Rainy day birding in August...
It is always a good idea to start a long weekend with a quick birding day trip and Subic was calling again. The last time we had been was in hot, hot April and it was now humid, humid August!
The morning was overcast with the cloudy white skies giving off quite a glare. Large-billed Crows cawed at almost every corner, echoing the somber weather. It was the woodpeckers which were again among the first to greet us, a White-bellied Woodpecker calling and drumming up a huge tree several meters from the road.
Sooty Woodpeckers were also very active, allowing good views but not good photos.
In truth, any bird perched against the white sky was no good for photography even as they tolerated our presence. This included this Green Racket-tail, who took his time calling loudly to his mates, preening every feather in his body and even just staring off into the forest. (The photo was digiscoped with my ipad as i gave up trying to take a good photo with my camera)
After just a few minutes of walking, our shirts already clung to our backs and I could feel sweat dripping down my nape, my chest, my forehead... even if the rain only threatened to fall, we were soaked in our own juices.
We did run into several pairs of Luzon Hornbills as we drove or walked.
They were all paired up, male and female together.
Insect-wise - there were quite a few young grasshoppers hopping about.
This shield bug was protecting its eggs, which it laid in a pretty conspicuous leaf.
There were a few butterflies around, mostly skippers.
Most other butterflies had their wings quite tattered and worn.
Although a few, like this tiger, looked quite fresh.
While it was much birdier that it was in April, the birds still only allowed us brief views. Groups of Luzon Flamebacks, Bar-bellied Cuckoo Shrikes, Guaiaberos, Coletos and Philippine Bulbuls were very active. Figs and other fruiting trees seemed to have a lot to offer in terms of food (including insects attracted to the fruit also).
We passed by the now abandoned Bee-eater nests, the holes barely visible through the overgrown grass.
White-browed Shamas sang melodiously and Trilling Tailorbirds called loudly from the dark vegetation. Green Imperial Pigeons growled softly from the canopy above and a lone Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove hooted from somewhere behind the thick greenery of the trees.
After a quick lunch, we did another drive through, stopping briefly at a clump of eucalyptus trees where the bulbuls and the Coletos seemed to be having feeding frenzy.
Coleto song tinkled musically around us, such a dainty sound for a strange looking bird (I still think of it as "spam"-bird!).
Skulking in the leaves was a handsome Red-crested Malkoha. Its dark body and red features made it easy to pinpoint in the silver green of the eucalyptus leaves. Even its green beak seemed to stand out.
A dark shadow turned out to be a White-eared Brown Dove. It turned out that there were at least four of them with the Coletos and Bulbuls.
The honking of Luzon Hornbills gave them away. A male perched in full view, scratching and calling a bit before it joined the others behind the trees.
Just as it turned to fly away, rain drops began to fall. As with our last visit, we decided to call it a day. The overcast skies and the thick humid air were whispering to us: it was time to go home. We'd save afternoon birding and owling for another day in Subic.
Subic has always been one of our favorite places for birding. A couple of hours drive from our home (and not having to travel all the way across Metro Manila since we already live in the northern end: no getting caught in EDSA traffic!), it's always a good place for the night-before decision to go birding the next day.
We haven't been going as often though, and the past two visits were way back in April, and this last weekend, in August. Both were very short half day visits, just to get the birding itch scratched.
Summer heat in April...
We were greeted by a pair of Whiskered Tree Swifts perched on branches just above where we parked our car. It was cool to watch them fly off from their perches and do their little calisthenic stretch of wings when they landed back on the same branch.
Bar-bellied and Blackish Cuckoo-Shrikes chased each other around us, calling noisily to each other. In the distance, some Philippine Green Pigeons were resting up in the trees.
Luzon Flamebacks circled around us, and left as quickly as they came. But a pair of Sooty Woodpeckers arrived and drummed loudly on a tree trunk. They kept out of sight though, ducking on the hidden side of the trunk when they saw us, peeking around the girth of the tree to check if we were still there.
It was a HOT summer morning, with the sky a blinding blue and hardly a cloud in the sky. We drove around, glimpsing the usual suspects as we did: green parrots calling loudly as the flew over head (Blue-naped, Green Racket-tails, Guiaberos and Colasisis); pigeons flushed from their perches (Green Imperial Pigeons, White-eared Brown Doves, Philippine Cuckoo Doves and Common Emerald Doves); coucals, cuckoos and malkohas moving quietly (well, except for a riotous troupe of Rufous Coucals) in the tangles. Many of our views were brief, but the heat of the morning had made us impatient as well.
We were happily surprised to come across a Spotted Wood Kingfisher as we rounded a corner. It had given off its distinctive barking call and we (Adri, of course) finally spotted it (a female) sitting still deep in the undergrowth.
It was strangely silent, even the soaring Brahminy Kites and Philippine Serpent Eagles hardly making a sound. The stillness was broken by the loud, ever-cheerful singing of an Elegant Tit.
When it finally flew off, only the loud, monotonous sound of cicadas surrounded us and birding became a sluggish affair.
And to confirm the lack of birds, the butterflies began to catch my attention.
Mycalesis (bush browns) flashed their owl eyes at me as the fluttered at my feet.
I couldn't resist eye contact with a friendly Hypolimnas (eggfly).
The Leeas were starting to bloom, attracting insects to their ruby red inflorescence. Yellow pierids were drinking greedily.
