Another Rendezvous with a Colasisi

When birder friends continue to post beautiful photos one is encouraged to go.  So another trip to Baras was proposed, discussed, planned, re-scheduled (twice), and finally pushed through on December 28.  Main target for this day was a close capture of the Naked Spiderhunter which was supposed to be at the area of the water tank. I was the first one at the site and since it was still dark, I parked at the rotunda area.  Before long, Ed Santos arrived and we proceeded to the hilltop site hoping to see the Northern Philippine Hawk Eagle.  The were no raptors on the big balete but we saw a couple of Philippine Cuckoo Doves fly past and perch on a Malapapaya tree. 

Philippine Cuckoo Dove

Other birds we saw in the area were:

Philippine Bulbul

The ever present Yellow-vented Bulbul

Pied Buschat, female

We were later joined by Joel Dayao and Wins Tornado aka Win Paler aka WBPP President.

Since the raptors were a no show and we suspected that the Cuckoo doves weren't going to return soon because of a construction crew in the area, we decided to move to the water tank area. Along the way, we saw a Philippine Coucal drying its feathers.

Philippine Coucal

When we got to the water tank area, the first bird we were able to photograph was also a Philippine Coucal.  

Philippine Coucal

While Ed and Wins were still shooting the Coucal, I walked down the road and waited for whatever bird.  I saw a Grey Wagtail on the road, a Balicassio but quite far, a Brown-breasted Kingfisher, also quite far.  Then a White-eared Brown Dove, landed on the road about fifteen meters away.

White-eared Brown Dove

I was hoping it would come nearer but it flew away.  So I walked back to where the others were.  A swarm of Lowland White-eyes arrived and for lack of other birds, we began shooting.  Here are a couple of shots.

Lowland White-eyes

Then I got a message from Joel Dayao that he he saw the Cuckoo Doves at a site he earlier described to me.  We scrambled to our cars and rushed to Joel only to receive a second message a few minutes later that the Doves had left.  So we proceeded to the Clubhouse for our rendezvous with the Colasisi.  And as sure as the sun rises, they were there...  

Philippine Hanging Parrot aka Colasisi

After getting our fill with these beautiful birds, we went back to the hilltop to see if the Hawk Eagle is there.  Again, it was a no show.  We did see a Blue Rock Thrush and a Philippine Serpent Eagle.

Blue Rock Thrush

Philippine Serpent Eagle

After this we had our picnic lunch, and as were were finishing our meal, the "Official Bird" of Baras made its appearance. 

Brown-breasted Kingfisher, so common in Baras yet I don't have a "to die for" shot (yet).

We then went back to the water-tank area and found a White-eared Brown Dove in a cage and a guy cutting bamboos in one area.  Apparently, the caged bird was meant to lure more doves in order to be captured.  Ever the responsible birder, Wins, called the management of the subdivision to report the incident.  The admin guy and one security guard promptly arrived and confiscated the bird (to be released later) and a report to the barangay was going to be filed.  Capturing wild life is a violation of RA9147, the Wildlife Act.  

When asked why he trapped the bird, the reply of the trapper was because life was hard and they do not have anything to eat (as expected). Showing his compassionate side and kind heart, Wins, gave the guy some money for him to buy food for his family. Along with a soft spoken reminder not to do it again.  They guy at first refused but he eventually accepted Wins' offer. One can only hope that he will listen to Wins' words but when its a question of hunger versus wildlife protection, hunger usually wins out.  Still we were able to rescue one dove who will live another day.  Who knows, maybe it was the one I photographed earlier.

After the trapper incident, a swarm of White-eyes arrived again but not other birds except a couple of Yellow-vented Bulbuls.  So we went back to the clubhouse for one last look before calling it a day.  As expected the Colasisi's and YVB's were still there but no other birds. By three o'çlock, we decided to pack up and head for home ending our rendezvous with the Colasisi.    

