Pink Dethrones Silver

For the longest time, the Silvery Kingfisher topped my list of favorite kingfishers. I first saw one in Bohol before the species was split into Northern and Southern types. Between the two, I've always preferred the Southern Silvery Kingfisher. It has been good to me—showing well every time I’ve gotten the chance to see it.

I lifer-ed it in February 2013 during an ocular trip toPasonanca Natural Park in Zamboanga, and again in 2014 during the 9th Philippine Bird Festival at the same site.

My very first Silvery Kingfisher in Pasonanca in 2013

In 2018, I got lucky again in Tacurong during the 12th PBF and Tacurong Bird Festival. At a later event, I was even gifted a beautiful painting by Tang Tuck Hong of the Wild Bird Club of Malaysia because we shared the sighting during that trip. The painting is framed and proudly hangs on my wall.

Thank you again, Tang, for this beautiful painting!

So yes, the Southern Silvery Kingfisher, with its dark palette and mesmerizing silver spots, reigned supreme on my list. Unbothered about being dethroned… until I found the pink one.

I didn’t even consider the possibility of seeing the North Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher anytime soon. Not even when my good friend Sean posted an AMAZING photo of the bird from one of his trips to Infanta in February this year. I just allowed myself to be jealous about it (and yes, maybe a little bitter haha!) but refused to dwell on the fact that I won’t be able to twitch it any time soon.

Post after post of the pretty little pink-and-orange-y Luzon endemic popped up on my Facebook feed from birder friends who have seen and photographed it. I swallowed the intrigue and kept my head down, focused on work, while it gnawed at my periphery. Until... Vinz messaged asking about a possible “twitch and run”, and I was raring to GO!

Surprisingly, no one had booked Francis (a local guide) on the Sunday we went. We picked him up and his son Mark joined us as an extra spotter. As always with a twitch, the nerves kicked in—more so because we had very limited time for this particular bird. We all needed to head back to Manila right after lunch! It was also the first time Vinz and I were forest birding together. We’d soon find out if we made a lucky combo or if we were jinxed.

We soon parked by the roadside and were slowly making our way down to the site the kingfisher has been seen. Thankfully, it was a very short walk and we were soon quietly scanning the trees for the bird. We stood on a ledge overlooking a slope, the air filled with the sound of rushing water, birdsong, and the occasional roar of passing engines.

Our view for the morning!

After fifteen minutes, Mark and Francis signaled to us —it was there! The tiny kingfisher suddenly perched at eye level, partially shadowed and hidden by leaves. I got a good look through my binoculars, snapped a few photos, and stepped aside so Vinz could view it too. It soon flew off and left us marveling at its quick appearance and my ticking off a lifer! Successful twitch! We were not a jinxed twitching combo! Should we go home now?

Of course not.

We waited for another appearance—and it did come back. This time, joined by a second North Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher, bringing food to feed the other one. 

The pair of North Philippine Dwarf Kingfishers - LIFER!

For the next four hours, we stayed in the area, being entertained by the appearances of the two beautifully-colored kingfishers. We were joined by Lau and we all enjoyed one kingfisher bringing food to the other.

The beauty of these kinds of sightings is that it allows you to observe the birds for a prolonged period of time, taking in all their minute field marks: the fine spots on the head, the ultramarine (ULTRAMARINE!) dots on the wings of the individual bringing the food, and their different shades of lilac, pink, and orange. Even their tiny bright red feet clutching the branches they perched on were a treat to observe. 

Ultramarine spots on the wings!

Such a pretty kingfisher!

Eventually, the kingfishers flew off and, having had our fill of the birds, our group moved on to a Scarlet Minivet nest nearby. 

Female Scarlet Minivet sitting on its nest waaay up high!

We left Lau at the site, dropped Francis and Mark at their house, and made our way back to Manila. We celebrated the kingfishers and our lucky twitching combo with pizza, sisig, and ice-cold Coke in a restaurant along the highway.

Happy twitchers with guide Francis and his son Mark

On the drive home, we reflected on our luck, the sheer beauty of the North Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher, and the feeding behavior we witnessed. It was then that I decided – or maybe realized – that it had dethroned the Southern Silvery Kingfisher from the top spot on my kingfisher list. I thought that wasn’t really partial to pink (most of my clothes are black or some neutral color or with some sparkle) but in this instance, pink trumps silver. Hands down.

Sharing a video of the two North Philippine Dwarf Kingfishers, one bringing the other a nice, big cicada. Enjoy!

