This was a month-long trip to the Philippines,
spending time birding on the islands of Luzon, Palawan, Cebu, Negros, Siquijor,
Bohol and Mindanao.
I flew with Qantas from Melbourne, via Sydney
to Manila. Air Asia was used for the flights between Manila and Puerto
Princesa (Palawan) and from Manila to Cebu City. Ferries were used for (a) Santander (Cebu) to Dumaguete (Negros), (b) afternoon visit to Siquijor Island from Dumaguete, (c) Dumaguete to
Tagbilaran (Bohol) and (d) overnight ferry from Tagbilaran to Cagayan De
Oro (CDO in Mindanao). I flew with Philippines Airlines from CDO to Manila,
before returning to Melbourne on Qantas.
This was an independent trip which didn’t utilise
any professional birding guides. For the first two weeks on Luzon and Palawan I
was birding alone. After flying back to Manila from Palawan, I met up with
Peter Waanders and we birded the rest of the trip to Cebu, Negros, Siquijor,
Bohol and Mindanao.
Palawan Peacock-pheasant |
Overall the weather was pleasant, with warm
and sunny days, sometimes clouded over for most of the day and with some rain
usually in the early morning. Walking in the forests up some steep slopes was
hard work due to the very high humidity. The only weather which impacted
significantly on birding, was the rain and mist for an entire day on Mt Dulang-Dulang
in Mindanao.
Prior to our visit to the Philippines, northern
Mindanao was hit by Tropical Cyclone Auring in mid-January which displaced over
380,000 people due to flash flooding. The cyclone also resulted in landslides,
at least nine deaths and impacted on birding groups who were in the area at the
time. Just after we left Mindanao, the area was impacted by Tropical Cyclone
Bising, which resulted in a week of heavy rain.
In planning the trip, I referred to several
trip reports and Philippines birding websites, with the most useful resources
being:
- Birding the Philippines – January 2nd to March 18th 2013 by Sjoerd Radstaak
- Philippines: Palawan, Cebu, Negros, Bohol, and Mindanao - May 10 - June 1, 2016 - Independent Budget Birding by Ross and Melissa Gallardy
- Birding2Asia website – Subic Bay (www.birding2asia.com/W2W/Philippines/Subic.html), Rajah Sikatuna NP (www.birding2asia.com/W2W/Philippines/RajahSikatuna.html) and Mt Dulang-Dulang (www.birding2asia.com/W2W/Philippines/Dulang-dulang.html)
Travel
and Logistics
The trip to the Philippines was very cost
effective although did take a long time to plan and organise. Some of the
places I stayed at, such as the SEARCA Residence Hotel in Mt Makiling and
Habitat Bohol didn’t respond to emails and had to be contacted by phone. It was
worth the effort, as staying on the Los Baños University Campus at Mt Makiling
provided easy walking access to the birding areas. Habitat Bohol provided
excellent accommodation plus good birding close to the resort. In addition, it was
well set up for birders, with breakfast available early in the morning and
motor bikes organised for the 3km ride to the Rajah Sikatuna NP, as and when
required.
In general, the accommodation and meals were
much better than what is usually experienced in Indonesia and for about the
same cost. The quality of the tap water was far better than Indonesia and was
often served with ice at meals. The roads were in far better condition than the
roads in Indonesia, with higher construction and maintenance standards, which
made it easier to travel. The toll freeways in and out of Manila were
particularly good.
Ferries were a very convenient way of
travelling between islands, being a lot more relaxing and time efficient than
flying. Most ferry bookings can be made on the day of travel, although for the
longer trips it’s advisable to purchase the tickets the day beforehand. For the
Trans-Asia ferry from Tagbilaran, Bohol to Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao it’s
advisable to purchase the tickets on-line via Luzviminda Travel and Tours.
These ferries only run three days per week, so it’s important to set up the
itinerary to suit.
For birding at various sites between Manila
and Subic Bay, and then on the return trip from Subic Bay to Mt Makiling, I
found that the most cost and time effective way of doing this was to hire a car
plus driver for the day from Anis Transport. There are many other options but
as I had luggage with me, I didn’t want the hassle of using public transport
and in addition, areas such as Candaba Wetlands can’t be accessed without a
hired vehicle or motor bike.
For access to the Nug-as Forest near Alcoy in
Cebu and Twin Lakes near Dumaguete in Negros, plus visiting other local birding
sites, restaurants, whale shark viewing, ferry crossings etc. we used Rhoda Lyn
who provides general tour guiding services and is based in Dumaguete. This
worked very well and we had the use of a 4WD for accessing birding sites during
the day and in the evenings.
For birding on
Mt Dulang-Dulang, I had arranged an all-inclusive package from Binahon Farms
which included transfers to/from CDO, accommodation, meals, drinks, permits and
local community fees.
A phone with
a local SIM card, preferably using the Globe network, is essential for making
travel arrangements within the Philippines. A SIM card loaded with PHP300 (A$8)
lasted for the full month.
There were
no security issues anywhere during our travels around the Philippines. However,
it’s advisable to use some common sense when travelling around the Philippines and
to seek local advice on the current security situation. Whilst we didn’t experience
any problems, there were underlying problems in the Philippines at the time of
the visit.
Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte, who won the election on 9 May 2016, had announced a “War on Drugs” offering a sizable bounty
of 50,000 pesos (A$1,300) bounty for each “criminal”
killed by his police force. The actual bounty paid out may be less and Wikipedia
reports that; “police are paid 8,000
pesos (US$161) to 15,000 pesos (US$302) per "encounter" (the term
used for extrajudicial executions disguised as legitimate operations); there is
no payment for making arrests. Hitmen hired by police are paid 5,000 pesos
(US$100) for each drug user killed and 10,000 to 15,000 pesos (US $200–300) for
each "drug pusher" killed”.
At the time of the visit the local press reported that over 4,000 drug
dealers and users had been executed, with some sources quoting between 6,000
and 8,000 drug related killings, as of end February 2017.
The
Philippine Government is in the process of reinstating capital punishment and
the proposal was passed by the Philippine House of Representatives on 1 March
2017, with the Senate still to vote on the proposal.
In early
February 2017, the President announced an “all-out
war” on the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party
of the Philippines (CPP), which are now mostly concentrated in north-eastern
and southern Mindanao. There have been some security issues previously with
birders visiting Mt Kitanglad and Mt Apo in central Mindanao, however we were
assured that there were no problems in the Mt Dulang-Dulang area at the time of
our visit.
Trip
Costs
Costs for hotel accommodation ranged from
A$30 to A$50/night for comfortable accommodation that ranged from basic to very
decent. Most of the accommodation was booked through Agoda, with free
cancellation and payment only made just prior to the stay. The meals were cheap,
especially those from street vendors, which often had tasty and freshly cooked
meals.
Ferries were very cost effective and saved a
lot of travel time moving between islands. The overnight Trans-Asia ferry from
Tagbilaran, Bohol to Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao cost A$35 per person for a berth
in a five-sleeper cabin which had its own toilet, basin and shower.
Taxis were the most expensive form of
transport but the most convenient for birding at many of the remote sites. Taxi
hire costs ranged from A$8/hr to A$40/hr depending on duration, toll fees and
location. The cost of Anis Transport car hire plus driver for Manila/Subic
Bay/Mt Makiling was about A$150/day plus fuel and toll fees, for what was well
over a 12-hour day. Car rentals from Manila to Subic Bay need to include for
the drivers return trip. The cost of general tour guide and 4WD vehicle for
Cebu and Negros was A$65/day plus fuel and expenses.
Overall the trip cost just less than A$150/day including all international and domestic airfares, ferries, accommodation, meals, drinks and land transport. For the couple of weeks where Peter and I shared costs, the daily cost was just less than A$100/day per person.
Overall the trip cost just less than A$150/day including all international and domestic airfares, ferries, accommodation, meals, drinks and land transport. For the couple of weeks where Peter and I shared costs, the daily cost was just less than A$100/day per person.
This compares with organised birding tours to
the Philippines typically costing between A$400 and A$600/day, excluding
international airfares. These tours typically have between six and eight
participants which can make it difficult for all to see some of the skulking
birds and those which only provide brief views.
Birding
in the Philippines
The key attraction for birding in the
Philippines is the high number of endemic birds, currently estimated at 235
species according to IOC taxonomy (v7.1 Mar 2017). The Philippines
ranks third in the world in terms of endemic birds, with Indonesia ranked first
with 384 endemics and Australia ranked second with 345 endemics. The
Philippines also ranks very high in the world with 25% of its endemics birds classified
as globally threatened.
Birding in the Philippines is hard work and
is more difficult than birding in Sumatra, Indonesia and certainly a lot harder
than Malaysia where the wildlife is protected. Many of the bird species are being
impacted by habitat destruction, trapping and hunting, with some possibly extinct,
such as the Sulu Bleeding-heart, Negros Fruit Dove and many subspecies.
The island of Cebu, located in Central
Visayas, is considered to be the most denuded island in the central Philippines.
