Spotting Spotty (part 1)

The Spotted Wood Kingfisher is one of the more colorful birds that I have come across in the past three and a half years.  I first became aware of it in late 2013 when said bird appeared at the La Mesa Ecopark and stayed for several months.  It would perch for long minutes beside the trail allowing the many photographers who trooped to LMEP, close and eye-popping captures.  Except me, it seems.  I saw the bird in LMEP twice in October 2013 and once in January 2014.  All close distances but somehow non of my shots were "exhibit" quality.  They were okay but not good enough to be framed. I again saw Spotty again in October 2015 while guiding a group of foreign bird photographers but sadly same results.  In November 2015, during the APEC break, I saw the female Spotty in Mabitac, Laguna but again, I was not happy with the results.  

When Jonas Liwag, a birder friend started posting his shots of the Spotted Wood Kingfisher in the UP Diliman campus, I got excited because I am in UP-D practically everyday so I felt I would finally be able to get a good photo.  I started looking for it on January 26 but no luck.  Same results on January 27, 28, and February 1.  Went to Coron for a short trip on February 2 to 5. On February 8, Chinese New Year, I was back in UP where I bumped into several bird photographers at the parking lot frequented by the Blue Rock Thrush. 

From left: Sean Melendres, Jonas Liwag, Ben Go, myself, Conrad Olayres, Ed Santos, Djop Tabaranza, Tony Lim, Caloy Pangilinan and Ven Rojas (photo courtesy of Ven Rojas).

As usual, the Blu Rock Thrush didn't disappoint. 

BRT posing on one of the chimneys

BRT on a natural perch for a change

Then the guard called our attention to a Philippine Pygmy Flowerpecker which was boring a hole in a tree at the edge of the parking lot allowing us to have close captures.  

Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, boring a hole

The bird stayed busy oblivious of our presence that I was even able to do my first bird video.

Video of a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker in action

After shooting the Pygmy, we went separate ways.  Ed, Djop and I went to the Scops Owl area where we saw the adult owl but it was hidden behind so many twigs. 

Then Spotty made an appearance and we were busy for the next thirty minutes or so.  I was able to get many decent shots but when Djop and Ed posted theirs on Facebook later that day, I found my shots not as nice in terms of sharpness.  I am not sure if it was my technique, or my settings, or my gear.  I did have a loose screw on my tripod which made it a bit wobbly. Whatever the case, though my shots were good, I was not fully satisfied because I felt they could be better. Sharing some of them. 

Spotted Wood Kingfisher (male)

After Spotty, we were able to photograph the baby Scops Owls although there were no clear shots.

Baby Philippine Scops Owl

Just as we were about to call it a day, another bird showed up. My first lifer for 2016! Unfortunately, it burrowed itself in a dark thicket that it was also difficult to shoot, especially with a wobbly tripod.  Conrad identifed it as a Brush Cuckoo.

Brush Cuckoo

After getting a stiff neck with the owls and the cuckoo, we decided to call it a day...

Finding Blue in Maroon Land

Migratory birds are just amazing.  They fly vast distances and appear in the same area every year.  One such bird is the Blue Rock Thrush. Almost every year, between October to March, it appears in a certain area in the UP Diliman campus.  Unfortunately, I was never able to get a good photo since I got into birding in 2012.  

Last January 26, I went to UPD to photograph the Philippine Scops Owl family and the Spotted Wood Kingfisher. I met up with fellow birders Jonas Liwag, Mark Chang and Albert Tamayo at the MSI parking lot. Before proceeding to the Owl area, Jonas suggested that we pass by the area frequented by the Blue Rock Thrush.  My face must have lit up at the mention of this bird.  Shortly after we arrived at the spot, the bird showed up but left before we could get good shots. It stayed in another tree too high and too far. I was crestfallen again. However, Albert was able to post a very decent shot of it later that day.  

