Afternoon Zebra, Pacific, and Scops

It was such a hot afternoon but thankfully UP Diliman is still very green with trees, providing shade and respite from the searing rays of the sun. While waiting for my friends, I checked out the native trees in the Marine Science Institute (MSI) area. There were quite a lot and I was grateful for the nameplates identifying them for me. I was able to find the Balai Lamok/Salingbobong (still very young, flowerless, and leafless) sprouting new leaves at the ends of its branches. There weren't much birds, given the heat, but I could hear orioles, kingfishers, Colasisi, and sunbirds calling. A lone Zebra Dove foraged quietly on the dry ground while Eurasian Tree Sparrows bathed in the dust.

Zebra Dove, one of the few birds out in the mid-afternoon heat

As I walked past the building, I saw fellow birdwatcher Diuvs in the lobby. He pointed out some Pacific Swallows and we were happy to see three young birds being fed by their parents!

Young Pacific Swallows waiting for their next meal!

After a short chat, Diuvs returned to work and I trudged onwards.  I was happy to see some Katmon plants with some buds and a few flowers, but the flowers were starting to dry up already. I'll have to go back soon and check when the buds have opened as I've never really seen Katmon flowers in full bloom yet.

I soon spotted Nico and we soon spotted Jon. After a very short discussion about trees (and our lack of knowledge about them), we proceeded to find the Philippine Scops Owl. Jon had spotted it earlier and pointed the juvenile owl to us, high up on its tangled perch.

Sleepy owl...

... gave us a stare...

... before going back to sleep.

We left the owl to get some more sleep and walked around a bit more hoping for more birds. When we found none, we all decided it was time to wind down with coffee and donuts =)

Three Teachers and A Student Go Birding One Day...

Three teachers agreed to go owling one afternoon, in a campus nearby

One had finished teaching in the morning

One just finished an hour earlier that day

And one had a class still ongoing.

Three teachers agreed to meet, near the owl’s roost, mid-afternoon

One had a tasty snack while waiting

One came from a workout at a gym nearby

And one approached the two, walking.

Three teachers agreed to spot the owl, hiding somewhere in the tangles

One went for a closer look, not making any sound

One went for a wider view, walking away from the tree

And one decided to follow the poo, splattered on the ground

Three teachers observed the owl, sleeping on its perch

One got her camera, taking a shot or two

One observed it through his bins

And one stood quietly as he took an awesome video

Three teachers walked to the nightjar, on a nearby tree

One of them saw a familiar jizz 

'Twas a fellow birder crossing the street

But she was on her way to a biology quiz!

Four birders took the time

To spot the nightjar on the tree

And there it was, ignoring our party

Because it was just so very sleepy

Three teachers and a student say their goodbyes

Each going their separate way

One got two lifers while the others were content

To go birding during the day.

The Endemics Were Friendly Today!

It was the day after Valentine's and Jops and I decided to go birding for a couple of hours in the La Mesa Ecopark. We weren't after any specific bird in particular, we just really wanted some good birding hours before we went ahead with a full Saturday. I have to say, it was an awesome two hours birding, allowing us great views of the birds. Unfortunately, it was also a quite frustrating day for photographing them.

The park was surprisingly empty of the usual Saturday crowds which was a good thing as not too many people would be entering the mini-forest. We tried our luck with the White's Thrush, and possible the other thrushes as well, but they were a no-show during the few hours we were there. We spent some time near the palm trees the thrushes feed on and spotted an Ashy Thrush hopping on the ground. It found its way to the fruits of the palm tress, plucked a few berries, then immediately flew off, leaving me with a photo of... the berries.

Missed the Ashy Thrush by seconds...

We were waiting for the bird to come back when another Ashy Thrush zoomed just beside Jops from the other side of the trail. We waited a bit, but the thrushes didn't return. Some noisy Oriental Magpie Robins made an appearance but they too didn't stay too long for a good photo.

The backside of an Oriental Magpie Robin

We moved further in the trail where Jops was hoping for an encounter with the quite unpredictable Slaty-legged Crake. We could hear a dove cooing loudly from somewhere in the tall trees when I saw something hopping on the ground. I eventually pinpointed the location of an adult Hooded Pitta, busy looking for food on the forest floor. The pitta chose to stay in the inner part of the forest, giving me good views through my binoculars but giving my camera a migraine from trying to focus past all the branches and leaves partially covering the bird. Jops moved further in the trail, while I stayed behind with the pitta.