The forest cover of Cebu Island is now less than 1% of its total land area. There
are seven forest patches distributed across Cebu Island, with Nug-as in Alcoy having
the largest total forest cover (12 km2), followed by Tabunan near
Cebu City (1.85 km2) and Mt Lantoy in Argao (0.5 km2). The
Nug-as forest also appears to be the least disturbed followed by Tabunan and Mt
Lantoy, and was the area that I decided to spend time birding on Cebu.
Cebu currently has three endemic species
(Cebu Hawk-owl, Black Shama and Cebu Flowerpecker) and twelve endemic
subspecies. Of the 12 endemic subspecies on Cebu, the Cebu White-bellied Woodpecker,
Cebu Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike, Cebu Blackish Cuckooshrike and Cebu Dark-throated
Oriole are currently thought to be extinct.
The Cebu Hawk-owl was believed to be extinct
because of massive deforestation in Cebu. But in 1998, ecologists rediscovered
the existence of Hawk-owls in the small patches of forests near the town of
Alcoy in the southern part of the island. In 2012, the Cebu Hawk Owl (Ninox
rumseyi) was formally recognised as a full species, becoming the third endemic
species for Cebu Island.
Much of the Philippines appears to be poorly
birded and as an example, in 1993, ten of the Cebu endemic bird species and
subspecies were listed as possibly extinct. Field surveys in 1981 by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region (DENR) led to the
rediscovery of the Black Shama (Copsychus cebuensis). Later, two more endemic
subspecies, namely the Everett's White-eye (Zosterops everetti everetti) and
the Philippine Hanging Parrot (Loriculus philippensis chrysonotus) were also
rediscovered.
In 1995, seven of the 12 endemic subspecies
of birds in Cebu were considered possibly extinct by Brooks et al. These were the
White-bellied Woodpecker, Philippine Oriole, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker,
Amethyst Brown Dove, Blackish Cuckooshrike, Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike and
Streak-breasted Bulbul. However, surveys undertaken between 2002 and 2004 of
the Tabunan and Nug-as forests recorded three of the supposedly extinct endemic
subspecies, the Amethyst Brown Dove, Streak-breasted Bulbul and Orange-bellied Flowerpecker.
The Cebu Flowerpecker was previously written
off as extinct and had not been seen for 86 years before being rediscovered by
Rob Timmins and others in the Tabunan forests in 1992. The Cebu Flowerpecker
was subsequently found, with over 10 sightings recorded in the Tabunan and Nug-as
forests, during surveys undertaken between 2002 and 2004. In 2010, there were
at least two sightings of Cebu Flowerpecker by forest wardens in the Alcoy
area. The current population is estimated at about 100 individuals, with
50 to 60 at Nug-As, 25 to 30 at Tabunan, and 10 to 15 at Dalaguete (Paguntalan 2005).
Elsewhere in the Philippines, critically
endangered species include Brown-banded Rail, Worcester’s Buttonquail, Whitehead’s
Swiftlet and Visayan Miniature Babbler.
Despite encroachment of farms and villages on
the forests, many of the remaining forests, some of which are quite extensive,
appear to be in excellent condition. However, many hours were spent in pristine
forests without hearing any birds calling, let alone any being seen. On the
other hand, some forests such as Nug-as on Cebu, were very rewarding.
Nug-as Forest at sunset |
The best available field guide “A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines”
by Kennedy et al, published in 2000, was way out of date. Many of the raptors,
owls, hornbills, drongos, bulbuls and sunbird species have been split since 2000, as the
taxonomy for the Philippines continues to evolve. For example, a trip report written in 2013 by
Radstaak had targeted the 18 endemic species on Palawan. Currently there are 23
endemic species for Palawan according to the IOC taxonomy (v7.1 Mar 2017).
For the 28 days birding in the Philippines, I
recorded 236 birds which this included 118 lifers. Of the lifers recorded, 106 were
endemic species for the Philippines, so a very high proportion of the total
number of birds seen and 46% of the current endemic species. Among the many
lovely birds seen, the three standout birds for the trip were the Palawan
Peacock-pheasant, Azure-breasted Pitta and Philippine Eagle.
All the sites visited during the trip and the
various bird lists have been published on eBird.
Trip
Report
Saturday
4th February: Melbourne to Manila
Flew on Qantas departing Melbourne at 09:00, flying
via Sydney and arriving in Manila at 17:35, an eight-hour flight from Sydney. There
is a three-hour time change between Sydney and Manila. Passport control and
customs was uneventful and a 30-day visa was issued on arrival.
Overnight stay at Meranti Hotel in Quezon
City which had very good accommodation.
Sunday
5th February: La Mesa Eco Park and Subic Bay, Luzon
Had organised a rental car (Toyota Vios) plus
driver for the day through Anis Transport, which arrived promptly at 6am. The
hotel provided breakfast and a packed lunch, both unexpected as the dining room
only officially opened at 6am in the morning.
Visited La Mesa Eco Park, in Quezon City, for
a couple of hours in the early morning. It was very busy on the weekend. Didn’t
find the Ashy Thrush but did see my first endemic birds, including Philippine
Serpent Eagle (landed in nearby tree), Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, Philippine
Pied Fantail, Grey-backed Tailorbird and Lowland White-eye.
Philippine Serpent Eagle |
The next stop was going to be Candaba
Wetlands but the driver had difficulty locating the wetlands. We eventually
approached the wetlands from the Mt Ararat side but got stuck on a bridge which
was under repairs. I gave up on the Candaba Wetlands visit and we drove down to
Subic Bay, arriving at about 2pm. Spent the afternoon working out the logistics
for getting to the birding areas in Subic Bay Freeport and took a walk down the
beach.
Stayed at the Blue Rock Resort for the next
four nights, which was located on the beach, provided basic but comfortable
accommodation and had a 24-hour restaurant which was very convenient for early
morning birding. Very pleasant to enjoy an evening meal with a gentle sea
breeze and views over Subic Bay.
Monday
6th February: Subic Bay Freeport, Luzon
From the hotel, it was a short walk to the
main road into Olongapo City.
From there I took the blue jeepney to the city, took a short walk to catch the
yellow jeepney to the city centre (shopping mall) and then rented a taxi for
the morning at PHP300/hr. Taxi rental from the hotel was about PHP500/hour
whereas taxis could be negotiated down to PHP300/hr from Olongapo City.
Reached the Subic Bay Freeport area at about
7am and then after a bit of searching, found the road up to Hill 394. A permit
is required to access the Hill 394 trail and the area is fenced off with security
in place. The approach road to Hill 394 however provides excellent birding and
interesting birds seen along the road included Philippine Hawk-Eagle,
Grey-faced Buzzard, Philippine Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Philippine
Coucal, Luzon Hornbill, White-bellied Woodpecker, Guaiabero, Ashy Minivet,
Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike, Blackish Cuckooshrike and Buzzing Flowerpecker.
Blue Jeepney to Olongapo City |
After spending some time along the Hill 394
road, drove down to the Nabusan Road and I walked a circular route along the
road. Even though it was getting warm in the late morning, this area produced
some excellent birds including Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Coleto, Green Racket-tail
(only bird seen on the trip and a key target for the Subic Bay area),
Balicassiao, Philippine Fairy-bluebird, Rough-crested Malkoha, Whiskered
Treeswift, Oriental Dollarbird and many Philippine Bulbul.
Headed back to Subic Bay after midday with
the afternoon becoming quite warm. On the way back, I tried to organise a
permit for access to the Hill 394 trail at the office that supposedly issues
these permits. After talking with several office personnel, which gave various
stories, I gave up on getting a permit.
Tuesday
7th February: Subic Bay Freeport, Luzon
Had an early start today and started birding on
the road to Hill 394 just as it was getting light at 6am. The birding today was
far less productive than the previous day and I then spent time on the circular
roads down to Nabusan and the Apaliin forest trails, before going back to Olongapo
City just after 10am.
New birds for the trip included White-eared
Brown Dove and Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove both seen feeding in a fruiting tree,
Coppersmith Barbet, White-browed Shama which was heard on the Apaliin forest
trail and is a difficult bird to see, and Blue Rock Thrush at Nabusan near the water’s
edge.
Wednesday
8th February: Subic Bay Freeport, Luzon
Today I started birding at about 7:30am,
spending time on the Boton Falls trails. The one trail runs along the ridge of
the hills and has mixed habitat. The second trail branches off to the left,
just after the start of the main trail, and descends quite steeply down to the
river. Birding was similar to the previous day and not nearly as good as the
first day in Subic Bay.
I was fortunate to spot a well concealed
Rufous Coucal in the dense bamboo thicket just off the upper trail. On the
trail down to the river I heard a Hooded Pitta scratching in the leaves and
calling but didn’t manage to see it, as it kept moving away. Down at the river
I had brief views of a Luzon Flameback flying past, the only one for the trip.
Other new birds for the trip included Chinese
Sparrowhawk, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Whiskered Treeswift, White-throated
Kingfisher and Blue-throated Bee-eater.
Whiskered Treeswift |
Thursday
9th February: Subic Bay to Mt Makiling via Candaba Wetlands, Luzon
Left Subic Bay at about 9am and drove to the
Candaba Wetlands using Google maps to find the site. Along the drive, I saw my
first Ameline Swiftlet flying overhead.
