Predictably, our tricycle driver Manong Glen seemed quite surprised that we didn't want to go the usual tourist route.
Cambugahay Falls? The old, enchanted balete tree? The springs? Cantabon Cave? The Lazi convent and Church? Salagdoong Beach? He offered all of them in succession.
We said no to all of the above! We loved our memories of Siquijor from more than a decade past, and we were happy to keep them as they were. Our top priority was the Bandilaan National Park, we were there to see the endemic Siquijor subspecies of the Streak-breasted Bulbul!
Manong Glen was familiar of course with the bulbul, locally called tagmaya. He agreed that it would be easiest to see in the forest. With a scratch of his head, he offered to pick us up at 6am the next day. From his own lips came the suggestion that it would be good to start early. Perfect! We made a compromise with Manong Glen though, in case we didn't spot it at Bandilaan, we would gladly go to Salagdoong (the forest not the beach!) where we knew it was also easily sighted.
Right on the dot, he was outside our resort. We sped off in a comfortable modernized tuk-tuk (better than a tricycle for the uphill drive he said!). But first, a quick stop at a neighborhood panaderia for some hot pan de sal and an irresistible loaf of cinnamon rolls!
On the way up the mountain, we could already hear some bulbuls calling. We drove thru good roads, passing several houses with signs offering hilot (traditional massage) services.
When we arrived near a tourist spot where an uphill path to the view point split from the road, Manong Glen parked the tuk-tuk and pointed up the overgrown, dark and wet (looked slippery too!) path. The open road actually looked more promising and so we told him we would just walk along it. We ate a pan de sal each, offered the rest to our driver, and went on our way. Our driver told us he would park a few meters back at a flatter area and would wait for us there.
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| Bandilaan National Park on the slopes of Mt. Malabahoc |
The forest looked much thicker than we remembered, certainly a good sign. Although it could have just been greener because it was the rainy season.
Very quickly, we spotted the noisy bulbuls moving around the canopy. Wonderful!
Getting photos though was another matter. It was still a grey morning, and the little morning light available was filtered by the forest. On top of that, a beautiful light mist surrounded us! The air was fresh and cool, the forest alive with sound... but still, photography would surely be a challenge.
Hooded Pittas were singing loudly, the wet ground and leaf litter was perfect for their foraging. Every now and then when we turned a bend we would flush one from the road.
From above,the large hibiscus-like flowers from the native Vidal's Lanutan trees were dropping to the ground. They would land with a soft plunk (one time hitting my head!) and covered the road in an almost festive feel.
The Streak-breasted Bulbuls (if split in the future, this endemic subspecies siquijorensis may be known as the Siquijor Bulbul) were very active! It turns out that many were still feeding their young, who followed them around begging noisily.
One such parent-offspring pair were feeding at what seemed like a rattan vine, moving actively about the abundant fruit.
Many of the bulbuls were also in moult. Not a very handsome bird to begin with (in my opinion, that is!), they looked all the more awkward with missing feathers.
The bulbuls were not the only ones busy with their young. We encountered several Mangrove Blue Flycatcher families as well. They sang melodiously throughout the morning.
The damp forest was also excellent for fungi spotting. Tiny and huge, dull and colorful - all sorts grew on the branches and ground.
Of course there were also my favorite epiphytes in abundance - ant plants (Myrmecodia)! They grew thickly on the trees, together with moss, ferns, orchids and others. Their bulbous caudices hanging on to their hosts' branches while their green leaves sprouted at the opposite end of the plant.
Begonias grew in great bunches on the ground, their bright orange flowers adding bursts of color on the ground. There were several other flowering plants also, attracting all sorts of insects.
It was too early and too cold though for butterflies, we spotted this Red Helen Menalaides helenus hystaspes, immobile, busy sunning itself on a leaf.
The sunbirds preferred the trees though, this female Purple-throated Sunbird was preoccupied with sipping nectar from the flowers of a bangkal tree.
A pair of White-bellied Munias were busy picking up long leaves to weave into their nest which they were building just off the side of the road.
A lot of other small birds were also very active. I was a bit confused by this one, which turned out to be an island endemic subspecies siquijorensis of Yellow-bellied Whistler. It looked just a bit smaller compared to the ones I've seen in Luzon and Mindanao.
Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers and Black-naped Monarchs also joined small mixed-species flocks.
As the morning wore on, the sun began shining more brightly, dissipating most of the mist. We came across a pair of very friendly Black-chinned Fruit Doves, one of whom posed for our cameras for several minutes. It was unusual behavior for them not to be afraid, since they are often the targets of hunters.
As birders know, a kilometer length of road can stretch on forever when you are looking out for birds and other creatures. We finally reached another sign (newer and better maintained and beside a picnic area, this was probably a more popular entry point), and so we decided to turn back.
By the time we got back to our tuk-tuk, 3 hours had elapsed. Manong Glen, not familiar with birders' lack of time perception, was relieved to see us. I guess he did not expect to wait so long, and he was actually thinking we might be lost! After all, who would spend so much time looking at birds?!?
We showed him photos of the bulbul, and he could not believe it when we said that it was only found in Siquijor island. "Nakapagtataka!" (loosely, "magical" or "amazing") he kept on saying over and over again in wonder. (Of course he was also in maybe equal disbelief that we came just to see the bird.)
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| Streak-breasted Bulbul, Hypsipetes siquijorensis, endemic to the Philippines and only found on Siquijor, Cebu, Romblon and Tablas islands. |
With our target accomplished, we quickly downed the cinnamon rolls (all the pan de sal seemed to had been demolished by our driver in his anxiousness over our return) - and decided to call it a day for birding... back to the resort and the beach!
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| Mission accomplished, back to the beach in our little red tuk-tuk! |
