Saturday, April 25, 2015

Amazing Race...er...Birding...(the Subic leg)

We woke up raring to bird so after breakfast, we headed out.  I was going to be with the group only until lunch because I had to go back to Manila that afternoon.  

Our first stop was Subic's colony of Flying Foxes.  


While watching the bats, we saw a Green Imperial Pigeon perch on a distant tree and a White-bellied Sea Eagle did a flyby.  Then this unidentified raptor glided above us.  I have asked for ID but at the time of this writing, there has been no positive ID.

Unidentified Raptor

Walking forward, we came across a pair of Philippine Green Pigeons.

Philippine Green Pigeon

While shooting the pigeon, a Guiabero perched on the tree beside us, enabling very close captures. 

Guiabero up close...

Across the street, we saw a Coleto.


Colleto

And back on our side of the road, we saw a Coppersmith Barbet.

Coppersmith Barbet

We reached the area near Crown Peak where we saw several birds.

Philippne Pygmy Woodpecker

Striped-headed Rhabdornis, lifer #205

Philippine Hanging Parrot or Colasisi

Blue-naped Parrot, Pikoy in Pilipino

Philippine Bulbul, another appearance just before we went to have lunch.

Aside from these, we also sa a Blue-throated Bee Eater, Oriental Cuckoo Shrike, Crows, Collared Kingfisher, and Drongo.  We were hoping to see a Luzon Hornbill, Green Racquet Tail, and the different woodpeckers of Subic.  

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for a short rest.  Kris brought me to a bus station so I can catch a bus to Manila.  I told the group that I will see them in two days at the hotel of Rafael and Marta (how wrong I was!).  


Friday, April 24, 2015

Amazing Race...er...Birding...(the Banaue leg, or almost 600km in 38 hrs)

We left Baguio around 8:00am because of the long drive ahead.  We were headed for the municipality of Banaue, in the province of Ifugao, a distance of about 200 kms. We passed La Trinidad, famous for its strawberries and shortly after we were on the scenic mountainous Halsema highway.  Because of the long drive, Kris was on his "mad driver" mode early and I felt what a pinball must feel like.  

The van suddenly stopped because somebody up front, (either Kris or Anthony),  saw a big bird on a bare tree on the side of the road.  I had my short lens attached (because I was trying to shoot landscapes, which was impossible, considering our speed and movement), so I fumbled for the tele-zoom but by the time I looked up again, the bird was gone.  Anthony ID'ed it as a Buzzard but since I did not get a clear look, I am not counting it on my list.  

We drove on and when we reached a part of the road where there was a shoulder, we stopped, to stretch our legs and take in the spectacular scenery. We had been on the road for two hours already. 

I was the last out of the van but as soon as I was out, I saw a black bird bigger than a starling but smaller than a crow. I knew it was a lifer. Island Thrush.

Island Thrush, lifer # 201.

Anthony Balbin, fellow WBPP member and our guide

Rafael Vita, from Madrid



One of the views along the Halsema Highway

We also saw Mountain Verditer Flycatcher in the same spot but there was no clear shot.  

We moved on and our next stop was the highest point along the Philippine Highway system. 






Crested Myna

After a few minutes, we pushed on again.  We had been traveling for about four hours already and the road was continuously winding, twisting, zigzagging, no stretch of a straight road whatsoever. We stopped for a quick lunch in a small hotel in a small town.  And then we pushed on again.  We reached the the town of Bontoc at about 3:40pm.  Loaded gas and we continued our journey.  Along the way, we saw the road that leads to Sagada. I also noticed road signs that had places like Kalinga, Mountain Province, etc.  As mentioned in my earlier blog, it was a fun journey for a geography buff, pinball feeling notwithstanding.

We reached the area of Mt. Polis around 4:20pm.  But the twisting mountain road was dark (because dark rain clouds have virtually blocked the sun), wet (and still drizzling), foggy, and there was a landslide.  Kris stopped and sent Anthony ahead on foot to check if there was a way through. Later that evening, Anthony relayed that walking along the road, he could hear sounds of rocks falling.  He had walked about 30 meters when another van overtook us and went ahead.  We knew then that there was a way through.  As it turned out, we traversed that dark, twisting road with rocks on both sides for about 30 minutes. Because of the landslide, there was only one lane.  Luckily we did not meet another vehicle because I do not know what would have happened.  

