A Busy Time for the Mamas and the Papas

Jops and I were able to join a guided trip last Saturday and do a bit more birding after the official activity ended. We didn't get to see any new birds but the observations we got that day were pretty amazing.

As dark rain clouds rolled in, we began the birding activity and how lucky we were! Our group was standing just beneath a nest of some Olive-backed Sunbirds.

The group was standing under some trees and...
some busy sunbirds!

We saw a pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds and the first-time birders were treated to seeing the female sunbird tending its nest and even sitting in it! How's that for a first birding experience =)

The mama sunbird tended the nest and chicks

She then sat in the nest for a while before flying off again.
A big chunk of the nest seemed to be falling apart
at the bottom...

We saw most of the usual suspects in the area but the Long-tailed Shrikes that frequent the campus were mysteriously absent! We heard a couple of them but saw none that morning.

Jops and I continued our Saturday with a bit more birding and saw that the sunbird parents weren't the only one's busy tending to their young.

We saw lots of Lowland White-eyes that day and spotted one nest. I remembered the first time I saw a Lowland White-eye nest and marveled at its construction. The delicate cup-shape nest is perfectly rounded at the bottom and anchored on thin branches.

The parent bird would sit on the nest, leave, then come back to sit again.
Can you see it?

We also saw a very active Ashy Thrush plucking some earthworms from the ground before hopping away into the trees, most probably to feed its nestlings.

We also got a few surprise observations as we saw a Hooded Pitta with a mouthful of worms too! It stayed still with the worms wriggling in its beak before flying off with its catch. We would see it back in the same area again, digging for more worms.

A slightly wet pitta with some worms in its beak.
It was a such a dark, gloomy, drizzly afternoon!

We then had an encounter with a pair of Mangrove Blue Flycatchers perched together on a leafless tree. The mama soon flew off but the papa stayed behind. It would come back to the same area with food in its mouth, ready to be delivered to its nestlings.

The papa Mangrove Blue came back with spiders and worms!

The weather didn't improve much so Jops and I decided to call it a day. We just got a handful of birds on our list but we got great observations of bird behavior.

It is always so much more interesting and rewarding when we get to see the birds' natural behavior. Behavior that is not manipulated in any way using any supplements or reinforcements. There is a different kind of joy in this kind of experience, knowing we were exactly at the right place at the right time with the birds =)

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 =)

Fallen Chick

It was a great birding morning with visiting birder friends Dave, Eric, and Penn. We were able to see some Ashy Ground-Thrushes (and even heard one singing beautifully just by the park entrance!) and also got to see glimpses of a handsome Hooded Pitta, even though it was very easily flushed away. It was the second time I've seen the Hooded Pitta in the La Mesa Ecopark so it was a special treat for me too =)

The trail was alive with bird calls: Grey-backed Tailorbirds sang loudly but unseen from the trees, Black-naped Orioles called loudly from the treetops, and Lowland White-eyes chirped all around us. A Mangrove Blue Flycatcher posed well for us, allowing Dave and Eric to take lots of photos.

We weren't so lucky with the usually friendly Red-bellied Pitta though. We searched and scanned and listened for it but it simply didn't show. Oh well, it means our friends will have to come back again for it =)

While searching for the pitta and more birds, I noticed some Lowland White-eyes flitting around the branches just above my head. It was then that I noticed that they had a nest just above the trail. Upon closer observation, we saw that the nest actually had a gaping hole underneath and you could actually see an egg resting in the "crack"! How precarious!

Even more scarier was what we saw next... a newly hatched chick dangling from the nest's edge by its leg! It was such a disturbing sight for me and I was a bit glad I didn't have my camera. The adult white-eye kept coming back to the nest and kept trying to feed the chick with a small worm. The chick wriggled and wriggled and we were all dreading that it might fall. And it did. It dropped silently to the ground. And I saw it with my own two eyes. =(

Dave, who was nearest me, heard my gasp and we immediately approached the area to check on the tiny chick... Eric joined us and he spotted the tiny bird and gently scooped it up with dried leaves. It was still alive. Eric handed my the leaf and the fallen chick... and I looked at it sadly.

One of the saddest things I've seen while birding...

We all knew its chances of survival were close to (or practically) none... but we had to do something! Jops found an old, discarded nest nearby. We placed the chick as gently as we could inside and positioned it near its original nest hoping the parents would notice it and continue caring for it. With a deep sigh, I walked away from the area and took a last look at the nest. I was quite surprised to see the adult Lowland White-eye sitting on the nest, warming the egg inside.

Hmm, did the parents push the chick out of the nest or did it fall by itself? Was the chick falling out of the nest a consequence of "poor nest construction"? Whatever the reason or cause, it was just sad seeing such a frail living thing so defenseless and us feeling helpless to do anything. We left the trail hoping for the impossible that the chick would survive.

All that sadness was washed away when we were able to see two healthy and wide-awake juvenile Philippine Scops-Owls perched comfortably (and securely) beside one of their parents right after we had lunch. Even in nature, you win some and you lose some.. 

Forest Bird, City Bird

A few months after Jops and I became birdwatchers we were lucky enough to have gotten big birding "breaks" that allowed us to see birds that were quite difficult to see before. I think it started with the Ferruginous Flycatcher that made an appearance in the UP Diliman campus way back in November 2010. That was our first ever twitch and we didn't know how lucky we were to see it so close to home. (Here's Trinket's blog post about it =) )

Our next lucky break was the Naked-faced Spiderhunter which was chanced upon by a bird photographer in the La Mesa Ecopark in December 2010. This got the ball rolling for the park, bringing in more birders and bird photographers and leading to more and more avian discoveries: Red-bellied Pitta, Hooded Pitta, Brush Cuckoo, Ashy Ground-Thrush, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Rufous Paradise Flycatcher, Guaiabero, Grey-backed Tailorbird, Slaty-legged Crake, Scaly Ground-Thrush... the list goes on. Who knew the mini-forest housed so many birds! 

