Back to Birding (Sort Of)

 It.Has.Been.A.While.

The last time I wrote for my blog was over a year ago! But I'm brushing off the virtual cobwebs on this blog and reviving it to document my return to the world of birding - sort of. And nothing so dramatic.

Mask On! Birding in the new normal.

Recently, I've been volunteering again for the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) in guiding first time birdwatchers. I have to say that the few times I've gone out was truly refreshing! I surely felt rusty but happy to know that it all kind of comes back as the day goes on. I know I still have to get back into the groove though. 

Case in point: before starting the trip, I put on my binoculars over my head, hook my camera over one shoulder, and sling a reusable bag with my field guide and other stuff over the other shoulder only to end up just using my bins and the field guide occasionally. 

Me giving an intro to birding with all my "gear" on me

Another example: using the scope quick! I really have to relearn the skill of using the spotting scope, more urgently when there is a group kids eagerly awaiting to peek through to see a bird!!! Talk about pressure! Thankfully, birds have been cooperative during the times I've volunteered, staying put long enough to be put on the scope. 

I'm slowly reacquainting myself with neighborhood birding sites. These were the areas I birded in when I was a new birder years ago, practicing using my bins and ID skills. It's nice to know that birds still thrive in these places, even though the landscapes have changed over the years.

Birding in Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife

Strange, but I have developed this urge to rush through things and get things done as quick as possible. I have to remind myself to SLOW DOWN, to breathe easy (through my mask), and to allow myself to relax and enjoy the few hours birding. 

It has also become my "alone time" or my "me time" even if I am with a group of people. I dunno, it's hard to explain. But it's the time I get to do my own thing on my own, and for this I am truly grateful. It has done wonders for my mental health.

I have yet to really get back into birding and using my camera. It's debut was thwarted by the pandemic and we have yet to warm up to each other. But for now, I am really thankful for the small pockets of birding time I get and meeting new people (and children!) eager to see more birds. Sort of like a slow stretch after a long time of stagnation.

Hopefully, I will have more to write about soon. For now, I will ease back into the "game" slowly but surely. And no, my boy Elias won't be joining me yet... he'll drive away all the birds!!!

Rainy Forest Birding in Tanay

June 12, 2012 = Philippine Independence Day = Holiday = Birding

Independence Day birders! Photo from Jun Osano

Members of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) met up early Tuesday morning and efficiently convoyed up to the Tanay Rainforest Camp in Barangay Sampaloc, Rizal. It was a cool morning, having had strong downpour the night before. The weather forecast was rain and drizzle so we were more or less prepared for rain.

On the drive up, first came the fog...

Poor visibility going up to Tanay...

Then came the rain...

We had to roll our windows up...

We arrived at the Camp a little before 7AM and only a light shower was falling. We parked and immediately heard a Scale-feathered Malhoka and White-throated Kingfisher calling from somewhere inside the cluster of trees in front of us! We dropped off our things and picnic stuff at the mess hall and proceeded to the trail. The rain had finally stopped and we were blessed with pockets of blue skies.

There were patches of blue skies
but not long enough for more birds to come out

Along the trail, we could hear more Scale-feathered Malhokas, White-browed Shamas, Grey-backed Tailorbirds, and lots of Philippine Bulbuls. The trails are pretty easy, the one we first explored was going downhill. To get back to the main Camp, you had to go up the way you came, which was the most challenging part for me. One of my personal highlights was seeing three thermalling raptors! One Oriental Honey Buzzard and two Crested Serpent Eagles! It was amazing actually SEEING the Oriental Honey Buzzard calling while soaring above us! On our way back to the mess hall, we tried our luck with the Spotted Wood Kingfisher just seen a few minutes earlier by some fellow birders. As we reached the spot, heavy rain suddenly fell! Out came the ponchos and umbrellas and other rain gear, and we patiently waited for the rain to stop.

Birders in the rain... and no Spotted Wood Kingfisher =(

As soon as the rain let up, we headed back to the mess hall for some snacks and to dry up a bit. The rain would stop for a few minutes but would fall again, not as strong as the downpour we experienced, but enough to make the birds hide. We had our "picnic" lunch in the mess hall and went out again after. In the immediate area, we saw a couple of Ashy Ground-Thrushes near their nest.

