A Second Spark Bird???

Do you think it's possible to find another Spark Bird somewhere along your birding journey?

A Spark Bird is that one species that, upon seeing it, ignites an inescapable desire to see more birds - the moment that marks the beginning of your birdwatching era. 

My Spark Bird was the Brown Shrike. Yes, that unpretentious little brown migrant that visits the Philippines each season was the reason I became a birdwatcher. But after years of birding (and yes, aging…), I’ve admittedly slowed down in my pursuit of new species. I even stopped obsessively counting my Lifers - birds you see for the first time - after I breached the 200 mark, and this was waaaaay back in 2012.

Suffice to say, I had grown content. These days, I spend more time volunteering as a guide with the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), helping first-time birdwatchers, and occasionally participating in surveys and giving talks. More often than not, I’ve been speaking for the birds rather than birding for myself. 

Of course, there are still species I really, really want to see—the Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, the Eurasian Hoopoe, and the Beach Stone-curlew among them—but it’s a short list.

So when a Taiga Flycatcher was reported in the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC) in Quezon City, I did not expect myself to rush to the site to see it. 

And I didn't. 

Never mind that the park is only 3.1km away from where I live. Even the photos being posted by my birder friends failed to stir the twitcher in me.

But after a hectic month of deadlines and events—and having just recovered from a nasty virus—I saw my friend Adri's photo of the flyctacher and suddenly felt the urge to bird again.

I now had two choices: try for the Forest Wagtail in La Mesa Eco Park or try for the Taiga Flycatcher in NAPW. Both would be my lifers - IF they showed. After a morning chatting with friends, I finally chose the flycatcher. It was already 3:00 in the afternoon, a full week after the first sighting!

Oh well. If I didn't see it, it would still be a pleasant walk in the park.

A short drive later, I found myself walking towards the spot on the map my friend Sean sent me. I soon spotted two birders kneeling behind a tree, lenses trained on something perched on a rock.

I stopped, raised my binoculars—and there it was.

Lifer.

TAIGA FLYCATCHER
In the words of my friend Jon, Lifer # I-Don't-Know

                            

I walked closer towards my fellow birders and approached them from behind so as not to flush away the bird. It seemed completely unbothered by all the human activity around it - and it was a BUSY day in the park! A group of sub-adult humans was gathered nearby and there was an ongoing photoshoot with a young lady in a poofy dress. Yet the rare migrant stayed calmly on its rocky perch, flicking its tail and occasionally opening its mouth to call - though we could not hear it over the noise.

The little Taiga Flycatcher, utterly unconcerned.

The three of us - Prof Ferdie, Jaymes, and I - settled among the roots of the tree that gave us cover and a clear view. Without warning, it flew away and over to the other side of the vegetation. We chatted a bit - as birders do - before Sir Ferdie decided to relocate it on the other side. A moment later, he gestured—it was there—and we moved in for another look.

On another perch in a shaded portion.

My classmates for this twitch: Prof Ferdie and Jaymes shooting the Taiga Flycatcher

On a shaded perch, it paused just long enough for us to admire it again. Jaymes and I even managed to show a curious passerby the bird and explain what made it special. Soon enough, it was back on the move—returning briefly to its original rocky perch, then flitting up into a tangle of bamboo before disappearing again.

Happy with my successful twitch and amazing open views of the bird, I said my goodbyes. It hadn't even been an hour, but I already felt the familiar pull to keep birding.

I briefly searched for the Philippine Eagle-Owl with Jaymes on his way back to the office, but my birding luck had other plans. The Taiga Flycatcher would be my only highlight of the day. 

Normally, I would just pack up and go home, but I wasn't ready to leave. 

A Spark Bird does that to you. 

Instead of walking back to the parking area, I wandered toward the lagoon. The sun was getting unbearably hot even for the hour but I still saw Collared Kingfishers and Little Herons in the area.

Collared Kingfisher, a bottle of Coke, and some picnic goers

Spot the Little Herons!

Eventually, the heat and glare - and the groups of people descending the stairs to the lagoon - convinced me to call it a day. Satisfied with my impromptu birding trip in one of my old haunts when I started birding, I made my way to the parking lot. 

I'd like to think the Taiga Flycatcher as my second Spark Bird, reigniting the desire (and the ENERGY!) to go out and bird. After all, it even got me blogging again! Hopefully, more adventures from here on out! 

Taiga Class Picture with Jaymes and Prof Ferdie