had taken another route from the direction that he was calling from. And I was already busy meeting things like frogmouths and broadbills and looking for gems like white paradise-flycatchers. So I promised that on the following day, I will meet the Great Argus.

The next day came. I set out early. I took the way of the sound of the Argus. I had heard it again and I knew I was on the right direction. The road here was hilly. It went up and down and up and down and sometimes it felt it went more up than down.

It did not quite matter for I met many sorts of things along the way. I met babblers. They were noisy while calling and singing, each distinct with different voices. There were also the pittas. They are the jewels of the forest. Bright red and blue shine out at you when you see them but they are difficult to find. One of the pittas here whistles as to help you find it. Hornbills were flying past up in the air with their heavy, heavy beats. They were distracting me and all wanted my attention.

Meanwhile, the Argus repeated on calling, the sound of which kept getting louder and louder as I got nearer. He was as if saying "you're LATE!" "you're LATE!"

All I wanted to do was to hurry up but at the same time unable to ignore what were around me. I took quick glances at everything but careful not to take too much time as on that day I made the plan to see the Argus.

Argus, by the way, from Greek mythology is a giant with a hundred eyes. Hera employed him to guard IO, the lover of Zeus that he turned into a cow to escape from the wrath of Hera. Zeus, however, hired Hermes to put Argus to sleep with his lyre playing and then later cut his head. Hera was enraged and as a tribute to him placed his eyes on the feathers of a bird.

I went further up and climbed a bit of hill. It was getting to be mid-day. I wasn't sure where to find him exactly but I knew I was getting nearer. And just as I was reaching the top, I saw the enormously long tail and wing feathers of a bird. I wasn't sure if that was just a buttress or some part of the tree sticking out on to the trail. I had to check. It was SO big I could hardly believe my eyes.

And there I was, very close and at the same time afraid that if I were to get any nearer he would go away. But he didn't. He was just standing there, perched on a low-lying liana, calling even louder. I was happy. I immersed myself with the privilege this giant was giving me of its presence. I had met the Great Argus!

After a while, he started to walk... and do funny things... like flapping his feathers and picking things on the ground. He was also jumping! and reaching out for branches up on the trees. I can only guess why he was doing these things.

I continued to watch him still in awe of his size and how tame he was around me. I set my machine to capture the moment, unaware that in just a second as he walked closer, he would further honor me with the sight of his hundred eyes. He unfolded his feathers in three quick successions, very unselfishly revealing the eyes that Hera bestowed him.

After that, he rested again on his favored branch like it was his throne calling out for the female that will maybe perhaps come. Such was the day that I met the Great Argus. For an hour I was mesmerized. And as the hour ended, he walked slowly away into the forest not to be seen again.

Here is a short video I made. Please enjoy.

Fraser's Hill

2010-03-18T10:15:00.003+08:00

Some photos from a trip to Fraser's Hill. I haven't been to many places where bird waves are as frequent and birds are as friendly. The field guide by Strange mentions some birds such as the Streaked Spiderhunter as impossible to miss. In the Philippines, I'd be very careful in guaranteeing any birds like that but somehow I think he was talking from experience! They were just about everywhere like the mesia and the sibia and the laughingthrush. I have no pics of them but I especially enjoyed seeing Blue Nuthatch, Long-tailed Broadbill, Malayan Whistling-thrush and the wren-babblers!

Streaked Spiderhunters were very easy but always good to see.

We stayed at Shahzan Inn where they keep feeders just outside the restaurant. Commoner birds were always there like Silver-eared Mesia and Long-tailed Sibia but once or twice we found the Fire-tufted Barbet and also once a Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush!

Along the Telekom Loop, we found a lone Black-thighed Falconet which was the only sighting of the bird actually.

Another Streaked is the Streaked Wren-Babbler that gave us a bit of chase as it skulked its way through the vegetation.

Views of Fraser's Hill

Raptorwatch 2010 in Malaysia

2010-03-14T21:51:00.000+08:00

I attended the Raptorwatch Festival in Malaysia in Tanjung Tuan. I went not thinking much of it but after seeing the number of raptors and seeing them fly so close I was totally surprised and enjoyed myself tremendously.

Clockwise:

>International Delegates pictorial.

>Oriental Honey Buzzard in flight.

>Mike Lu, president of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), playing an instrument during the dinner gala.

>Meeting of 1st Asian Festival among Asian bird club leaders (Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand).