The last part of the road to Candaba
was narrow and potholed as it passed through rice paddies. As there were many
birds in the rice fields, I jumped out of the car and started birding, with
Yellow Bittern flushed from the roadside, Striated Grassbird in the bushes and
a small flock of White-shouldered Starling seen in a small tree.
According to
the field guide, the White-shouldered Starling has not been recorded in the
Philippines since 1911. There was no mistaking the ID and there have been
several recent reports on eBird.
Striated Grassbird |
Some of the rice paddies with exposed mud had
Little Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint and
Gull-billed Tern. There were also many egrets, Grey Heron, Purple Heron,
Black-crowned Night Heron and a patrolling Eastern Marsh Harrier.
I took a walk around the wetlands and
eventually found two Philippine Swamphen and about eight Philippine Duck, these
two birds being the main targets for my visit. In the same area, there were
many Wandering Whistling Duck, Garganey, some Northern Shoveler and other
wetland birds. Had over 40 species of birds for this site, the highest for any
of the sites I visited in the Philippines.
Took the long drive through Manila during the
afternoon rush hour and arrived in the evening at the SEARCA Residence Hotel located
on the Los Baños University Campus grounds at the base of Mt Makiling. The
accommodation was excellent and it provided easy access for birding on the
slopes of Mt Makiling and to the rice fields further down.
Friday
10th February: Mt Makiling – University Campus and Lower Slopes,
Luzon
I started birding before 6am, whilst it was
still dark and had Philippine Nightjar calling. As it became light, I birded
around a small park and along some of the streets where the university staff
lived. Interesting birds included Chinese Sparrowhawk, Besra, Luzon Hornbill,
Ashy Minivet, Balicassiao, Yellow-wattled Bulbul, Stripe-headed Rhabdornis and
Red-keeled Flowerpecker.
After breakfast, I took a walk up into the
lower slopes of Mt Makiling to an area called Flat Rocks. This area didn’t have
any birds but another side path was more productive. Interesting birds included
Rough-crested and Scale-feathered Malkoha, many Guaiabero including some
perched, Black-bellied Cuckooshrike and Stripe-headed Rhabdornis.
In the late afternoon, I took a walk down
through the university campus to the rice fields, part of the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI). This area is off limits to the public but there
is a local birder who works for IRRI and posts photos on “Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines” Facebook page, so I
expect he could assist birders. Some interesting birds included Philippine
Pygmy Woodpecker, Striated Swallow, Grey-streaked Flycatcher and Grey Wagtail.
Flat Rocks on the slopes of Mt Makiling |
Saturday
11th February: Mt Makiling – University Campus, Luzon
I started birding before 6am and spent just
over four hours birding. Interesting birds included at least 40 Luzon Hornbill,
two Philippine Hanging Parrot perched in a tree, Stripe-headed Rhabdornis and
about 10 Eyebrowed Thrush feeding on a fruiting tree.
In the late afternoon, I took another walk up
into the forest and didn’t see any new species. Did see a couple of Scale-feathered
Malkoha which were very attractive.
Flowers in the forests on Mt Makiling |
Sunday
12th February: Mt Makiling to Puerto Princesa, Palawan
I started birding before 6am and had a
Philippine Nightjar in flight and a Philippine Eagle-owl calling, just as it
was getting light. Other interesting birds included Philippine Serpent Eagle,
Scale-feathered Malkoha, Large Hawk-cuckoo perched just overhead, Spotted Wood
Kingfisher (heard only), Yellow-wattled Bulbul and Stripe-headed Rhabdornis. Key
features of the Large Hawk-cuckoo, which trigged an eBird rare bird alert, were:
“heavy brown vertical streaking on throat
contrasting with horizontal streaking on breast. Some rufous on sides of neck,
white chin and vent”.
Left Mt Makiling at midday for the 1.5 hour
drive to terminal four of Manila airport and then flew on Air Asia across to
Puerto Princesa on Palawan in the early evening. Stayed at Blessie’s Bed and
Breakfast for the evening which was very pleasant.
Blessie's Bed and Breakfast |
Monday
13th February: Puerto Princesa to Sabang, Palawan
A cooked breakfast was included with
accommodation cost and the resort gardens had some nice birds including the
Palawan races of the Brown-throated Sunbird and Olive-backed Sunbird. The
orange-breasted or aurora race of the Olive-backed Sunbird is stunning and has
orange markings below the metallic green throat.
Brown-throated Sunbird |
The resort manager organised transport to the
shuttle bus depot and I took the mid-morning shuttle bus to Sabang Beach, a two-hour
trip costing PHP200. Arrived at about midday and checked into the basic
accommodation at Amos Digue Pension House, which had aircon and limited WiFi.
View from Sabang Beach towards Underground River |
In the afternoon, I took a walk up into the hills to the west of Sabang. There
are several tracks, with some going to the top of the hills, which provide
access to some good habitat and some good birding. In the late afternoon, I
walked south of Sabang to some rice paddies, birding from the road till sunset.
Interesting birds seen around a forest
clearing in the hills included Pygmy Swiftlet, Ameline Swiftlet, Hair-crested
Drongo, Slender-billed Crow (has rapid wingbeats and sounds quite different to
any other crow - a possible future split), Ashy-fronted Bulbul, Palawan Bulbul
and Yellow-throated Leafbird.
At the rice paddies, interesting birds
included White-bellied Sea Eagle, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Javan Pond Heron
(recent coloniser on Palawan with eBird records from early 2016 for the Sabang
area), Grey Wagtail and a single White-bellied Munia (a lifer which I had
previously looked for in Indonesia and Malaysia) in amongst many Scaly-breasted
Munia and Chestnut Munia.
Tuesday
14th February: Sabang, Palawan
I spent four hours in the hills to the west
of Sabang, walking some distance up into the scrubby forest. Birding was
surprisingly quiet, although I did find an adult male Lovely Sunbird singing
from a tree quite high up on the hill. The only other birds seen during the
morning, which I hadn’t seen the previous afternoon were Common Iora and
Grey-streaked Flycatcher.
After having lunch back at Sabang, I
organised an entry permit and guide for Underground River. It’s easy to obtain
the entry permit at the office on Sabang pier unlike previous trip reports and
on-line sources stating that you need to obtain a permit from the office in the
City Coliseum in Puerto Princesa. My entry permit only cost PHP300, as I
intended walking to Underground River and didn’t want to do the boat trip to
the caves. I then had to organise a guide for the Jungle Trail which had a
PHP200 entry fee plus PHP1,000 for the guide (only found out about the guiding
fee after the trip). I was told that the guide would be available from 8am, so
I said I wanted a guide for 6am and in fact we left at 5:45am the next morning.
Hills to the west of Sabang Beach |
In the afternoon, I walked to the waterfalls
on the coast to the west of Sabang and then to the rice paddies again. More
productive birding than the morning session and different birds seen include
Striated Heron, White-browed Crake, Swinhoe’s Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Lesser
Coucal, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Sulphur-bellied Bulbul and the single
White-bellied Munia.
Waterfalls at Sabang Beach |
Wednesday
15th February: Underground River and Sabang, Palawan
I had seen a group of birders on the previous
day take the boat ride to Underground River to see the Palawan
Peacock-pheasant. Their boats left at about 6:30am and it’s a 30-minute ride to
get to Underground River. Taking the boat trip would have been the easy way to
see the Palawan Peacock-pheasant but would have missed out on many other birds.
I guess the guides prefer the easy option.
The walk to Underground River was supposed to
take 2 to 3 hours, however I left with the guide at 5:45am and we arrived at
Underground River before 7am which was well before any tourists arrived. The
forest walk was very humid and it was a hard-sweaty walk, especially as we had
to walk up and down some very steep sections, close to the end of the trail.
The trail passes through some excellent forest and there was some good birding
to be had along the way.
On the walk into Underground River, we had
two Philippine Pitta (Blue-breasted race) walking ahead on the trail, providing
excellent views in the gloomy forest. I also had an Ashy-headed Babbler in the
early morning and then we flushed a couple of Philippine Megapode.
Arriving at Underground River, we started the search for the Palawan Peacock-pheasant with the guide imitating its call. After looking around for a while, I found the bird walking up behind me. I then had plenty of time to take photos with the bird within 2m of where I was positioned. I also had a look for the Hooded Pitta, which can be seen in the early morning but didn’t find any.
We left shortly after the first boatloads of
tourists arrived and on the walk back to Sabang, I had Violet Cuckoo, Hooded
Pitta (heard only), Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, Pin-striped Tit-babbler,
White-vented Shama, Palawan Blue Flycatcher, Palawan Flowerpecker and
Brown-throated Sunbird. So a very successful trip to Underground
River with quite a few of the key targets and endemics seen for Palawan.
Arriving at Underground River, we started the search for the Palawan Peacock-pheasant with the guide imitating its call. After looking around for a while, I found the bird walking up behind me. I then had plenty of time to take photos with the bird within 2m of where I was positioned. I also had a look for the Hooded Pitta, which can be seen in the early morning but didn’t find any.
Palawan Peacock-pheasant |
Palawan Peacock-pheasant |
In the late afternoon, I did some birding
around Sabang with no new birds for Palawan. I did consider looking for night
birds in the evening, which can be seen in the forest about 2km south of
Sabang, but decided it wouldn’t be safe wandering around at night by myself.