The Reluctant Twitcher Strikes Again

 For the Spoon.

I have become, admittedly, a somewhat reluctant twitcher. The past few years have been very slow in terms of birding for me, although I try my best to volunteer and guide for the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines as much as I can. So, one can only imagine the drive I have when it comes to twitching nowadays.

It felt like only a few months ago since I last went out in search of a particular bird - but it turns out that my last twitch was in April LAST YEAR for the Eurasian Oystercatcher. Which was a success, by the way, given that I decided to finally try for it quite late in the season.

After getting permission from the boss to go and spend a Wednesday morning twitching, I was still contemplating if I should really go, up until the night before. Reluctant twitcher indeed! But I pushed all hesitancy aside and repeated my good friend Mark's words about going out to find the rarest bird I will most likely see - For those still trying for it, Believe. Holy Grails can be found.

So off we went to Balanga, Bataan at 3AM on a Wednesday morning. Djop, Prof. Bert, and I chatted nonchalantly about small stuff during the drive and a quick breakfast stop, but deep down inside I was conditioning myself that we might dip on this bird.

We arrived at the entrance of the Balanga Wetland Park at roughly 6:30AM and were greeted by a large flock of egrets busy with their breakfast. We parked, got our stuff ready, and met Jenny and her husband Jason who would be our boatman that morning. Jenny was pushing a stroller which held a cheerful baby Jerson who I believed gave us good juju =)

We boarded our bangka and crossed the river, greeted by a beautiful sky as the sun continued to rise. 

After only a couple of minutes, we found ourselves standing and staring at an expanse of mudflats, silently praying to the birding gods that we find the lone Spoonbilled Sandpiper that made an appearance for the first time ever in the Philippines in this very area.

After a short discussion on our "gameplan", we immediately started scanning the area for the critically endangered species that had me squishing my way in the mud.

It took one hour before Djop found the bird and both him and Prof Bert were whisper-yelling me over to where they were standing - "MAI!" "MAIA!!!" then emphatically pointing to a spot near the water's edge. 

I think my heart stopped beating for a second or two before I started making my way to the guys. At the same time, a noisy bangka ran along the river, parallel to me, towards the bird!!! Noooooo! Would I have to outrun a motorized boat to the bird before the boat flushed it away?! 

Squelch squelch squelch. 

I don't know how I managed to walk that fast on slippery, treacherously soft mud without slipping or falling on my behind! Of course, the bangka reached the bird before I did, successfully flushing it....

towards me! 

It flew past me and banked further away before landing, but since the three of us had eyes on it THE WHOLE TIME we were able to reposition ourselves and put the bird on our scopes, bins, and cameras! 

HUZZAH! Lifer! Mega lifer!

Spoonbilled Sandpiper

This was the first official twitch of my Canon SX70 and what a lucky camera it is! The bird actively fed with a small group of Red-necked Stints, foraging between snails and, sadly, bits of garbage. We "lost" the bird a couple of time but reacquired it after a few minutes of searching.

"Found it!"

"Markers?"

"Just in front of the blue piece of plastic."

"The big one or the small one?

"The small one."

It is quite a sad thing that reference points to find the bird involved differentiating between sizes of trash or between shades of "SM blue" and "Watsons blue" plastic and it actually working - but here we are.

A critically endangered species feeding amidst, well, trash.

The sighting of this bird in Manila Bay should bring to light its importance and the need to protect the habitat. "It also highlights the significance of Manila Bay as a crucial feeding area for migratory waterbirds, including species of international importance." writes our birder friend Lu-Ann Bajarias in an article published on Inquirer.net (Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1919617/worlds-rarest-most-threatened-migratory-shore-bird-spotted-in-ph#ixzz8V7VAmlZq)

A successful twitch and surrounded by wonderful waders (the Pacific Golden Plovers were transitioning to breeding plumage!!!!), my birder heart was very happy and, yes, much relieved. Mark said to believe, and I did! 

Happy twitchers who were back to work in Manila after lunch

We returned to the other side of the river and took a celebratory selfie with Jason, Jenny, and Jerson who shared our smiles and happiness from finding the bird.