>Coloring activity at Philippine delegation booth

>Mike Lu giving a talk on Philippine birds

>Philippine delegation

>Lighthouse. Where the daily monitoring and raptor counting took place for 2 months.

I thought the face paintings were amazing!

A short video of the raptors:

Oriental Honey Buzzards over Tanjung Tuan, Malaysia
Originally uploaded by mjcv

Palawan

2010-03-07T20:59:00.006+08:00

Some bird photos from my latest trip to Palawan.

Asian Drongo-Cuckoo

What a sound this one makes, White-vented Shama

Star bird of St. Paul's Underground River, Palawan Peacock-Pheasant

I am not sure but I think this is an island lifer for me or a race lifer of Crested Goshawk.

Malaysian Plover

I id'd this as Reef-Egret, but this picture is confusing me whether it might be Chinese.

Olive-backed Sunbird nest

2010-03-05T16:41:00.001+08:00

I love finding nests! On my latest trip to Palawan, I found another Olive-backed Sunbird building a nest. I watched the female come back and forth as it collected spiderwebs and twigs and things. I noted how it would perch on the same tree branches (maybe 2 or 3 stops) before cautiously going to the nest to build on it.

Last year just about the same time (late Feb) and the same place, I also noticed an Olive-backed Sunbird female building a nest and when I came back again after a month (late March), I found male and female busily feeding 2 chicks!

Images from PICOP

2010-03-03T13:02:00.001+08:00

Sharing here some photos I took on my latest trip to PICOP. More in my flickr.

We were in Bislig, Surigao del Sur when there was a tsunami alert on all Pacific coasts... the water level in Bislig River went down and the surrounding locals panicked, packed their bags, ready to evacuate. The alert was lifted later that day. The water level is not so evident in the pic.

PICOP (de)forest

The beautiful Tinuy-an Falls.

Some women folks donning colorful umbrellas while planting rice

Birder

Sooty Woodpeckers in Mindanao are pretty rare

Always a treat... Silvery Kingfisher

Images from Mt. Kitanglad

2010-02-27T19:23:00.001+08:00

Some pics from my latest trip to Mt. Kitanglad, home of the Philippine Eagle.

One of my favorite birds, Apo Myna allowed for some nice photos

Ol' Faithful Philippine Frogmouth

Pair of Red-eared Parrotfinch

Pair of Falconets.

One of the more common birds of Mt. Kitanglad, Mt. Verditer Flycatcher

Technically quite a bad picture but somehow I like it. Can you guess which bird this is? It's a Philippine endemic. Taken at dusk.

There's a bird in this picture below. Can you spot it?

No bird in this picture. but I thought I'd add it anyway. Nice pitcher plant.

Subic in February

2010-02-23T11:34:00.003+08:00

What a difference a month makes. Just in December/January, I noticed how seemingly dead the forest was. By February, everywhere I went seemed like the birds were more active and singing more. Feb as it seems is the start of the breeding season for a lot birds in the Philippines.

Found a pair of Falconets doing the deed but was not able to get a picture. I got some pictures of one arriving with a dead very long-tailed lizard. You can see in the picture how it butchered it! (Click pic to enlarge)

Also in Subic was a nesting Whiskered Treeswift. 2nd picture shows another treeswift behind.. maybe the male taking guard.

And nesting Blue-throated Bee-eaters. Lots and lots of them. This one looks like it is taking guard of its nesthole.

And always the hit in Subic are the bats and monkeys

Flying fox colony

Family of long-tailed Macaques

Philippine Frogmouth

2010-02-13T23:47:00.012+08:00

There was a pretty obliging Philippine Frogmouth up in Mt. Kitanglad just outside the lodge. Allowed for a few poses. Look at that wide frog-like mouth. :) I say it's a beauty.

I had a good cooperative one last year as well that I took plenty of shots of but somehow I forgot to use my flash and almost all shots were unsharp. I didn't make the same mistake this time. I used my Panasonic Lumix FZ28 for these shots. More to be posted on flickr.

Hello again, blog!

2010-02-01T22:42:00.003+08:00

OK. 3 weeks of guiding done. I wish I could post during the trip when I can get online but sometimes I am already too tired at night after a whole day's birding.

Overall it was a good trip. We had quite a bit of rain in Mindanao which caused us a few birds but better weather in Luzon and Palawan made up for it.