No pitta here... couldn't get any photo

After a few minutes, I received a text from Jops that there was a flowering tree along the trail and that he got three flowerpeckers feeding there! I hurried to where he was and looked up just in time to see a flock of Lowland White-eyes arrive and take control of the blooms. No flowerpeckers for me. And no bird photo too. Very quickly, it was the Black-naped Orioles' turn to feed and the smaller birds gave way and so did I. I returned to the pitta while Jops went to find the crake.

The birds were all there seconds before I took this photo =P

I spotted the Hooded Pitta quickly and I squatted low on the ground for a better vantage point. I heard some loud scratching behind me so I slowly turned (wishing they weren't the chickens) and there, walking towards me, was a beautifully streaked Pechora Pipit! Alas, my upper body could only twist so much that I couldn't photograph the pipit now that it was SO close to me! It walked to the very edge of the forest cover before flying swiftly to the other side of the trail. I was excited to see it land just beside the Hooded Pitta who chose to finally come nearer the path! I had to make a choice: Pitta on the left or Pechora on the right.Which to follow???

I chose Pechora. We walked parallel to each other: the Pipit in the brush and me on the trail. I took photos at every opportunity it would be in a clear patch of forest but sadly, I didn't get any clear shot. The small bird wouldn't keep still!

Just the blurry back of the Pechora Pipit (such a nice pattern though)

Another blurred photo of the Pechora Pipit
Doesn't it look like a super fast moving bird?

I accepted my defeat and switched from camera to binoculars and just enjoyed the chance to observe this bird as it energetically looked for food. At times it looked like it was attacking its prey as it launched into flight to catch it.

As the Pechora Pipit moved out of sight, I decided to return to the palm trees and just wait there for a possible thrush and for Jops. As I positioned myself and my tripod, an Ashy Thrush landed in front of me and stared at me. Once more, this bird gave me a moment of fear that it would attack me. It stared a few seconds before tossing a dried leaf my way and flying off. 

A friendly (?) Ashy Thrush

I saw it engage in a short battle with another bird on the ground. I heard the flurry of wings before the two birds separated. The Ashy flew deeper into the trees while the other one perched on a nearby branch. I raised my binoculars and saw, to my delight, that it was the Spotted Wood Kingfisher! 

Always a treat to see this bird =)

I took my time photographing and observing this very handsome bird when Jops found me. We left the bird shortly as we had to meet our birder friends, Mads and Lu-Ann, in UP. We decided to meet in the area where the Philippine Scops Owl was seen recently. 

Jops was able to find the owl after only a few minutes of scanning and I marveled at the coloring of the owl. Unlike the owls in La Vista which were brownish, this owl was more grey, blending in with the nearby branches perfectly. Soon, Mads and Lu-Ann arrived and we allowed ourselves to be wow-ed by the owl. 

Philippine Scops Owl

I was amazed by the white patches underneath its eyes!
Makes it look awake even though its sleeping =)

It was a great way to end a quickie birding morning in Quezon City! Looking back, I did get great views of all the birds I saw but the bonuses were the very obliging Philippine endemics that posed very well for me that morning. And of course, sharing an owl encounter with friends =)

Happy daytime owlers! =)

Chick, Crake, Pitta, Owl

Our friend Leni invited us to go birding with her in the La Mesa Ecopark on Tuesday. As we were discussing our plans, we decided to include a visit to the nesting Philippine Frogmouth that was recently spotted in the La Mesa Nature Reserve. Our new birder friend from Taiwan, Wayne (who participated in the 6th International Hornbill Conference) also wanted to see the Luzon subspecies of the Philippine Frogmouth. So the plan was set: La Mesa Nature Reserve first, then La Mesa Ecopark next.

Jops unfortunately couldn't escape from work that day, so he just brought me to Jollibee to meet up with Leni, Joni, and Wayne. And we were off!

Kuya Efren was once more our guide in the LMNR and we took a nice walk to the nest site. Along the way, we were treated to great views of a very green and plump Guaiabero. We also saw an active Collared Kingfisher nest visible from the trail and saw the adult bird fly out of the nest hole.