We finally reached the town of Banaue at around 5:00pm.  We stopped at the outskirts and had our first sight of the world famous rice terraces. Although what we saw was not yet the UNESCO Heritage site, (which was Batad and Bangaan), we still stopped and gaped and took some photos.  

Our unofficial welcome party...


After a short period, we proceeded to our hotel.

Our official welcome greeting...

We stayed at the Banawe Hotel.  Our rooms had a veranda overlooking some terraces.  So naturally, after putting down our bags and kicking off our shoes, we went to the veranda and saw several birds that looked like Pacific or Barn Swallow flying about.  After a couple of minutes, Anthony's keen eyes detected something and he blurted, "iba 'to" (these are different). Then Marta wsa in our room bidding us to go to theirs down the hall.  We found Rafael at their veranda photographing something on the veranda of the room beside theirs.  When he finished, Anthony and I took our turn.  It turned out that the birds were Red-rumped Swallows. 

Red-rumped Swallow, lifer #202

When we returned to our veranda, we found a nest in one corner of the roof.  A few minutes later, two birds arrived and promptly went inside the nest, not minding our presence.  

Nesting in our veranda

We were told that there was a Chocolate Boobook (Brown Hawk Owl), that frequents the parking lot and pool area of our hotel.  We asked the guards and they confirmed it.  So after dinner, Anthony and I staked out the pool area. A few minutes later, Marta and Rafael also came.  But the problem was, it was drizzling. So after waiting for about an hour, we turned it. 

One of our, (Anthony's and mine), targets in Banaue was the Chestnut-faced Babbler.  So even before sunrise, Anthony and I were already at the pool area. There was a lot of chirping but we could not see anything.   Soon, Marta and Rafael were also there.  But they left to have breakfast after a few minutes.  They were anxious to start our tour to Bangaan Village and Batad Rice Terraces, both UNESCO Heritage sites.  

Anthony and I decided to wait a few minutes longer and we were soon rewarded when several Chestnut-faced Babblers arrived.  Getting a photo though was another thing.  The birds were near but constantly moving under cover of the leaves.  The overcast skies and the light drizzle made things even more difficult.  But we were not going to leave without a decent shot, not when the bird is so near.  Fortunately, one perched long enough in an open branch to get these shots.  

Chestnut-faced Babbler, lifer #203

Another photo of the Chestnut-faced Babbler

After getting our shots, we headed for breakfast.  Then we rode a jeepney to Bangaan Village.  We explained to our guide that we will be stopping along the way to take some photos of the scenery, but more importantly, to bird.  It turned out that our guide, has undergone some DOT-sponsored training on birding (under Adri Constantino).  We passed a road (still within the town proper), that had terraced rice paddies on both sides and somebody saw a bird so we stopped.  (Anthony and I were still hoping for a Mountain Shrike).  But there were no birds except for a couple of Philippine Bulbuls on a nearby tree.  Our jeepney's engine though would not start.  I thought they would call for a replacement vehicle but our guide and driver called to guys nearby and they pushed the vehicle till it started.  I asked what was wrong and the driver mumbled something about his alternator.  (In my mind, I was saying, so now what?, either he will not turn off the engine whenever we stop or he will always park in an incline).  True enough, he never shut off the engine during our numerous stops for fear that he cannot get it started again.  

These are the birds we spotted enroute to Bangaan village.

Bi-colored Flowerpecker. Second time to see this bird but no decent shot in both instances

Whiskered Tree Swift, lifer #203.  An unusual looking bird. Was hopping it would at least perch on a tree but nope, it was happy perching on the electric cables. 

Blue-headed Fantail. 