I must say that I love seeing the birds through my scope! They pop out quite a bit more now than just bins and I feel like my eyes are being spoiled with each peek at a bird. I see so much more detail including whiskers sometimes. :)

I found out that guiding and digiscoping/photography don't mix very well. Work first means I have to make sure everyone sees the bird. By the time I get to finish with my very tedious set-up. The bird would have gone. I do get the chance sometimes and I am pretty happy with that.

The next posts will be some of the few pics I was able to take.

my scope and my shoes after boat ride in Palawan

Start of Tour

2010-01-11T21:33:00.002+08:00

I am in Makiling again. Start of a new Philippine tour. Guiding 6 guests. Early start again tomorrow. Hope it works out great and we see good birds!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T16:03:00.002+08:00

I used my scope to take a photo of the blue moon last night. Have a great 2010! and happy birding!

Brown Shrikey

2009-12-26T18:12:00.006+08:00

Just sharing some digiscoped pictures of my favorite migrant. I took these on a short snorkeling 'vacation' to Canyon Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas earlier this week. I did not expect much in terms of birding as it was a resort with swimming pool and stuff. I didn't really bird but this fella was suddenly on one of the coconut trees outside the balcony just waiting to be photographed.

(first 3 pics were cropped, last pic uncropped/unaltered taken with Nikon Coolpix P6000 and Swarovski 80Hd @ 25x)

About Canyon Cove, although the place seemed very artificial, I enjoyed the snorkeling very much. Just beyond the line in the beach some coral are still alive and there are so many fish - parrotfish, butterflyfish, pufferfish, clownfish, etc.! I think I'll post some fish pictures next time. Also, one late afternoon there were maybe more than a thousand Glossy Swiftlets just swarming above the pools!

Starlings of Admiral hotel

2009-12-19T15:57:00.001+08:00

I got myself a really nice Christmas gift... I bought a scope, a Swarovski STS 80HD with 25-50x eyepiece!! I thank my brother again for bringing it.

I bought it for scoping purposes but very much so for digiscoping as well. After reading so much tips on forums and digiscoping websites, I chose to get Nikon Coolpix P6000 as my camera. I have seen great photos with this camera through digiscoping on the net. I think most cameras would work actually but I wanted one that's been tried and tested. I also bought the Swarovski UCA (Universal Camera Adapter).

My first tries at digiscoping were taken from our room window. One building away is an abondaned hotel building called Admiral Hotel. On the eaves of its roofs roost Asian Glossy Starlings. I have known them to roost there for some time now and have taken pictures of them before with my Panasonic Lumix FZ28 camera but that wasn't powerful enough for a clear picture. I knew that once I got the scope I will be practicing it on these starlings first.

Here are a few that turned out well. (Pics have been cropped and enhanced using iPhoto)

These days, I see them hanging out there in the afternoons, preening and just flying and jumping around. I counted at least 15 birds. They almost always go in pairs.. so about 8 pairs using the building. I have seen juveniles there before and am not sure if they are now the adults or they have moved on to other parts of the city.

Alien Moths in Dalton Pass

2009-11-12T02:30:00.013+08:00

While keeping vigil at night waiting for a catch, there are other creatures that help us keep awake... Moths! There are so many different kinds that come to the "banding station" as that is the only place where the lights are turned on. Some of them are so interesting-looking that they seem to be out of this planet!

Here are some pictures.

The above picture and this next one is of the same individual. Look at the iridescence on its wings!

Very furry-looking moth.

#1 and #2 together

Here's one of my favorites and probably the cutest. This guy is completely yellow!

Spotted black and yellow with long antennae.

This one looks like a charging bull to me from this angle.

This one is another beauty.

Very good camouflage!

I am not very good at identifying moths or insects. I will have to look these up somewhere and learn how to describe them better. If you do know even just to family or genus, please leave a comment and let me know. Thanks! :)

Imugan

2009-11-09T11:38:00.001+08:00

On Oct 25, We went to a town called Imugan. It's about an hour away from Dalton Pass. The actual site we went to is Sitio Pacalbo, Malico, Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. We set up nets for a good part of the morning but caught just two birds. Philippine Bulbul and the very cute Mountain Tailorbird.

It was very birdy though where we waited just a few meters from the net. We got mixed flocks of Mountain White-eye, Yellowish White-eye, Elegant Tit, Blue-headed Fantail, Mountain Tailorbird, and Chestnut-faced Babbler. Around the area we also heard Scaled-feathered Malkoha, White-browed Shortwing and Luzon Bush Warbler.