We soon reached the nest site and saw that the Frogmouth was sitting on a white ball of fluff! Upon closer inspection (of course through our binoculars and camera LCD screens) we confirmed that it was indeed a chick! The egg has hatched!

The Philippine Frogmouth sitting on a white ball of fluff

A closer look at the newly hatched chick

The young bird moved a bit and here you can partially see
the yellow eye ring of the chick.

After spending a few minutes observing the birds, we exited the area and headed back up to the parking lot. We spoke to Kuya Efren and Sir Jo about being more careful now that the egg has hatched. We said our goodbyes and headed to the La Mesa Ecopark.

It was mid-morning and getting a bit hot already. Thankfully, the trails were shaded by the trees and it was nice and cool to bird in. We bumped into new WBCP member Anthony who was photographing birds in the trails and chatted for a while. We walked deeper into the trails and soon found one of Leni's most wanted birds for that morning: a Slaty-legged Crake.

When the bird disappeared from view, we back-tracked to find the next bird on her list: Hooded Pitta. Joni almost immediately spotted one, sitting very still on the ground. It was my first time to photograph this bird and I was very happy that it stayed very still =)

It was approaching noontime and even in the heat, lots of birds were calling and flying about: Grey-backed Tailorbirds, Black-naped Orioles, and Philippine Pygmy Woodpeckers. It was also nest-building season for Lowland White-eyes and I was able to count at least four nests being constructed.

We dipped on the Red-bellied Pittas though which were nowhere to be seen that morning. On the way out of the trail, we saw an Ashy Ground Thrush singing loudly very close to the trail and another Slaty-legged Crake foraging on the ground.

We already had a very birdy morning but we ended it with a quick visit to the Philippine Scops Owls in Quezon City after a delicious lunch. We were able to see two juveniles and one adult. 

Adult and juvenile owl sitting side by side

The second juvenile owl stared at us
with its huge, round eyes!

We left after a few minutes, said goodbye, and went our separate ways. Quezon City did not disappoint us birders with so many wonderful birds we saw that Tuesday morning =)

The Death of an Owl

And then there were two.

It was a sad morning when Jops was awoken by the visit of a security guard to their home. He was carrying the remains of a dead juvenile Philippine Scops-Owl. The guard found the owl along the road, meters away from where the family of owls roost and hunt.

So sad seeing this lifeless young owl...

Already emptied of its internal parts and eyes, you can still see the
beautiful feathers, sharp beak, and deadly talons.

The owl family of five (two adults and three juveniles) was first spotted by Jops last February 26 and has since been observed in the same area. We were able to find their day roost and have been seeing all three chicks regularly, usually with only one adult, perched high up in the trees.

Recently though, we've only been seeing two chicks roosting with an adult. We just assumed that the other chick was roosting unseen nearby with the other parent. That was until the guard found the dead owlet. We couldn't really tell the cause of death in the state of the owl's body but there were no obvious external injuries that we could see.

One adult and two juvenile owls in this recent photo taken a few days ago

Last year, we also saw a family of Philippine Scops-Owls with two chicks. I've read that these owls usually lay 1-2 eggs (although one journal article said 4-5 eggs!) so maybe two is really the average number of chicks for these owls.

We spent some time discussing the possible scenarios: could it be the third owlet? Or could it be from a different owl family? Was this the owl that fell to the ground a few weeks ago? Was it the "runt of litter"? What did it die of? Was it driven away by its much stronger and dominant siblings?

We have so many questions worthy of wildlife CSI! We just put our hope in the two remaining juvenile owls to survive until adulthood and continue to breed and live in the middle of a bustling city.

Hopefully, the two remaining chicks will grow into
adulthood like their parent.

More Owls in the City!

Jops and I have been waiting for the family of Philippine Scops-Owls that spent many nights in their backyard last year. We weren't really actively looking for them since it was still a few months early from when we last saw them (we saw them April last year.)

Call it a brilliant stroke of birding luck, but Jops was able to hear the call of the immature Philippine Scops-Owl when  he drove his mom to church one evening. He was able to spot three immature owls and got glimpses of the adults too!

Intermittent viewing schedules for birders and bird photographers were organized soon after. Each trip offered different experiences with the owls. On one night, the adult owl perched really low and in the open, showing off a dead, headless rat in its claw. It then proceeded to feed it in chunks to its three hungry owlets. Yum.

