All of my birding trips was confined to nearby La Mesa Ecopark so it was a treat to be able to join friends from the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) go out of town for a bird survey.
I met up with Karen O. and James B. and we were soon on our way to Terrazas de Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Batangas. We passed through Mt. Palay-Palay and reminisced about our wonderful birding experiences before the highway was completed. As we drove through the road, we saw a bird fly up and perch on a tall tree... Luzon Hornbill! A small flock of Luzon Hornbills followed, flying from one side of the road to the other. It was nice to know that they still thrive in the forests despite the increased vehicular traffic passing through.
I got dizzy from all the twists and turns of the road and I was really thankful when we finally arrived in Terrazas. I splashed some cold water on my face and soon was ready to bird. We met Sir William of Terrazas de Punta Fuego and he brought us to the Nature Trail.
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| At the entrance to the trail, we spotted a Collared Kingfisher |
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| The Nature Trail has a nice cement path all through out making birding very easy! |
We started quite late already and the birds weren't as active any more. But even if we were approaching noon time, some birds came out! We saw a lone Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, an Arctic Warbler, a couple of Philippine Pygmy Woodpeckers, and a total of six Black-naped Monarchs!
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| A pair of Philippine Pygmy Woodpeckers |
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| Black-naped Monarch I wish I got at least one clear shot but the birds were either very skittish of hidden behind many branches. |
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| But I'm happy to get this shot showing its black nape =) |
We exited the trail, but not before seeing some Yellow-vented Bulbuls feeding on a far tree.
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| Can you spot the Yellow-vented Bulbul? |
We dropped by the pool area and took in the view and the additional birds to our list: Pied Bushchat, Glossy Swiftlets, and Long-tailed Shrike.
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| Female Pied Bushchat. The male was also seen =) |
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| This Long-tailed Shrike posed for us for a few seconds. |
We left the pool area to have lunch which was more like a feast! And then it was off to the beach! We didn't see any waders but we saw three flyby Black-winged Stilts.
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| We were treated to a "binalot" lunch =) |
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| Hanging out by the beach, making our bird list. |
Soon it was time to go. We listed twenty five species after a few hours birding and we knew the list would definitely be longer if we had started out earlier on the Nature Trail. Maybe there would be a next time, who knows? =)
As we drove back to Manila, we made a quick stop to view and photograph the colorful sunset that marked the end of another great day. For me, it was a good ending to my November and I can't wait for what December may bring!
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| Good bye, November! Hello, December! |
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