We then went to the Owl area and met Nes Santiago, another fellow birder.  We saw the adult owl but not the babies.  And in keeping with our luck, there was no clear shot.  After a while we trudged to the new location of UP's Spotty.  Again, no such luck.  All we saw was a Pied Fantail and some Yellow-vented Bulbuls.

Going back we decided to swing by the Owl area again and found that one of the babies was there snuggled beside the parent. Again no clear shot. 

Philippine Scops Owl, parent and child

We left Jonas and Nes and went back to where we parked our cars. We looked at the Thrush again. Albert and I stayed a few minutes while Mark to the Philippine Nightjar. But no such luck and needing to work, we all called it a day.

The following day, January 27, after I dropped my younger son to his school in Katipunan, I made a quick trip to UPD to look for the thrush.  When I got to the place, I saw that there were people working on the roof of the building where we saw the bird the day before.  Grrrr.... Looking at the other (and taller), building, I saw the bird perched way up. I also looked at the owl family but saw only the parent on an even more difficult perch. I gave up and went home.

January 28, Thursday, my elder son had an early class at UP. So after I dropped him, I swung by the Thrush area and to my delight, there were no workers on the roof.  And saw that my target bird was already there.  It flew away before I could set up my gear. But within ten minutes, it was backed and I was able to get some decent shots.  

Blue Rock Thrush

Blue Rock Thrush

Encouraged by my luck with the Thrush, I decided to look at the owls once more.  Unfortunately, even the parent was not around.

Still I was very happy that I was finally able to get a decent photo of a Blue Rock Thrush, one of my favorite birds because of its color and because I find the name so cool.

Till the next sortie... 

 

Pocket Birding

Pocket birding is a personal term that I use to refer to those short, usually planned birding trips, that I slot into my workday.  It can be an early morning trip to Capayas and I am back at Darayonan by 9am or a late afternoon sortie at Villa Khadine or Lualhati Park (4:30pm to 6:00pm). In Manila, it could be a short trip to La Mesa Ecopak or UP Diliman after I drop off my kids to school.  When in Coron, one of my favorite pocket birding trips is birding at Yulo King Ranch before a flight to Manila.  If time permits, I go to YKR at 6am and bird until it's time for me to check in to my flight.  Or I check-in first then go out and bird till we hear the plane coming.  Such was the case last January 24. I had a 12nn flight with Skyjet so I checked-in then went out to do a quick birding near the airport. In the case of YKR, this is also mostly "dude" birding (or birding while in a car/van).

No lifers but I got two of the usual suspects.  The first was a Spotted Dove perched as usual on an open branch.  This was near the Hornbill area. I was hoping the Talusi would show up again.   But no such luck.

Spotted Dove - "Lade" or "Ladu" in Cuyonon

Exploring the backroads, led us to a quarry site where we saw a Crested Serpent Eagle on a tree on top of a small hill.  It was too far to photograph but the area seemed a good place to explore when I have more time.

As we headed back to the airport, we stopped at the horse stables and saw that the Balete tree beside it was fruiting and there were a lot of birds.   It was in this tree that I first saw a Hill Myna in October 2014.  But most of the birds this time were Asian Glossy Starlings and a couple of Ashy-fronted Bulbuls.  Then Rodel, our van driver, pointed at something through a gap in the leaves... Black-chinned Fruit Dove. 

And then we heard the plane approaching so we boarded the van and went back to the the terminal. Two good shots plus discovery of a new area in about forty-five minutes of pocket "dude" birding.  

Talusi...

I haven't really been able to go birding since early December. So last January 21st, when I finished most of my paperwork, I made a quick decision to do a quick birding trip.  I wanted to go to the Yulo King Ranch (the area near the airport in Coron), but since it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon I was hesitant, (YKR was 23 km away, usually a 30 minute drive).  But the desire to see some raptors and the Palawan  Hornbill won out so I decided to go for it.   I said a silent prayer asking for the Palawan Hornbill.

