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PHILIPPINES 4th
- 26th March 2007 |
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 The sensational STEERE'S (AZURE-BREASTED) PITTA - a dazzling Philippine endemic, one of 3 pitta species seen very well on the tour. |
Report and all photos by Sam Woods/Tropical Birding
INTRODUCTION
Any bird tour to the Philippines inevitably focuses on endemics, as these
islands are packed with many spectacular birds found nowhere else. This tour
was no exception where, from our total species list of over 330 species, we
recorded just under 130 endemics, including some of the Philippines', (and
indeed southeast Asia's), top birds. Among these were at least seven species
of endemic flowerpecker (depending on taxonomy), all six endemic species of
kingfisher, six species of endemic sunbird, five species of endemic hornbill,
five species of endemic tailorbird, at least four species of endemic owl,
four species of endemic bulbul, two species of endemic leafbird and a stunning
endemic pitta and equally spectacular broadbill. Some of the highlights included
Luzon Bleeding-Heart, Rufous Hornbill and Flame-breasted
Fruit-Dove on Luzon; a brace of stunning pittas at PICOP in Mindanao
with both Steere's & Red-bellied Pittas seen extremely well,
along with great looks at a Mindanao Wattled Broadbill there also;
in addition to breathtaking views of the national bird of the Philippines
- the mighty Monkey-eating (Great Philippine) Eagle, at a new
nest site in a remote area of Mindanao ; and Palawan, as ever, weighed in
with all the possible endemics recorded there including Palawan Flycatcher,
Palawan Hornbill and the exquisite male Palawan Peacock-pheasant
that performed extraordinarily well at the Underground River National
Park. Several Hooded Pittas on Palawan completed the trio of
pittas we were seeking on the tour, all of which performed in an exemplary
fashion for us. As well as being an endemic hotspot, the Philippines is also
a nightbirders paradise. This sprawling archipelago has a diverse set of nightbirds,
many being endemic to the islands. A few early starts and finishes were required
to get a shot at these, although with such birds as Luzon, Mindanao
& Palawan Scops-Owls, Chocolate Boobook, Philippine
Hawk-Owls and Philippine Frogmouth to show for it at
the end of the tour, the lack of sleep seemed more than a little justified!
The tour took the form of three distinct stages, concentrating on the three most accessible, endemic rich islands in the sprawling Philippine archipelago, that encompasses more than 7,000 islands in total. We began first on the 'main' island of Luzon, the largest of all the islands and where the bustling capital Manila is located; then Mindanao, the second largest and most southerly of the main islands, that is especially noteworthy for birders as the last stronghold of the Philippine National Bird, the magnificent Philippine Eagle; and finally the thin tropical island strip of Palawan, that sits between the Sulu Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the west, that divides this paradise island from the huge island of Borneo further west. Biogeographically Palawan is very interesting, sharing more in common with the typically southeast Asian avifauna of Borneo to the west than the other Philippine islands to the east. However, in spite of this there are almost 20 endemics on this lush forested island, that is bordered all around with pristine white sandy beaches that make it an idyllic holiday treat for birders and backpackers alike. We ensured we spent time in both montane areas and lowland areas on both Luzon and Mindanao to target the endemics particular to those elevations, before finishing on the idyllic beach-covered island of Palawan, for some of the Philippines' easiest and most satisfying birding, where we 'cleaned up' on all the available endemics.
DAILY
LOG
Part
1:
LUZON
5th
March: CANDABA MARSH (LUZON) Marshes and
wetland.
The tour began much as it continued, with a traditional early start to take
advantage of the higher bird activity in the cooler early mornings. Shortly
after dawn we arrived at Candaba Marsh, where the distinctive triangular,
volcanic cone of Mount Arayat made for an impressive backdrop to our first
birding excursion. As soon as we jumped out of the car we immediately logged
our first of the endemics that would be the focus of the tour - as several
large rafts of Philippine Ducks were found loafing around the
watery margins of the marsh. The other of the marsh's main targets took a
little more digging to find, although several trip exclusive Island
Collared Doves were found with a little leg work. As expected this
recently protected marsh was packed with waterbirds, from Pheasant-tailed
Jacanas, White-browed Crakes and Barred Rails to
Eastern Marsh Harriers and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters,
while the marsh was positively loaded with Yellow Bitterns that
seemed to be perched on every available reed stem. After loading up on these
and other waterbirds, including Long-toed Stint, Pacific Golden Plover
and Oriental Pratincole, we headed north towards the
mountainous Cordillera, that would be our base for the following few days.
With little birding time after arrival we satisfied ourselves with views of
Striated Swallows and an impressive Great-eared Nightjar
over our Banaue hotel at the close of the day.
6th
March: MOUNT POLIS (LUZON) Montane Forest
Having recently found a cooperative pair of the scarce Luzon Scops-Owl
on Mount Polis, I was keen to try for them the first chance we had. So our
tour on Polis began with our bleary-eyed group making the chilly pre-dawn
walk up this short trail under cover of darkness, with the promise of this
rarely seen nightbird. Sure enough, as the first glimmers of sunlight penetrated
the gloom, a single scops-owl responded and then appeared suddenly in a close
gnarled mossy tree, glaring back at the spotlight with the angry yellow irides
that separate this small scops owl from its much larger congener, Philippine
Scops-Owl. It was a good night bird to kick off the tour with, although unfortunately
did not linger for long, leaving some of us longing for more. The remainder
of the morning was spent targeting the high montane birds of Luzon that would
only be possible at this site on the tour, as this was to be our only high
mountain site on the island of Luzon. Soon after dawn we were surrounded by
calling Philippine (Luzon) Bush-Warblers as we would be throughout
our time on Polis as this is a very commonly heard sound in Luzon's high mountains,
and we managed to get some several close views during the morning. However
the Long-tailed (-Ground) Bush-Warblers were far less cooperative
taunting from every roadside bush it seemed, and it would make us wait until
late in our tour on Mindanao before finally putting us out of our misery.
On the road a short time after dawn we found a few Island Thrushes feeding
actively in the post dawn mist, while several Scaly (White's) Thrushes
were also found during the morning, the former being one of our high mountain
target birds. Although we would have further chances later in the tour for
it, we were well pleased to catch up with one of Luzon's more bizarre looking
endemics - the fantastic Scale-feathered Malkoha so early on.
Overhead, among the more common Glossy Swiftlets, we found some
of the larger endemic Philippine Swiftlets, another high montane
target at Polis that would also be possible in the high mountains on Mindanao
later in our tour. Other non-endemic mountain species that were fairly common
on Polis included Mountain Tailorbird, and most flocks held
a Mountain White-eye or two, Mountain Leaf-Warblers
and some of these also contained the inconspicuous Luzon montane endemic,
Green-backed Whistler. Perhaps the most highly sought bird
of the morning however was a fine Luzon Water-Redstart found
feeding in their traditional spot on a rushing mountain stream in the small
mountain village of Bay-yu on the far side of the pass at Polis. A localized
montane endemic that is increasingly under threat from rising levels of water
pollution. Aside from the birds we also passed by some of the best examples
of the spectacular and famous mud-walled rice terraces in the area, some of
which date back 2,000 years when the most feared headhunters of the cordillera
at the time, the Ifugao, built them. These have aided in Banaue being long
considered the number one tourist destination in the Philippines.