As they days wore on, the owlets were becoming more and more active, flying from tree to tree. It made for more difficult views and photos but still an experience in itself. I tried for several trips to take a photo of any of the owls but failed miserably. When the owls did show well, I didn't have my camera with me! =(

Finally, last Thursday, Jops and I accompanied Adri, Trinket, and Singaporean birder Albert to view the owl family. We decided to go to the area a bit earlier than usual and hope to see them before they actively flew around. I was a bit anxious since I did not want to go home empty-handed yet again. But I was blessed this time =)

We were able to see the three young owls and one adult owl perched in a line on a high branch, partially hidden by branches and leaves.

From left to right: adult owl, young owl, young owl, young owl

We spent some time watching the owls through our bins and through the scope. We could see them beginning to stir from their perches, the young ones moving their heads in a circular motion. As the sun began to set, they started moving to different branches but still staying close to each other.

Do you still see the four owls? And can you see the immature owl
with a cute (or creepy) 90° turn of the head? 

After just seconds, they all moved a bit further away from each other. By this time, the sun had almost completely set and the light was fading on us.

The adult owl perched out in the open while
two of the young owls perched above it.

And then in an instant, they all flew off in different directions! We were able to track the adult owl to where it perched and it sat quietly, looking around while the young owls continuously pssssst-ed around us. It transferred to another low tree before it flew away into the night. The young owls were continuously calling but were very hard to spot as they moved to higher parts of the trees. Before we left, we were able to get one more glimpse of the owls before they flew off again.

It would be nice to think that these owls are the next generation from the owl family we saw last year. Hopefully, they will continue to breed and allow us birdwatchers to see them as they grow and raise their families in the middle of a bustling city.

Jops' Owls

The birds in my backyard are the usual suspects in most urban homes: the Eurasian Tree Sparrows (aka Maya), Yellow-vented Bulbuls, Pied Fantails, Zebra Doves and Olive-backed Sunbirds. We also have a resident Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker and the occasional White-collared Kingfisher and Black-naped Orioles. During the fruiting season of the mango trees, we have lots of Colasisis hanging out too. But that's about it.

I bet the list is pretty much the same (plus-minus a couple of other species) in urban backyards throughout Manila so imagine our surprise when we heard an immature Philippine Scops Owl (PSO) calling in Jops' backyard! He'd been hearing an adult owl calling a few months back but never got to spot it. Just last April 9 (our second bird day!) we came home to an immature PSO calling and sounding very close. Its call  is completely different from the adult's, having a more high pitched "pssssst - pssssst" sound. After a bit of searching, we finally saw the fluffy bird perched not too high up a mango tree. It stayed a while for a couple of nights in the same tree, perched quite low.

This is one of the two immature Philippine Scops Owls in his backyard. PHOTO BY JOPS.

It took me a couple of days before I was able to see the adult owls. Seeing them was an amazing experience in itself but the fact that it was in Jops' backyard made it even more fantastic. Who would have thought?! We've been hearing stories from other birders about seeing PSOs in the UP Diliman campus but we haven't been able to see them.

This is one of the adult owls in his backyard. Much harder to spot! PHOTO BY JOPS.

As the days progressed, the owls have been a bit more difficult to spot. Their calls would be heard coming from the trees in the adjacent houses. Some nights they would come back to Jops' garden and some nights they would stay further away. I guess with the young ones learning to fly and hunt, they needed lots of "practice area" as they got better and better at it =)

A few afternoons ago, Jops and I tried looking for their day roost. We scanned the trees in their backyard but the owls weren't there. We politely asked his neighbors if we could enter and scan the trees in their gardens for the owls. The neighbors were pleasantly surprised when we told them they had owls in their backyard, and seeing their amazed reactions when we told them we weren't joking was priceless. Their house help confirmed seeing the owls and even told us matter-of-factly, "Ay oo, may anak yung mga kuwago. Dalawa." ("Oh yes, the owls have babies. Two.") which confirmed our earlier speculation that we were hearing two individuals. We scanned the trees and the area beneath them. No owls but we saw splotches of poo on the ground under a low perch in their mango tree....

We first saw white splotches of poo in an area
under their mango tree.

... and also some feathers...

We saw one big feather and lots of the tiny, baby feathers too!

... we also found one pellet!!!

Can you see the round pellet in the middle of the photo?