A short note about the Hornbill before I proceed. It has been one of my target birds ever since I started this hobby.  I first saw it in July 2014 at YKR (read about it here: http://chiwitchronicles.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-palawan-hornbill.html).  I have searched for them many times since then and saw them once but unfortunately, no photos. But our driver has seen them a couple of times in the same area. My friend Ichay Bulaong also saw them recently while she was biking in the area.  

As I approached the place last Thursday, I slowed down and began scanning the trees. I saw a bit of white on a far away tree, stopped the van, and decided to take a shot, (I forgot my bins). Lo and behold, it was a Palawan Hornbill.  I immediately turned off the engine, engaged the handbrake, braced the lens on the car door, and fired away.  I was so thrilled when after a couple of minutes, another bird appeared.  Here are some of images I was able to create:

Then both birds perched close enough to fit in one frame.

Mr. and Mrs. Hornbill

After a couple of shots, one of the birds moved to another tree that was hidden from my view.  I moved the van forward.  The bird was nearer but backlit and all I got was a silhouette.  Then it went back to the first tree. I had to back up the van to see them again.   

Together again...

Then one flew away, and the other immediately followed.

They perched on a tree beside the road (on my right), but hidden. I slowly get out of the van and look for a an opening in the leaves and branches but couldn't really find any.  The light was also bad.  I did manage a few shots but not really that good.   

The birds flew away after just a short while and went to nearby forest.  From the first two times that I saw them, I noticed that they are very skittish. Others who saw them say the same thing.  Maybe they are wary of humans. 

I waited awhile hoping that they would come back but they did not so I drove on. Near the airport, I saw a Barn Swallow perched on a wire.  

Barn Swallow

Driving on, I saw a Spotted Dove perched on a pole in the distance.

Spotted Dove

As I neared the area of a small hill where the former Australian ranch manager used to live, I saw several egrets beside some horses.  

Eastern Cattle Egret. Or is it a Horse Egret?

A few meters away, a couple of birds flew across the road and one perched on a tree near enough for me to get a shot.

Ashy Drongo

The sun was starting to set on my right when I saw this Spotted Dove perched on another bare tree. Why couldn't all birds behave like this?

Spotted Dove

It was starting to get dark so I headed back to town.  My last stop was another bare tree that I knew (from previous trips), was a place where Bee Eaters spend the night.  I was hoping to reach it while the light was still good.  But the light was not good anymore. It was a pity because there were so many of them in that tree.

Blue-throated Bee Eaters (photo brightened)

When I got back to the van, a flock of smallish birds suddenly took flight from one of the trees.  I pointed my camera at them and pressed the shutter, all the while knowing that the shots will probably not come out nice due to the poor lighting.   At the time I was shooting, I thought there were just Starlings but I found out later that they were Bee Eaters! 

A flock of Bee Eaters in flight

And just like that, it was time to go.  I hurried back to town because I had a diner appointment at 6:30pm (and it was already 6:10).  

Thank you Lord for the Kalaws (Hornbills) which I learned only yesterday, are called TALUSI in Cuyonon! Another addition to my Cuyonon bird dictionary.

     

Violet and Grey

I went to La Mesa Ecopark last November 3rd hoping to see four birds which were seen and photographed there in the previous two weeks. These were the female Violet Cuckoo, a Grey-faced Buzzard,  the Oriental Honey Buzzard and a Black Bittern. While staking out the Cuckoo, I learned that the day before, Anthony Balbin, LMEP's resident birder was able to photograph the male Violet Cuckoo also within the park.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any of these birds that day. Zilch! 

To my chagrin, two other bird photographers, Nes Santiago and Virgilio Gales posted photos of the male Violet Cuckoo, a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo and the Grey-faced Buzzard - all taken at LMEP that very same day.  

Maia Tanedo, another  birder friend went to LMEP on November 4th and along with Nes Santiago, was also able to see and photograph the two Cuckoos.