On to another spot (Sitio Maliit) we just birded and added to our list were Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Little Pied Flycatcher, Metallic-winged Sunbird, and Bicolored Flowerpecker.

In the afternoon, we set up net where they found an unidentified warbler a week before. No luck. We birded incidentally and found of note Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler, a female Snowy-browed Flycatcher (my lifer in Luzon), and a pair of ultra-bright blue Black-naped Monarchs.

October sightings/reports

2009-11-07T18:21:00.003+08:00

October 7 @ IRRI, Los Banos, Laguna by Mark Wallbank/Tim Fisher

Temminck's Stint

Oct 11@ Masantol, Pampanga fishponds by Alex Tiongco/ Tere Cervero

Black Drongo

Oct 16 @ Dalton Pass, Nueva Vizcaya by Desmond Allen/Philip Round

Japanese Night-Heron (caught by Akik hunters, later bought and released)

October 24@ Candaba by Tim Fisher/Mark Wallbank

Asian Brown Flycatcher

2 Ruff

2 Black-tailed Godwit

October 24 @ Mt. Palay-palay by Mike Lu/James Biron

Blue and White Flycatcher, 1 first winter male, 4 females

October 24 @ Dalton Pass by Mark Villa

Rufous-bellied Eagle

October 27 @ UP Diliman, QC by Ely Teehankee

Java Sparrow, pair building nest

October 30 @ Pinagbayanan, San Juan, Batangas by Romy Ocon

Grey-headed Lapwing

My first bird ringing/banding

2009-11-05T12:00:00.000+08:00

While at Dalton Pass, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Philip Round and Desmond Allen who shared with us their knowledge and experience on banding, measuring and feather molting. We took measurements of the wing, tail, bill, tarsus and weight. I also learned quite a bit about feather molting, how to age a bird looking at feather molt.

Taking bill to skull measurement of Oriental Reed-Warbler.

With quite a bit of help and guidance, my ringing/banding lifers are:

1. Yellow-vented Bulbul

2. White-bellied Munia

3. Buzzing Flowerpecker

4. Yellowish White-eye

5. Tawny Grassbird

Dalton Pass, "Akik" and the Streaked Reed-Warbler

2009-11-05T11:52:00.001+08:00

Dr. Philip Round, of the Wetland Trust, was in the country again this October to continue his search for the rare Streaked Reed-Warbler (SRW), Acrocephalus sorghophilus.

He first came in 2008 for a quick exploratory survey for possible survey sites (mostly in Candaba wetlands). During that survey, they found the country's first record of the Black-browed Reed-Warbler but unfortunately not the coveted SRW He visited again earlier this year to conduct a search in Calamba, Laguna and Candaba, Pampanga where they found one individual SRW.

Very little is known about the Streaked Reed-Warbler. It is presumed to breed in North-east China and there was a recent record of a singing male in Russia. There are very few passage records from China and Taiwan. The only known wintering records is the Philippines, particularly the Candaba wetlands and Dalton Pass.

This time around, Dr. Round came to try his luck in Dalton Pass.

Foggy morning in Dalton Pass

Dalton Pass is a famous bird migration site. It is located at the crossing point of the Sierra Madre Range and the Cordilleras and most birds travel through it as a passageway during migration.

The locals know about the migration phenomenon and have an old practice of catching birds at night called "akik". It is an old Ifugao tradition which is practiced throughout the Cordilleras.

When the weather is good, which is to say dark, moonless and foggy nights; the hunters, or "mangigilaw" as they are referred to locally (literally: hunters who use lights), position themselves up a hill, armed with nothing but a lamp and net.

The bright lights of the lamps attract the birds to fly towards them. The birds lose their direction in the fog and the artificial lights seemingly serve as a sensible way to follow, not knowing that nets attached to long bamboo poles await them as they come.

The hunters have become so experienced at this that they are able to tell where the birds will be flying from based on the direction of the wind. They stay up all night and keep vigil, ready for any unwitting bird.

Akik hunter over Dalton Pass

Akik hunter patiently waiting for bird to fly towards him

Bright lights from Akik lamps as maybe seen by birds

Akik hunter catches an egret

Depending on the species, the birds caught are either eaten for food or sold for the pet trade.

