Birthday Birding: A Surprise Owl and A Sneaky Crake

Has it been a year already?! It seems like only months since I spent my birthday last year birding in Makiling and here I am celebrating another one. Time flies... and so do the birds =)

Yesterday, Jops and I, together with Joni, Alex, Tere, Trinket, Marites, Brian, and Mang Boy, conducted a guided trip for members of the Nikon Club Philippines (NCP) in the La Mesa Ecopark. I have to say, it was one of the most exciting guided trips... everyone got to see a Philippine Eagle Owl! There haven't been any reports of it being seen in the park although our friends Adri and Nicky have already been hearing it there before in the wee hours of the morning.

We had just started birding in the trail when a huge bird swooped in above us and perched high up an acacia tree. Jops and I didn't have our cameras since we were guiding but NPC member Earl Santos was able to photograph the owl just after it perched! It looked at us briefly, looked around, then flew away. The short and very unexpected encounter with the largest species of owl in the Philippines gave me goosebumps!

Philippine Eagle Owl photo by Earl Santos (Nikon Club Philippines)
Thank you, Earl, for allowing me to post your photo of your amazing lifer!

Everyone in the group also got to see some Ashy Ground Thrush, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, and Emerald Dove. It was a really lucky day because aside from the "LMEP specialties" lots of other birds came out in the open to be observed: Grey-backed Tailorbird (yes, out in the open!), Lowland White-Eye, Black-naped Oriole, Collared Kingfisher, Golden-bellied Flyeaters (with a nest!), and lots (and I mean LOTS) of Philippine Pygmy Woodpeckers. One was even observed noisily building a nest! The trip ended towards mid-morning and we all went home happy about such a great morning and an amazing bird list.

Jops and I decided to go back to the Ecopark the following day for my birthday birding. I didn't feel like going anywhere far and La Mesa seemed like the perfect place to bird for my birthday this year. We didn't even get up too early, arriving in the park around 7AM. This time we had our cameras with us. Who knows, we might be lucky enough to see the owl again. Unfortunately, we didn't. We were just really, really lucky yesterday!

Of course, La Mesa did not disappoint. Near the lagoon, we checked out the fruiting ficus tree Joni spotted yesterday and saw a handsome Guaiabero feeding on some of the ripe berries. Lots of Yellow-vented Bulbuls and Lowland White-Eyes were also starting to feast on the fruits. We moved into the mini-forest and saw a nest of an Ashy Ground Thrush very close to the trail. After a few minutes, the parent sat on it allowing me to take a quick photo before leaving it in peace.

Ashy Ground Thrush sitting on its nest.

A few meters away, we saw a Red-bellied Pitta being chased away by a Hooded Pitta! The Hooded Pitta won the battle, driving the Red-bellied Pitta away from the area. We would see both species again foraging in different places in the mini-forest later that morning.

I finally got a photo of the Hooded Pitta showing the red under its tail =)

Further in, we saw a Slaty-legged Crake busy foraging in the scrub. Jops went ahead and waited for it to come out while I checked up on the nesting Common Emerald Dove we saw yesterday. The male dove was still sitting on the nest, so I snapped a couple of photos and left the area to join Jops look for the crake.

The male Emerald Dove sitting on its nest.

I found Jops sitting on the trail, camera ready for the crake if it crossed the path. It did just that yesterday as the group was observing an Ashy Ground Thrush on the path. I won't forget the surprised and happy look on Joni's face as the crake walked right in front of the group as she pointed to the thrush =)

I joined Jops, crouching low, and waited for the bird to cross the trail. I heard some rustling a couple of feet behind me on my right. I slowly turned my head, expecting to see a skink come out. But it wasn't a skink... it was the crake! It was less than two feet behind me... crossing the trail behind our backs! I think I gasped (or squeaked) but didn't move so as not to scare it and announced (quite loudly) to Jops that the bird was behind me. He turned just in time to see the crake disappear into the other side of the trail. It was amazing seeing the bird THAT close! I could clearly see its yellow eye ring with just my glasses on! It didn't allow for any photos though as we were facing the other way. Such a sneaky crake! 

The trail was alive with orioles, kingfishers, white-eyes, and a Large-billed Crow even perched above us. We also got to see the Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker from yesterday, still busy boring a hole for its nest. 

Not yet done with its nest-building!

I didn't get any lifers this year (although who knows what tomorrow brings!) but I did get to meet new friends, we all got to share an unexpected sighting of a Philippine Eagle Owl, and Jops and I had a very close encounter with a Slaty-legged Crake! Happy birthday to me! =)

Sunday Birdy Sunday

Just spent my Sunday with birder friends in two nearby sites to see some pretty amazing birds.

Birding at the tunnel entrance leading to the petroglyphs, one of the sites we visited last Sunday.