I also promised to volunteer to guide once a month for the rest of the year if I saw the bird. So, Mike... 😜

Sharing some video clips of this most awesome lifer!! Thank you to Mark, Jas, Mads, and Lu-Ann for the tips and good luck wishes! 💖

A "Late to the Party" Twitch

It was towards mid-February when photos of a Eurasian Oystercatcher began popping up on my Facebook feed. A lone individual had been spotted in the mudflats of Tanza, Navotas. This was the fourth sighting of this Near Threatened bird in the Philippines which is known to spend the winter months in eastern China and along the western coast of Korea.

The oystercatcher, a wader with a bright orange beak, has been on my "wish to see" list of birds ever since I opened the Kennedy guide but never really thought I'd get a chance to see it in the Philippines. So when the days, then the weeks ticked by with me having no extra time to go see the rare bird, I slowly accepted my fate that I was to dip on this extremely rare chance of seeing it.

But then... I couldn't stand it any longer. 

I'm sure many, if not all birders, know the tugging feeling of a possible lifer just waiting for you to come see it. But alongside that feeling comes the silent dread whispering "It may have already left though..."  Call it the Id and Superego of birding.... the tiny angel and devil on each shoulder each whispering in your ear: "Go for it! You deserve it!" cheers the angel, "It's a migrant! It's probably flying away right now!" sneers the devil.

What the heck. I asked Djop to make arrangements with Alfie of DENR-NCR for the following day I got the itch to twitch the Oystercatcher. Thankfully, Alfie was kind enough to update us on the bird (it was still there!!!) and accommodated us the following day. This was already March 22! More than a month after its first sighting!

Lifer! Photo by Djop

Digibinned by me

After a walk and a short boat ride, I was staring at a mega-lifer: Eurasian Oystercatcher! I breathed out a sigh of relief and literally shed some tears at our successful twitch. I honestly thought with my luck, we weren't going to see it. But there it was! I was still deserving of such success in birding!

It was my first time in the site and was amazed at the waders that were there. A flock of Pied Avocets greeted us when we arrived, as well as some Black-headed Gulls, lots of Pacific Golden Plovers, godwits, egrets, terns and many others foraging in the mudflats and shallows.  

Pied Avocets. Photo by Djop.

Our being on a boat piqued the curiosity of some of my birder friends (come on, guys...) So, for everyone's information, THIS was how far we were from the bird while on the boat:

See the bird? I can, I was there. 
I mean, honestly...

This was the closest we went
so as not to flush the object of our twitch away.

The Oystercatcher stayed unperturbed the whole time we were there observing and photographing it. Yes, a birdwatcher and a bird photographer in a boat to see the bird. It stayed there still nonchalant of us while our little banca was paddled back to the mangrove area to disembark, probably wondering why there were birders gawking at it under the broiling midday sun. 

We left after a few minutes as I was starting to get a migraine from the heat... it was a successful twitch already! As we made our way back to Alfie waiting for us by the mangroves, Djop spotted a "biggish" wader in the shallows. I quickly took a look through my bins, the haze making me more dizzy, whispered "Some knot. Let's go PLEASE!" feeling my brain slowly being fried already.

On the ride back to Quezon City, a quick review of the photos showed it was indeed a Great Knot! 

Great Knot posing for the camera. Photo by Djop.

It turned out to be a great twitchy Wednesday morning off from work (of course, I got my boss's blessing first!) and was back in my work-from-home desk (aka dining table) just after lunch. 

Not bad at all for a last minute twitch for a very obliging vagrant that seems to be enjoying its stay in Manila Bay... it's still here!!!

Thank you, Alfie! Will visit again soon and enjoy all the waders the site has to offer!

Me, Alfie, and Djop

I will celebrate this twitching victory as part of my 13th Birding Birthday tomorrow, April 9! 

Hooray for birds!

Let's Find 'Em Avocets

I think my life is one very long lesson in patience. And sometimes, I get rewarded handsomely.

I've waited for a chance to see Pied Avocets since I started birding in 2010. Every time I went to Candaba during migration season, I would hope for at least one of them to be there. Sadly, I wasn't that lucky a birder.

So when some of them were spotted in Obando, Bulacan by my friend Jasmin, my sleeping inner twitcher lifted her head, picked up her bins and said "Let's find 'em Avocets."

It was a hot, cloudless day to be twitching...

Maundy Thursday morning, Bob, Djop and I parked and started our walk under the scorching sun. Through the dried grass and the swarms of pesky insects that try to get into your mouth, nose, and eyes.

Scan, scan, scan.