 The spectacular, World Heritage listed, mud-walled terraced wet rice paddies near Banaue. Understandably, the number one tourist attraction in the Philippines. |
 There are a number of examples of these amazing terraced paddies in the area around Banaue, this one was near the Luzon Water-Redstart site at Bay-yu. Some of these were first built by the Ifugao people almost 2,000 years ago. |
7th
March: MOUNT POLIS (LUZON) Montane Forest
For our second day in the Cordillera mountains of northern
Luzon, we again searched through roadside flocks of Elegant Tits
and others for any hidden endemics, some of the flocks containing Chestnut-faced
Babblers, an endemic species to Luzon's high mountains, in addition
to the very handsome and more widespread endemic, Metallic-winged Sunbird
(the first of six endemic sunbirds recorded on the tour). A few of the flocks
also contained lone Blue-headed Fantails, to kickstart our list
of endemic Fantails for the trip. In addition to the flock birds we picked
up another thrush - Brown-headed Thrush - that chose to feed
on the open road shortly after dawn, much as the Island Thrushes had
done the day before and were also found doing again a little further down
from the Brown-headed. By searching some dead snags around the edge of the
cabbage fields near the pass we came across another cool montane endemic that
Polis gave us our best shot at, with superb prolonged views of Mountain
(Gray-capped) Shrike. However, patience was required for the days
star bird as we scanned the treetops for any large doves perched up in the
morning sun, before Nicky had us running towards him as the shout went up
only for the bird to elude us all by slipping back into the foliage. Finally
though Mark pulled out a fantastic Flame-breasted Fruit-dove
perched up high above the canopy on a protruding branch so that we could all
lap it up with the aid of a scope. Aside from that much of the birds were
similar to the day before, although a stop by some terraced paddies on the
way down Polis produced good scope views of one of the most elusive of all
the Philippine endemics - a pair of Plain Bush-Hens that was
a massive relief to 'get out the way' so early in the tour, as this bird can
often take some serious leg work to see.
 CHESTNUT-FACED BABBLER Mount Polis - a Luzon montane endemic |
 MOUNTAIN SHRIKE Mount Polis - an endemic of the high mountains. |
8th
March: Subic Bay (LUZON) Lowland Forest
Having begun the tour in the high Cordillera Mountains of northern Luzon we
headed south, heading for the distinctly more humid lowland forests around
the naval magazine at Subic Bay, on the Bataan Peninsula. However before reaching
Subic we made a designated stop for another Luzon specialty - Indigo-banded
Kingfisher, a pair of which were found perched out in the open on
some riverside rocks along a rushing mountain stream, just as we hoped. While
a small group of endemic Pygmy Swiftlets that circled above
were the first encountered on the tour. Formerly a bustling US naval base,
this area has long since lost many of the naval personnel formerly residing
there, leaving behind a near-deserted, stretch of superb, endemic-rich lowland
forest. Arriving in the late afternoon from Polis we did not expect to find
much, but quickly stumbled upon some of the key endemics of the area, that
included a handsome pair of Sooty Woodpeckers, that showed for
us on all of our 3 visits to Subic, in addition to several sightings of the
other of the pair of endemic woodpeckers in the Philippines with Philippine
Pygmy Woodpecker in the same general area. Best of all though was getting
superb, 'on the deck' views of a Green Racquet-tail (complete
with a fine pair of racquets), a key Subic species that is confined to these
rare patches of lowland forest on Luzon. A brief walk down a deserted road
there saw us enjoying great views of a colony of the exquisitely marked Blue-throated
Bee-eaters and some of the other more widespread endemic species that
would feature heavily on the tour, like our first individual from the Philippines's
sole endemic family - the Philippine Creepers - with a pair of Stripe-headed
(-sided) Rhabdornises, Coletos, Guiaberos;
and our first of several sightings of the formidable Philippine Hawk-Eagle.
We also got great perched views of Colasisi or Philippine Hanging-parrot,
playfully hanging upside down while feeding on a scarlet treetop blossom.
Although no one was complaining about some of the supporting cast of non-endemic
species, like the showy pair of Whiskered Treeswifts, that were
using the low roadside wires to hawk insects at the close of the day.
 STRIPE-HEADED (-SIDED) RHABDORNIS - the commonest species from the Philippines's sole endemic family, the Philippine Creepers or Rhabdornises. |
|
9th
March: Subic Bay (LUZON) Lowland Forest
Dawn found us on the US naval base at Subic, searching for more of Luzon's
specialist lowland species. Endemics came thick and fast with White-eared
(Brown) Doves, and a superb Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove,
surely one of the most attractive of all the doves in the Philippines and
indeed of all the endemics, with its sulphury washed breast and striking blood
red face patch. Searching the dead snags around the parking lot pulled in
several examples of the Philippines's smallest raptor, with 2 or 3 tiny Philippine
Falconets found hawking insects from their high vantage points. Other
notable raptors included a fine adult Rufous-bellied Eagle that
passed low overhead and good prolonged of an adult Philippine Hawk-Eagle
perched right beside the van, and the first of many migrant Chinese
Goshawks (Sparrowhawks) recorded on the tour. On the passerine front
we soon found one of our main targets - Blackish Cuckoo-shrike,
a vocal lowland endemic confined to the island of Luzon, that is not especially
common at Subic, although easy to find largely due to the fact they hang about
in very noisy parties that helpfully draw attention to themselves with their
bold, far-carrying calls. One of the other lowland targets, Rufous Coucal,
proved typically shy though passing by only briefly on this occasion. White-browed
Shamas were heard giving their melodic, fluty calls all around, although
seeing one of them proved a little more challenging: the first few point blank
refused to cooperate, before finally one came straight in and perched within
a few feet from us. A beautiful songster and endemic, that was much appreciated
by all. Some of the more strange looking endemics in the Philippines are the
two Malkohas that are confined to Luzon, we had already had a taste of one
of these, with the seriously bizarre Scale-feathered Malkoha
seen at Polis early on the tour. The second of these two Luzon specialties
- Red-crested Malkoha, was recorded first here at Subic and
later at Makiling. Malkohas are always a popular family in southeast Asia,
although this one with its distinctive red crest that begins just above the
eyes, giving the impression of some seriously overgrown bright scarlet eyelashes,
is hard to top. Blue-naped Parrots were also in evidence, a
near-endemic that also just reaches the islands of Sulawesi and Borneo, although
the Philippines remains the best chance at catching up with this handsome
parrot. Other notable additions included Balicassiao, the Philippines's
sole endemic drongo, a Philippine Tailorbird found skulking
in a dense thicket of bamboo (that was to be the first of five different species
of endemic tailorbird on the tour), and a fine male Black-and-White
Triller. One of the families that is always a big draw card in Asia
is the hornbills and indeed the Philippines has its own set of interesting
and unique hornbills. Subic brought us our first of five different endemic
species recorded on the tour, with first some Luzon (Tarictic) Hornbills
around the car park, and later the undisputed 'showstopper' of the
morning was the large honking group of Rufous Hornbills, that
provided our only tour sighting of this impressive hornbill, that for me is
the very best of all the Asian hornbills.
 PINK-BELLIED IMPERIAL-PIGEON - the Philippines is loaded with colorful doves and pigeons (see photo of the stunning Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove below for further proof). This one (like the next) is listed for many islands, although due to rapid recent declines in their respective populations, are both very hard to come by on Luzon and still both best looked for (like this one), at PICOP on Mindanao. |
 SPOTTED IMPERIAL-PIGEON This is one of the tougher endemics, a totally unexpected find on the tour at Makiling, where it is very rare. |
10th
March: Subic Bay
am only and Mount Makiling (LUZON) Mid-altitude forest, PM.
Our final session on the naval magazine at Subic produced few new species,
as by then we were not looking for many more. Although we did run into the
hoped-for White-fronted Tit, typically seen singing from a
dead snag up in the canopy. While along the trail a pair of noisy Philippine
Fairy-Bluebirds were also new, as were a pair of the near endemic
Philippine Cuckoo-dove that flashed past the van. It was then
off south to the chilled out Makiling university campus, near to the town
of Los Banos that has numerous resorts for visiting Filipinos, wanting to
explore the many natural hot springs in the area. We saved the forested mountain
of Makiling for the next few days, as our afternoon arrival was perfectly
timed to search for buttonquails that emerge from the long grass at this time
of day to feed on an open track right on the campus. The bird we were after
was the Luzon endemic Spotted Buttonquail, and while we initially found only
a few of
the non-endemic Barred Buttonquail, we eventually picked up
the bolder markings of the distinctly larger Spotted Buttonquail,
and in the end enjoyed repeated views of both species, scuttling on and off
the track to feed in the waning sunlight. Our first welcome encounter with
Philippine Coucal also occurred on campus, after they had earlier
frustrated us around Subic.
 PHILIPPINE CUCKOO-DOVE |
 YELLOW-BREASTED FRUIT-DOVE One of the most beautiful of the many colorful endemic pigeons and doves in the Philippines and also thankfully widespread. We picked them up at a number of sites including Makiling on Luzon, and also at both PICOP and Kitanglad on Mindanao. |
11th
March: Mount Makiling (LUZON) Mid-altitude forest.
