it was uncharacteristically quiet, perched on the fire (aka flamboyant) tree, hopping from branch to branch in the hot afternoon sun.
the coppersmith barbet is supposed to be a forest to forest edge bird, but several years ago, the bird club discovered that they were quite common in the up campus and even in ateneo! perhaps they have been pushed to the greener parts of the metro by habitat loss, but at least they seem to be adapting well, nests have been regularly reported in up.
with a green back, a yellow breast striped with green and red on its crown and on the skin around its eyes and across its breast, the coppersmith barbet (or as we fondly call it: the pok-pok bird) is one of the more colorful backyard birds. its loud pok-pok-pok-pok call can be heard any time of the day, but it's so subtle (despite its volume) you might not even realize you're hearing it.
it was pretty high up in the tree and the lighting was harsh, but i managed a few photos.
yay to the new backyard (well, strictly speaking front yard) bird!
speaking of front yard, the fire tree and the golden shower are on their way to coloring the summer yard with orange and yellow... hot colors for a hot summer!
and the ylang-ylang, with its less showy flowers, is making the air heavy with its fragrance.
(i'm learning quickly from the native plant people: which of the 3 trees i mentioned above do you think is native to the philippines?)
i've been spending weekends at home so expect more garden stories coming up as the summer temperatures peak...