Walk on further, marching through narrowing dikes, and avoiding holes the boys would point out to me, making extra effort to remember if they said to keep left or keep right 😂

We stopped at a pond with lots of Black-winged Stilts and other waders and scanned for the avocets.

Lots of Black-winged Stilts

Nope, not there...

We also scanned the waders mixed with the stilts and egrets, hoping for the Dunlin or something else out of the ordinary. We saw Common Greenshanks and Marsh Sandpipers but nothing else. Then a couple of rust-colored waders popped up into view and I got my first views of Black-tailed Godwits in breeding plumage!!

Sleeping in this photo but they raised their heads long enough
also to get a good look at their bills

 At this point Mr. Sun was really shining down on us and with limited choices for shade, my hopes of seeing the Avocets was slowly draining away. We moved further into the fishponds and again through brambles and hidden holes until Bob said the words we were waiting for: "Avocets."

Maybe our expressions showed doubt and disbelief because Bob had to convince us a bit before we shared in his excitement and finally saw our lifers.

Successful twitch!

We saw five Pied Avocets standing in a line

The boys went down the dried fishpond to find a better vantage point and some shade, but as I looked at the ditch I had to traverse, I gave them a firm "No, thank you." and made myself comfortable in my spot under the sun.

Two of the five Pied Avocets

The Avocets were sleeping most of the time we observed them but they would raise their heads and preen now and then revealing their delicate upturned bills.

Pied Avocets

They were in a pond with quite a lot of terns so we scanned and spotted some Curlew Sandpipers that we really, really hoped would be Dunlins but they weren't, so...

Terns, terns, terns

Also got to see Curlew Sandpipers in breeding plumage!!!

Yup, another Curlew Sandpiper among the terns and NOT a Dunlin

There was also a lone Pacific Golden Plover, a Rufous-necked Stint, and a hiding Greater Sand-Plover also in its breeding plumage! Oh, an a handsome Gull-billed Tern as well.

Pacific Golden Plover (who seriously looked it just woke up
and was shocked to be alone among the terns)

Spot the Greater Sand Plover! It was my first time to see it in its
breeding plumage too!

After getting our fill of the Pied Avocets and the other birds, we decided to head back but not before taking photos of Black-winged Stilts that settled quietly in the pond behind us.

Black-winged Stilts

The walk back was hotter but easier because there was no longer any pressure to find the Avocets. We chanced upon a group of egrets and some waders and also a Javan Pond Heron.

Javan Pond Heron

So, we spent approximately two hours under the sun, traipsing through brambles and hidden holes but I finally got to see Pied Avocets! Here's a short video of my latest lifers and how far they were from where I stood 😉 Enjoy it in HD! 👌

Boobook Twitch!

I was in denial that I was in a birding slump. I missed birding but I didn't have the drive to go out and bird. And if I did feel like birding, the weather would not cooperate. It took an owl to get me excited again about sneaking in some birding time within a very toxic work week (reviewing my students for their exams!!!) 

Birder friend, Peter T., generously accommodated me to try our luck with a Chocolate Boobook* he had recently spotted in the subdivision where he lived in. Despite being very tired from work, I was quite excited at the possibility of getting a lifer for me! (*There is still some question about the owl's identity, it could possibly be a Northern Boobook!)

We were at the spot a little past 5pm and I joined Peter and friends Tito Bob and Tita Cynthia, who were already waiting for the owl. The afternoon light was quickly fading and the stench from a nearby garbage area rose to envelope us. We waited for an hour, but saw no movement except for some Brown Shrikes. Then, a small truck came to collect the garbage. The truck parked right next to the area where the owl had just been seen and photographed the previous day by Irene and Mike A.! That lessened my hope of seeing the owl in that spot.

As night settled in, Tito Bob and Tita Cynthia said that they were going ahead. Almost as soon as I kissed Tita Cynthia goodbye, a dark shadow flew in to perch on a tall tree. Looking suspiciously like an owl, I shone my flashlight on it and I could clearly see eye shine! The owl!

It quickly flew off again before I would spot it through my binoculars. It landed on a tree nearby and we were able to positively identify it. "Boobook! Boobook!" We brisk-walked in the darkness to the tree and there it was indeed: the Chocolate Boobook!

The one and only decent shot I got of this awesome bird!