Dawn saw us once
again on the hunt for endemic nightbirds. Right at the base of the mountain
we were soon hearing a number of our targets - Philippine Scops-Owl
(that frustrated throughout the tour), and a number of Philippine Hawk-Owls
that frustrated us for a while before finally, Shirley saw a bird fly up onto
an open limb, where we could all get an eyeful of our second endemic owl of
the trip. Star bird of the morning was however a bold Spotted Imperial-Pigeon
found perched right above the bumpy mountain road, a tough endemic anywhere
in the Philippnes and one that is very rarely encountered on Makiling. Other
new birds, some special to Makiling, for the tour included a pair of Gray-backed
Tailorbirds found calling in a roadside vine tangle; several Yellow-bellied
Whistlers; several noisy parties of Ashy Minivets moving
through the treetops, Philippine Serpent-Eagles were found calling
overhead making for an interesting comparison both in plumage and call with
the Crested Serpent-eagles recorded on Palawan later on the tour. Bulbuls
are not a group that often gets the adrenaline flowing, although the endemic
Yellow-wattled Bulbul has a subtle beauty lacking in most of
this generally uneventful family, several of which were added to our trip
list on Makiling. Other birds seen included more Philippine Pygmy-Woodpeckers,
that were a regularly recorded endemic on the tour, and a lone male Black-naped
Monarch. There are a whole host of endemic nectarivores on the Philippines
and Makiling provided four new ones on our morning walk alone, with a male
Flaming Sunbird (another Luzon endemic), a male Lovely
Sunbird, Red-striped Flowerpecker (that was to be our first of seven
endemic flowerpeckers) and a single Striped (Thick-billed) Flowerpecker.
In the afternoon we left the forest behind birding some open trees on the
campus for another Luzon lowland specialty, the aptly named Lowland
White-eye that was found soon after feeding in some large open trees.
12th
March: Mount Makiling (LUZON) Mid-altitude forest.
Another early start
was necessary, as Spotted Wood-Kingfishers had haunted us all
tour until that point, being heard almost daily with nothing more than brief
flight views to show for it. So for our final push for this bird we got on
site early, as these almost crepuscular kingfishers have the frustrating habit
of calling almost exclusively at dawn and dusk, often being largely silent
outside these times when they become much less responsive and a lot harder
to pick up. Having been singularly unresponsive up until then for us, one
bird performed in exemplary fashion flying straight into playback on several
occasions, giving us all great views just as it became light enough to be
able to really appreciate the stunning plumage of this fantastic 'fisher.
This was to be the first of six different species of endemic Kingfisher recorded
on the tour. Other birds included some great views of upto three separate
Black-chinned Fruit-doves, a near-endemic that's range just
reaches some small outlying islands off Taiwan. However, the star dove for
the day was found when bird activity had dropped off dramatically in the late
morning and therefore was far from expected at the time. Mark and I flushed
a dove off the bumpy mountain road, that fortuitously landed in full view
for Mark who exclaimed, incredulously it was a Luzon Bleeding-heart
Although this shy denizen of the forest floor initially slipped back into
the undergrowth before others could get a look, it quickly responded unusually
well to playback, giving two further showings as it strolled into view. On
one of these occasions the bird alighted on top of a close rock in full view
for Don to exclaim 'there it is - perfect!' - it is not often one can claim
perfect views of this shy, ground-dwelling Luzon endemic. Other notable birds
included a pair of Philippine Hawk-cuckoos that came in and
checked us out a number of times, another sighting of the crazy-looking Luzon
endemic Red-crested Malkoha, further views of Stripe-headed
(-sided) Rhabdornis, a pair of the endemic haematribon race
of Greater Flamebacks and another Flaming Sunbird
for those who had missed it the day before. It was then back to Manila for
a little earlier finish than we had come to expect, although with the earliest
start of the tour looming the next day (necessary for our early flight to
Mindanao), one that was much needed.
Part 2: MINDANAO
13th March:
Bislig Airfield (MINDANAO)
Grasslands and marshy pools.
An extremely early
start was necessary due to the unfriendly scheduling of the domestic flights
to Davao on Mindanao, the largest city in the Philippines and indeed in terms
of geographical area, one of the largest in the world. From there we boarded
our vans and headed to the small city of Bislig in the eastern province of
Surigao Del Sur, that would be our base for exploring the lowland forest patches
of the PICOP concession over the coming days. Although we skirted some of
PICOPs forests on the way, the long traveling time meant we arrived by the
time the heat of the day had laid most of the birds to rest although an 'emergency'
stop had to be made for a squadron of low-flying needletails, that proved
to be a group of 15 or so Purple Needeletails that had somehow
eluded us on Luzon, so particularly pleasing to get them then. We
also bumped into our first Barred Honey Buzzard of the tour,
that we had been expecting to see over the coming days around PICOP. After
our afternoon arrival we spent the latter part of the day birding the grasses
and marshland that border Bislig airfield, that despite apparently being an
active airfield clearly must have very little traffic judging by the number
of locals exercising and fishing around the edges of the it! A quick kick
about the grassy margins produced the hoped for Blue-breasted Quail,
along with a few Paddyfield (Oriental) Pipits. While a few Wandering
Whistling-Ducks and Philippine Ducks flying around the
airfield betrayed the presence of some hidden pools in the area, while Oriental
Reed-Warblers sang from beside the reed fringed runway. From our vantage
point on top of our jeepney that would be our vehicle over the coming days,
we scanned the marshes as dusk approached for our main quarry that appeared
well before the sun began dropping over the horizon, when the first of three
Australian Grass-Owls appeared quartering the marshes; although
waiting until after dark was required for our other night quarry - when a
pair of 'chonking' Philippine Nightjars were watched flying
around the runway a short time after dark.
14th March:
PICOP (MINDANAO)
Lowland forest.
PICOP is potentially
one of the most depressing places to bird in the Philippines, as the lowland
forests here are part of a large logging concession. So the birding is within
an area that is largely theoretically doomed to the chainsaw anyway, and to
add to that hundreds, (if not thousands) of illegal settlers are also working
there way to deforesting the area further. Thus every new trip to PICOP can
be full of surprises due to to the rapidly changing nature of the habitat
there. For this reason we were grateful for the services of the local guide
Zardo Goring, whose up to-the-minute information helped us concentrate our
efforts on the best available forest patches. Despite all this gloom, for
sure I would say any Philippine bird tour would be foolish to miss this place
as it is the key site for many endemics and specifically for some very cool
Mindanao lowland specialties, many of which are not possible elsewhere, and
are often contenders for birds of the trip on any tour. This tour was no exception
and we had three really good days birding in the area, and despite some heavy
rain on two of these days, we left little behind due to some extraordinary
luck and Zardo's intimate knowledge of the site. For our first day we concentrated
on one of the most well-known birding sites at PICOP - road 1/4, that has
changed markedly since my first visit there only a few years previously. However
despite appearances, the forest fragments there still hold some of Mindanao's
most highly sought after birds. Before light we tried for some of the key
nightbirds in the area, and although we were initially frustrated by a nearby
calling boobook, eventually Zardo picked the bird up as it flew in and positioned
his beam right on a Chocolate Boobook, a near-endemic recently
split from the the widespread Brown Hawk-Owl . Soon after it got light we
started seeing some of the Mindanao lowland specialties that were our prime
targets at PICOP. The soft, but distinctive whistles of Little Slaty
Flycatcher were soon heard from the roadside and after this hyperactive
pair initially frantically circled us eventually the male gave up the ghost
and sat out on an open perch, allowing us all to soak up the subtle plumage
features. In the open trees along the road there, we found a number of Philippine
Orioles singing from the open treetops, a few Rufous-fronted
Tailorbirds (a recent split from Philippine Tailorbird) feeding in
some high vine tangles, while in the undergrowth another pair of key Mindanao
tailorbirds - White-browed Tailorbird were found with a little
strategic use of playback. Coucals are another bird group that few get excited
about when pouring through the field guide before coming to the Philippines,
although Black-faced Coucal, with its distinctive sulphury
yellow head, dusty blue tail and bold black face mask must be a contender
for the world's finest coucal being completely different from any others out
there. The artificial open nature of the forest along this road (due to the
recent deforestation) can be advantageous for picking out some birds that
otherwise would be tricky - like a canopy dwelling pair of Naked-faced
Spiderhunters, a few Philippine Drongo-cuckoos perched
out on some open dead snags, several Yellowish Bulbuls; and
several calling Winchell's (Rufous-lored) Kingfishers were easily
found in the canopies of this artificially open forest there; while the pair
of inconspicuous Philippine Leafbirds chose a heavily-leaved canopy to hide
in, where their green plumage matched exactly the color of the surrounding
leaves making the birds incredibly hard to find, even when fully framed amongst
the leaves in the scope! Overhead the distinctive silhouette of a pair of
Philippine Needletails with their characteristic 'butter-knife'
wings were picked out easily as they flew low over us, that even allowed us
to catch a glimpse of their clean white armpits. This was probably our most
bird-packed day of the tour with many new endemics coming thick and fast,
including a pair of Philippine Trogons over breakfast, a stunning
Silvery Kingfisher (a highly localized endemic) hanging out
on its usual small, dirty roadside pool, and several noisy gangs of Mindanao
(Tarictic) Hornbills. Rain dogged us every time we talked about trying
for the regular Red-bellied Pitta, meaning we had to call off
the attempt on several occasions and retreat to our jeepney, while the rain
(very slowly) passed. Eventually with time getting on and the rain giving
us another short respite we ventured out to a small clearing amongst the bamboo
understorey where we hoped we could coax the bird into. On playing the tape
we initially heard nothing, then a brief, seemingly distant call back before,
suddenly, the bird flew in and brazenly perched out in front of us just where
we could all conveniently soak it up for the next few minutes. A perfect end
to what had been a breathtaking taste of some of the very best birding in
the Philippines.
