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!!!

The Falcons Around Us

Who would’ve thought there were so many falcons in the city? Every migration season, reports of Peregrine Falcon sightings in the metro would come in. Usually these reports would be from the same places: in a university, near a rotunda, in a busy business district.

A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help Trinket and Adri with a bird walk in the Ateneo campus in Quezon City. Part of the route was checking out if the Peregrine Falcon was back in the tower it called its home for a few months each year. We quickly spotted the raptor perched on the tower, and Abby and I even saw it regurgitate a pellet! So cool! It was the first time I saw that! Too bad the pellet did not fall all the way down to the ground…

Yearly visitor on campus

Abby, who organized the bird walk, and some of the students inspected the surrounding area and found a lot of “wings.” Literally, discarded wings of the Peregrine Falcon’s prey. There were more than a dozen pigeon wings and headless bodies littering the grass around the tower and one student even found a head!

A lot of headless pigeons on the grass

We found one head!

A few days after the bird walk, I got a text from Trinket asking me if the GMA Tower was visible from our house (we live in the same area) and she said there was a Peregrine Falcon on the tower! I quickly set up my humble scope and ran outside the house to scan the only tower visible from our place. I had no idea if it was the GMA tower she was referring to, but I scanned anyway. I stood in the middle of the road, hair disheveled and without a care for what I was wearing, and prayed that I would find it.

After a few minutes, I saw it. There was a Peregrine Falcon on the tower! I quickly took a photo, no matter how bad it was, and sent it to Trinket and Adri. It was on a different perch from the one in their photo. Their comment: it looked like it was on a completely different tower! 

This was the best photo I could manage!
Do you see the Peregrine Falcon?

Could it be a different bird? We would like to think so! We were looking at our respective towers and falcons almost at the exact same time, which would mean there were two birds! We still have to prove that we have two different Peregrine Falcons in our neighborhood, but it would be so cool if that is indeed the case. What are the chances of that happening, and in those circumstances?! =)

I’ve scanned “my” tower a couple of times on different days, braving the broiling Manila heat, but I haven't spotted the falcon again. I’ll try again today and I hope it will be there on the tower.

PS On a recent boat ride along Manila Bay, our group also saw a Peregrine Falcon among the fish pens! So many falcons to see!