It was our furthest twitch ever!
When news of a migrant last recorded to have been seen in the country in 1907 in Basilan (and only one previous record before that in Palawan in 1898, both records according to the Kennedy field guide), Adri and I began to consider flying all the way to Negros island to see this jewel of the forest.
I was still on a break from school and we had planned on a road trip. Instead, we found ourselves booking an early morning flight to Dumaguete, one of our favorite provinces. We touched down at 630am and headed straight for Valencia.
Tatay Eti (Rene Vendiola) was there to meet us at his beloved Liptong Woodland. He had actually first observed the bird in March. Thinking it was the the usual Hooded Pitta in an unusual immature plumage, he kept an eye on it. He was surprised that after several months, its plumage still had not changed! He took a photo of it and shared it on Facebook where it resulted in a rare bird alert. The news of course spread like wildfire among birders!
We were not the only hopeful visitors that morning. Our friends from Cebu, Clemn and Mares, arrived a few minutes after us and we exchanged warm hugs and greetings! Who would have thought that we would meet in Negros because of this hot bird of the moment!
"I first spotted it foraging here just by the house,"said Tatay Eti. "Now it's moved across the road on that incline," he motioned with his arms where the bird was photographed a few days before. He quickly accompanied us up a short path uphill and pointed to the base of a mango tree which was overgrown with low brambles, grass and fresh shoots of pungapong (Amorphophallus).
Of course not two minutes after we arrive (in fact I think it was maybe less than one!), I spot some movement on the ground. It was, predictably, none other than our target bird! It hopped quickly behind the roots of the mango tree. Wow, the speed of the spotting certainly made up for the length of the trip to get here!
Clemn, Mares, Adri and myself positioned ourselves strategically and waited for a better view. All our optics were ready. We were not disappointed. With patience, our views of the pitta got better and better.
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| Our first quick glimpse: the pitta hopping in the grass. |
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| Blue-winged Pitta: a rare migrant last recorded to have been seen in the country in 1907! |
It turns out this particular pitta, the Blue-winged Pitta, is not very shy. It went about its business a few meters from our feet, casting a wary glance at us every now and then. Amazingly, despite its colorful plumage, once it sits very still, it can actually disappear into the background!
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| The patience of birders and bird photographers: quietly waiting can have outstanding rewards. |
Even when a noisy group of school children on a field trip came to visit Tatay Eti, the pitta still continued to forage actively. Even in a sudden short downpour which had us running to the shade of our vehicles, it continued to hop around the leaf litter.
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| School kids on an educational field trip to the Liptong Woodland seeking shelter from the rain. |
Though the rain put an abrupt end to the school children's field trip, we stayed a bit longer. And we were rewarded with a wonderful close encounter.
Probably attracted to the earth made soft by the rains and the easy access to earthworms, the pitta got very comfortable and began to forage just a few meters from where we were standing.
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| The pitta foraging in the leaf litter... showing of its beautiful plumage. |
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| It could not resist scratching the muddy path for some earthworms. |
And you know a bird is comfortable when it starts fluffing out its feathers and preening in front of you!
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| That is one fluffy bird! |
It is certainly a great country record. Although the Blue-winged Pitta is common in Thailand, this would be just the third country record for the Philippines. Had this Pitta lost its way during migration? Adri and I were discussing how it looked like a young bird, with still the tiniest bit of yellow on the gape. How fortuitous that it found it's way to Liptong Woodland and the observant eyes of Tatay Eti. The Liptong Woodland is no stranger to birders, who visit it in hopes of seeing the very cute Negros Scops Owl, so Tatay Eti is no stranger to birders. Tatay Eti is one person who can truly say that he has planted a forest, having nurtured and reforested the Liptong Woodland with native trees. He continuous to plant trees and share his knowledge in forest restoration with young children, college students, and various interested individuals from all over the Visayas who visit him to learn. He is truly an environmental hero.
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| A pair of draco lizards chasing each other on a coconut tree. |
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| Lots of butterflies too at Liptong Woodland. Here is a resting Wallacean (Zethera musides Semper 1878), posing for a photograph. |
Thanks Tatay Eti, for many things! But that day we thanked him especially for sharing this wonderful bird sighting, the first after 111 years!
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| All smiles and thumbs up for a great twitch! Mares, Clemn, Jac (from the Negros Oriental tourism office), Tatay Eti, Adri and myself, |
Post-script:
The rare bird alert actually made it to the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer a week after our visit. A great article by fellow birder Mads Bajarias with great photos by another fellow birder Forest Jarvis! It's always a thrill when natural history and conservation stories make the front page.
Read the article here: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1019373/rare-bird-sighted-after-111-years
Thank you for this inspiring story and for the beautiful photos. I am thrilled by this rare finding and grateful for the work of Rene Vendiola in recreating a forest with indigenous trees.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words! I am always happy to share the efforts to contribute to the earth's well-being. :-)
DeleteBIG BIG congratulations on this successful twitch!!! =)
ReplyDeleteThank you Maia.
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