 The first of a dazzling brace of pittas at the PICOP concession - this beautiful emerald and scarlet RED-BELLIED PITTA was soaked through following a recent bout of very heavy rain. |
 One of only two endemic pittas in the Philippines (and the only one that we had a realistic chance of on the tour) - the breathtaking STEERE'S (AZURE-BREASTED) PITTA, PICOP. |
15th March:
PICOP (MINDANAO)
Lowland forest.
For our second full
day in PICOP, we concentrated our efforts on a different road - road 4/2,
that in complete contrast to road 1/4 has some good continuous unbroken stretches
of forest along it (largely by default, as the limestone substrate does not
lend itself to farming after clearing, so that the settlers have, for now
at least, left this bird-rich forest alone). We spent the best part of the
day birding this deserted forest-fringed road, in between the bouts of heavy,
unseasonal rain. Things were a little slow initially as the rain was heaviest
in the morning, although things picked up later as they rain moved off and
we logged some of PICOP's very best birds in our day there. Soon after arriving
and with the rain coming down heavily at the time, we focused our efforts
on the road itself, and soon after found our main target - the stunning Steere's
(Azure-breasted) Pitta feeding right out in the middle of the road.
The bird continued to feed on the road, as we followed, over the following
5-10 minutes allowing us all to great looks at one of PICOP's sexiest birds.
Two days in PICOP and two pittas down - for a site with such a depressing
backdrop to the birding, PICOP can still however produce the goods and some
of the best Philippine birding is undoubtedly still within this concession.
Many of the birds we were hoping for on that day were flock species, and although
we never really got the one big flock we had been hoping for we managed to
find some small flocks along the way and pick up these key endemics in these
bird parties, like Rusty-crowned Babbler, Pygmy Babbler and
several superb bright orange Rufous Paradise-Flycatchers. The
main flock species we were keen to get however was the pair of endemic Monarchs
- the distinctive metallic series of notes soon had us homing in on a pair
of Short-crested Monarchs, that circled us several times allowing
everyone a look or two, although the divine Celestial Monarch,
clearly the sexiest of this pair proved a little more challenging as it appeared
they may have reached the end of their calling season. However in one of the
last flocks of the morning, as we neared the van again we heard its distinctive
call, although it was a good 10 minutes or so before Mark managed to not only
find, but scope up a spanking male complete with the flashy celestial headdress
that gives the bird its name. Before we had hot on the celestial however,
and just after having bagged the pair of Short-crested Monarchs we heard the
first calls of a Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher, a scarce Kingfisher
that was originally thought to be endemic to mid-high elevation forests on
Mindanao, although has recently also been found in the lowland forests of
PICOP. We had tried several known territories for this bird throughout the
morning and even got a response at one, that was then thwarted by a bout of
extremely heavy rain, before this bird called right by the short-crested Monarchs
and I finally began to think our luck was in. The bird then proceeded to circle
unseen for the next 15 minutes, before finally Doris calmly announced she
had the bird, seemingly mocking us by being perched at extremely close range.
Just one of a trio of sexy kingfishers we had come across at PICOP. The kingfisher
haul was not over however, as on the route back on passing by a recently known
area for Philippine Dwarf-Kingfisher, this rarely recorded bird
flashed by us calling all the while, to bring our tally of endemic kingfishers
at PICOP to an impressive four species. Both Monarchs and both Pittas in the
first two days, and all the possible kingfishers, what were we going to look
for over the next day?! - there was nothing left to do but focus our efforts
on PICOP's last sexy resident - the unbelievable (and more than a little tricky)
Mindanao Wattled Broadbill. Unlike the other sexy species we
had already seen, the broadbills are basically silent and generally spend
very long periods being inactive in the understorey. This makes them really,
really difficult to find unless they come by in a passing flock.
16th March:
PICOP (MINDANAO)
Lowland forest.
For our last full day we again moved our efforts on another
fragment of forest, this time along road 4. The main purpose for our visiting
this area was to try and pick up some hornbills as we were missing one species
that is special to these lowland Mindanao forests. Once again the unseasonal
weather dealt us a low blow and we hung out around some fruiting trees in
an attempt to pick up the hornbill that can sometimes be found in this area
in the early mornings. However with the heaviest prolonged burst of rain coming
at this time, the weather seemed to have ruined our chances at picking up
this key species. With nothing doing and finally the rain easing we headed
off for some of the other species we were missing, and then typically as we
had just turned the corner, leaving Nicky behind to answer a call of nature
we heard his frantic shouting from where we had just been standing. We all
raced back, rapidly negotiating our way around a deep muddy puddle in the
process to find Nicky trained on a group of 20 Writhed Hornbills
(a record count for the site according to Zardo), that had chosen to fly into
the very trees we had been looking at just as we had turned the corner and
were just out of sight! Still we were not complaining as we could then soak
them up in full detail as they hung about in the treetops to dry off their
rain-soaked wings. That brought our tally of endemic hornbills for the trip
to four, all the possible species we could have seen until then, just the
one on Palawan to go. We then headed back out of the open areas to focus on
the forest understorey where we belatedly picked up Streaked (Striated)
Ground-Babbler hopping about amongst the large limestone mossy boulders,
that give the forest an almost Tolkeinesque feeling in this area. Aside from
that this was our slowest;west days at PICOP, partly due to the fact that
we had picked up many of the species we were looking for remarkably quickly
in the first few days and also because the rain dogged us more on this day
than any other. Our attempts at the Broadbill and Blue-crowned Racquet-tail
both fell flat, meaning we were sure to be returning here for our
final few hours at PICOP the following day. However, we did pick up Blue
Fantail, Bicolored Flowerpecker, another Short-crested
Monarch, Steere's Pitta and Rufous-lored Kingfisher
although best of all was a pair of Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeons,
one of which eventually showed extremely well, flying in and perching on an
open limb right over the road.
17th March:
PICOP (MINDANAO)
Lowland forest.
In our last few
hours at PICOP before we headed to the mountains of central Mindanao, we once
again returned to road 4 in our last efforts to pick up the rarely encountered
Broadbill and for another shot at the racquet-tail. Before we reached there
however we made a stop before light and for Philippine Frogmouth and
Philippine Hawk-Owl. The frogmouth proved elusive again, although we all got
good looks at Mindanao (Philippine) Hawk-Owl (still unbelievably
officially considered a subspecies of Philippine Hawk-Owl, although very different
in both plumage and voice and therefore a surefire species in its own right).