 

 

Chasing Lifers: Meeting a Siberian at Bangkong Kahoy

I first became aware of this bird way back in December 2013 when I was still a relatively new birder.  There was a sighting of three Black-faced Spoonbills and a Siberian Rubythroat at Candaba and as expected Manila-based birders were flocking to the site.  I went with a group from WBCP on December 26th of that year and we were half successful - we saw the Spoonbills at a distance but no sign of the Rubythroat whatsoever.  Two years later in 2015 (or was it 2016?), there was a sighting by Jonet Carpio at his playground in Bulakan, Bulacan. And again at the same site in 2019.  But the birding gods did not smile at me in both instances.  So when Canon Brand Ambassador, Edwin Martinez, posted a photo of this bird taken at Bangkong Kahoy, sometime in November 2020, I became instantly interested.  I messaged him and began planning a trip for November 30. I also messaged Ramon Quisumbing and BK guide Cris Ceriban for additional info. Apparently there was a checkpoint along the way and they will require a medical certificate (that is if they stop you). So in addition to a birding visa from higher authority, I also had to secure a medical certificate.  On November 29, Cris called to inform that it had been raining at BK so we postponed to December 5th. On the morning of November 30th, he again messaged that we should have push through because it was sunny at BK 😲😲😲

For December 5th, I was going with Homer Pialda who lived in Novaliches.  So I left the house at 2am in order to pick up Homer at 2:30am.  Then we had to go back to his house because he left the medical certificate 😁😁😁.  We were finally underway at around 2:45.  But instead of making us pass the usual way. Waze sent us via San Pedro and we reached BK past 7am - a good five hours from the time I left home. We had missed the first appearance of the second target bird, the Red Jungle Fowls that go near Dion's Restaurant. But, the cool mountain air of BK is always refreshing making it one of my favorite birding spots near Manila.

 

BK ace birdguide Crisanto Ceriban, (Cris for short), met us at the restaurant area and after the usual hello's, we proceeded to the site of our target bird.  We drove for about three minutes, parked beside clearing near the mushroom house, set up our gear and waited.  And within fifteen minutes, our target bird arrived and the sound of camera shutters filled the crisp mountain air.  

Siberian Rubythroat, male

After getting a good number of shots of the male, Cris brought us to the other side of the mushroom house to wait for the female Siberian Rubythroat.  And within a few minutes the bird appeared but it did not want to come out in the open.  We could hear its call and see it darting behind the bushes.  I felt that it was never going to come out in the open so acting on a hunch, I uncoupled my camera from the tripod and stood up and slowly moved to my right.  My hunch was right!  The bird was on an open branch behind some tall grass.  I started shooting and told Homer to move near me. 

Siberian Rubythroat, female

Perhaps sensing our presence, the bird darted to the bushes again.  Since we already had good photos, we returned to the site of the male because Homer wanted another chance.  And our target bird did not disappoint.

Siberian Rubythroat, male

Cris then brought us to another spot where the Flaming Sunbird frequents.  And again, our subject was there within minutes!  I love BK!

Flaming Sunbird, male

Not only that, he brought along some friends! The first was an Elegant Tit but I was not able to get a good photo of it.  Then I saw something large fly across and perch on a branch. Scale-feathered Malkoha!  Always a delight to see and photograph this beautiful bird.

Scale-feathered Malkoha

The Malkoha was followed by a bird that I first saw in BK in 2014, the Turquoise Flycatcher, formerly called the Mountain Verditer Flycatcher (I prefer the old name).

Turquoise Flycatcher

Then the Flaming Sunbird made another appearance...

Flaming Sunbird, male

By this time, it was past eleven already and Cris said that the Red Jungle Fowls normally visit Dion's restaurant before noon.  We had already missed its first appearance so we walked to the restaurant hopeful that we will be able to see the Labuyo.  But it was a no show. Though not a lifer, I was really hoping for good photos of this bird.  

While waiting for our lunch, we ordered one of of the food items that BK is famous for, Raspberry shakes.  These are made from wild Sampinit berries that grow on the slopes of Mt. Banahaw. I also wanted the Mushroom Tempura but they were not available. 

Wild Raspberry Shake/Smoothie

I noticed that my camera battery was running low so I went to the car to get a spare battery as well as a spare memory card.  When I returned to the restaurant, Cris and Homer were focused on nearby tree.  And then the bird that they were waiting for perched on a branch in front of us for a couple of seconds before it darted up the tree and out of our view.  I was able to get one burst of six shots. 

Rough-crested Malkoha

In moments like this, I really appreciate the fast AF and the 10 fps speed of my D500.

After lunch, while waiting for the Jungle Fowls, I saw something fly among the trees across the clearing.  Homer was busy buying plants, so I decided to walk across the field.   The bird turned out to be a Scale-feathered Malkoha.  I waited under some trees hoping that it would come near but it didn't.  From behind me, I heard some rustling and saw a Rough-crested Malkoha on a tree but there was no clear shot.  I did see a beautiful flower and I could not resist taking photos of it.