Thursday
16th February: ATV Trail, Sabang, Palawan
I took the 2km walk south of Sabang to an
area of primary forest at the base of limestone cliffs, which has ATV trails
running through the forest. This was a good patch of forest and interesting
birds included Philippine Cuckoo-dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, at least 200
Ameline Swiftlet flying overhead in the early morning, Hair-crested Drongo,
Blue Paradise Flycatcher, Black-headed Bulbul, Palawan Bulbul, Rufous-tailed
Tailorbird, Pin-striped Tit-babbler, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Palawan
Flowerpecker and Lovely Sunbird.
Walking back through the rice paddies, I had
Yellow Bittern, Javan Pond Heron, Grey-faced Buzzard, Slender-billed Crow, Common
Moorhen and Grey Wagtail.
I had a shower and checked out at midday,
taking the afternoon shuttle bus back to Puerto Princesa. Stayed at Blessie’s
Bed and Breakfast again and in the evening, went to a nearby restaurant, which
had good meals and was staffed by deaf personnel.
The very helpful staff at Blessie’s had
organised quotes and then booked a taxi for the next morning’s birding at
various sites close to Puerto Princesa.
Accommodation at Blessie's Bed and Breakfast |
Friday
17th February: Iwahig Penal Farm, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
After breakfast, I took the taxi to Iwahig
Penal Farm. This area of Palawan has several target birds which can’t be seen
in the Sabang area, such as Melodious Babbler and Palawan Flycatcher. Previous
trip reports have stated that these birds are found on the Zig Zag Road,
further south than Iwahig, but recent eBird reports have them at Iwahig.
Also according to previous trip reports, an
entry permit to Iwahig Penal Farm is required, which needs to be organised the
day before. As I hadn’t organised a permit, I had some back-up sites to visit
in the event that I couldn’t get access to Iwahig. We drove up to the gates,
had a chat with the guards, the driver handed in his ID and filled in the visitor’s
book and we drove into Iwahig Penal Farm, no permit or entry fees required.
Iwahig Penal Farm has an extensive area of rice paddies maintained by the
convicts and some good forest walks, with the Balsahan River trail being the
main birding area. Easy enough to find as there’s a sign for Balsahan River
leading off to the right from the main entry road.
One of the first birds seen was a Palawan
Hornbill which can be a difficult bird to find. When I arrived, I had a chat
with one of the local staff and he mentioned that the hornbill was on the other
side of the river, which is where I managed to find it. Certainly not like the
Luzon Hornbills which are numerous and easy to see.
As I walked up the Balsahan River trail, I
met up with a group of birders being led by a Belgium guide based in the
Philippines. They had a Melodious Babbler calling, which is a skulker and
difficult to see. Later on, I managed to get the Melodious Babbler to move
across the path and had a brief glimpse of the bird in flight. In the same
area, I had good views of a Palawan Flycatcher with its very distinctive rufous
tail. I also had Falcated Wren-babbler, Spot-throated Flameback and Hooded
Pitta calling but never managed to see any of them.
The only other birds of note were a couple of
Yellow-throated Leafbird and a Collared Kingfisher. I did miss a Pale
Spiderhunter which had been seen close to the parked vehicles, when I was still
birding along the forest trail. I compared notes with the Belgium guide and
their birding for the morning was similar to what I had experienced. That
concluded my birding on Palawan and I managed to find 16 of the 23 current
endemics for Palawan, which I thought was a good effort considering it was my
first visit to Palawan.
I then headed back to the resort, had a
shower and took the late afternoon flight to Manila. It appears that most of
the accommodation in the Philippines has midday checkouts, which is very
convenient for birding. The flight to Manila on AirAsia was delayed an hour and
arrived at about 6:30pm. Peter Waanders had flown into Manila from Australia
that afternoon and we met up for dinner in the evening at the Copacabana
Apartment Hotel in Pasay, which is close to Manila airport.
A bat at Blessie's Bed and Breakfast |
Saturday
18th February: Manila to Alcoy, Cebu Island
After breakfast, we took the taxi to Manila airport
and flew down to Cebu arriving at 10am. I had booked a hire vehicle which took
us down to Alcoy, taking some four hours for what should have been a three-hour
trip. We were staying at the Meili Beach Resort on the coast in Alcoy which had
some good accommodation. At Alcoy, we met up with Rhoda Lyn, a general tour
operator, who is based in Dumaguete on Negros.
In the mid-afternoon, we took a drive up to
the Nug-as Forest birding along the way. Interesting birds included White-eared
Brown Dove, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, Philippine Pied Fantail, Philippine
Magpie-robin, Grey-streaked Flycatcher and Red-keeled Flowerpecker. We also had
two Black Shama heard calling and one seen very briefly, this being one of the
Cebu endemics and a key target.
View of the coast at Meili Beach Resort in Alcoy (photo by PW) |
Sunday
19th February: Nug-as Forest, Alcoy, Cebu Island
We started birding at dawn and spent the next
six hours in the Nug-as Forest and surrounding farmlands. Initially we had
heavy mist with light rain, which kept us down in the lower parts of the
forest. It was a very productive morning’s birding with Philippine Coucal, Blue-tailed
Bee-eater, Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, White-vented Whistler, Black-naped
Monarch, Elegant Tit, Arctic Warbler, Everett’s White-eye (endemic sub-species
to Cebu), at least four Black Shama with one seen very well, Mangrove Blue
Flycatcher, Handsome Sunbird, Magnificent Sunbird and three White-bellied
Munia.
We also had an Asian Brown Flycatcher, an
uncommon migrant to the Philippines and which doesn’t occur on Cebu Island
according to the field guide. The flycatcher was seen perched in bare tree, with
a nearly completely white front, pale grey-brown wash to upper breast and
grey-brown back. It had a large head and eye with a prominent white eye ring.
After lunch, we went back to the resort and did
some birding around the resort area which produced Pink-necked Green Pigeon,
Pied Triller, Brown Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Philippine Magpie-robin and
Red-keeled Flowerpecker.
Nug-as Forest with some limestone cliffs (photo by PW) |
In the late afternoon, we went back up to the
Nug-as Forest and birded for a couple of hours till just after sunset. We
managed to call in a Black-chinned Fruit Dove which was calling and then gave
us brief views as it flew past. This was followed, just after sunset, by a Cebu
Hawk-owl which was calling from across the valley and came in quite close but
we were unable to see it. A Philippine Nightjar was heard and then responded to
playback, flying down the road and providing good views. The Cebu Hawk-owl was our
second Cebu endemic species and particularly rewarding as it had previously been
considered extinct.
Birding in the Nug-as Forest was a pleasant
surprise and far better than I had expected, given the extent of deforestation
on Cebu Island. That evening we drove 20 minutes up the road towards Cebu City
and had a good seafood dinner at a local restaurant.
Nug-as Forest at sunset with access road where Philippine Nightjar was seen (photo by PW) |
Monday
20th February: Alcoy to Dumaguete, Negros Island
We left our accommodation at about 6am and
drove down to Oslob, about an hour’s drive south of Alcoy, for the Whale Shark
viewing. By the time we arrived, the place was packed out with visitors. We
bought our tickets and then had a tasty roadside breakfast of fried eggs and
barbequed pork.
We then waited for our turn to get on the small outrigger boats
and paddled out to the Whale Sharks, which are fed by local fishermen and
patrol up and down the water, scooping in the fishmeal.
After an enjoyable hour with the Whale
Sharks, we drove further down the coast to Santander which has a regular ferry
service to Negros Island. Took the 4WD on the ferry to Negros, disembarking at
the port white was close to Dumaguete airport and the San Moritz wetlands.
Spent about two hours birding around the wetlands and adjacent rice paddies.
Small outrigger boats paddled out to the Whale Sharks viewing |
Whale Shark feeding and viewing |
Ferry for Cebu to Negros crossing |
We drove through to Dumaguete where we had
lunch at the Moon Café overlooking the sea. In the afternoon, we checked into
the spacious two-bedroom cottage at Camlann Cottages.
Tuesday
21st February: Twin Lakes, Negros Island
Rhoda picked us up early in the morning and
we drove up to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park, stopping along the route for
some roadside birding. Plenty of good
forest along the road and we saw four Visayan Hornbill in the early morning,
the only ones for the trip. After paying for the entry permits we drove up to
the restaurant and then walked various trails for the rest of the day. There
had been early morning rain and many of the tracks were very slippery. For most
of the day we had heavy cloud and cool conditions.
View over forest and one of the twin lakes |
Interesting birds included Western Osprey,
Crested Honey Buzzard, Philippine Serpent Eagle, Brahminy Kite, White-eared
Brown Dove, Philippine Swiftlet, Visayan Fantail, Black-naped Monarch, many
Visayan Bulbul and about eight Coleto. The Philippine Swiftlet is the most
common larger swiftlet at elevations above 900m. we saw them from the
restaurant which was at about 900m and they would have been flying at between
1,000 and 1,100m elevation.