The other trails were easy and pleasant to bird in. I could imagine it would be absolutely fantastic in good weather! In one area, I got superb views of a White-browed Shama and a small flock of Scale-feathered and Red-crested Malkohas! My best views of the Scale-feathered Malkoha yet! I could see every detail (even the white spots on the black stripe running down its throat!) AND saw it calling too! I wished I had a camera at that very moment!

My favorite part of the Camp during our trip!

We explored another trail but didn't see much birds, thanks to the rainy weather. We decided to draw up the bird list at around 3PM with a bit more birding in the area around the mess hall. Additional birds we saw there were Stripe-headed Rhabdornis, Red-keeled Flowerpecker, and White-eared Brown Dove. We left the place with a Brush Cuckoo calling very close to us. That gave us a total of 43 bird species seen and heard =)

On the drive back, we talked about our Tanay Rainforest Camp adventure and decided to go back when the weather is more pleasant and with bigger promise of more birds. I still want to see the Rufous Paradise Flycatcher again =)

Birthday Birding in Makiling

This year, I was blessed to celebrate my birthday birding in Mt. Makiling. Jops and I, together with friends Jun, Rob, Mark Jason, Leni and Jon J., braved the rainy weather and pushed on with our birding plans.

Welcome the Monsoon
We planned to leave for Laguna by Friday at noon, pick up friends along the way and meet up with Leni at TREES in the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) campus. Just our luck that a storm signal was raised Thursday evening over Catanduanes, south of Manila, marking the start of the monsoon season. Great. I hoped and prayed for good weather but I didn't expect much sunshine. As we exited the South Luzon Expressway, I got a text from Leni saying that she was entering the UPLB campus and that "the rain was letting up." I crossed my fingers and toes that the rain won't spoil our weekend.

Quails Come to Those Who Wait
We arrived at TREES a little past 3PM and found Leni birding in the area. It was quiet in the area, but we did see a lone Coppersmith Barbet atop the dead tree. After checking in, we proceeded to the DTRI area to bird in the grasslands there and hopefully see some quails. That would be Jops and my first quail species!

Very cloudy view of the grasslands we would bird in (and see some Barred Buttonquails!!!)

It was rainy almost the whole time we were in the area. We stood in a moderately falling rain for almost an hour! But then the rain finally stopped and we saw them: Barred Buttonquails on the dirt road! Lifer! We first saw a male BBQ (Barred Buttonquail) with some chicks on the path, scurrying about, staying close to the edge of the road. We were also treated to amazing  views of two female BBQs, clearly seeing the beautiful barring on their throats and bellies as well as their yellow beaks and amazing rufous necks! We stayed a bit seeing some Oriental Magpie Robins, Bright-capped Cisticolas, a Lesser Coucal and listening to the calls of a Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo that refused to show itself.

Dinner with Paul
We headed back to TREES and prepared to go out for dinner and some owling afterwards. We met up with fellow birder Paul Bourdin at the Thai restaurant just outside the UPLB campus. Over good food and great company, we exchanged stories about birds and birding =)

Happy birders getting ready for a Thai dinner =)

It was also a celebratory meal for getting
excellent views of the Barred Buttonquails! 

Owling Time
After dinner, we said goodbye to Paul and our group headed back to TREES to try and spot some owls. As we headed out into the night, a soft rain started to fall. It came together with the loud calls of some Philippine Hawk-Owls!

Birders in the night, looking and listening for owls =)

The Hawk-Owls were calling from almost all sides! It was amazing hearing their different calls... and they call so loudly! Finally we saw them! At first we saw one, then two, and amazingly three Philippine Hawk-Owls chasing each other in the canopy of the tree above us! It was such a great display for all of us! When finally the owls "settled down" we were able to observe one of the owls who perched in the open for a few minutes.

This is a photo of two of the Philippine Hawk-Owls we saw.
Rob took this picture and shared it with me for my birthday! Thank you, Rob!

