because it was mother's day weekend, i couldn't join the southwoods birding group or mike's sunday dude birding at taal. so, i checked my birding notes from last year and was excited to see that on may 22, 2007, adri and i saw 4 spotted wood-kingfishers and 4 white-browed shamas on the forest trail.a quick text brigade to the guys and on saturday we were off to makiling at 4am complete with sandwiches and coolers, expecting to spend the entire day birding.
yahoo! makiling was generous to us again. we saw the strange sight of a white-browed shama hopping about the ground on the trail. twice. and the spotted wood-kingfishers! they were unusually vocal even in the late morning until after lunch, and we enjoyed 6 sightings in all! all of them seemed to be preoccupied with eating or hunting, so were pretty much oblivious to our presence.
the grey-backed tailorbird would not be left out, coming out into the open from a tangle of vines, calling loudly. we could clearly see its entire body vibrating with each trill.
a philippine hawk-cuckoo also flew back and forth across the trail, taking wing only
when we were a couple of meters away, only to perch in the same place after we passed it.
so to all birders out there... may is a good time for the residents and endemics. probably going crazy mating and breeding after the migrants have gone.
(ok, i know i have no bird pictures. i don't think i can afford a camera for bird photography soon, so i'll just be content with creepies and crawlies and birders in action.)
http://katrinket.multiply.com/photos/album/31/makiling_creatures
we didn't realise we were so orderly!
BIRDLIST: Forest Trail
1. Philippine Serpent-Eagle Spilornis holospilus 2
2. White-eared Brown-Dove Phapitreron leucotis 3 heard more
3. Black-chinned Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus leclancheri 3 heard more
4. Luzon Bleeding-heart Gallicolumba luzonica x heard
5. Guaiabero Bolbopsittacus lunulatus 1
6. Colasisi Loriculus philippensis 6 heard more
7. Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo Cuculus pectoralis 2 heard more
8. Scale-feathered Malkoha Lepidogrammus cumingi 3
9. Red-crested Malkoha (Rough-crested Malkoha) Dasylophus superciliosus 2
10. Philippine Coucal Centropus viridis x heard several
11. Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta 3
12. Spotted Wood-Kingfisher (Spotted Kingfisher) Actenoides lindsayi 6 heard more
13. Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis 7
14. Tarictic Hornbill (Luzon Hornbill) Penelopides manillae x heard
15. Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala 4
16. Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker (Philippine Woodpecker) Dendrocopos maculatus 2 heard more
17. Red-bellied Pitta Pitta erythrogaster x heard
18. Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina striata 4 heard more
19. Yellow-wattled Bulbul Pycnonotus urostictus 3
20. Philippine Bulbul Ixos philippinus 12 heard more
21. Balicassiao Dicrurus balicassius 14 heard more
22. Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos 3
23. Elegant Tit Parus elegans 1
24. Stripe-headed Rhabdornis (Stripe-sided Rhabdornis) Rhabdornis mystacalis 9 heard more
25. White-browed Shama Copsychus luzoniensis 2 heard more
26. Grey-backed Tailorbird Orthotomus derbianus 1 heard more
27. Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea 1 heard more
28. Plain-throated Sunbird (Brown-throated Sunbird) Anthreptes malacensis 3
29. Flaming Sunbird Aethopyga flagrans 1
30. Buzzing Flowerpecker Dicaeum hypoleucum 1
31. Pygmy Flowerpecker Dicaeum pygmaeum 1
32. Lowland White-eye Zosterops meyeni 1
BIRDLIST: Dairy fields
1. Spotted Buttonquail Turnix ocellatus 1
2. Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus x heard several
3. Philippine Coucal Centropus viridis 1
4. Asian Palm-Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis 1
5. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 1
6. White-collared Kingfisher (Collared Kingfisher) Todirhamphus chloris 1
7. Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus 6
8. Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier x common
9. Philippine Bulbul Ixos philippinus 2 heard several
10. Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis 1
11. White-browed Shama Copsychus luzoniensis 1
12. Striated Grassbird Megalurus palustris 2
13. Bright-capped Cisticola (Golden-headed Cisticola) Cisticola exilis 1
14. Zitting Cisticola (Fan-tailed Cisticola) Cisticola juncidis x heard
15. Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica 1
16. Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 1
17. Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus x heard
18. Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus x common