According to the hunters, pickings are slimmer now compared to before when they would catch sackfuls of birds in a single night. Nowadays, it seems to be more done as a hobby or in keeping with tradition as the catch probably isn't enough to make a living on most nights.

The team employed a couple of the hunters so that instead of becoming food or pet, the birds were ringed, measured and then released.

Pictured below are some of the birds caught by akik hunters during my stay.

Cattle Egret

Slaty-breasted Rail

Pompadour Green-Pigeon

Emerald Dove

Philippine Cuckoo-Dove

Australasian Lark

A few immature Red-bellied Pittas were caught suggesting local post-breeding disperal.

The similar Lanceolated Grasshopper-warbler was also recorded.

Mist-netting was also done during the morning and produced a few interesting birds. Some of which are pictured below.

Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker

.

Oriental Reed-Warbler

Yellowish White-eye

Unfortunately none of which turned up to be the Streaked Reed-Warbler.

There have been bird ringing programmes conducted in Dalton Pass in the late 60's. A few hundred individuals, identified as Streaked Reed-Warbler, were caught and ringed. This suggested that the species was not as rare as previously thought. It used to be described as common in Candaba until the early 80's.

Unfortunately, habitat destruction and/or converstion to agricultural use in both its breeding and wintering range maybe affecting the population.

It is hoped that someday a ringing programme would continue again, and perhaps convert the hunters into conservationists and work in a future research station in Dalton Pass.

====

Chameleon of the Philippines?

2009-04-07T00:32:00.010+08:00

I saw this beautiful green lizard in Palawan, watched it a bit and was amazed to see it change color.

It's not a chameleon (there are no chameleons in the Philippines) but is called a Green Crested Lizard Bronchocela cristatella. It shares the chameleon's ability to change color. It changes to a dark reddish burnt color when threatened. It has a very long tail (not shown in picture) that's about 75% of its total length.

See sequence below to see the transformation.

I found it a nice bright green.

2 minutes after, the body color starts to darken a bit.

2 minutes after and its body is a dark maroonish red color. (Probably thought of me as a threat)

After 2 and a half minutes, when the threat has gone, it starts to change back to green.

After 3 more minutes, it's back to its bright green color.

Name the Butterfly

2009-04-06T21:51:00.020+08:00

When the birding gets slow and there are not many birds to be seen, my attention instantly goes to the next other thing that moves. :)

Butterfly photography isn't a bad hobby at all once you get into it. For one, the subjects are beautiful. Secondly, it provides quite a challenge to take photographs of them. Sure, they can get nearer than birds but they are also very skittish and fly away after the slightest of movements. And taking photos of them allow you to id them later if you don't know them already.

My butterfly knowledge is at best a work in progress and I'd like very much to learn more. For now, I will have to rely on butterfly expert friends (calling Lydia!) or whoever views this blog and some googling on my part to come up with a name. I understand that IDing to species level might be difficult without important clues (like actual size, flight behavior, etc. ) so I think IDing to genus level works just as well.

I will put numbers on each photo and put a name after I find out. All the photos were taken in Palawan. More to follow on the next Name the Butterfly posts. Thanks!

1. Beautiful

2. I am guessing that the next 2 photos are of the same species. One may just less marked than the other. It also seems to be closely related to species number 1, maybe same genus.

Butterfly number 4 was photographed in the beach.

Butterflies 5 and 6 were both on rocks near the stream (Iwahig).

5.

6.

7. Swallowtail?

8.

9. Butterfly #9 flew inside the car and I brought him to my room for a photograph and then later released. :)

Malaysian Plover

2009-04-05T14:59:00.009+08:00

Another one of my favorites is the Malaysian Plover. The Malaysian Plover is the more difficult to find of the plovers because they are usually found in undisturbed sandy beaches, of which the world probably does not have many of anymore.

The male (above) has a black frontal bar on the forehead, white collar and black hindneck collar extending to form a breast band . The female (2nd picture) has rufous frontal bar on the forehead and rufous breast band instead of black.

They are fun to watch as they run to and fro on the beach. They are usually seen in pairs but also in small groups.

Philippine Cockatoo

2009-04-04T00:15:00.003+08:00

The Philippine Cockatoo is a critically-endangered species found only in the Philippines. It used to be common and widespread throughout the Philippines but due to illegal pet trade is now reliably seen only in a few islands off Palawan and maybe Polillo Island off Luzon.