A pair of Blue-headed Fantails

Yellowish White-eye

Philippine Coucal

A closer look at the Blue-headed Fantail

We saw a brownish bird slightly smaller than a Mangrove Blue Flycatcher.  It was also very skittish.  I never managed to get a decent photo but Anthony was able to manage one or two and it has since been identified as a Green-backed Whistler. This bird made an appearance when I first went to Bangkong Kahoy in Dolores, Quezon.  But I never really saw it there and I had no photos whatsoever. However, this time I saw the bird clearly (just no photos), so I included it in my bird list. This would be lifer # 204. 

Bangaan village, viewed from the highway

We left Bangaan around 11am and decided to go to Batad Rice Terraces.  From the place where the jeepney parked (it was an incline so the driver shut off his engine), to the place they call the view deck is a downhill walk of about 45 minutes (according to our guide).  Of course, that usually means, more than 45 minutes for the ordinary tourist (like us).  I am in the tour business so... hehehe  

An uphill trail is always difficult for me (because of my weight), while going downhill always scares me that I will stumble and roll down the hill (or in this case, a cliff). So going up is difficult for my heart while going down is hard on my thighs and legs.  I was treading my way down carefully when a couple of local people overtook us.  What made it amazing was they were all carrying supplies, (and they made it look so easy, even the children).

The "boy" in blue must be carrying 40-50 bottles in those two baskets.

Two cases of softdrinks in can

Another two cases of canned soda

The road is being widened and concreted. A few minutes before I passed this place, two dynamites were detonated to make the big rocks into smaller rocks (so that it can be loaded on a dump truck and brought to another place).

Of course, we birded along the way...

Looking at the Metallic Sunbird, which I never saw :-( 

Finally, we reached Batad... and I took a few minutes just to look at the place and take it all in.  I was at the Great Wall in Beijing last year and while I was looking at wall, I couldn't help but wonder how such a massive construction was accomplished without modern equipment.  The rice terraces brought the same thoughts... That these were made "mano-mano" (by hand), step by step, brick by brick, mind boggling...

Batad Rice Terraces

Batad Rice Terraces

It would have been nice to stay longer. Maybe spend the night but all we had was these few minutes. So we headed back, reluctantly.

Anticipating the long uphill trek back, and not wanting to slow down the group, I decided to start back ahead a few minutes ahead. Walking alone, I had the luxury of stopping to catch my breath without worrying that I was holding the group back. Somewhere along the trail, it started to drizzle so I had to pack the SLR and long lens in my backpack and cover it up with the rain cover. And of course, a few minutes later, I saw another lifer.  It was a small brownish bird , the size of a flowerpecker with a red patch on top of its head.  I had my point and shoot out so I tried taking a photo but I was not successful. So I unpacked my bag but by the time I was able to open by backpack and take out my camera, I already missed the shot.  According to experts, what I saw was most likely the Flame-crowned Flowerpecker.  This would be my 205th lifer.

With much effort, I made it back to the jeep (whew!). We bought ice-cold gatorare at a road side shack and I swear, pink gatorade never tasted so good.  While we were drinking, a Scale-feathered Malkoha did a quick fly-by.  Rafael and Anthony tried to get a shot but they were not able to.   We went back to our hotel, got our stuff and settled for another mad drive to Subic, a distance of about 360 kms.  We passed Lagawe, the capital of Ifugao province, then several towns in Nueva Vizcaya, stopped in a Joliibee in Solano for a late lunch, passed several towns in Nueva Ecija, then Tarlac, then TPLEX which later merged into SCTEX, which brought us to Subic.  We finally reached the Subic Park hotel in Subic, at 10:00pm.  In 38 hours, we had driven almost 600 kms, passed through about eight provinces in three regions.  Needless to say, we were very tired when we got to Subic that we all retired to our rooms and agreed to see each other at the breakfast table. We were to tired to eat dinner but Anthony and I went to a nearby mini-stop for some lucky me noodles. 

And that was how Day 6 ended. 










Sunday, April 19, 2015

Amazing Race...er...Birding...(the Baguio leg)

We picked up Raul and Marta and Anthony at the University Hotel at around 7:00am.  And soon we were on the way to the City of Pines.  Not being the driver, I promptly fell asleep (my wife says, my ability to snooze anywhere, anytime, on any surface is an art form, hehehe).   We made a brief stopover at a gas station along NLEX for some late breakfast and to stretch our legs.  But we were soon on the road again.  Our next stop,  (and the last before the ascending Kennon Road), was Sison, Pangasinan.  