Myself, Rhoda and Peter at the restaurant viewing deck |
The walk around the northern section of the
lake was very slow going, so we went back to the restaurant and birded around
the fern garden, which had some of the best birding of the day. I had a
Blue-crowned Racket-tail pop up for a while providing great views, this was the
only one seen on the trip. In the same area, there were at least eight
Balicassiao, the Visayan race mirabilis
with the white bellies, Negros Leaf Warbler (ID confirmed by call), Orange-bellied
Flowerpecker, Magnificent Sunbird and Maroon-naped Sunbird.
Maroon-naped Sunbird (photo by Peter Waanders) |
We then had a Blue-and-white Flycatcher fly
into a nearby tree and whilst we were watching the flycatcher, a Narcissus
Flycatcher (adult male) flew up into the same tree for a short while. Really
good looking bird, one I didn’t expect and one of the major highlights for the
day.
Twin Lakes has to be one of the top birding
areas close to Dumaguete, which is easy to get to contrary to comments made in some
trip reports. Early morning birding along the approach road was good, by mid-morning
there was hardly any birding activity, yet in the afternoon we had some of the
best birding of the day.
We headed back to our accommodation in the
late afternoon and in the evening had an excellent seafood dinner in Dumaguete,
along the esplanade overlooking the sea.
Small lake at entrance to Twin Lakes |
Wednesday
22nd February: Valencia, Negros and Siquijor Island
The plan for today was to spend the morning
birding in Valencia on the forested lower slopes of Mount Talinis and then the
afternoon on Siquijor Island.
Initially, Rhoda took us to Forest Camp, a
small resort which had some farming areas at the back and then some primary
forest. Had some good birding in the early morning seeing Common Emerald Dove,
Philippine Spine-tailed Swift, Visayan Bulbul, Philippine Magpie-robin, at
least eight Black-belted Flowerpecker (split from the Red-keeled Flowerpecker
and restricted to Panay, Negros and Guimaras islands), Maroon-naped Sunbird and
Magnificent Sunbird.
Previously the Casa Roro Waterfalls was a key
birding area, however the approach road and the area around the waterfalls has
been badly damaged by a typhoon. This area is currently not recommended for
birding based on advice from Rene Vendiola, a local birding guide living in
Valencia. Peter searched on Google maps for a suitable area of primary forest
which we could drive to fairly easily and we ended up on the Lunga Forest Trail
(Sitio Tabunan, Barangay Lunga, Valencia 9.2753x123.2161). This area has at
least two trails through the forest, with one trail heading towards the Caso
Roro Waterfalls area.
A small stream at Forest Camp (photo by PW) |
We spent about 90 minutes on the first part
of the trail and had a couple of White-browed Shama (Visayan race) calling
loudly but which were very difficult to see. Peter managed to get brief flight
views of one bird. The only other birds of interest were Black-belted
Flowerpecker and Magnificent Sunbird.
We then headed down to Dumaguete to purchase
tickets for our ferry trip to Bohol Island the next day and for the afternoon
ferry to Siquijor Island. The primary purpose of visiting Siquijor was to see
the Siquijor race of the Streak-breasted Bulbul, which may be split in the
future. We had also missed seeing the Streak-breasted Bulbul on Cebu Island,
where it can be hard to find and most recent records are from Tabunan Forest
close to Cebu City, which we didn’t visit.
The ferry was small and cramped, and the one
hour crossing to Siquijor was quite bumpy. When we left the mooring, the open
sided windows were closed up to avoid sea spray coming in, which made
conditions quite claustrophobic. On arrival in the small town of Siquijor, we
started walking down the road along the coast looking for suitable habitat for
the Streak-breasted Bulbul. After moving away from the mangroves on the coast, walking
for a short way into some scrubby bush and trees, we came across at least six Streak-breasted
Bulbul.
Siquijor Island (photo by PW) |
Streak-breasted Bulbul - siquijor race (photo by Peter Waanders) |
We then walked back to town and had a good
late afternoon meal at a restaurant, before catching the return ferry back to
Dumaguete.
Thursday
23rd February: Valencia, Negros and Bohol Island
We spent the morning birding in Valencia on
the Lunga Forest Trail however heavy rain for most of the morning impacted on
birding. We had a couple of Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-naped Monarch,
Visayan Bulbul, White-browed Shama (heard only), the only Yellowish White-eye
of the trip, Black-belted Flowerpecker and Magnificent Sunbird.
We went back to our accommodation to shower
and pack up. We then had an excellent lunch at the Cassablanca Restaurant in
Dumaguete and checked in for the 3pm ferry trip to Tagbilaran on Bohol Island.
Getting onto the ferry was a fine example of
Philippine bureaucracy and job creation. We already had our paper tickets, no
means of purchasing online or using electronic tickets, then had to pay for the
drop-off at the terminal, a terminal fee before entering the building, then
after security, had to check our bags in and negotiate a price for the porter,
two tickets issued one for the porter and one for the baggage. We waited in the
lounge till boarding time and were then told we need to get a seat reservation.
So back to the baggage check-in area for a seat allocation and another piece of
paper. So with six bits of paper stapled together we were finally allowed on
board.
The Ocean Fast ferry was similar in size to a
Rottnest ferry and a lot more comfortable than the ferry to Siquijor. The ride
was comfortable with good aircon and only took two hours to get to Tagbilaran.
At less than A$20 per person, the ferry trip was very cost effective and saved
a lot of time when compared with flying. There are no direct flights from
Dumaguete to Tagbilaran, and the options are to fly via Manila or to fly to
Cebu and then take a ferry to Bohol.
Paperwork for a single ferry trip - Dumaguete to Tagbilaran |
We tried to collect our ferry tickets for the
Tagbilaran to Cagayan De Oro trip at the port, which had been sent from Cebu
City. I didn’t manage to get the tickets as I didn’t have the ticket numbers,
just a few emails from the booking agents in Cebu. I sent an email to the
booking agents and they subsequently sent a scanned copy of the tickets. There
are no electronic tickets and the only bookings on Trans-Asia Ferry which could
be made prior to the trip, were with Luzviminda Travel and Tours.
We took a minivan to Habitat Bohol, about an hour’s
drive from Tagbilaran port. The transfers on Bohol Island all have fixed prices,
which are provided at the port. On arrival at our accommodation, we checked in
and then made arrangements for birding early the next day. The staff at Habitat
Bohol are geared up for birders and will provided an early morning breakfast,
ordered the previous evening, and organise motor bike rides to get to the Rajah
Sikatuna National Park. I had booked two of their best rooms and was surprised
how large and comfortable they were, certainly not the basic rooms I had
expected. At PHP880/night (A$23/nt) they provided very good value.
Friday
24th February: Rajah Sikatuna NP, Bohol Island
After breakfast and getting a ride on a motor
bike, we started birding at Rajah Sikatuna NP at 6am. Had some early morning
rain which cleared up and the rest of the morning was warm and humid in the
forest.
Some good walking trails through the forest
and we did parts of the Brahminy, Oriole and Tarsier Trails. We examined the various
caves for roosting owls but didn’t find any. Interesting birds seen included
Chinese Sparrowhawk, White-eared Brown Dove (short-billed or brevirostris race), Green Imperial
Pigeon, Black-faced Coucal, Philippine Drongo-cuckoo, three Philippine Trogon,
Yellow-bellied Whistler (boholensis
race), Hair-crested Drongo (short-tailed or samarensis
race which doesn’t have a forked tail), Philippine Leaf Warbler (ID confirmed
by call), Black-crowned Babbler (yellow throat with orange edging, black cap
and grey streaking on face, race boholensis),
Philippine Fairy-bluebird, Coleto, Red-keeled Flowerpecker and Purple-throated
Flowerpecker.
The variation between the various races of
the Spangled Drongo occurring in the Philippines is quite significant. These
range from the long-tailed and deeply forked race menagei to the shorter-tailed and slightly forked race palawanensis to the short and square
ended tail race samarensis. Since the
field guide by Kennedy etal was published, the menagei race has been elevated
to a full species, the Tablas Drongo (Dicrurus
menagei). The other races are now regarded as races of the Hair-crested
Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus).
Rajah Sikatuna forest from the Tarictic Trail (photo by PW) |
According to IOC and HBW, the current races for
the Hair-crested Drongo occurring in the Philippines are:
· a) D. h. samarensis on Samar, Biliran,
Leyte, Calicoan, Panaon and Bohol (east-central Philippines)
- very short, straight and square-ended tail, no frontal filaments
b) D. h. palawanensis on Palawan (western Philippines)
- similar to borneensis but with red eye, no frontal filaments and four inner pairs of rectrices becoming gradually longer, tips of outermost with slight tendency to curl upwards
c) D. h. cuyensis on Semirara and Cuyo (west-central Philippines)
- similar to palawanensis but with strongly greenish gloss
d) D. h. striatus on Basilan, Mindanao and Nipa (south Philippines)
- similar to samarensis but tail a little longer and slightly forked
e) D. h. suluensis in the Sulu Archipelago (south-west Philippines)
- frontal filaments always present, more deeply forked tail than otherwise similar pectoralis
- very short, straight and square-ended tail, no frontal filaments
b) D. h. palawanensis on Palawan (western Philippines)
- similar to borneensis but with red eye, no frontal filaments and four inner pairs of rectrices becoming gradually longer, tips of outermost with slight tendency to curl upwards
c) D. h. cuyensis on Semirara and Cuyo (west-central Philippines)
- similar to palawanensis but with strongly greenish gloss
d) D. h. striatus on Basilan, Mindanao and Nipa (south Philippines)
- similar to samarensis but tail a little longer and slightly forked
e) D. h. suluensis in the Sulu Archipelago (south-west Philippines)
- frontal filaments always present, more deeply forked tail than otherwise similar pectoralis
According to the field guide, the similar
looking (except for the white-bellied race mirabilis
occurring on Negros) Balicassiao, does not overlap in range with the
Hair-crested Drongo or the Tablas Drongo (endemic to Tablas Island).