Sunday started early in La Mesa Ecopark to conduct a guided birdwatching trip. We entered the park and immediately saw some of our friends observing a pair of Ashy Ground-Thrushes, hopping on the ground. The beautifully spotted birds looked like they were gathering nesting materials!

When we all had our "fill" of the Thrushes, our group decided to proceed to the trail to try and spot the Slaty-legged Crake that has been seen there. A few meters down the road, an Emerald Dove flew in front of us to perch on a nearby tree. Some of us continued walking on while I spent some time observing the Dove with a few friends. Suddenly, the first group of birders started gesturing frantically at us! As we neared them, their news was: the Slaty-legged Crake just crossed the path in front of them! Wah! We missed it!

We waited a bit for the Crake to show itself but it didn't come out from the foliage. We proceeded towards the trail and waited. We saw more Ashy Ground-Thrushes hopping around AND I was able to see a Hooded Pitta! It was the first time I saw it there and even if it was only for a few seconds, I was really happy with the unobstructed view I got.

Jops, Jon J., Clemence and I headed back to the Drilon Orchidarium to meet up with Mike and the participants of the guided trip. It was a pretty amazing bird list for most of the first-time birders: Ashy Ground-Thrush, nesting Lowland White-Eyes, Collared Kingfisher, Philippine Coucal, Scaly-breasted Munias... not bad at all for their first set of lifers! We ended the trip birding at the old boating pavillion.

The birding group spotting an Ashy Ground-Thrush.

After packing up and grabbing a quick lunch, members of the WBCP (and a couple of very eager participants) convoyed to the Angono Petroglyphs in Rizal to see the family of Philippine Eagle Owls who have taken up residence in the site. When we arrived, we saw Vincent, fellow WBCP member who first spotted the owls. He said when he arrived a couple of hours earlier, two owls were perched on the trees but one flew away before we got there. We went up to the view deck and enjoyed the views of one Philippine Eagle Owl, peering curiously down at us from his high perch.

Digiscoped photo of the Philippine Eagle Owl.

We stayed just for a bit, also enjoying great views of a White-throated Kingfisher and a small flock of Elegant Tits which flew so close to us (thanks, Rob!)

Digiscoped photo of the very behaved White-throated Kingfisher.

When the thunder started rolling in and the sky got a bit darker, we packed up, said our goodbyes and headed back home. Great way to spend a Sunday: easy birding with great company =)

Owls, Pellets and Petroglyphs

I've only recently learned about owls regurgitating pellets. I've also only recently learned about the petroglyphs in Angono. So when WBCP friend Vincent reported seeing an owl in the area, it would be a double treat for me!

En Route

It took us an hour and thirty minutes to drive to the site from Quezon City, with a brief Jollibee stopover for take-out breakfast. We drove through Imelda Avenue (which reminded me of the road conditions in Candaba.) We pushed further on towards the Thunderbird Resort (just follow the signs), left an ID at the guardhouse and missed the cave entrance to the site. If you're coming from the Cainta route, watch out for the BACK of this sign:

If you're coming from the Antipolo route, you'll be greeted with
the front of the sign.

The guard at the next gate, told us we missed the entrance to the petroglyph site by a few meters. We made a u-turn and saw the tunnel opening. Coming from Cainta, it will be on your left.

We parked before this tunnel, spent a few minutes observing some Tawny Grassbirds just beside our car, and then went in. It was a short walk from this point to the mini-museum in the site. Unfortunately, it was closed the time we were there since they were setting up an exhibit. We registered, paid the P20.00 entrance fee and walked up to the view deck.

The view deck to see the petroglyphs.
I love view decks!!! Perfect for dude birding!

Pellets

When we saw our first owl at the start of the year, it was only then that I learned that owls, like some other birds, regurgitate the indigestible parts of the prey they eat. Since they don't have teeth to chew their food, owls tear apart their meal and swallow large chunks whole. In their gizzard, the bones, fur and feathers are separated from the softer, digestible parts. The harder materials are then formed into a pellet and is expelled before the owl eats another meal. Amazing right?!

I was so excited to see my first owl pellet but I honestly completely forgot about them when I saw the Philippine Eagle Owl atop a mango tree.

Philippine Eagle Owl Bubo philippensis

I was so engrossed looking at this beautiful bird staring back down at me that I needed Jops to remind me about looking for some pellets! I took one last long look at the owl, then backtracked to scan the ground. At first I was strictly looking for rounded balls of hair and fur but didn't find any. Since I haven't seen any pellets before, I didn't really know what I was looking for. But then my eyes focused on a clump of bones! It was a semi-disintegrated pellet! 

The first pellet I found wasn't round anymore, but I could see a skull, part of a mandible,
some smaller bones and clumps of hair! My first owl pellet!

I then started noticing lots of bones and clusters of hair around the spot where I was standing! This owl has been eating A LOT! We also found some feathers on the ground. 

I collected some bones and a couple of feathers to examine closer. The small skull intrigued me since it had
tiny molars(!), also on the accompanying mandible it came with in the same pellet.