Before we headed to our best site for the broadbill, Zardo recommended checking
out an area where the racquet-tails have nested in the not too distant past.
On getting onto the trail we soon heard the distinctive high-pitched calls
of the Blue-crowned Racquet-tail and looked up to see one of
these impressive endemics fly in and conveniently land on an open snag above
the clearing we were standing in, where we could admire the needle-fine racquets
in full detail. With new birds running out fast there was nothing left to
do but head into the forest to an area where the broadbill has been found
nesting in recent years. In spite of this site being a good one, and where
I had seen one shortly before the tour, many a tour misses them here due to
their shy reclusive nature. On top of that the area of forest, while not far
off the road has no real trail in and is set on the top of a spiny limestone
outcrop, meaning the short walk in is not the most comfortable. Forewarned
everyone was keen to try anyway and we soon reached the area where the birds
nest hoping for a flock to be in the area, that would be our best chance of
picking up this unobtrusive endemic. Unfortunately aside from a lone Blue
Fantail there seemed little evidence of a bird party in the area and we started
to settle ourselves so we could wait for a passing flock, when a muffled cry
went up from Zardo behind. No one seemed to be sure what he said but we legged
it anyway and on reaching him found he was watching a superb female (Mindanao)
Wattled Broadbill, perched inconspicuously in the understorey that
remained there for around 5 minutes so we could all get fantastic looks at
this truly unique member of a family (complete with its striking blue wattled
eye ring) that does not have a single bad looking bird within it. Job done
we headed off to Davao for some welcome rest before we trekked up into the
mountains in the Central Mindanao province of Bukidnon, to search for one
of the rarest and certainly most celebrated of all the endemics - the Philippine
national bird - Monkey-eating or Great Philippine Eagle.
|
|
 Not the greatest of shots, but what a superb Mindanao endemic, Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher. We recorded it at both the recently discovered site for the species, PICOP, and also at the more traditional site of Kitanglad. |
18th March:
Bukidnon Philippine Eagle Nest site & Mount Kitanglad (MINDANAO)
Montane forest.
With the Philippine Eagles not breeding this
year at Kitanglad, and the birds proving difficult for other tour groups before
our tour, I decided with Nicky that if we had the opportunity to visit another
nest site we should jump at the chance at seeing this impressive formidable
raptor at close quarters. Nicky used his contacts to get us privileged access
to a new nest site, that the Eagle Foundation had recently set up watch on,
not too far from our intended destination of Kitanglad. As we headed up the
trail to the new site alarmingly two adult birds passed briefly overhead,
not giving anyone a decent look through the closed canopy above us. Sure enough
when we reached the nest the adults were nowhere to be found and the chick
was hunched low down in the nest, with only the odd feather in view! With
this dismal showing the first group ascended the purpose built tower to have
a better look at the nest. A long while went by and just as the first group
were going to leave with only marginally better views of the chick obtained
the loud distinctive whistles of a close adult were heard close by and then
two birds cruised by at eye level, allowing those on the right position at
the time to get a real eyeful of this immense eagle at close range. For those
who missed it better was to come as the eaglet in the nest then stood up fully
revealing its massively oversized bill, and one of the adults was found perched
up a short distance away from our lofty position in the canopy. Having experienced
Harpy Eagles several times before, that are equally impressive in their huge
bulk, and perhaps more so in terms of their formidable claws that are close
to the size of a bears, the Harpy simply cannot match the huge bill that gives
the impression that the Philippine Eagle is a much larger, more formidable
raptor. Instantly Richard and Mark were talking of the bird of the trip, in
spite of that fact we had seen several pitta species, a bagful of colorful
endemic kingfishers, and a host of multicolored Fruit-doves and pigeons! Unfortunately
after the first group descended the tower Don and Doris had a fruitless search
for the adults while up there. Although they had enjoyed impressive views
of them in flight from their position on the ground, the absence of in your
face views of the adults left them wanting and I am sure they are extremely
grateful to Nicky who arranged a second trip to the nest a few days later
free of charge, when they were then treated to unbeatable, prolonged views
of these impressive birds at close range from their position in the canopy.
On the ground around the nest a passing flock had us homing in on some of
the Mindanao endemics we had come to the mountains for including most notably
a stunning McGregor's Cuckoo-shrike, in addition to the more
expected fare of Cinnamon Ibons, Black-and-cinnamon Fantails and
Mountain White-eyes. With the morning distraction and changed plan
for the eagle we headed out to Kitanglad a little later than expected, leaving
little time for birding after our late afternoon arrival at Del Monte Lodge
(sometimes referred to as Eagle Camp), although with our unforgettable experiences
with the eagles in the morning there were few complaints. After dark we made
our first foray for the many nightbirds in the area, and although proving
a little more difficult than planned the Philippine Frogmouth eventually
performed in exemplary fashion perching right over our heads, making up for
missing it at PICOP the day before.
 The funky-looking APO MYNA, a bizarre endemic confined to just a few high mountains in northern and central Mindanao. With the strange 'punk' hairstyle and very long tail certainly a very unique myna species. |
19th
March: Mount Kitanglad (MINDANAO) Montane forest.
Shortly after dawn we began the trek up the mountain towards
the 'eagle watchpoint', around which many birds can be found, aside from the
obvious, biggish raptor. When birding Kitanglad it is necessary to cover a
number of elevations on the mountain, as some of the specialist species can
only be found at either low or high altitudes on Kitanglad. So as we made
our way up the mountain, along the gently rising track we passed through some
cleared areas where cabbage fields, often packed with Eastern Yellow Wagtails,
border the montane forest that harbors many of the most special species. On
these lower sections we visited a number of bright red blooming trees that
held some of the endemic nectarivores we were after - notably Flame-crowned
Flowerpecker (a scarce bird that seems to be rarely encountered these
days at our other possible site on the tour - Mount Polis); several Pygmy
Flowerpeckers and the Mindanao endemics Gray-hooded Sunbird
and Olive-capped Flowerpecker; in addition to a few
of the more widespread Fire-breasted (Buff-bellied) Flowerpecker.
As we made our way up the mountain we picked up our last possible Rhabdornis
of the trip - with the high elevation Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis
found perched on an open dead snag where it remained obligingly for five whole
minutes. Our first (of many) Eye-browed Thrushes flew out from
the open trees on the way up, giving their distinctly Redwing like calls as
they flew out. The Philippines has a whole host of endemic tailorbirds with
three species possible on Mindanao alone. Two of these are found in the lowland
forests and were seen already at PICOP, although the third one, Rufous-headed
Tailorbird, (a split from Mountain Tailorbird), is as suggested from
its close congener's name, a high elevation species. They seemed to be calling
from every available thicket of secondary scrub as we moved our way up the
mountain, and a pair soon gave us good, close views, to complete the trio
of possible endemic tailorbirds we were looking for on Mindanao. In one of
the larger clearings we saw a distant adult Philippine Eagle
circling higher up the mountain that made us ever more grateful for the incredible
views we'd had the day before. It was necessary to trek up to some higher
sections for a few species, notably for a mob of fantastic Apo Mynas,
that are unlike any other myna in southeast Asia what with their weird Mohican
hairstyles, formed by their unique crest of fine black filaments, and bold
yellow patch of bare facial skin around the eye. Also up higher was a single
White-cheeked Bullfinch, a brilliant Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher
(a big relief for Mark who had been unsighted for the bird at PICOP, a few
days before); and a superb male APO Sunbird was found singing
from an open perch deep within the forest at our highest point on the mountain.
The latter always requires a bit of a hike to reach the elevations necessary
for the species, so once this bird had been safely seen we turned around and
headed back to the more navigable sections of the trail lower down, where
all the other remaining species we were after could be found. Other species
picked up included a few of the strangely named Mindanao or Black-masked
White-eye in some feeding flocks quite far up the mountain. This species
completely lacks the distinctive white eye-ring typical of the other white-eyes,
that leads many to believe the species would be far better named simply Mindanao
Ibon. Other notable birds included our first Short-tailed Starlings,
Oriental Honey Buzzards and Black-shouldered Kite of
the tour, a number of Island (Mountain Verditer) Flycatchers,
and a few endemic Sulphur-billed Nuthatches in some of the feeding
parties lower down on Kitanglad (an endemic 'form' of Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
that has now been given full species status); and a brief sighting of the
large Mindanao form of White-browed Shortwing.