Within the forest, we had a couple of
Philippine Flying Lemur plus quite a few Long-tailed or Crab-eating Macaque. We
met up with a German birder who was birding in the area at the time and he
provided some information on where to look for the Azure-breasted Pitta. We
walked back to our accommodation, about 3km away, with the road passing through
rice paddies and some riverine forest alongside a river. Saw a White-throated
Kingfisher (Brown-breasted race) in the rice fields.
After a short siesta, I was heading down to
the restaurant when a gardener asked if I was looking for birds and whether I
wanted to see a frogmouth. Of course I did, and we took a short walk through the
bush, then through a grave yard before locating the Philippine Frogmouth
perched low down in some dense vegetation. He then took me to another area and
we had a pair of Everett’s Scops Owl, again well disguised and blending in with
vegetation. The Everett’s Scops Owl was my 4,000th bird species
recorded, so a major milestone.
Philippine Flying Lemur (photo by Peter Waanders) |
Everett's Scops Owl - actually two birds in the photo |
Philippine Frogmouth (photo by Peter Waanders) |
Saturday
25th February: Rajah Sikatuna NP, Bohol Island
We started birding at Rajah Sikatuna NP just
after 6am and spent some time in the area where the Azure-breasted Pitta was
likely to be seen at dawn. After that we walked various trails and then made
our way back to the accommodation in the afternoon. Warm and sunny conditions
for most of the day.
Interesting birds which we hadn’t seen the
previous day included Red Junglefowl (heard only), Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike and
Brown Tit-babbler. On the walk through the rice fields we had Eastern Yellow
Wagtail, White-bellied Munia and a Plain Bush-hen seen briefly in flight.
We did see what we believe was a female Celestial Monarch which doesn’t occur on Bohol Island. The bird was seen well just overhead in a mixed flock of birds and the description provided for the eBird rare bird report was as follows; “Adult female with sky blue head and slightly darker back, lacking the large crest of the male. The darker blue on throat has a distinct cut-off between the blue throat and white belly. Also considered Black-naped Monarch, Short-crested Monarch, Visayan Blue Fantail and Blue-and-white Flycatcher, but none of these birds are close to the female Celestial Monarch.”
White-bellied Munia (photo by Peter Waanders) |
We did see what we believe was a female Celestial Monarch which doesn’t occur on Bohol Island. The bird was seen well just overhead in a mixed flock of birds and the description provided for the eBird rare bird report was as follows; “Adult female with sky blue head and slightly darker back, lacking the large crest of the male. The darker blue on throat has a distinct cut-off between the blue throat and white belly. Also considered Black-naped Monarch, Short-crested Monarch, Visayan Blue Fantail and Blue-and-white Flycatcher, but none of these birds are close to the female Celestial Monarch.”
Sunday
26th February: Rajah Sikatuna NP, Bohol Island
We started birding at Rajah Sikatuna NP just before
6am and continued the search for the Azure-breasted Pitta. Peter and I birded
along separate trails and then compared notes back at Habitat Bohol in the afternoon.
I had good views of Amethyst Brown Dove
feeding just overhead in the early morning, plus White-eared Brown Dove, Green Imperial
Pigeon and Yellow-wattled Bulbul all along the Tarsier Trail. I could hear
Samar Hornbill overhead and had a brief view of one flying overhead through a
gap in the canopy. Later on I had four flying over quite low down over the main
clearing in the forest.
After spending some time in the forest
clearing, I walked the Oriole, Brahminy and Tarictic Trails ending up at the
swimming pool. Along that route, I had Black-faced Coucal, Philippine
Drongo-cuckoo, Visayan Broadbill (heard only), Yellow-bellied Whistler, Black-naped
Oriole, many Hair-crested Drongo, Visayan Blue Fantail, Black-crowned Babbler,
Brown Tit-babbler, Chestnut-tailed Jungle Flycatcher and Coleto.
Walking along the rice paddies and riverine
forest on the way back, I had White-breasted Waterhen, Northern Silvery
Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Striated Swallow, Red-keeled Flowerpecker,
Bohol Sunbird (endemic to Bohol and only one seen) and ten White-bellied Munia together with Chestnut Munia.
Northern Silvery Kingfisher (photo by Peter Waanders) |
When I got back, Peter told me that he had
heard the Azure-breasted Pitta calling along the Brahminy Trail and after much
effort and scrambling up steep hillsides and limestone cliffs, had managed to
get a brief view of the bird perched.
Philippine Tarsier (Carlito syrichta) seen at Habitat Bohol (photo by Peter Waanders) |
Monday
27th February: Rajah Sikatuna NP, Bohol Island
I started birding at Rajah Sikatuna NP just after
6am and initially looked for the Yellow-breasted Tailorbird down a track near
the tunnel. Having no luck with the tailorbird I walked down to the swimming
pool and then up the Tarictic Trail.
There was no sign of the pitta and I walked past the area where Peter had seen the bird. I walked to the intersection with the Brahminy Trail, which has a steep stairway leading up the hill and decided to try a bit further along the Tarictic Trail. I then heard the pitta calling from the limestone cliffs, so went a bit further on up the hill along a track leading to a second set of stairs, to the east of the Brahminy Trail. As I was walking up the stairs I managed to see the Azure-breasted Pitta calling from a branch about 3 to 4m off the ground.
The Pitta then came in closer and then flew over the trail to the other side, before flying back to its perch, quite close to where I was. I had excellent views of the pitta over the next 10 to 15 minutes and eventually left it still perched in the tree. So after four days I had managed to find the Azure-breasted Pitta which was my top bird for the trip.
There was no sign of the pitta and I walked past the area where Peter had seen the bird. I walked to the intersection with the Brahminy Trail, which has a steep stairway leading up the hill and decided to try a bit further along the Tarictic Trail. I then heard the pitta calling from the limestone cliffs, so went a bit further on up the hill along a track leading to a second set of stairs, to the east of the Brahminy Trail. As I was walking up the stairs I managed to see the Azure-breasted Pitta calling from a branch about 3 to 4m off the ground.
The Pitta then came in closer and then flew over the trail to the other side, before flying back to its perch, quite close to where I was. I had excellent views of the pitta over the next 10 to 15 minutes and eventually left it still perched in the tree. So after four days I had managed to find the Azure-breasted Pitta which was my top bird for the trip.
The photos of the Azure-breasted Pitta were taken from the internet as I didn't have my camera with me. As I walked back down the Tarictic Trail, I
had two Rufous-fronted Tailorbird, a bird I had been looking for. I went back
up to the trail close to the tunnel and had an attractive male Yellow-breasted
Tailorbird calling and displaying right next to the trail. The only other new
bird for this site was a Buzzing Flowerpecker, which I had seen previously in
Subic Bay.
I had arranged for a lift back to Habitat
Bohol on the motor bike, then had a shower and lunch before checking out at midday.
I had organised for the same driver we had when we arrived on Bohol, to take us
to the Chocolate Hills and then back to Tagbilaran port in the late afternoon. At
the viewing platform at Chocolate Hills, we had a couple of Red-vented Cockatoo
flying past, quite some distance away. They didn’t provide very satisfactory
views but certainly had the right shape, size and flight pattern for cockatoos
as compared with egrets.
We then drove down to Tagbilaran port and
managed to find our ferry tickets in the baggage collection area, easy when you
know how their systems work! As it was still early we had the driver drop us
off at a nearby restaurant where we had dinner. We then walked down to the port
and were able to board the Trans-Asia ferry well before 7pm departure time. We were
allocated beds in a five-sleeper cabin which were quite comfortable except for the
overzealous air-conditioning which meant it was very cold all night.
Chocolate Hills from viewing platform |
Tuesday
28th February: CDO to Mount Dulang-Dulang
The Trans-Asia Ferry arrived into CDO port
just ahead of the 4am scheduled arrival.
I had organised a fully inclusive package
with Henry Binahon for the three-night trip to Mt Dulang-Dulang, which is part
of the Mt Kitanglad mountain range. The package included transport to/from Mt
Dulang-Dulang, DENR-PAMB permits, cleansing ritual with the Indigenous
Community, local guiding fees, accommodation at the Binahon Agroforestry Farm,
meals and drinks. The cost of the 4D3N package was just under A$400 per person.
Henry Binahon was easy to deal with and
provided prompt responses to my email enquiries. He can be contacted on binahonagroforestryfarm@gmail.com or
hbinahon@yahoo.com, via
mobile +63 9178 796 890 or +63 9059 017 771 and binahonagroforestryfarm.blogspot.com
Mt Dulang-Dulang provides an alternative
birding area to the more frequently visited Del Monte Lodge on Mt Kitanglad.