The owls soon flew off just as the rain really began to fall, making us run for cover. We spotted two Glossy Swiftlets on the ceiling of the lobby and, of course, took the time to observe and photograph them before calling it a night.

Up the Muddy Mountain
We woke up early the next morning to steady rainfall. After getting some take-out breakfast, we waited at the hostel for the jeepney to arrive. It didn't come since the driver assumed we wouldn't proceed up the mountain because of the weather. Good thing Mark Jason had a back-up plan and after an hour, a Looney Tunes jeepney came to take us up. The rain was getting weaker as we rode up the mountain, but it did leave patches of mud that made parts of the trail too slippery for the jeepney. Finally, the driver gave up and said he could go no further. We all got out of the jeep and started walking up the forest trail. I expected my heart to sink... with the weather, the trail... but I didn't. It was my birthday week and I was going to enjoy it any way it turned out.

And it turned out very well indeed =)

When we started up the trail, the rain finally stopped (praise God!) =) Some parts of the trail came alive with bird song and we soon got to see a Philippine Trogon (Jops' lifer!) Moving further up the trail, we spotted a White-browed Shama engaging Mark Jason in a sing-off! It perched really close to the trail and sang for us a long time!

This White-browed Shama put on a show for us!
 This photo is a gift from Jun =) Thank you, Jun!

Further along the trail, we saw Spotted Wood Kingfishers. It was the first time I saw them on Mt. Makiling. We tried looking for a Bleeding Heart and some were able to hear one calling but none came out. We started to head back down the trail, and on the way down we encountered a mixed flock of Elegant Tits, Yellow-wattled Bulbuls, Yellow-bellied Whistlers, and a male Flaming Sunbird.

Birders in action! =)

Winding It Down
We got back to TREES happy with the amazing sights of the amazing birds we saw on the trail. We checked out, said goodbye to Leni who had to go home, and drove to IRRI for lunch. We relaxed a bit in a gazebo before heading to the APEC area for a last birding stop before going home to Manila.

In the APEC rice fields, we saw Common Moorhens, Greater Painted Snipes, and Scaly-breasted Munias bathing in a puddle. There were other birds in the field but the highlight was being dive-bombed by White-breasted Woodswallows as some of us passed by its nest and chicks atop an electric post! That was something else! We drove around and spotted some Oriental Skylarks looking handsome in a small field.

Last stop was back at DTRI to buy some chocolate milk. We were treated to another lifer: Asian Palm Swifts flying low over a field!!! Wonderful way to end my birthday birding trip! =)

Candaba Month

I've been in the Candaba Bird Sanctuary once a week during the past four weeks and it has been wonderful! Two guided trips, one Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) and a trip just for fun... I have fallen in love with the place though there is still much to be hoped for in terms of making it a true bird sanctuary.

Part of the Candaba wetlands with Mt. Arayat in the distance.

My dad is from Tarlac and I grew up going on many road trips along the North Luzon Expressway going to our ancestral home. Riding our family's non-aircon Toyota Tamaraw, I remember riding with my cousins, enjoying the strong wind and views of green ricefields with Mount Arayat in the background. I remember being excited about reaching the Via Duct and seeing the fields dotted with the big, white birds which we would interchangeably call herons or egrets. My dad would explain that that area was the Candaba marsh.

Me and my cousins aboard the family's Toyota Tamaraw. That's me on the left looking bored =P

The word marsh seemed so... strange and interesting to me. I never thought I'd be visiting the area regularly in my adulthood. The route going to the Candaba Bird Sanctuary can be tricky but birders will generously help you when you need directions. =)

The past four trips to Candaba made me experience first hand the changes in the environment and habitat, bird species to be seen and missed and, of course, little surprises along the way. We've encountered a python along the path, paused to inspect feathers on the trails, saw thousands and thousands of ducks take flight, bumped into birder friends and even chanced upon a small egg nestled in a hollow bamboo.

We've counted birds during the Asian Waterbird Census and lazed around for siesta before heading out later in the afternoon to go birding again.