Here's a better look at the single pellet we collected. We have yet to
examine its contents! 

The PSO's pellet looks completely different from that of the pellets of the Philippine Eagle Owl, but that's another blog =)

So, the story continues with Jops' Philippine Scops Owl family, each night yielding a different experience. Some nights they call early, some nights quite late. There are nights they pass through Jops' backyard, other nights they spend in the neighbors trees. I feel lucky enough to have seen the immature owls and the adult owls, hear them calling nearby while having dinner and conversation with good friends (Trinket writes about it in her blog), see the baby owl slurp down a lizard, and even find a pellet. It is a lucky break and a HUGE blessing to have such wonderful backyard birds!

But Wait! There's More!

April 9 is a three-occasion date for me. It is the Philippines' Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) which commemorates the bravery of Filipino soldiers who fought to defend Bataan against the Japanese during World War II. It is also my good friend Sharon's birthday AND it  marks our birding birthday! 

Last year, Jops and I went with a group of friends to Nuvali and saw the Chinese Francolin for our bird day lifer. This year, we found ourselves with family in Canyon Cove Resort in Nasugbu, Batangas. The resort is a three-hour drive from Manila, and we arrived towards 8 in the morning. Having no background as to the "birdy-ness" of the site, we were set on exploring without any expectations. As soon as we parked, we saw a female Blue Rock Thrush running around the parking lot! 

I've seen the male BRT more often, and although it is more colorful (and consistent with it's name), seeing the female BRT is always a treat.

This is the male BRT, photographed in the UP campus in Quezon City.

There were already lots of people on the beach and in the pool when we arrived and settled in a cabana. There were lots of Striated Swallows (Jops' lifer!) flying overhead as well as White-breasted Woodswallows (some nesting in the coconut trees) and Olive-backed Sunbirds. We decided to walk along the shore and scan the huge rocks out at sea for any waders. I imagined some sandpipers and maybe a whimbrel if we were lucky but the beach and rocks yielded zero birds. We headed towards the end of the cove where there was a thick patch of trees.

At first it was mainly Eurasian Tree Sparrows and Yellow-vented Bulbuls we saw. But as we waited, we saw two more female Blue Rock-Thrushes perched atop one of the residential units. We could hear some Tailorbirds calling from the brush (one flew just in front of Jops!) and a White-collared Kingfisher called and flew around the taller trees. While standing in that small portion, we also saw a lone Chinese Goshawk fly overhead and another raptor which we could not identify because it was flying too high up.

We were also treated to good views of a female Pink-necked Green Pigeon. I was silently hoping a male Pink-neck would appear since I've only seen the female, but the bird flew deeper into the trees and disappeared. We were preparing to leave our spot when suddenly a plump green bird perched on the branches above us! I focused my binoculars on the bird and voila! A handsome male Pink-necked Green Pigeon just above us!

Here's a photo of the female Pink-necked Green Pigeon, which lacks the beautiful coloration of the male:

Photographed also in the UP campus in Quezon City a few years back.

We finally packed our things and walked back to the cabana in time for lunch. Before leaving, we scanned the rocky shores at the other end of the cove and spotted a lone Common Sandpiper. Sadly for me, that was the only wader seen.

On the ride back to Manila, I thought about the birds we saw. I was happy Jops was able to see the Striated Swallows and I was contented with being able to see the male Pink-neck and the female thrushes. I dozed off resigned, but not sad at all, that I would have no lifers on our second bird day.

But wait! There's more!

We reached Manila before night settled in. We were already on our way out to get long overdue massages  when we heard an immature Philippine Scops Owl calling loudly! We have been hearing it for the past couple of days but were never able to spot it. Out came our bins and a flashlight. We positioned ourselves under a mango tree where the calls were coming from. We scanned the branches with the flashlight but couldn't see it. I borrowed the flashlight and for the first time tried my luck at spotting an owl in the dark. I didn't have my glasses on (I wasn't expecting we'd see the owl) and am actually quite blind at night BUT almost immediately I saw two red dots staring back at me! I found it!!! I whispered harshly for Jops to come closer and pointed out the bird to him. Unbelievably, we still got a LIFER! I didn't expect it at all, but we still got an awesome lifer on our second bird day! Yay!

This immature Philippine Scops Owl is soooo tiny and fluffy-looking and absolutely ADORABLE!