The Del Monte Lodge is often overbooked during the peak birding season and
offers very basic accommodation. The Binahon Farm is at the same elevation as
Del Monte and provides access to higher elevations than the trail from Del
Monte which only goes up to about 1,900m. The trail up Mt Dulang-Dulang
possibly provides better birding opportunities, although sightings of
Philippine Eagle are more reliable from Del Monte.
We were picked up by our driver at 5:30am,
had breakfast along the way and then drove through to Malaybalay City. We
visited the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Protected Area
Management Board (DENR-PAMB) where we arranged permits for access to Mt Dulang-Dulang
Summit and Cinchona Forest Reserve. The staff at DENR had mentioned that our
best chance of seeing the Philippine Eagle was to visit Cinchona Forest Reserve
and to use Blackie, a local ranger based there. Access to these protected
areas needs to be booked ahead of time, as the number of visitors are limited,
particularly for January through to March, which is the peak birding season.
Start of the Mt Dulang-Dulang reserve, an hour's hike from the accommodation |
We then stopped off close to Songco for the
ritual cleansing ceremony, which involves killing a couple of chickens and
using the blood for the cleansing, to appease the local spirits on Mt Dulang-Dulang.
The neck of the chicken is slit and the blood collected in a bowl. Another bowl
contains water, representing cleansing of the river, as an alternative to
having a swim in the river. A feather is taken from the dead chicken and dipped
in the blood and then the water and then smeared on your hands and face. The
permits are also examined and blood smeared on the permits for good measure as
well. This is supposed to guarantee your safety on the mountain and provide
good weather.
We arrived at midday at Binahon Farm and had
a spread laid on for lunch. The meals and the staff at Binahon Farm were
excellent and the accommodation very spacious and comfortable. After lunch, we
took a walk up to the beginning of the Mt Dulang-Dulang forest with some nice
birding parties seen in the fragments of remaining forest on the way up.
Interesting birds for the afternoon included
Mountain Shrike (Grey-capped), Citrine Canary-Flycatcher, Sulphur-billed
Nuthatch, Rufous-headed Tailorbird, Mindanao White-eye, Turquoise Flycatcher,
Bundok Flycatcher (split from Snowy-browed Flycatcher), Pied Bushchat,
Eyebrowed Thrush, Red-keeled Flowerpecker and Grey Wagtail.
Philippine Magpie Robin (adult male) (photo by Peter Waanders) |
Wednesday
1st March: Mount Dulang-Dulang
Left at 6am for the hour walk from Binahon
Farm up to the forested slopes of Mt Dulang-Dulang, climbing from about 1,300m
up to 1,800m. At this point, there is a small track leading off on the left
which goes to the summit of Mt Dulang-Dulang (2,940m). The main track continues
along a contour and then down to a river, passing through some excellent
forest.
Despite the early morning rain, there were
some good birding parties in the forest. Interesting birds seen included Buff-spotted
Flameback, McGregor’s Cuckooshrike, Mountain Shrike, Black-and-cinnamon
Fantail, Elegant Tit, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Mountain Warbler, Long-tailed
Bush-warbler, Mountain White-eye, Turquoise Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher,
Little Pied Flycatcher, Eyebrowed Thrush, Apo Myna, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker,
Grey-hooded Sunbird and Cinnamon Ibon.
Mt Dulang-Dulang forest at about 2,000m elevation (photo by PW) |
The Eyebrowed Thrush were plentiful with over
40 seen and the Apo Myna were particularly attractive with over 30 seen feeding
on the fruiting trees.
Apo Mynah (photo by Peter Waanders) |
Thursday
2nd March: Mount Dulang-Dulang
Left just before 6am for the two hour walk up
to the 2,000m level in the Mt Dulang-Dulang forest. Rain and heavy mist set in
for the day from about 7pm which made any birding very difficult. The roads and
tracks through the forest were very muddy and slippery.
Despite the weather, interesting birds seen
included Philippine Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo, Citrine
Canary-Flycatcher, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Mindanao White-eye, Turquoise Flycatcher,
Bundok Flycatcher, White-browed Shortwing (heard), Eyebrowed Thrush, Apo Myna
and Cinnamon Ibon.
View up into the Mt Kitanglad Range Natural Park (photo by PW) |
Friday
3rd March: Cinchona Forest Reserve
After an early morning breakfast, we drove
through to Cinchona Forest Reserve which has a good access road, an open recreation
area within the forest, a suspension bridge over the river and various trails
in the forest. Accommodation is currently under construction and this would be
a great place to base oneself, as an alternative to Binahon Agroforestry Farm on
Mt Dulang-Dulang or Del Monte Lodge on Mt Kitanglad.
The forest around the parking area looked
great and had birds such as Elegant Tit, Turquoise Flycatcher and Grey-hooded
Sunbird, which at Mt Dulang-Dulang had required an hours hard walk to get into
suitable forest before these species could be seen.
Suspension bridge at Cinchona Forest Reserve with Blackie on bridge (photo by PW) |
Grey-hooded Sunbird (photo by Peter Waanders) |
We then drove further up the road to a
viewing area overlooking the forest with the Kitanglad mountain range in the
background. We had Purple Needletail swishing past us and then Peter spotted a
large eagle, some distance away. It was about the size of a Wedge-tailed Eagle
and was using the updrafts to glide along the mountain slopes, quite high up. I
noticed the white underparts and brown back, when it turned once, and this
confirmed that it was a Philippine Eagle. There are about four pairs of
Philippine Eagle in the Mt Kitanglad mountain ranges, with Mindanao representing
the last stronghold for the surviving birds. So a mega sighting and a great way
to conclude the birding for the trip.
We then left the area just after midday and
spotted two Short-tailed Starling on the way down to the main road. We then
drove through to the Kingston Lodge, our accommodation in CDO for the night,
arriving at about 5pm. Very pleasant accommodation with comfortable air-conditioned
rooms, swimming pool, live band and excellent meals at the restaurant.
Philippine Eagle seen flying alongside the far hills and into the clouds (photo by PW) |
Saturday
4th March: CDO to Manila
We left the hotel at 9:30am and took a taxi
to the new airport west of CDO, an hour’s drive away. Checking in at the modern
airport was uneventful and we arrived in Manila at just after 1pm. We then took
the transfer bus from terminal 3 to terminal 1, which took an hour, before
checking in for our Qantas flight back to Sydney that evening.
Overall a successful trip, which went pretty
much to plan, seeing many of the Philippine endemic birds.
