There are three somewhat common bitterns found in the Philippines - Yellow, Cinnamon, and Black. There are others, such as the Schrenk's Bittern, but this is more rare. Of the first three, the last is the most elusive. I have previously seen it in different locations but no decent photos. I even went to the Total Station along NLEX twice just to be able to get a photo of this bird. But each try always ends in bitterness (pun intended). So when several birders started posting photos of the Black Bittern taken somewhere in Taytay, Rizal, (which is only 30 minutes from where I live), it was something worth checking. But our friend delta started running amuck so I postponed it. Finally got the courage to go this morning. Fellow WBPP member Eugene Garme (Ugin Bxu in FB), offered to meet me at Tropical Hut at 6:30am.
I left the house before 6am and stopped by a gas station along Ortigas. After refueling, my car won't start. Fortunately there was a mechanic who was able to help me fix it. However, it caused about a 10-15 minute delay. Then waze sent me to another Tropical Hut. So I had to call Eugene for directions. Finally found him a little 7am. We convoyed and arrived at the site a little before 8am. After the usual greetings punctuated by a fist bump, we went to the road side area and waited for our target bird. We of course observed proper health protocols including social distancing or what Loel Lamela calls "galit-galit" birding. After about forty minutes, our target bird appeared.
Here ate three of the images that I was able to create.
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