20th
March: Mount Kitanglad (MINDANAO) Montane forest.
For our last full day on the mountain we were to concentrate
our efforts along the same mountain track, although focusing specifically
on areas where we may pick up the few missing species we were now after. While
settling in for breakfast before we started up the mountain again, (and a
little untimely as some of us were at the time answering an urgent call of
nature!), a Mindanao Scops-Owl began calling within spitting
distance of the camp. With full light approaching fast I sent out the alert
and the local guide Carlito and I headed into the bamboo stand, where within
seconds it seemed Carlito had this tiny scops owl lined up in the beam for
everyone present. The few people there got great views before I turned and
realized some of the party were still missing so I dashed back up, picking
up the missing persons and returned just in time as Carlito picked it up again
on a different perch before it quickly fell silent with the onset of daylight.
Things after that initial early morning thrill were a little slower than we'd
hoped, with Mindanao Racquet-tails only heard once we were hidden
from a clear view under the forest canopy, and try as we might we just simply
could not coax in a Long-tailed Ground-Warbler, that was rapidly
becoming a nemesis bird for us on the tour, as we'd heard it's distinctive
song almost constantly at Polis at the start of the tour and were still waiting
for even a glimpse of this notoriously shy skulker. However, we did see a
fine juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle, several Philippine
Cuckoo-doves, more Colasisis, Coletos,
Black-and-cinnamon Fantails, APO Mynas, Gray-hooded
Sunbirds and Brown Tit-Babblers, although the migrant
Mugimaki and Snowy-browed Flycatchers were both new additions.
21st
March: Mount Kitanglad (MINDANAO) Montane forest.
For our final few hours on the mountain before we made our
way out of Mindanao and back to Manila for our final leg of the tour, the
group decided to split. Still smarting from the tales of close perched views
of adult eagles, Don and Doris returned with Nicky to the eagle nest site
nearby, while Richard, Mark and I made a final foray up the mountain for some
of the species we were lacking. Two such species made a mockery of our previous
efforts further afield on the mountain by appearing almost right in the camp.
First up a Pechora Pipit was found feeding right on the trail,
inches from the camp, and then just beyond that an almost rodent-like figure
crossed the trail behind - it could only have been our nemesis bird! Some
tactical pishing from Carlito worked unbelievably well as he persuaded the
extremely shy Long-tailed Ground-Warbler to perch out for us
really well, within a stone's throw of Del Monte Lodge. This was just one
of those times when a final few hours on site paid off really well, and despite
some heavy rain that had us sheltering for some time higher up the mountain,
I let everyone know that a little rain was a good omen for the racquet-tails,
that seem to revel in this weather and are much more frequently seen flying
about during a bout of prolonged drizzle. After one of these bouts of heavy
rain Richard and Mark spotted a large powerful pigeon flying in, that landed
close by giving us fantastic prolonged views of a Metallic Pigeon,
a species that is hard-to-come by on Kitanglad where they exist only at very
low densities. As the heavy rain faded to drizzle we kept our ears open for
the racquet-tails high-pitched calls, and after several teasing periods of
hearing some of these distant parrots, we finally picked up a group of three
calling Mindanao Racquet-tails as they sailed overhead. With
another wave of rain coming in we headed back down the mountain, packed up
our things, loaded the horses and made our way back to Damitan where we picked
up our vans again for the drive to Cagayan de Oro. From there we met up once
again met up with Don, Doris and Nicky, who were full of tales of dramatic
close up views of 'on-the-deck' Philippine Eagles that had remained
perched by the nest throughout the long bouts of heavy rain. We then boarded
our so-called Cebu Pacific 'fun flight' (complete with the on board game that
is typical of these domestic flights), and returned to Manila for a last night
in the bustling Philippine capital before our final, Palawan leg of the tour.
Part 3: PALAWAN
22nd
March: Puerto Princesa to Underground River National Park, Sabang
(PALAWAN) Lowland, coastal limestone forest and mangroves.
Another early start was required to take the only daily flights
to the Palawan capital of Puerto Princesa. We had originally planned a stop
for Chinese Egrets and shorebirds at Garceliano Beach near the
capital, although when we arrived there were horrified to find an extremely
high tide rendering the whole area birdless - we quickly changed the plan,
ate an early lunch and then boarded our vans to make the journey to Sabang
that would be our base for exploring the endemic-rich coastal, limestone forests
of St. Pauls (recently renamed Underground River National Park). Palawan often
turns out to be most people's favorite Philippine island, due to a combination
of easy endemics, some of the largest most in tact tracts of rainforest and
frankly, because much of it is an idyllic paradise island of beaches, mangroves
and lush bird-rich rainforests. Between Puerto Princesa and our resort in
Sabang we passed by some deserted scenic beaches with superb vistas over the
South China Sea, and along the way we encountered some fabulous stretches
of forest and tree-lined limestone outcrops that are good spots for some of
Palawan's coolest endemic birds. A few weeks before I had checked out some
areas in preparation for the main tour, when an unplanned stop for some emergency
car repairs, alongside a scenic tree-lined river, had caused me to stumble
onto some superb flowering trees that had proved a real boon for nectarivores.
And so it was we made our first stop there along the way in the hope that
some of the trees would still be in bloom. Thankfully they were and it did
not take long to find our main target, with a stocky male Copper-throated
Sunbird
and Palawan's own endemic nectar specialist, with the aptly named Palawan
Flowerpecker, in addition to a whole bunch of other nectar feeders
including Pygmy Flowerpecker, Little Spiderhunter,
several stunning scarlet-breasted trochilus
race Purple-throated Sunbirds, and a few
Olive-backed Sunbirds. Our next, 'emergency' stop was made alongside
a stretch of Palawan's
idyllic western coastline for another low-flying squadron of needletails,
this time a group of Brown-backed Needletails, to add to the
Purple and Philippine Needletails already recorded on Mindanao earlier on
the tour. All along the way we ran into small vocal groups of the endemic
pusillus 'race' of Slender-billed Crow, heard giving
their instantly recognizable, high-pitched and distinctly un-crow like calls,
a subspecies that many believe should be given full species status, and so
is frequently referred to simply as 'Palawan Crow'. We then
rose up onto a scenic forested ridegtop, where the hoped-for Ashy-headed
Babbler that had been present there only a few weeks previous failed
to show, although we did begin seeing our first Palawan endemics with several
Yellow-throated Leafbirds, high flying flocks of Palawan
Swiftlets (a recent split from Island or Uniform Swiftlet), a White-vented
Shama was observed giving its fluty song from a low roadside perch;
and best of all a gorgeous Blue Paradise-Flycatcher popped up
on the opposite side of the road to the showy Shama. A short walk further
down the road and we picked up another of the Palawan specialties, when we
found a pair of lemon-yellow and black Palawan Tits singing
in a bare roadside tree. Only
a few hours within Palawan and we were getting a real taste of some of its
very best birds. Aside from this haul of endemics,
we also heard our third target pitta species of the trip, when a Hooded
Pitta called closeby, that Don at least got fantastic views of. The
others were not left smarting for long over this though, as I had another
territory lined up a little further down the road, that paid off handsomely,
when on playing the tape only briefly, the bird came crashing in and perched
up within a few feet of our stunned, beaming faces. One of the main reasons
for taking time on the way into Sabang was to stop for Palawan's endemic nightbirds
along the way, so we needed to ride out some time waiting for dusk. Some of
this time was spent scanning some huge tree-lined limestone outcrops that
jut out above the surrounding coastal forests, giving a truly magnificent
backdrop to birding this quiet coastal road. A short time later I picked up
the gleaming ivory casques of a small party of Palawan Hornbills
that we had been hoping for and can sometimes be found roosting in this area.