Birding
Resources
a) A
Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Kennedy,
Gonzales, Dickinson, Miranda and Fisher, first edition 2000, reprinted 2016
b) eBird
which had many useful site lists for the main birding sites in the Philippines
c) Aves
Vox – iPhone app which was useful for
downloading, sorting and storing any Xeno-Canto sound recordings. However, the
app was very unstable and not suitable for a long trip, with all the calls lost
every time the app was reloaded onto the iPhone
d) Birding
the Philippines – 2nd January to 18th March
2013 – Trip report by Sjoerd Radstaak
e) Philippines:
Palawan, Cebu, Negros, Bohol, and Mindanao – 10th
May to 1st June 2016 - Independent Budget Birding trip report by
Ross and Melissa Gallardy
f) Birding2Asia
website – Subic Bay (www.birding2asia.com/W2W/Philippines/Subic.html),
Rajah Sikatuna NP (www.birding2asia.com/W2W/Philippines/RajahSikatuna.html)
and Mt Dulang-Dulang (www.birding2asia.com/W2W/Philippines/Dulang-dulang.html)
Birds
I recorded a total of 236 birds of which 118
were lifers and 106 were endemics for the Philippines. The list of birds according to the IOC taxonomy, with subspecies
identified where possible, was as follows:
ANSERIFORMES
Ducks, Geese and Swans (Anatidae)
Wandering Whistling Duck [arcuata]
(Dendrocygna arcuata arcuata)
Philippine Duck (Anas luzonica)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Garganey (Anas querquedula)
GALLIFORMES
Megapodes (Megapodiidae)
Philippine Megapode [cumingii]
(Megapodius cumingii cumingii)
Pheasants and allies (Phasianidae)
Red Junglefowl [sp] (Gallus gallus)
Palawan Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron
napoleonis)
PELECANIFORMES
Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Eurasian)
(Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax)
Striated Heron [sp] (Butorides striata)
Striated Heron (Old World) [amurensis]
(Butorides striata amurensis)
Javan Pond Heron [sp] (Ardeola speciosa)
Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus
coromandus)
Grey Heron (Grey) [jouyi] (Ardea cinerea
jouyi)
Purple Heron (Purple) [manilensis]
(Ardea purpurea manilensis)
Great Egret (Australasian) (Ardea alba
modesta)
Intermediate Egret (Intermediate) (Ardea
intermedia intermedia)
Little Egret [nigripes] (Egretta
garzetta nigripes)
Pacific Reef Heron [sacra] (Egretta
sacra sacra)
ACCIPITRIFORMES
Ospreys (Pandionidae)
Western Osprey (Eurasian) (Pandion
haliaetus haliaetus)
Kites, Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)
Philippine Crested Honey Buzzard (Pernis
ptilorhynchus philippensis)
Steere's Honey Buzzard (Pernis steerei
steerei)
Philippine Serpent Eagle (Spilornis holospilus)
Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
Philippine Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus
philippensis)
Pinsker's Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus pinskeri)
Chinese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter
soloensis)
Besra [confusus] (Accipiter virgatus
confusus)
Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus
spilonotus)
Brahminy Kite [intermedius] (Haliastur
indus intermedius)
White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus
leucogaster)
Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus
ichthyaetus)
Grey-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus)
GRUIFORMES
Rails, Crakes and Coots (Rallidae)
Barred Rail [torquatus] (Gallirallus
torquatus torquatus)
Plain Bush-hen (Amaurornis olivacea)
White-breasted Waterhen [phoenicurus]
(Amaurornis phoenicurus phoenicurus)
White-browed Crake (Porzana cinerea)
Philippine Swamphen (Porphyrio
pulverulentus)
Common Moorhen [orientalis] (Gallinula
chloropus orientalis)
CHARADRIIFORMES
Stilts, Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus
himantopus)
Plovers (Charadriidae)
Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
Little Ringed Plover [sp] (Charadrius
dubius)
Lesser Sand Plover [sp] (Charadrius
mongolus)
Painted-snipes (Rostratulidae)
Greater Painted-snipe (Rostratula
benghalensis)
Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae)
Swinhoe's Snipe (Gallinago megala)
Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Ruddy Turnstone [interpres] (Arenaria
interpres interpres)
Long-toed Stint (Calidris subminuta)
Gulls, Terns and Skimmers (Laridae)
Gull-billed Tern (Common) [affinis]
(Gelochelidon nilotica affinis)
Greater Crested Tern [cristatus]
(Thalasseus bergii cristatus)
Whiskered Tern [sp] (Chlidonias hybrida)
COLUMBIFORMES
Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)
Rock Dove (Feral) (Columba livia
''feral'')
Red Turtle Dove [humilis] (Streptopelia
tranquebarica humilis)
Spotted Dove (Eastern) [tigrina]
(Spilopelia chinensis tigrina)
Philippine Cuckoo-dove [sp] (Macropygia
tenuirostris)
Philippine Cuckoo-dove [tenuirostris]
(Macropygia tenuirostris tenuirostris)
Common Emerald Dove [indica]
(Chalcophaps indica indica)
Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)
White-eared Brown Dove [sp] (Phapitreron
leucotis)
White-eared Brown Dove (White-eared)
(Phapitreron leucotis leucotis)
White-eared Brown Dove (Short-billed)
[brevirostris] (Phapitreron leucotis brevirostris)
Amethyst Brown Dove (Amethyst)
[amethystinus] (Phapitreron amethystinus amethystinus)
Amethyst Brown Dove (Grey-breasted)
(Phapitreron amethystinus maculipectus)
Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron
vernans)
Philippine Green Pigeon [sp] (Treron
axillaris)
Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove [occipitalis]
(Ptilinopus occipitalis occipitalis)
Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove [incognitus]
(Ptilinopus occipitalis incognitus)
Black-chinned Fruit Dove [leclancheri]
(Ptilinopus leclancheri leclancheri)
Green Imperial Pigeon (Green)
[palawanensis] (Ducula aenea palawanensis)
Green Imperial Pigeon (Green) [aenea]
(Ducula aenea aenea)
CUCULIFORMES
Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Rufous Coucal (Centropus unirufus)
Black-faced Coucal (Centropus melanops)
Philippine Coucal [sp] (Centropus
viridis)
Philippine Coucal [viridis] (Centropus
viridis viridis)
Philippine Coucal [mindorensis]
(Centropus viridis mindorensis)
Lesser Coucal [javanensis] (Centropus
bengalensis javanensis)
Lesser Coucal [philippinensis]
(Centropus bengalensis philippinensis)
Rough-crested Malkoha [sp] (Dasylophus
superciliosus)
Scale-feathered Malkoha (Dasylophus
cumingi)
Violet Cuckoo [xanthorhynchus]
(Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus xanthorhynchus)
Little Bronze Cuckoo [sp] (Chrysococcyx
minutillus)
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo [sepulcralis]
(Cacomantis sepulcralis sepulcralis)
Philippine Drongo-cuckoo [sp]
(Surniculus velutinus)
Large Hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx
sparverioides)
Philippine Hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx
pectoralis)
STRIGIFORMES
Owls (Strigidae)
Everett's Scops Owl (Otus everetti)
Philippine Eagle-owl [philippensis] (Bubo
philippensis philippensis)
Cebu Hawk-owl (Ninox rumseyi)
CAPRIMULGIFORMES
Frogmouths (Podargidae)
Philippine Frogmouth [sp]
(Batrachostomus septimus)
Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)
Philippine Nightjar (Caprimulgus
manillensis)
Apodiformes
Treeswifts (Hemiprocnidae)
Whiskered Treeswift [major] (Hemiprocne
comata major)
Swifts (Apodidae)
Glossy Swiftlet [sp] (Collocalia
esculenta)
Glossy Swiftlet (Philippine) [marginata]
(Collocalia esculenta marginata)
Glossy Swiftlet (Philippine) [bagobo]
(Collocalia esculenta bagobo)
Pygmy Swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes)
Philippine Swiftlet (Aerodramus mearnsi)
Ameline Swiftlet (Grey) (Aerodramus
amelis amelis)
Ameline Swiftlet (Palawan) (Aerodramus
amelis palawanensis)
Philippine Spine-tailed Swift (Mearnsia
picina)
Purple Needletail (Hirundapus
celebensis)
Asian Palm Swift [pallidior] (Cypsiurus
balasiensis pallidior)
Pacific Swift [sp] (Apus pacificus)
TROGONIFORMES
Trogons (Trogonidae)
Philippine Trogon [linae] (Harpactes
ardens linae)
CORACIIFORMES
Rollers (Coraciidae)
Oriental Dollarbird [sp] (Eurystomus
orientalis)
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Spotted Wood Kingfisher [lindsayi]
(Actenoides lindsayi lindsayi)
Stork-billed Kingfisher [gouldi]
(Pelargopsis capensis gouldi)
White-throated Kingfisher
(Brown-breasted) (Halcyon smyrnensis gularis)
Collared Kingfisher (Collared)
[collaris] (Todiramphus chloris collaris)
Common Kingfisher (Common) [bengalensis]
(Alcedo atthis bengalensis)
Northern Silvery Kingfisher (Ceyx
flumenicola)
Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
Blue-tailed Bee-eater [philippinus]
(Merops philippinus philippinus)
Blue-throated Bee-eater (Rufous-crowned)
(Merops viridis americanus)
BUCEROTIFORMES
Hornbills (Bucerotidae)
Palawan Hornbill (Anthracoceros marchei)
Luzon Hornbill [sp] (Penelopides
manillae)
Samar Hornbill (Penelopides samarensis)
Visayan Hornbill [panini] (Penelopides
panini panini)
PICIFORMES
Asian Barbets (Megalaimidae)
Coppersmith Barbet [haemacephalus]
(Psilopogon haemacephalus haemacephalus)
Coppersmith Barbet [cebuensis]
(Psilopogon haemacephalus cebuensis)
Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker [sp]
(Yungipicus maculatus)
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
[validirostris] (Yungipicus maculatus validirostris)
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
[fulvifasciatus] (Yungipicus maculatus fulvifasciatus)
White-bellied Woodpecker [sp] (Dryocopus
javensis)
White-bellied Woodpecker [mindorensis]
(Dryocopus javensis mindorensis)
Spot-throated Flameback (Dinopium
everetti)
Buff-spotted Flameback [sp]
(Chrysocolaptes lucidus)
Luzon Flameback (Chrysocolaptes
haematribon)
PSITTACIFORMES
Cockatoos (Cacatuidae)
Red-vented Cockatoo (Cacatua
haematuropygia)
Old World Parrots (Psittaculidae)
Green Racket-tail (Prioniturus
luconensis)
Blue-crowned Racket-tail (Blue-crowned)
(Prioniturus discurus whiteheadi)
Guaiabero [lunulatus] (Bolbopsittacus
lunulatus lunulatus)
Philippine Hanging Parrot [sp]
(Loriculus philippensis)
PASSERIFORMES
Broadbills (Eurylaimidae)
Visayan Broadbill (Sarcophanops samarensis)
Pittas (Pittidae)
Philippine Pitta (Blue-breasted)
[propinqua] (Erythropitta erythrogaster propinqua)
Hooded Pitta (Philippine) [sordida]
(Pitta sordida sordida)
Hooded Pitta (Philippine) [palawanensis]
(Pitta sordida palawanensis)
Azure-breasted Pitta [coelestis] (Pitta
steerii coelestis)
Sounds like a great trip. I have a few questions re: travel to see the Philippine Eagle. I don't see where you mentioned the amount of hiking that day. How much was there and how strenuous was it?
ReplyDeleteCinda Crosley
The Cinchona Forest Reserve is easy to access in a car. We then had a fairly easy walk up into the forest to an old Philippine Eagle nesting site, although always hot and humid plus plenty of leeches. Where we saw the PE was from a hillside which involved driving further up into the hills and then taking a fairly short walk to an area which had good views over the valley and hills.
Delete