About to enter Pangasinan, where my grandfather, Dr. Guillermo Fernandez, came from, (Lolo Momoy was assigned to Culion in 1921 and met Lola Ana, who was from Coron, and I am one of the descendants, but that is another story)

Soon we were already entering the province of La Union


Followed by Benguet... being a history and a geography buff, I enjoy road trips. This particular one takes me back to my grade 4 Araling Panlipunan class where we studied the different regions, provinces and their capitals (I used to memorize it). 


And with Kris exhibiting his "mad driver" qualities (a moniker that my kids gave him because of his fast driving and sharp reflexes), we were soon at the Lion's head along Kennon.  


We soon reached Baguio city (after only about 4.5 hours), proceeded to Forrest Lodge at Camp John Hay.  Our room was not ready yet so we had lunch. After lunch, Rafael, Marta, Anthony and I got our birding gear and went to the Eco-trail to bird.  

Just at the entrance of the trail, we found a flowering tree with several birds in it - Colasisi, Mountain White-eyes, Elegant Tit.  We could see the birds through the spotting scope and our bins (even with our naked eyes), but as usual taking photos is another challenge. 

Docu shot of a Colasisi or Philippine Hanging Parrot

I managed a few blurry shots of the White-eye and none of the Tit. Still, the presence of a number of birds at the beginning of the trail was a good beginning.  We did notice though that the sky was overcast and rain was a possibility.  We walked on, enjoying the cool weather. But I noticed that the forest was quiet.  One thing we learned quickly was that the trees are so tall and the birds tended to stay at the top or near the top.  

A common scene during our Baguio sortie

We encountered a lot of Elegant Tits during our two day stop in Baguio but I was never able to get a good shot. We also saw the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch  and Mountain White-eye, quite a lot. We were hoping to see a Mountain Shrike and other "lifers".  Another ever present bird was the Large-billed Crows.  However, Anthony told Rafa that in the Philippines, we do not usually take photos of crows because it is considered bad luck.  Meaning you will not find anymore birds for the rest of your birding trip (or words to that effect). 

After walking about 45 minutes, it started to drizzle.  Both Marta and Rafa, donned their ponchos and whipped out umbrellas.  Anthony had a jacket.  All I had was a rain cover for my camera backpack and a hat :-(.  We did not know how far the trail went so we were not sure which way was nearer to shelter in case the rain got stronger.  We started to go back. Once we have decided on going back (and packed our gear), the rain stopped.  Grrr...

Along the way, we saw a Guiabero, on a very distant branch.  We could hear some birds but could not really see them. We stopped on a small shed near a stream and rested for a while.  We could hear some noisy rails nearby. And when there are no birds... we photograph the flowers...

Used my iphone on this one. Any help on the ID would be highly appreciated.

We continued our way back after a brief rest.  We intended to check out the Yellow Trail.  But Anthony saw another trail branch out from the main trail so we decided to check it out.  It was quite difficult, lots of up and down but when we reached a small clearing, we could hear birds chirping.  And soon, we saw Elegant Tits (again), Sulphur-billed Nuthatch (again), and Mountain White-eyes (again).  There were a couple of unfamiliar ones that did a quick fly-by but I was not able to identify them.  

Docu shot of a Mountain White-Eye

Docu-shot of a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch with a photobomber (Elegant Tit)

We soon found our way to the main road. We set out to look for the Yellow trail which was near the horseback riding circuit.  It was already almost 5pm but still we decided to look.  We soon reached flat area on top of a small hill.  And we saw crows, and started shooting.  Rafa looked at me and said, "we are now shootin' crows..." and we had a laugh.  After a few minutes, we heard another chirp and what else could it be but a pair of Elegant Tits.  This time Rafa was able to get some good shots (I didn't shoot anymore).  As it was getting dark, we headed back to the horseback riding where Kris was waiting for us with his van. 