Petroglyphs

After getting my fill of the owl pellets, I took some time to study the petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are prehistoric carvings or line drawings on rocks. The 127 drawings on the rock face in front of me were discovered in the 1960's by National Artist Carlos "Botong" Francisco while camping in the area. 

The rock face where the petroglyphs can be seen.

According to the guide, Sir Roden, the petroglyphs were found to be dating back to the Neolithic Period which is around 3,000BC. Among the drawings, there are 51 distinct types which means that 51 different individuals contributed to the drawings at different times. These include human figures which are being associated with rituals (as evidenced by the bent arms and legs of the figures) and animal figures.

Can you make out the figures?

Another Owl!

We spent the rest of the morning in the view deck, enjoying the mixed flock of birds that would come and go around us. Elegant Tits, Lowland White-Eyes, Black-naped Monarchs would fly noisily overhead while a White-throated Kingfisher would make some appearances too. Philippine Coucals would skulk around before gliding above us towards the golf course below. We heard lots of rails and even a pitta calling! Suddenly, Jops was saying "Hello there!" to something on the wall, as if speaking to a baby. I looked up and saw the head of another Philippine Eagle Owl, peering at us from a crevice on the wall!

"Hello there!" indeed! It was so cute and it looked so fluffy!

It showed itself for a few minutes before moving deeper back into its "cave." We allowed ourselves to bird til noon. At exactly 12:00, we left the place happy with a full morning spent with the owls and petroglyphs plus 23 species in our bird list. =)

My First Owl! *Bow*

I was hoping I'd see an owl before 2011 came to a close. I wasn't so lucky... it was a python that closed the year for me! I didn't imagine I'd start 2012 with a family of owls for my lifers though!

It was the day before I left Cebu for the New Year when my birder friend Karen texted me that she had just seen an owl in their office compound in Quezon City. After a couple of text exchanges, she called me and we excitedly discussed her notes of the owl she saw using my Kennedy guide (she left hers in her house.) We had a suspicion it was a Philippine Eagle Owl! She said she would go back the following day and get a photo of it. While I was in Cebu, I got another excited text from her: it was indeed a Philippine Eagle Owl! With a couple more days before I flew home to Manila, I had to sit and wait for my chance to see my first owl.

Here are Karen's notes of the owl.

Same day as I got back, Jops and I met up with fellow birders Jun, Yana, Abby, Mark Jason V. and Mark Jason A. to join Karen to spot the owl. As we left our meeting place, the dark clouds started rolling in above us. I bet we all said silent prayers for the weather to cooperate and not rain on our owling trip.

We picked up Karen and drove to the site. I was amazed that this owl chose a tree just above a quite busy street inside the compound. Lots of human and vehicular traffic going on under its high perch! As soon as we drove past the tree, Karen saw it already perched. We quickly parked, disembarked and marched to a good spot to see this "uncommon, poorly known" owl species (according to the Kennedy guide.)

And there it was: my first owl!

My first lifer for 2012! (Pardon the dark digi-binned photos =) )

I jotted down my field notes, staring at every inch of this gorgeous bird staring down at our party. The streaking on its whitish chest and body was so beautiful! Its ear tufts sticking out the top of its head making it look serious and angry and its huge yellow eyes gave piercing stares at us and other passersby. I didn't want to leave! And apparently so did everyone in our group! 

Even the owl's droppings were documented =P

So we stayed until dark and saw the owl fly further up the tree. That brief aerial display gave us so much excitement, we weren't prepared for what we were about to see next. After staying for a short while on its new perch, it flew further away towards a nearby building and perched on a ledge. We all exclaimed "Dalawa sila!!!" ("There are two of them!!!") There, waiting on the ledge was another owl! Much smaller and with a darker, less streaked chest and body. They sat together for a while as dusk crept in. The bigger owl then returned to the tree, on a higher perch.

At some point, Jops jokingly exclaimed "Uy, tatlo na sila!!!" ("There are three of them!!!") where we all just laughed at the idea. It would be great to have more owls come in but what were the odds, right? Well, we were all in for another surprise. As we all faced the owls on the building, a huge form flew above us! A third owl!!! 

This one was even bigger than the first owl we saw! It perched on the ledge but almost immediately flew and transferred to the tree to sit snugly beside the first owl! They even seemed to "kiss" as the bigger one landed. They sat side by side for a few minutes before, one by one, they flew in opposite directions into the night. 

Sadly, I wasn't able to get a shot of the two owls sitting side by side on this very perch.

We stayed awhile, looking at the smaller (possibly immature Philippine Eagle Owl) still perched on the ledge, sometimes walking from one side to the other. When it was too dark and there was no sign of the two adult birds, we decided to leave. Of course, we all had dinner to celebrate our fantastic encounter with the family of owls!

More photos here Mark Jason Villa Goes Birding