It stayed only for a moment before it flew off into the night. I don’t think any of us got great photos that night, but I’m happy that I was able to get an ok photo of the object of our successful twitch! Oh, and I was able to get a short video too! =)

Twitching Some "Spoons" and "Rubies"

T'was six days before Christmas when our fellow birders Brian E. and Linda G. reported a pair of Black-faced Spoonbills in Candaba, Pampanga. Alas, it was a Thursday and as much as Jops and I wanted to twitch the birds, we had to wait for the weekend to do so. I was very excited to get a chance to see them especially since our birder friend Nilo A. spotted and photographed a single Black-faced Spoonbill in Olango Island in Cebu just a few weeks ago!

Come Saturday, Jops, Jon V., and I headed to Candaba early morning to try our luck with the spoonbills. We made it to the area and immediately saw our birder friends Peter, Tito Bob, and Tita Cynthia. They had spotted the birds and Tito Bob had already gotten a photo! The birds were still there!

Under a pretty Candaba sky, birders old and new, spent part of their
morning birdwatching

We immediately got the scopes out and started scanning the scattered group of egrets, herons, and waders on the ponds in front of us. After a few seconds, Jops said quietly, "I got them on the scope." After he got good views, Jon and I took turns looking at our awesome lifer, making sure to see their black faces and spoon-like bills. Lifer!

We followed the birds as they walked towards the left, then towards the right, busily foraging for food with their heads down. It was challenging enough getting photos with the birds so far away, and their constant movement and foraging made it even more difficult to get a decent picture of their heads!

Here's a shot of the spoonbills preening in between furious foraging

Here's the best shot I got of our awesome lifer!
Grainy, but it shows the features of the bird well enough =)

While trying my luck getting a documentary shot of my awesome lifer, some locals came over curious as to what we were all excited about. Joggers, bikers, and kids, all got to see the pair of Black-faced Spoonbills having breakfast. I guess they didn't realize it, but we tried our best to explain the significance of having the birds in Candaba.

The pair of birds we were looking at were part of the small global population of Black-faced Spoonbills. Listed as endangered, there is an estimated population of more or less 2,000 birds left in the wild. There is a recorded historical population of 10,000 birds but their numbers plunged to 288 individuals in 1988. But with conservation efforts, the population was able to slowly recover to 2,693 birds in 2012.*

After a while, our group decided to move to the area near the Mayor's ponds and try for the Siberian Rubythroat. It would be another lifer for me and Jops, and we were hoping our lucky streak would continue.

The roads to the Mayor's house were dry but there were some portions with very deep potholes. We stopped beside an area with pretty vegetation which also head a small number of waders: Wood Sandpipers, Long-toed Stints, and quite a number of snipes were seen.

Long-toed Stint

We then moved on to the huge pond and saw that it was almost completely covered with vegetation! Lots of Wandering Whistling Ducks could be seen landing on the water and disappearing in the plants. A lot of them were perched out in the open too.

Two very handsome-looking Wandering Whistling Ducks

Jon, Jops, and I pushed forward to the Mayor's house but didn't see the Rubythroat after several tries calling it out from the brush. We got some replies but the bird never came out. We regrouped with Tito Bob and getting a helpful tip from Mike A., we positioned ourselves in the area where they saw it last week. After several attempts at calling the bird out, we heard one answer loud and clear. Jon then saw some movement in the brush and there it was, our second amazing lifer for the day: a gorgeous male Siberian Rubythroat.

At first, it had its back turned to us.
Who would have thought this brown bird would have a ruby-red throat?

We think there were at least two individuals in the area we were in but the birds never came out in the open. We did get good views, obstructed here and there by thin twigs and dried leaves. I didn't get a clear photo but these blurry pictures are enough souvenirs of another memorable lifer.

I am still amazed at this perfectly-named bird!
The red on its throat is a deep ruby shade lined with black.

The white stripes add a different accent to an otherwise
all-brown bird.

The bird would skulk in and out of view, making it very hard to get a photo. I was lucky enough to see it calling half-hidden in the dry brambles at one point before it disappeared quickly from view.

It was midday all too soon and we all had to go. Good byes and Merry Christmases were exchanged and we all drove out of Candaba happy. In the car and over lunch, Jon, Jops, and I were still ecstatic over our successful twitch, overwhelmingly happy that we got to see both the Black-faced Spoonbill and the Siberian Rubythroat in one morning. From the looks of our successful Christmas twitch ticking off the "Spoons" and "Rubies", 2014 is having a pretty good start. =)

* Data from BirdLife International's Fact Sheet about the Black-faced Spoonbill.

Post-script: The sighting of the Spoonbills has been featured in an article in local news!