I've seen 15 lifers since first visiting Candaba in January 2011! Some of my favorites are the ducks including the heavily-billed Northern Shoveller and the handsomely "painted" male Green-winged Teal.

A male Green-winged Teal hidden in the grass!

As the month of January ends, the ponds in the Candaba wetlands are starting to dry up making way for the planting of rice and forcing the ducks to move on to find a wetter habitat (we didn't see the huge flock of Philippine Ducks and Northern Pintails anymore.) As we drove away from a pond full of Garganeys, Shovellers, Teals and a few Philippine Ducks, I said a silent but temporary goodbye to this place that has been our constant birding destination the past few weeks. 'Til our next visit!

View from the car window: a pond full of ducks! See you soon again, Candaba!

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

Two Candaba Lifers and a Reptilian Road Block

Upon hearing the news from friend and WBCP member Felix that the roads to the Candaba Wetlands Bird Sanctuary were now passable even to sedans, we immediately planned our trip for the following day. The drive was easy and the roads dry and firm. When we arrived at around 7AM, farmers were already starting to work in the fields. Some of the paddies along the road were dry with cracked mud and so no waders were seen, except for a lone Common Sandpiper, as we drove up to the mayor's house. The grassy area was filled with hundreds of roosting Black-crowned Night Herons and Grey Herons, carefully hidden among the reeds. But once you focus your binoculars on the area, they suddenly "pop out" and become visible.

The ponds beside the mayor's house were filled with water but were relatively quiet. Except for the Red Turtle-Doves and Zebra Doves along the path and the occasional Yellow Bittern and Purple Swamphen, no other birds were seen. Photos of birds now line the area. 

We walked towards the right side of the mayor's house where we could see more Grey Herons roosting with some Purple Herons standing among the tall grasses. Walking further along the road, we flushed out more bitterns and some White-breasted Waterhens. Reaching the curb, we saw egrets in some rice paddies. There were about 20 of them, and I was starting to feel a bit disappointed. Where were the huge flocks of Candaba? As we turned the curb, I got my answer. Hundreds of egrets and terns could be seen in the fields in front of us. As we scanned the area, we were excited to see hundreds of ducks just behind the white wall of egrets! We hustled towards the area for closer views and to ID the sea of brown. But even before we could get a closer look, the huge flock took to the skies and flew to a farther pond. We were amazed at the huge flock covering the sky! Jops and I quickly back tracked to head to the pond where they settled in.

En route, we passed by a smaller pond where we saw a small group of Tufted Ducks. On the other side of the road was a larger pond where a flock of around 180 Wandering Whistling Ducks would fly around, land on the water, fly up again before settling down among the reeds. We were also entertained by the aerial battle between an Eastern Marsh Harrier and a much smaller raptor (which we weren't able to identify, tsk.) But is was the first time we were able to see raptors soaring and diving with talons aimed at each other. A Grey Heron also did a solo "dance" for us in the air =)

Can you see the heads of the Wandering Whistling Ducks?

As we neared the large pond, we saw two WBCP members Raul and Riza already scanning the area. A few minutes later, Alex and Cel, also WBCP members arrived. Here, we saw thousands of ducks in the water: Philippine Ducks, Garganeys, Northern Shovelers and our two lifers of the trip: Northern Pintails and a male Common Pochard! The mixed flock was amazing to watch! Jops and I, with the help of Alex and Cel, did a count and came up with an approximate total of 3,000 birds in that single pond! (They would see thousands more in another pond!)

Just a portion of the view of the thousands of ducks we saw

After doing our counts, Jops and I decided to walk back to the mayor's house through the bamboo hides on the other side of the fishponds. We stopped to view the Wandering Whistling Ducks again before entering the path leading back to where we parked the car.

Walking in between two walls made of bamboo, we could peep through windows into the ponds on both sides. Sadly for us, there were few birds to be seen in that area that day. Almost halfway along the path, we saw a White-throated Kingfisher fly from the pond on the right and perch near the bamboo wall in front of us. We slowly crept up to the area where it landed and took a peek through the nearest window...