I finally got a chance to go back to LMEP on the morning of November 6th. I dropped my son Leon at his school in Katipunan and was at the Ecopark by 7:25am. And discovered that I failed to bring my tripod. Wonderful.  

After getting out of the car, I made a quick pass at the spillway to see if there are any signs of the buzzard.  But there was no activity except for some Yellow-vented Bulbuls so I proceeded to the spot of the male Violet Cuckoo.  As soon as I got to the pond area, I saw the Common Kingfisher on the now familiar bamboo perch.  I took a few shots, handheld while leaning on a palm tree. Looking at my shots through the LCD screen, I again cursed myself for forgetting my tripod. Grrr...

I looked up at the Balete tree and saw a Zebra Dove way up and a few Yellow-vented Bulbuls darting about. Then my eyes landed on a darkish bird about a foot from the dove.  Male Violet Cuckoo! Aim, shoot, bird moves to another branch, shoot some more, bird moves again, partially hidden.  Alas all my shots were backlit and the bird is one dark silhouette.  The next few minutes was spent trying to shoot through a small gap in the leaves, handheld, and straining my neck in the process.  None of my shots are tack sharp since all were handheld and I do not have the steady hands of Anthony Balbin and Jonet Carpio.

Here are some of the better photos of the male Violet Cuckoo:

Violet Cuckoo,lifer # 40 for the year, #233 overall.

The rich violet plumage of this bird is so pretty, I wish I had a closer photo (with a tripod!). But nevertheless, I am happy with the docu shots that I got.

By 8:30am, the Violet was gone so I decided to go back to the spillway to look for the Grey-faced Buzzard.  I gave myself until 10:30am. 

But the spillway was quiet aside from the Bulbuls, Brown Shrikes and some Black-naped Orioles.  I borrowed the mono-bloc chair of the guard and sat down but continued to scan the trees for the raptor but nada.  After a while I decided to walk to the tree where the female Violet Cuckoo was previously spotted.  There I met fellow birder Conrad Olayres who was also looking for the same birds. After about an hour and a half, we saw it circling in the air but on the other side of the line of trees &%#@. 

I was about to leave, (it was 10:28 in my watch) when I decided to scan the trees once more with my bins. I saw some movement on a relatively low branch and blurted it to Conrad.  Aimed my camera and pressed the shutter.  Grey-faced Buzzard.  

Sharing a couple of not so sharp photos of the Grey-faced Buzzard.  

Grey-faced Buzzard, lifer #41 for the year; #234th overall.

It was already time for me to go (I had to drive for my mother and then accompany Lorna, my wife to Kawit), so I bade Conrad good bye and walked to my car and said a silent prayer of thanks to our Lord and my guardian angel for my two lifers.

 

Birding at the Boulevard - 2015 edition

Going home to Coron on a short trip, with a four-day training to oversee meant very little time to bird.  However, I was not to be denied.  On the afternoon of my third day, I went to the area that we Coronians call the Boulevard.  Actually it is a reclaimed area that was meant to have a seaside boulevard. A project of our former governor.  In 2012, Manila based birders Bob and Cynthia Kaufman, was able to photograph several species of waterbirds in the area.  At that time, the place was empty.  In 2013 and 2014, I was able to see and photograph several lifers.  Although due to the increasing human presence (the public market was transferred at this site sometime in 2014), there were less birds in 2014 as compared to the two previous years.  So I didn't expect much this year.  On my first foray into the area, I saw a couple of Asian Golden Plovers near a puddle, plus a few other smaller birds. But the big flock of terns that was present in the past three years was nowhere to be seen. I also saw fellow bird photographer Al Linsangan III trying out  his drone.  I stopped by to chat with him for a while before going back to Darayonan to get my gear.