Jops and I visited the park last Friday afternoon to check out something in the mini-forest. We weren't expecting anything bird-wise given that we just had a few hours before it got dark, but we were still hoping to see the Pechora Pipit. 

It was a nice, quiet weekday and there weren't that many people passing through the park. A very friendly Red-bellied Pitta showed up shortly after we entered the trail, busy foraging on the ground.

A very plump Red-bellied Pitta stayed close to the trail giving us
excellent views and allowing us to photograph it.

Another friendly bird, a male Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, also kept giving us very close encounters, perching very near us at the edge of the trees.

Male Mangrove Blue Flycatcher kept surprising us with its appearances!

After a while, I saw some movement on the ground... a small brown bird with streaks was walking around the area. The Pechora Pipit! It was walking a bit slowly at first but then became more active as it foraged on the ground.

A blurry photo of lifer # 236 - Pechora Pipit

Also along the trail, we spotted a Lowland White-eye nest. The adult bird would make occasional visits to the nest but we did not see any chicks yet. The bird soon flew away after only a few seconds on the nest.

Lowland White-Eye on its nest

A group of noisy teenagers passed through the trail with matching blaring music from a cellphone. I stepped out of their way and let them pass before resuming my observation of the nest. Seeing the nest and remembering where I was made me realize how blessed I am to be able to witness this in the middle of the city -- how blessed and lucky us birdwatchers are to have access to these kinds of birds in Quezon City.

I remember some friends telling me and Jops that we didn't seem to realize how lucky we were to be able to spot the Ashy Ground-Thrush in the mini-forest when most birders have spent countless hours before dawn, up the trail in Mt. Makiling just to spot it. Yes, we didn't realize it at that time. And once we heard the stories from other birders, we did realize how lucky we and a lot of birders are to see it. The whole experience became more meaningful and memorable. 

Thinking more about the wonderful discoveries birdwatchers have had in the park, it made me think about how amazing it is that these forest birds have found a home and suitable habitat in this mini-forest in the middle of the city, how they have been thriving there possibly way before us birders "discovered" them, how they have survived even with the lack of awareness of their presence from the park administration and staff, and how they are able to continuously breed successfully with all the human traffic, intrusion, and noise around them. Amazing. 

Thanks to the efforts of birdwatchers, the park has now become more aware and conscious of the birds' presence. They may not be able to differentiate and appreciate the rarities and unique species in the park (just like we had in the beginning), but now they know that the mini-forest serves as a home and breeding ground for most of the birds and they have shown understanding and appreciation for that. Slowly, just like us, they will learn the real value of the birds and the park.

First Flight!

Today, Jops and  I took out visiting birder friend from Boston, E.M. to the La Mesa Ecopark and the Angono Petroglyphs. We were joined by some of our birder friends (Leni, Jun, Yana, Christian, Rob, Mark Jason V., and Anthony A.) and met up early at the park. We also met some new friends, some were visiting birders and some were scuba divers who were newly discovering the wonderful world of birding!

We lingered a bit near the entrance and some of us were able to see a Red-bellied Pitta in the area. We then headed to the trails, most of us to try our luck with the Slaty-legged Crake. Unfortunately, the Crake was a no-show but we did get excellent views of more Ashy Ground Thrushes, hopping around and preening on the ground. A Mangrove Blue Flycatcher was noisily flying about, showcasing its different calls.

While waiting for the Slaty-legged Crake to show, we noticed a couple of Lowland White-eyes chirping away in a nearby tree. They flew in quite near us and we could clearly see little green worms in their beaks. They flitted from branch to branch, carrying the worms around. They weren't gobbling them down... nest with chicks,  maybe?

Never having seen a Lowland White-eye's nest in person, I didn't know what to look for. I scanned the area but didn't see anything. After moving further along the trail, Yana and I went back and saw the two White-eyes, still in the same area. I scanned a bit more thoroughly with my bins and voila! I found it! A small, neatly woven, cup-shaped nest was there right in front of us! The adult birds still had food in their beaks but did not approach the nest. We moved back to give them "space" and in just a few seconds of our retreat, one adult bird perched on the nest and deposited the bright green worm into the hungry mouth of a chick! AMAZING!

We left the nest and moved to another spot. Still no Crake. I headed back to the nest with Jops and Anthony, hoping to witness another feeding and also, I requested Jops to take a photo for me =). What we saw was the nest with a bird sitting very still right next to it. We thought it was the adult guarding the nest. After some shots were taken, we reviewed the photos and discovered that the bird was the Lowland White-eye chick! It still lacked the white eye-ring and the yellow color was just starting to show on its chin, like a bib. 

Baby Lowland White-eye sitting beside its nest. Photo by Jops =)

After a few minutes, and with the birders now regrouped in the area, the adults came back. One was carrying a red berry in its beak and fed it to the hungry, waiting chick! EVEN MORE AMAZING! Here's a video taken by Mark Jason of the adult feeding the chick with the berry! So cool that he was able to document it!!! Thank you, Mark for sharing this video! Here's a link to the video.

The parents flitted away from the nest after the "berry meal" but the chick started to follow them! It hopped further up the branch, then onto a nearby branch... following its parents! It was quite nerve-wracking to watch, to be honest. I was praying it wouldn't fall! It soon disappeared into the trees together with its parents, leaving us birders ecstatic upon watching its first flight out of its nest =)