We weren't able to spot the kingfisher so we started to move forward, Jops going ahead of me. Just a few steps from where we stopped, I noticed a "log" that was slowly moving our way (take note: LOG not branch!) Yikes! The log had a head! And beautiful yellow markings! I calmly asked Jops to come back slowly towards me. I think he noticed the seriousness and calm urgency in my voice because he did as he was told but was already looking around him, asking what was wrong. As soon as he was beside me, I pointed out the huuuuge snake crawling beside the bamboo wall headed straight at us! I couldn't believe our luck!

We backed up a bit more and observed what the snake would do next. It started to raise its head towards the bamboo wall, as if trying to find an opening. It would also crawl forward and try to crawl under the bamboo. We backed up a bit more. I asked Jops if he wanted to turn back and go back the way we came, but explained that the snake obviously wanted to go to the pond and we could just wait for it to find its way. He bravely said we should wait and push forward once the snake went away. So, we set up the spotting scope and enjoyed the beautiful markings on the 8-foot long reticulated python blocking our path.

We watched as it slowly inspected the bamboo wall blocking its way to the pond...

We watched as it found a way through the bamboo wall and slithered slowly towards the pond...

We stayed until the tip of its tail disappeared through the bamboo wall and it was completely gone from our sight...

When it was gone, we both breathed a sigh of relief and after a couple of minutes, trudged on. Of course we were more alert and kept our eyes on the trail lest we step on any more pythons crossing our path! =)

The Last Minute Lifer

Last Thursday, I got a text message from a friend with GPS coordinates on the location of a bird. A Red-bellied Pitta! In Quezon City! I haven't seen this bird yet and here was a perfect opportunity to see it so close to home! Good thing we had a scheduled guided birdwatching trip to the same area the following day. 

Our group, mostly twitchers in denial Jops, Jun, Mailyn, Yana, Joni and Jon J., made arrangements to meet up earlier than usual to go see the Pitta as well as other birds such as the Grey-backed Tailorbird which was also spotted in the same area. A few minutes after arriving in the park, we heard the Tailorbids already! We were able to spot a couple in a small area just by the side of the road but after just a few minutes, they disappeared into the undergrowth. Not all of us were able to get good views but we decided to move on to see the Pitta.

Going up the path, we bumped into fellow birders and bird photographers Bob, Cynthia, Gabs and Edu. They had just left the Pitta which was foraging for food on the ground. Just like any good birders, they pointed us to the Pitta spot and we pointed them to the Tailorbird area.

Alas! Both our groups weren't able to see the other species we were looking for! Our group spent some time waiting for the Pitta to come out but it didn't. We decided to leave the area and start our guided trip after a black cat stalked the area where the Pitta was last seen hopping around. With disappointment-laced hearts, we turned our backs on the Pitta and went to spread the joys of birdwatching to other people.

Participants of a guided trip in the La Mesa Eopark spotting a bird!

I think that's one great thing about birdwatching. We all get disappointed and sad when we fail to see a target bird. But once you accept the fact that you just ain't gonna see the bird today, you move on not with bitterness but with hope and seeds of excitement for the next possibility of seeing it. I don't think everyone has the capacity to handle such disappointment and if you're not so good at handling it now, after some time being a birder... you'll get the hang of it. It makes for much resilient people. 

Well, a couple of resilient birders made an impromptu trip back to the park today to try again to spot the Pitta. We allotted two hours tops to wait for the bird before we had to head home to a busy day ahead. We arrived at the park around 7AM and marched straight to the spot. No Pitta. We heard the Tailorbirds, Black-naped Orioles, Coucals, Kingfishers and Jops even spotted the immature Cuckoo high above us. We waited and we waited. An hour passed and the area became really quiet. I knew our time for the bird was running out and we soon had to leave. I was silently comforting myself that it was ok not seeing the bird today. Jops and I looked at each other, he said 'Let's go" and I sighed and nodded silently.

The "Pitta path"...