And of course there was no shortage of my favorites: the gossamer winged Lycaenids.
The other lycaenid regular, Cheritra (hairstreak) was also about, but as usual, perched on some leaves (I've never seen it feeding at the leea blooms).
I spotted something new too, one I've never photographed, and this was later identified at the Philippine Lepidoptera facebook page as Hypolycaena thecloides philippina Staudinger 1889. Happy to have had my photo included in the PhiLep website galleries.
Noon was approaching and we had a quick lunch near the Blue-throated Bee-eater nesting colony. After lunch we parked under the shade of the rain tree across the bee-eaters and enjoyed watching them as they caught insects on the fly.
The nests could not be located at a more picturesque site dressed in the colors of summer to match the bee-eater plumage. The bougainvilleas exploded in bright magenta in front of the nests and above them a banaba tree was heavy with purple bloom
Most of the catch went to the hungry nestlings in their burrows. Neighboring birds guarded their nest holes fiercely, and while the holes look all the same to me, I guess the birds knew which was theirs as easily as I knew my own house from my neighbor's.
I got obsessed with trying to get a shot of the parents leaving and entering the nests but these mid-air flight photos are all I got:
After hanging our for an hour, we decided to head back home. The heat was making us sleepy and lazy - just as summer's day should.
Up next... Subic in August
Since we were already in the area and still had the weekend free after the Ibong Dayo Festival in Balanga, Adri and I decided to spend the night in Subic so we could go birding the next day.
Birding in Subic almost never disappoints and that Friday afternoon and Saturday morning was no exception. Woodpeckers, pigeons, coucals, malkohas, kingfishers, cuckoo shrikes, raptors, hornbills, barbets, tree swifts, dollarbirds, owls, plus all the other usual suspects were present. But my attention to the birds was distracted by another Subic flying attraction: buttterflies!
The moment I saw several Painted Jezebels, Delias hyparete, (looking freshly eclosed) flying around the flowering hagonoy, I knew butterly-ing would overtake birding (for me at least) that weekend!
Hagonoy, Chromolaena odorata Linn., is introduced from North America and is one of the world's worst invasive plants. Among its common names are Devil weed, Christmas bush and Butterfly weed: all reflecting its nature. It is very difficult to control and eradicate, it flowers around December and it is a nectaring plant for lepidopterans.
As the morning wore on, Adri was busy with the birds, and I was focused on the butterflies feeding on the profusion of white hagonoy flowers.
The easiest to photograph was the large and always friendly Cruiser, Vindula dejone.
It would alternate between feeding and sunning itself on nearby leaves.
Many other nymphalids were out feeding:
Satyr, Ptychandra lorquinii
Crow, Euploea sp.
Sailor (or one of those butterflies with a military rank, sergeant? How will I ever learn to get the ID correctly?!)
Zethera pimplea
Perhaps the star of the morning was a beautiful Banded Peacock, Achillides palinurus. It was unusually cooperative, perching on the white flowers rather than just the usually fast flight.
Its wings were still flapping very swiftly, the hindwings moving in figure of 8 pattern, so it took several tries to get it showing the upper side.
It was such a beauty, even Adri was pulled away from the Dollarbird he was photographing to join me in stalking this swallowtail.
Another papilionid present was the elegant Green Dragontail, Lamproptera meges.
Although much smaller, they were no less speedy, and darted from blossom to blossom.
There were also several skippers (hesperids) out and about. The easiest for me to identify (about the only one I can!) is this snow flat, Tagiades japetus.
Other skippers:
While a lot of the skippers were feeding, some were attracted to our equipment and to our clothes and skin! Probably in search of the minerals in our sweat.
This one spent a lot of time perched on the tripod.
While another one followed Adri around while he birded.
Skippers were not the only ones on the lookout for non-botanical perches!
Here is the same Vindula dejone as above, eye to eye with me as it rested on the camera strap on top of the car.
One of the few lycaenids that day was quite friendly, perching not only on our camera equipment, but on me and Adri alternately!
Aside from the Delias, several different types of pierids were actively feeding. It is easy to see why this family is referred to as whites and sulfurs/yellows.
There were several Chocolate Albatrosses, Appias lyncida.
Tree yellows, Gandaca harina (not sure on this ID either!)
White Albatrosses, Appias albina
Several very vibrantly colored Orange Albatrosses, Appias nero (one was quite larger, so I am not sure if this is the correct species) also were plenty.
Later, just as we were about to leave, it was a pleasant surprise to find several of the pierids puddling on the asphalt.
Side by side, I realised that the Chocolate Albatross (3rd from left on foreground in photo below) looked very similar (but not!) to the pierids beside it (2nd, 5th and 6th). Perhaps these were Cepora boisduvaliana ?
Notice the yellow and white mark on the apex of the forewing, as opposed to the single yellow mark. Argh to butterfly identification!
A common mormon, Menelaides polytes, joined the puddling pierids, looking like a giant beside them.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a favorite, the tiny lycaenid Caleta roxus also gathering minerals.
It was fast approaching noon and we had to drive back to the business district to check out of our hotel. It was difficult to leave such a beautiful sight, so we took a few (and by that I mean maybe a hundred) parting shots of the kaleidoscope on the road.
Birds AND butterflies. I love Subic.
Bird identification is sooo much easier than butterfly identification! I would appreciate identification and corrections to the ones I've made here. :-)