I went back to the restaurant and we decided to go back to the Flaming Sunbird site.  It was past 1pm already and we also decided that we will leave by 2:30pm since we might have another five-hour drive ahead.  Cris left word at the restaurant to call us if the Jungle Fowls arrive.  When we arrived at the sunbird site, I noticed that we could see the area where the Labuyo was expected to come from. So I trained my binoculars in this area.  Cris told us earlier that three Labuyo's (two male and one female), travel with a couple of domesticated Sasso chickens.  The leader of this small flock is a male Sasso Rooster.  (Note:  Sasso is a brand, not a breed, of French colored free range chickens).   Before long I saw some chickens led by a large rooster and excitedly informed Cris.  He confirmed that this was the group we were waiting for. We quickly made our way back to the restaurant unmindful of the soft wet soil along the trail.  We reached the back area of the restaurant as the flock was crossing the large clearing.  Tripods were quickly set up, cameras mounted, wait, and fire. The whole sequence lasted only four minutes - from 2:09 to 2:13pm, and I was able to make 463 shots. Sharing some of them...

Red Jungle Fowl, male & female

Red Jungle Fowl, male

A close up of a male Red Jungle Fowl

And with that, we decided to call it a day.  If only all birding trips could be like this - cool weather, beautiful scenery, competent bird guide,  great tasting raspberry shakes, and of course, great looks and photos of the target birds! 

 

Rendezvous with a Colasisi

Kulasisi is a Pilipino slang for the other woman... so when a man has a rendezvous with one, his wife better not find out or he's history 😆😆😆.  But just to make things clear, my rendezvous was with a Colasisi, a Philippine Hanging Parrot at Palo Alto, Baras, Rizal.  Several birder friends, notably Christopher Ferrer, Elmer Budomo, and Henrick Tan recently beautiful photos of the Philippine Hanging Parrot, Philippine Cuckoo Dove, Naked-faced Spiderhunter and a couple of Raptors taken at Palo Alto.  So finding a hole in my schedule, I did a half-day trip to Palo Alto last December 12th.

This was a solo birding trip.  I arrived at Palo Alto past 6am and immediately proceeded to the hilltop road.  I wasn't sure of the exact spot so when I reached the end, I parked and waited.  I was soon rewarded with sightings of one of my targets - the Philippine Cuckoo Dove, the largest dove species found in the Philippines.  While it may not be as colorful as the other doves, this dove is one of my favorites but as (bad) luck would have it, I do not yet have a "to die for" shot of this bird. I was hoping I would get one on this trip.  

I spent quite some time in this area hoping to get great shots of the Cuckoo Dove.  Unfortunately, I will have to try again. These are the most decent among the shots I got.

Philippine Cuckoo Dove (decent docu shots)

Soon a car came along and it turned out to be Joel Dayao and his wife.  Joel pointed to a pair of Luzon Hornbills on a tree on the left.  And we concentrated on these for a while.  But somehow most of my shots turned out lousy.  Here is one of the better ones. 

Luzon Hornbill, male

A Blue-throated Bee Eater also made a short appearance while we were shooting the Hornbills.

Blue-throated Bee Eater

I left the area around 10am and proceeded to the Club House area for the Philippine Hanging Parrot and the Naked Faced Spider Hunter.  Along the way, I saw two familiar birders - Bob and Cynthia Kaufman.  We exchanged hello's and I gave them directions to the hilltop road. When I reached the Club House, I saw one lady birder who turned out to be Trinity Gatuz.  

There were plenty of birds. Unfortunately, most were Yellow-vented Bulbuls!  I took the obligatory shot of course...

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Several other birders arrived at the Club House which I felt made the area too crowded (increasing the risk of Covid), so I decided to leave and drive around.  I went back to the hilltop area to look for the raptors.  The hawk-eagle was a no show but there were a couple of Serpent Eagles on a very tall tree. 

Philippine Serpent Eagle

It was almost noon by now and I needed to be back home already.  But before leaving, I went back to the Club House for another chance at the Colasisi and the Spiderhunter. The birding gods decided to give me a parting gift of sorts.  

Distant and docu shot of the Naked-faced Spiderhunter

Stripe-headed Rhabdornis

I had almost given up on the Colasisi and was about head back to my car when I heard it's distinctive call. And as pa-consuelo, it perched on a nearby branch. 

Philippine Hanging Parrot aka Colasisi

After the successful rendezvous with the Colasisi, I felt it was the perfect time to head home.