Thursday, November 3

close encounters at subic

close encounter #1- nabasan road, 8:52 am
adri: spotty!
trinket: saan?
adri: ayan lang sa harap natin!
trinket: saan?
adri: kita mo ung curved na branch?
trinket: oo.
adri: andun sya.
trinket:???
adri: ayun o.
trinket: ok, ok.
*click, click, click...*
brown shrike: traaatatatatatata...
the spotted wood-kingfisher flies into the thick vegetation
adri & trinket:  *&%&^%##^%&&!!!


close encounter #2- nabasan road, 10:20 am
adri & trinket watching a pair of black-naped monarchs on the branches above them
adri:  itong ibon na 'to and likot, never ako pinag bigyan ng magandang picture.
trinket: try ko nga.
after 30 minutes:
trinket: ayaw ko na, iwan na nga natin tong 2 bwiset na to.


close encounter #3- nabasan road, 11:23am
a brown bird flies across the path and lands on a tree a few meters away
adri & trinket: white-eared brown dove!!!
*click click click click*
after 1 minute of watching the birders, the bird flies away


not counted close encounter- nabasan road 11:40am
adri: and ganda nung draco o! 
trinket: saan?
adri: dun sa puno na may pulang paint.
trinket:  oo nga.
adri: i-video nga natin.
after 26 minutes the lizard hasn't budged.
adri: buti pa sya gusto nyang nag pa pa video at picture!


close encounter #4- nabasan road, 1:41pm
trinket wakes up from an after-lunch nap in the car.
trinket: di ka nakatulog? (to adri in the driver's seat)
adri: iniinis ako nitong white-browed shama eh. pag matutulog ako kakanta sya ng mahina (points across the road)
trinket: ayaw lumabas?
adri: anjan lang eh, hanapin natin.
adri scans the undergrowth with his bins
adri: ayun sya! medyo tago
adri & trinket watch the now quiet white-browed shama which seems to be watching them as it quietly moves from one "hidden" perch to another. they let it go at 2:08pm
adri: tara na nga, lakad nalang ulit tayo.


close encounter #5- botanical gardens, 3:52pm
adri & trinket are driving slowly looking out for raptors on the side of the road
trinket:  grabe, wala pa tayong serpent eagle at hawk-eagle. diba dito natin dati nakikita ung immature na hawk eagle?
a large bird swoops right in front of the car.  adri slowly brings the car to a stop..
trinket: omigosh! hawk-eagle!
adri & trinket fawn over the raptor perched on a low branch on the side of the road on the drivers side.
adri: masyadong malapit! aalis yan kung bababa ako!
trinket: heto yung camera! picture-an mo! bilis!
trinket: (don't leave, don't leave, don't leave)
the birders observe the delicious sight of the large brown bird: crest, feathered tarsi, huge yellow eyes, barred tail. the hawk-eagle looks back at them then suddenly disappears into the trees.
adri & trinket exchange high-5s.
much, much later on when reviewing the pictures they see it: a large rat clutched in the talons of the raptor.


close encounter #6: the grand finale- nabasan, 6:15pm
adri explaining to trinket the call of the chocolate boobook, while an occasional philippine scops-owl and philippine hawk-owl calls in the darkness
trinket: ang dilim na! ayaw ko na. 
adri: last 15 minutes nalang.
trinket: ok
after 10 minutes.
trinket: ayaw ko na talaga! creepy, wala na kong makita! masyado akong maraming pinanood na horror movies this week!
adri: sige na nga, tara na. next time nalang yung chocolate boobook.
trinket reaches for the car door.
trinket: woah!  may lumipad right above us! nakita mo?
adri: hindi, saan?
trinket: nag-land siguro yun jan (pointing to the trees by the road)
adri: dito? (shining a light on the trees)
trinket: hindi, mas mababa pa, dito siguro (guiding adri's hand)
adri & trinket: ^%^$%$&&%*!
a philippine scops-owl is staring right at them with large red eyes, less than 3 meters away just above eye-level.
trinket: kunin ko ba camera?
adri: tignan mo nalang sa bins mo!
both admire the small owl: large red eyes, ear tufts, strong claws, mottled brown back.
trinket: try ko kunin ung camera. (don't leave! don't leave!)
and the small owl turns its back to them and flies away without a sound.
trinket (looks at adri): let's go!

(and because i believe that the frequency of carrying a camera is inversely proportional to the chance of seeing an owl, i don't have a picture of that indescribable last close encounter for the day)



to see some of the not-so-close-encounters from the same day, see this video of the green racquet-tail, and more pictures here.




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