After getting my camera, I decided to go to Villa Khadine but after a few minutes of not seeing anything except a couple of Bulbuls and Starlings, I decided to go back to the reclaimed area.  There were still not many birds but there were about eight terns perched on the zipline cables.  I walked near the puddle, leaned on a lamp post and aimed at the Asian Golden Plovers. There were two of them on the far side of the puddle and one nearer to me.  As soon as my camera focused on the nearer one, I noticed it was a larger bird and not an Asian Golden Plover. I was not sure what it was although the size was similar to a Wood Sandpiper and a Common Greenshank.   Since it was only about five to six meters away, I took lots of shots.  It was only later when I asked for the bird to be identified by experts that I found out that this was a Ruff (the female is called a Reeve).  I once saw this bird from afar (through a scope), in Candaba. But it was so far that even looking through a scope, it was not that easy to distinguish the features. 

Ruff

Ruff

After several bursts, I took a couple of photos of the Asian Golden Plover, an immature Yellow Wagtail and a Kentish Plover. 

Asian Golden Plover

Yellow Wagtail (imm)

Kentish Plover

Then I took several more photos of the Ruff...

Ruff

Not finding any other birds, I climbed on the van and was about to leave when a group of whitish birds landed on the ground and was making some noise.  White Wagtails!  There were seven or eight of them and another four to five Yellow Wagtails making noise and darting about.  I encountered a similar flock on November 28, 2014 but it was already dusk so all my photos then were poorly exposed.  The light today was a better but it was still a challenge because these birds are so active. 

White Wagtail

White Wagtail, immature

Then I saw a bird standing motionless on top of a mound.  I ignored thinking that it was one of the Yellow Wagtails.  When the White Wagtails flew away, I snapped several shots and realized that this was not a Wagtail.  I have posted this photo in facebook and have asked for identification from the experts.  According to Desmond Allen, a renowned Ornithologist, this is definitely a Pipit but he is not sure if it is a Paddyfield or Richard's Pipit.  My friend Bob Kaufman has ID'ed it as a Paddyfield. But I am asking how come it is shorter and fatter than the Paddyfield Pipit that I normally see at YKR. 

A Pipit - either Paddyfield of Richard's

The White Wagtails came back and I was able to get a closer photo.

White Wagtail

I wanted to go back the following morning to get more shots of the unidentified Pipit but I was not able to (at this point, I still didn't know that I photographed a Ruff). Neither was I able to that afternoon as we had a staff meeting.  But the following morning, which was my last for the trip, I made a short trip to the boulevard.  By this time I already knew about the Ruff so I was hoping to see more of it.

The first bird I saw was a Scaly-breasted Munia taking a bath.

Scaly-breasted Munia sunning itself after a dip in the puddle

Then a group of noisy Eurasian Tree Sparrows dove into the puddle.

Group bath, ETS style

And the Asian Golden Plover followed took its turn.

Asian Golden Plover freshening up

Asian Golden Plover

I saw some birds perched on the zipline cables so I made my way to the water's edge and snapped a few photos.

Barn Swallows

Barn Swallow about to take-off

Before leaving, I made a couple of turns around the area and saw a Paddyfield Pipit on one of the mounds.  This is the Paddyfield Pipit that I am used to seeing. 

Paddyfield Pipit

I also managed a few pictures of the few terns.  I am assuming that this is a Whiskered Tern.

Whiskered Tern

On my last go around, I saw one bird that was different from Paddyfield Pipits scurrying about in the ground.  I noticed that it was slightly larger. At the time I took the photo, I thought it was an Oriental Skylark but Desmond Allen later identified it as a Ruby-throated Pipit on its first winter. According to the Kennedy Guide, it is generally rare. And of course it is a lifer for me.  My 39th for the year and 232nd overall. 

Ruby-throated Pipit on its first winter (per Desmond Allen)

I ended my birding trip on that positive note. 

This was my eighth (8th) lifer in this reclaimed area. Perhaps my last because according to the scuttlebut, the provincial government is looking for investors to develop said area.