We haven't taken two steps when we saw Alain and Rocky coming our way! We told them we hadn't seen the Pitta and Alain simply told us that we were facing the wrong way! After maybe 15 minutes of waiting, Alain called out silently to me to stand beside him. I went as quietly as I could. He pointed to a green form on the ground. I focused my binoculars on the spot just as the bird turned its red belly on me. I was staring straight at the Pitta. When both Jops and I were able to enjoy the sight of this beautiful bird, we said our thanks and goodbyes and left the park happy and contented especially since we got to see our last minute lifer.

Note: All links to the bird photos are from the Facebook page of Wild Birds of the Philippines.

The Birder Connection

I can proudly say that one of the best things that has happened to me is becoming a birder. Yes, it could have come sooner in my life but I believe 100% that I became a birder at the most perfect moment. I have just finished reading two novels about bird watching: The Big Year and Life List. The former is being made into a movie and is based on the experiences of three Americans doing a big year. The latter is a biography of Phoebe Snetsinger, an American birder who, upon being diagnosed with cancer, took every opportunity to see as many birds around the world with her “remaining time” left. After reading both books, the first thoughts I had were about my own life list and began listing my target birds for the year. I got called a twitcher* for that!

But seriously, the more amazing thing that I’ve realized after reading the experiences of these other birders is not the competitiveness of the race nor the importance of the numbers on your list. It’s the fact that there is a unique connectedness among birders. There is a connection between our experiences as bird watchers whether you started birding this year or during the 60’s, whether you’re from this continent or that.

It’s the same! The sudden stutters and gagging we develop when we see a rare or unexpected lifer… the silent (or loud) profanities that come out of our mouths when a bird makes a fleeting, split-second appearance then disappears into the bushes… the disappointment when we fail to see a target bird in a specific place but mixed with excitement and anticipation for the future return trip to try again… the offering of one's blood to swarms of thirsty mosquitoes while walking through trails... and of course, the simple satisfaction and pure JOY of seeing a bird in the wild. I guess it does vary from one birder to another (there ARE hard core twitchers out there).  But the connection and understanding is definitely there.

Going deep into uncharted mosquito land

I just read friend and fellow birder Bob’s blog this morning and I felt that wonderful birder connection again. I invite you to read his blog and tell me if you don’t understand his reaction upon seeing the Watercock. But if you do understand, and you feel his excitement and share in his happiness upon seeing the bird, and you find yourself smiling upon reading his experience… then you’ve just experienced the birder connection. What a wonderful world to belong to!

*twitch·er/ˈtwiCHər/Noun

1. A person or thing that twitches.

2. A birdwatcher whose main aim is to collect sightings of rare birds.

Cloudy With a Chance of Lifers

LIFER - First ever sighting of a bird in its natural habitat. 


I think it's perfect that I start my blog with a story about getting my 150th lifer.


I was looking at my precious birding notebook (Yes, one of my few prized material possessions is a little black notebook containing notes of birds I've seen since becoming a birder last year) and I realized that since that time, I've had at least one lifer for each month until July this year! In scary way, it all blended together: my life list, reading The Big Year and just finishing reading Life List... I needed my August lifer.


Good thing a birdwatching trip was organized for August 7! It was my first chance for my August lifer! I was excited since the site would be Newtown Subdivision in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. I was wishing for a white morph coucal maybe...? =) 


Saturday night was really rainy and threatening to cancel our trip the following day. But thankfully, the rain eased up and then stopped completely as we were on our way to the site. I got out my bins, snapped on my belt bag and got ready to take it all in. As soon as I spotted my first birds, a foursome of White-breasted Woodswallows huddled together on a electric wire, I realized I didn't really need a lifer. I just need to bird.


A few minutes after spotting the Woodswallows, Mang Boy spotted some Crested Mynahs atop an electric post. I felt all my stress and worries melt away. This was going to be a good day.


I honestly wasn't really looking for any lifers throughout the morning (yes, I let go of the possible sighting of a white morph coucal). But guess what? I did get one! A Philippine Cuckoo-Dove... large, chunky and brand new to me. It's so much more exciting getting a lifer without expecting one.


That Sunday morning started out a bit shaky what with the weather and all... but I got to bird with good friends and made new ones as well. I ended the morning happy (albeit really hungry) and satisfied and energized for the week ahead.

Class picture of the Fearless Newtown Birders