We then got ourselves in position for the nightshow, although with light not
yet fading a pair of calling Ashy-headed Babblers (that had
failed me earlier in the afternoon) were fair game and typically
gave excellent views when responding to a little gentle playback. As we waited
along the deserted road for the onset of dusk, the first bats appeared and
soon after we were treated to the sight of an Oriental Hobby
hunting the bats low over the road, catching three bats in under 30 minutes,
not a bad way to while out the time until the time for owling! Soon after
dark our first night bird appeared with a pair of calling roadside Large-tailed
Nightjars. The frogmouths we were after were also
soon calling, although the first of these gave us the
run-around until we found a nice cleared area where we found a much more cooperative
individual that just sat there growling back at us from its low perch. This
funky bird with its ridiculous oversized whiskers continues to confound birders
as to exactly what it is, currently listed as Javan Frogmouth, this island
form gives a call that is not known in other populations of the widespread
Javan that may itself warrant splitting into several different species. To
add to the confusion some have also considered this 'Palawan' Frogmouth as
a unique form of Sunda Frogmouth, while others of which the majority of opinion
seems to be weighing behind consider the frogmouths on Palawan to be another
as yet undescribed species, being referred to widely as simply Palawan
Frogmouth. Whilst soaking up the frogmouth our final night quarry,
Palawan Scops-Owl uttered its own quiet, almost inaudible growl.
The call of this bird is completely deceptive as you can be standing right
in front of one, and the call can be difficult to hear even then, so the toughest
thing is not to risk flushing the bird as you can walk right into it. Which
is basically what happened initially when I went towards the source of the
quiet growling and failed to notice the bird, perched vertically on a low
vine until I was right on top of it, so that when everyone else came in for
a look the bird flew with only me getting one unforgettable view. Thankfully
after an initial, panicked period of silence the bird began calling once more
and we managed to find it a short distance from its original perch, where
the eyes glowed bright red back at us while we lapped up this impressive endemic
scops owl. 3 target nightbirds, all 3 seen so we headed to our resort for
celebratory beers and to plan tomorrow's 'assault' on one of the most stunning
birds in the Philippines - as we would be seeking the breathtaking Palawan
Peacock-Pheasant.
 YELLOW-THROATED LEAFBIRD near Sabang - One of nearly 20 endemics confined to the island of Palawan. This one, like many others, is easy to find and was picked up a number of times in just a few days there. |
 JAVAN ('PALAWAN') FROGMOUTH near Sabang - Confusion still reigns over the identity of the Palawan Frogmouths: some say they should be lumped within Sunda, some call them Javan, although many others believe they deserve full endemic species status. |
23rd
March: Underground River (St. Paul's) National Park, Sabang
(PALAWAN) Lowland, coastal limestone forest and mangroves.
The sparsely populated sandy white beaches of Sabang on
the western coast of Palawan provide a peaceful, idyllic
setting and base for exploring the bird-rich coastal forests of St. Pauls
National Park, that holds all but three of Palawan's 19 or so endemic species.
For the most sought-after among these we would have to take a short ride in
one of the many 'bancas', a typical Filipino boat that is characterized by
the large 'stabilizers' on each side. A short wade out from Sabang saw us
boarding the banca and heading straight to the park's star attraction - the
8km long Subterranean (or Underground) River for which the park has recently
been renamed. However, although most tourists alight there to take the tranquil
boat ride along this geological wonder we were tracking a very different attraction,
Palawan's (and perhaps the Philippines's as a whole) undisputed top bird -
the gorgeous Palawan Peacock-Pheasant. This normally shy inhabitant
of the limestone 'kast' forests, such as those at St. Paul's, has been unusually
easy to pick up in recent years as a tame male bird has taken up residence
around a park ranger station deep within the heart of the park, that is conveniently
only a stone's throw from the beach when arriving by boat. This superb male
bird hangs out near the station, often in company with Tabon Scrubfowls,
feeding on food scraps that are left out by the resident rangers who now know
this stunning bird very well indeed, due to the droves of birders who have
visited over the past 6 years or so. The forest here lines the beach itself,
so that literally within inches of entering the forest we caught site of this
truly magnificent pheasant feeding right out in the open where the iridescent
blue jeweled plumage, with violet-blue 'eyes' or ocelli on its dazzlingly
adorned tail, striking black-and-white crested head and 'velvety' black breast
could be appreciated to the full. This is one of the undisputed avian gems
of Asia, and a bird that can easily be used to persuade any doubting birder
of the wonders of birding southeast Asia. With this main target nailed with
absolute, and ridiculous ease we checked out some other areas around the Underground
River picking up Tabon Scrubfowls, Citrine Canary-Flycatcher
and another Palawan specialty - Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, in addition
to both Greater and Common Flamebacks (the former of the fantastic
endemic,
red-headed erythrocephalus race) in the same tree with our first Asian
Drongo-Cuckoo. As we turned around to head back to the banca we realized
the peacock had followed us all the way down the trail. So we headed off before
this amazing pheasant completely let itself down! We then headed down a trail
into the forest proper on the hunt for another striking Palawan endemic -
Falcated Ground-Babbler. We did pick up this awesome endemic,
although it frustrated us by showing only in brief snatches meaning a surefire
return to the spot for tomorrow when we hoped it may perform in more typical
fashion, and one of us at least picked up Palawan's only endemic parrot -
Blue-headed Racquet-tail whilst there. On the return
journey we found our sixth and final endemic sunbird of the tour, with a fine
male Handsome (Shelley's) Sunbird and later, a pair of Malaysian
Plovers precariously nesting
on a nearby coastal sand bar. A fantastic morning's
birding with all the available endemics picked up at St. Paul's and on the
way in the day before, leaving us wondering what the hell to do in the afternoon!
However, as Don had missed many of these birds through a bout of heavy flu,
he recovered to head out with us in the afternoon where we quickly set about
redressing the balance with some of the endemics he'd missed. Amazingly in
the short birding time we had that afternoon and evening before we retired
for Shirley's birthday celebrations back at the resort, we managed to re-find
Palawan Hornbill, Ashy-headed Babbler, Palawan Blue Flycatcher, Javan (Palawan)
Frogmouth, Large-tailed Nightjar, Palawan Scops-Owl and
the Oriental Hobby that, once again, swooped in on the hunt
for bats shortly before nightfall.
 The exquisite male PALAWAN PEACOCK-PHEASANT St. Pauls - the only 'true' pheasant in the Philippines. |
 This showy male PALAWAN PEACOCK-PHEASANT provides one of those rare problems for a bird photographer - how to get photos of a bird that is often too close! Digiscoping was generally useless (although I did manage to get the shot on the left through a scope), so I shot this one hand held with the use of a flash as the bird was only a few feet away at the time. Although the natural light shot through the scope reveals the full, phenomenal colors of the bird best. If this is a prority bird for you then this is clearly the time to go for it, as this rediculous individual has made this species shamelessly easy to see! |
24th
March: Underground River (St. Paul's) National Park, Sabang
and Garceliano Beach, Puerto Princesa (PALAWAN) Tidal mudflats and
mangroves.
Don had also missed the peacock show the day before through
illness and what with there still being a few birds in the same area for the
rest of us we boarded our banca once more and waded the short distance ashore,
to enter the kast forest that is the peacock's well-documented stomping ground.
In addition to the 'almost guaranteed' Palawan Peacock-pheasant
we all had superb views of a perched Oriental Dwarf (Rufous-backed)
Kingfisher, that had only given brief views for most the day before
as it typically zipped by at lightning speed, and a pair of Stork-billed
Kingfishers were also in the same area. With little else showing we
returned to the boat and made the short ride to another bay where we paddled
to shore again and entered the forest in search of Palawan's coolest endemic
babbler once more. On reaching the spot where it had performed so poorly the
day before, the bird was immediately heard calling. This time however, only
the shortest burst of playback brought the Falcated Ground-Babbler screaming
into view, that then perched up magnificently in an open gully in the forest
that even allowed a few of us to get full on views of this cracking endemic
babbler in the Swarovski scope. Other notable birds included our only tour
sighting of Mangrove Whistler, as well as Bar-bellied
Cuckoo-shrike, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Common Flameback and
a couple of young Red-bellied Pittas that bounced off the trail
in front of us. After a final lunch at the Last Frontier where we were able
to watch a Palawan Hornbill leaping around in some trees right
by the dining area, we departed for Puerto Princesa, stopping en-route to
pick up another pack of low-flying Brown-backed Needletails,
our first, much belated view of a Plaintive Cuckoo, a small
active party of well-named Fiery Minivets (that included a vivid
orange-red male in their group) and a Sulphur-bellied Bulbul
for Don who had missed it during his bout of flu. We then returned to the
mudflats near Puerto Princesa hoping for a more favorable tide on this occasion.