Our guests wanted to see the market so we headed to the palengke.  It turned out that Marta was a very good street photographer.  Within a short time, she was able to get many good shots of the different wares being sold at the Baguio public market. Anthony still played tour guide showing Marta the different things. Meanwhile I introduced Rafael to banana Q and adobong mani.  After about an hour in the market, we went to Session Road to eat.  Rafa and I both ordered San Miguel Beer.  He so eloquently declared... "at the end of the day you always need "cerveza", if good, many lifers, to celebrate, if not, then, to forget..."

We were back at the Forrest Lodge by 9:30pm and decided to have an early start the following day.

After breakfast, we went back to the Eco-Trail and decided to check out the area where we were last. Along the road, we saw several Crested Mynas.  Then we were back at the Eco-Trail. But there were no birds at the place where we saw the Tits, Nuthatch and White-eye.  So we trudged on.  

And I was soon photographing other subjects. 




Because of this, I was lagging behind.  Then I saw a bird and for a moment, my heart leaped because I thought it was a Mountain Shrike.  Unfortunately, it was a Brown Shrike. 

Brown Shrike

I had to double time to catch up with the rest.  I found Rafael along the trail.  Anthony and Marta were exploring ahead.  We saw a large grayish bird fly and perch on a tree.  Then Anthony came running saying Cuckoo!  Before we could photograph it, it flew again.  Disappointed, we walked back but after several meters, we saw it again perched but there was no clear shot.  Too many leaves and twigs.  The bird flew again, and we followed and this time it stayed long enough for us to take good photos. Anthony ID'ed it as an Oriental Cuckoo. 

Oriental Cuckoo, Lifer # 198

We walked on and again saw a Crested Myna and further on, a Tawny Grassbird, which is lifer # 199 for me.  Alas, the bird was so far that I did not get even a decent docu shot.  We met two marshals along the trail who asked us what we were doing and if we coordinated with their office.  Anthony and I were already thinking that they will ask us to go to their office.  But as it turned out, they were patrolling and on the look-out for couples dating...   

By 10am, we found ourselves beside a gate of Camp John Hay (we were sort of lost).  So we called Kris, who was at the hotel to pick us up.  On the way back, we realized how far we have walked.  We had Kris drop us at the horseback riding place and we "attacked" the Yellow Trail.  Shortly upon entering the trail, our presence flushed several birds hiding in the grass and they flew to the trees. I was able to get a few docu-shot captures.  Anthony ID'ed it as an Olive-tree Pipit, lifer #200 for me.    

We continued walking downhill, (which was good, but at the back of my head, I was thinking that sooner or later, we will have to climb back). We encountered several Elegant Tits along the way.  And one very friendly butterfly...



Walking on, we again flushed some Olive-tree Pipits from the grass.  This time, one of them perched on an open branch long enough for me to get decent shots.

Olive-tree Pipit, Lifer # 200!

And then we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked some more.  No people, no buildings, no birds... It was 1:00pm before we saw the back of a building.  We finally exited in a residential area.  I saw a "kasambahay" and a driver so I asked, "anong lugar po ito?".  He answered, Camp John hay po (Grrrr...obvious ba???).  It was starting to rain again so when we saw an empty taxi cab, we hailed it and called Kris to meet us at Dencio's for lunch.  

We were a tired, wet, and almost empty handed bunch, when we sat down for lunch.  So Rafa and I had a cerveza,...to forget...

After lunch, we headed to Mt. Sto. Tomas for the Crossbill site.  And in keeping with our luck, it rained, and was foggy when we got to the spot.  We could hear some chirping and Anthony saw a bird dart by among the rocks but the fog was just so thick that after a while we decided it was prudent to head back.  So no Crossbill (which was the main reason Baguio and not BK was in the itinerary, at least that was what I was told). Considering the "bountiful harvest" at LMEP and UPD, Baguio was a bit of a disappointment. As the tour operator, the guests' satisfaction is always my foremost concern.  On the positive side, I got my 200th lifer.

We went back to our hotel, rested, and then went out for dinner (with cerveza of course).  Afterwards, we decided to retire early because we were facing an eight-hour (minimum), 200+km drive from Baguio to Banawe.