The individuals in the pictures were found in the town of Narra feeding on the malunggay plant (below), which are known to be favored by the cockatoos.

For more information about the Philippine Cockatoo or Katala, you may also visit http://www.philippinecockatoo.org/

Snakes

2009-04-03T21:23:00.005+08:00

I love snakes! I wish I'd see more of them when I go birding but the fact is I very rarely see them. Here is a lucky shot of one in Palawan. I have yet to find out its name. Hopefully a description and the pictures will help me name it later.

This species is more than a meter (3 feet) in length, the body shape is slender and the head is quite broad. It is generally green in color with the back being olive-green and the belly appearing to be a light yellow-green. It also has a black and blue stripe running down its body. The pupil shape is round which might suggest that it is non-venomous but this may not necessarily be true.

For a better idea of its appearance:

UPDATE:

Found out this species is Painted Bronzeback or Dendrelaphis pictus pictus

Olive-winged Bulbul feeding chicks (continued)

2009-04-03T19:52:00.005+08:00

After about 5 weeks, I went back to Palawan where I found the Olive-winged Bulbul nest and chicks. The nest was of course empty already. I imagine that by this time the 2 chicks (below) that constantly demanded to be fed have now fled the coop and are fully grown.

I saw 3 Olive-winged Bulbuls flying around in the vicinity of the nest. My guess is that they were the 2 chicks still following their parent and learning the ropes of hunting and foraging. I saw them last in a short shrub feeding on small yellow fig/fruit. The first 2 pictures below are maybe that of the immature birds while the last picture is maybe that of the adult.

Rufous-tailed Tailorbird

2009-04-03T16:44:00.002+08:00

The Rufous-tailed Tailorbird is a common bird in scrub and forest edge. Its presence is often detected from its loud trilling song. In the Philippines, it is only found in Palawan but it is also found in other countries of South-east Asia. It is probably the easiest tailorbird to see in the Philippines as the other tailorbirds are generally very shy and skulky.

Olive-winged Bulbul feeding chicks

2009-04-02T21:19:00.002+08:00

There's nothing quite as exciting as finding a nest, especially if you find it right outside your window! I was in a resort in Palawan when I heard some soft noise coming from out of my window. As Palawan is a pretty birdy place, I thought it was just from some birds nearby. I looked out the window and to my surprise, found a nest right in front of me with 2 chicks probably just a few days old and still being fed by their parents. The nest was cup-shaped, made of branches and leaves and covered with cobwebs.

The nest was placed about a meter high inside a short tree in front of my hut. It was very well concealed that from the outside, I can hardly find the location of the nest. If I had not seen the nest from inside, I would probably not have noticed it. What would eventually give it away though was the constant presence of the adult Olive-winged Bulbuls around the vicinity. I would see them on the porch or a tree nearby with food in their bills.

I was so happy to have found the nest that I would spend my afternoon breaks just watching the nest. It was like having a tv show called "What's for dinner"! It takes a bit of patience before the parents would come back to the nest. I would find out they are near because somehow the chicks would know and they would aggressively spring up from the nest with their bills wide agape and clamoring for food.

Both parents would take turns feeding the chicks. The parents brought all sorts of food and insects. I saw them bring a small yellow fruit, some small grubs, worm, caterpillar, big preying mantis, what looks like a colorful bug, and even a lizard!

For videos of Olive-winged Bulbuls feeding their chicks, please watch the movies below. Click HD for better quality. It's funny how the parent would choose which chick would be fed and how the chick would gobble down food that's much bigger than its mouth! The netting that can be somewhat seen is from the mosquito net on the window which served as my hide as well.

Palawan Flycatcher

2009-03-28T21:10:00.001+08:00

The Palawan Flycatcher is probably my favorite flycatcher in the Philippines if only because it is the cutest! It wags its tail while perched low in dense tangles of bamboo. The song is a soft, high-pitched 2 note whistle that can easily go undetected. Luckily, it does perch for a good while to allow good views.

blog

2009-03-26T10:10:00.000+08:00

I've been doing quite some bird guiding this year which lends me the opportunity to take pictures of the critters and creatures of the Philippines. Some pictures are good because of the kindness of the bird to not only show itself but be near enough and pose for the camera. Some are of documentary quality only but they are 'ok'. I am starting a blog to show a bit of my travels and adventures and share a bit of what there is to appreciate of Philippine nature.