Unfortunately the tides were extremely high at this time, leaving little exposed
mud. However, we did come across a band of roosting egrets which after some
scrutiny was found to hold at least two of the endangered Chinese Egrets
that we were seeking there. Shorebirds were thin on the ground due to the
unfortunate
state of the tide but we did find a few Gray-tailed
Tattlers roosting in the mangroves. We then retired to Princesa, taking
in a superb seafood restaurant perched on the edge of the mangroves, that
even has Prince Andrew on its long list of past celebrity diners and after
tucking into the locally produced food, we were able soon understood why.
25th
March: Iwahig Penal Colony and Rasa Island (PALAWAN) Lowland rainforest
and coastal scrub and woodland on Rasa.
The Balsahan Trail, bizarrely set for a birding area within
a safe correctional institution, is a key site on Palawan for a couple of
endemics that are never recorded at St. Paul's - notably Melodious Babbler
and historically (although very rarely in recent years), also Palawan Flycatcher.
One of the logistical problems we had not expected there was unseasonally
heavy rains the day before our arrival, leading to the swelling of the river
that runs alongside the trail and a rising of the formerly little brooks that
we needed to cross to reach the best areas for these key endemics. Thankfully
Arding, our driver and Iwahig employee, was on hand to aid us all across what
is usually little bother to cross in little more than walking boots. We all
eventually made it and to my relief we soon heard the Melodious Babblers
calling on cue, and were soon getting to grips with a group of three-four
birds perched up in a subcanopy vine tangle. With these falling conveniently
early we were getting into the privileged position of what do we look for
next? Well the flycatcher of course! My hopes really were not high for this
site (we had a stop planned for our final birding of the tour, which has been
a much more reliable stakeout in recent years), as nobody had reported seeing
at all in the current season (with many tours having visited the area). Indeed
Nicky our resident, experienced Filipino bird guide had recently revealed
he had never encountered them on the Balsahan at all. What the hell we thought,
we had the time so we should try and ease the pressure on tomorrow's final
birding stop. So we headed in to the thick stands of bamboo that they generally
favor (and which makes them often challenging to see), and received little
response to a bit of strategic playback. Unsurprised we turned to leave and
immediately a Palawan Flycatcher piped up and gave a brief snatch
of song close by. I waited for a time to hear it again and identify the source
of the sound, but the bird had fallen stubbornly silent, so I tried a quick
burst of playback whereupon, this shy retiring flycatcher zipped straight
in (flashing the bright reddish tail past us as it did so leaving us in no
doubt as to what it was), and perched right out in front of us singing away
within 10 feet of the whole group who were all fixed firmly on this bonus
find. We had served our time in Iwahig and so then headed for our final main
destination of the tour - the sleepy, peaceful coastal town of Nara, our base
for exploring nearby Rasa Island. After a lunch and rest in Nara from the
severe afternoon heat, we boarded another banca and set sail for Rasa, a 30
minute ride away. From the boat we picked up our final new birds of the tour
- first our last Imperial Pigeon of the tour, the striking Pied Imperial
Pigeon, here on Rasa in its element as it is a small island specialist,
and then a little later the first of the roosting Philippine Cockatoos
came sailing in from the mainland. Using a scope while on board a Filipino
banca is not easy to say the least, but in between the drifting motion of
the boat we all managed scope views of these ivory birds, all of us keen to
get a good look at their burnt red vents that makes this species unique from
all other cockatoos. These critically endangered 'parrots' are now extremely
localized, having suffered a dramatic decline in recent years due to a lethal
combination of habitat destruction and intensive hunting for the cage bird
trade. Thus they are now very difficult to find anywhere away from Rasa, (having
formerly been a regular sighting at St. Paul's there are no very recent records
at all despite much good habitat remaining in that national park). So it was
well worth the journey to watch playful gangs of these extremely rare cockatoos
landing on the edge of island, before they headed deeper inland to roost.
We then returned to Nara for our final late farewell dinner, before our departure
the next day.
26th
March: Nara to Puerto Princesa and departure back to Manila.
Essentially a departure day, we made the journey back to Puerto Princesa to
fly to Manila and connect with international flights back. Although we made
a stop along the way for a last few looks at some of Palawan's endemic birds,
including another view of the scarce Palawan Flycatcher at a
site we would more normally expect to run across it, Handsome (Shelley's)
Sunbird, Yellow-throated Leafbird and a Sulphur-bellied
Bulbul or two. It was then off for our good-byes with talk of the
next trip (because us birders are always looking to the next trip and the
next haul of new birds at the soonest opportunity) - Argentina next perhaps
for Don and Doris, and only a few weeks later Mark, Shirley and Richard would
be in Andean cloudforests of southern Ecuador pursuing such treats as Jocotoco
Antpitta and others.
As
an inaugural tour to the Philippines we were more than happy with our species
haul, a good number of endemics (just under 130 recorded), including two representatives
from the lone endemic bird family - the Philippine Creepers.
Aside from that we had a good run on the most highly sought after species
in the Philippines with good looks at many of these, like all 3 realistic
pitta species including the spectacular endemic Steere's (Azure-breasted)
Pitta, a bagful of very cool endemic kingfishers including Winchell's
(Rufous-lored), Indigo-banded, Philippine Dwarf, Silvery Kingfisher and
Spotted & Blue-capped Wood-Kingfishers, the just plain awesome
(Mindanao) Wattled Broadbill; the incredible, few-feet-away
views of the breathtaking resident male Palawan Peacock-Pheasant
at St. Paul's; and a bunch of cool doves that included the elusive Luzon
Bleeding-heart, the very scarce Spotted Imperial & Pink-bellied
Imperial-Pigeons and fancy Flame-breasted Fruit-Dove
all on Luzon; and a number of good sightings of the more widespread but way
more attractive Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove. However, the undoubted
highlight of the tour has to have been our unbeatable, close up encounters
with the 'haribon' or Philippine Eagle, with cracking views
of the 4 month-old chick along with the monstrous adults also in attendance.
Only the south American Harpy Eagle comes close to this awesome raptor, although
the critically endangered and endemic tag that comes attached to this species
gives the Philippine Eagle an undoubted edge that saw it universally voted
for as one of the top trip highlights. Both for the group and guides alike
this was a great encounter that had it all - good views of the chick in the
nest, the adult birds perched and also in flight when the incredibly distinctive
silhouette with the bulging primaries was superb to see as it flew low over
us. Rarely in birding do you get the full on views that you crave, as the
natural world is a 'cruel mistress' as some would say, but this time we had
it all and then some. The pressure is now on for next years tour!
BIRD LIST
Taxonomy and nomenclature for this list follow Clements, J. (5th ed. Updated 2004) Birds of the World. A Checklist. Pica Press.
Birds in UPPER CASE/CAPITAL LETTERS are PHILIPPINE ENDEMICS.
129 endemics were recorded on the tour, with 124 of these seen. There were also a number of near-endemics (like Rufous Paradise-Flycatcher and Coleto, that many generally treat as endemics as they have such tiny ranges outside of the Philippines); and a number of species that are not yet split by Clements, although are widely believed to be surefire 'species-in-waiting', such as the Mindanao form of Philippine Hawk-Owl, the Palawan form of Slender-billed Crow, and the 'confusing' frogmouth on Palawan.
Those that are endemic to the main island groups visited of Luzon, Mindanao or Palawan, (i.e. If found on only the main island of Luzon and any small outlying islands they are marked as Luzon endemics), have been marked as island endemics. (E.g. Rufous Coucal is found on the main island of Luzon, and also occurs on two smaller islands off there - Catanduanes and Polillo and so is marked as a 'LUZON ENDEMIC').
Those marked with (H) were only HEARD on the tour.
Those that are marked with (GO) were only seen by the GUIDE ONLY.
Abbreviations of L, M and P are used to denote Luzon, Mindanao and Palawan respectively.
I
have written selective notes against particular species of note (including
all the endemics).
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GREBES:
Podicipedidae SWIFTS:
Apodidae
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