I haven't been birding far for a while after that time in Alcoy - which was already more than a couple of months ago. I suffered a broken drive chain and was lucky to get help in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I thought it would be a good time to go back and get more views of the Handsome sunbird and the endemic Coppersmith barbet we have here. The only problem that day was I couldn't leave early so me and a friend got there around noon - which was not really a good time since birds tend to be scarce during that time of the day. Still we headed on out and managed an almost 3-hour drive.
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| Common moorhen |
We made a quick stop at this location just a few hundred meters from the Simala exit but not past the Talo-ot wharf. It is across a public school and is still part of Sibonga. It is a small stretch of swamp but looks like it may have been a fish pond in the past. The first time I birded this far south and came by here, I didn't see any birds. The second time, I realized there were waders there. You just need to wait a few minutes and you'll start to see movement. It is the only other location where I have seen Common moorhens and Yellow and Cinnamon bitterns other than SRP. And the only place I've seen White-browed crakes. Other birds that can be seen here are Striated heron, Little egret, Golden-bellied gerygone, Clamorous reed-warbler, and flocks of Pink-necked pigeons if you come here early. They will fly by from the mangroves and head towards the hills. I also remember seeing White-browed crakes with two chicks one time. I only saw about 4 Common moorhens and 2 White-browed crakes that day. And....
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| Common sandpiper |
it was my first time seeing a Common sandpiper in a non-mangrove habitat. It got spooked for some reason. I also saw two on our way back in the rice paddies by the road in Argao.
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| Little egret |
When we got to Argao, I saw this egret wading on the beach. I made a full turn and took a photo just in case. Turns out to be just your everyday Little egret. I was hoping for it to be a white morph Eastern reef egret - oh well!
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| Long-tailed shrike |
We finally got to Alcoy, our first bird was this Long-tailed shrike hanging about looking for a meal. There were also a lot of swallows there. When we moved on - we realized that we were just a few meters from a dump site. Which explains the swallows. Further up the road we saw a male Pied bushchat. It flew away as soon as we stopped.
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| Black-chinned fruit dove |
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Our second bird is this Black-chinned fruit dove. We were browsing the tree tops for movement and finally saw this after only finding a lot of Philippine bulbuls.
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| Coppersmith Barbet - cebuensis |
On that same tree, we saw two smaller birds. We went around for a better view and voila! My first target bird. I wish I could have gotten closer or had a longer lens - *sigh*
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| Grey-streaked flycatcher |
We decided to move on to another location. Heard a lot of calls but no birds seen. It was noon and I was not surprised. On the road leading to Dalaguete, we decided to walk a bit and see what the gully there had to offer. We heard a Black-shama and a couple of other calls I couldn't identify. Then saw something flitting in the branches and found this little G-SF. This was by the way the very same spot were I saw a female Handsome sunbird and was hoping to see it again there but it was a no show.
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| Brahminy kite |
We walked back up the road hoping to find the Handsome sunbird male on where I first saw it. A shadow above caught my eye and saw this BK and took a quick shot. They seem to be the only raptor I see all the time. I continued browsing the tree tops and no sign of movement except for a flock of White-eyes foraging.
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| Philippine pygmy woodpecker |
A few minutes later this bird flew in from the shadows and I was able to snap a few. It was too quick and kept on moving and I couldn't get a clear shot.
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| White-vented whistler |
We thought to walk down the road again. The G-SF was still there and a couple of Red-keeled flowerpeckers. This one I thought was a bulbul but thought it was a little too quiet to be one.
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| Possible Pygmy swiflet |
I noticed that the swiftlets there were a little slow-flying compared to the ones I frequently see here in the city. Their flying was a little fluttery and were quite small.
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| Vent view of a Handsome sunbird |
And so time passed and it was 3 pm already. We slowly made our way down and found a few birds. We decided to stop for a cigarette break on the first spot where we saw the CBs. On a tree just by the edge of the road I saw movement and thought it was just a White-eye foraging. But when I looked closer with my camera it turned out to be a Handsome sunbird! It was hopping around checking out the mistletoes. This was the only shot I had of it T_T Well, at least I got to see all target birds. Well, all except for one. But I wasn't too optimistic about it since it is really quite rare. I hope to at least see it within this lifetime :D
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| Male Pied bushchat |
Probably the same bird we saw on our way up.
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| Grey-streaked flycatcher |
A second G-SF.
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| Blue-tailed bee-eater |
Finally, after a long time. I finally get to see this bird again and up close. Too bad we couldn't stay for more photos.
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| Pink-necked green pigeon |
And lastly this...I was expecting to see more though but hey!
I realized my 300mm was really just too short. I am now looking to get a TC for better reach. A 1.4x would be fine but may not be too significant. I may have to try out the x2s.
