La Mesa finale

The traffic getting there seemed busier than usual, but I was up at my favourite spot by 06:00 and almost immediately saw movement on the path in front of me.

It was my first ever Pitta, an adult Red-Bellied, just on the edge of the path, pumping its tail, then moving just a few feet into the leafy ground about 10-12ft from me. I watched it for nearly 10 minutes in the rather low light, no chance of getting a picture, but over the moon.

I was about to move on when another birder arrived, Nick a local guide was waiting for a group of 4 people in search of the Ashy Thrush, Pittas and anything else he could show them. After some time the others did show up and we all walked on slowly in the mini forest, Nick picking up Grey-Backed Tailorbird, Pygmy and Red-Keeled Flowerpecker, along with the usual Pied Fantails, Black-naped Orioles, Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, Lowland White-Eye, Golden Bellied Flyeaters, plus calls I missed of Mangrove Blue Flycatcher and Hooded Pitta.

Nick went on ahead and Mel then beckoned us to catch up as he had lured the Ashy Thrush out and oh wow did it show well, for 15 minutes allowing me to get 3 half decent record shots with my iphone, the bird frequently gave the contact call I had likened to Goldcrest, so do suspect there are several still present at the site.

A great last morning, thanks to Nick for allowing me to tag along for an hour or so, and great to meet Mel Tan and Dennis from Borneo, hope to see you all again.

Ashy Ground Thrush - 6th Dec La Mesa

Ashy Ground Thrush - 6th Dec La Mesa

Ashy Ground Thrush - 6th Dec La Mesa

Las Pinas Paranque - Freedom Island

I need a few days to compile notes and photographs from my visit on the 5th Dec, but with our homeward flight due in just over 24 hours, it may be a few days before I can upload.

Just one morning at the site gave just a taster,  next visits will no doubt provide lifers, as this time several calls heard without seeing the birds.....happens to me alot.

Great Egrets

Grey-Tailed Tattler

Greenshank & Marsh Sandpiper

Greenshank, Redshank & Marsh Sandpiper

I want to stay positive about the site, but also feel anyone visiting for the first time should prepare themselves for a quite shocking amount of rubbish, it lies everywhere, from the beach to the mangroves and is over ankle deep throughout. It screams a mercy message from the wildlife to all the Philippine people that they must change the behaviours of all who drop rubbish into the rivers throughout the country, or face a future without wildlife.

The birds I saw on the beach were great, but until there is a huge cultural swing in attitudes away from dropping rubbish, it will take an army of people to pick up the rubbish weekly just to stay on top of the problem.. I am encouraged by a widespread awareness campaign about bringing your own bag when shopping, but frankly the vast sprawling squatter communities whom I see as major culprits, appear to need much more than polite awareness campaigns.

May the Government have the sense to preserve, clean up and protect this potentially wonderful site.

Nearly Candaba

It was a brave attempt and we got to the surrounding areas, but time limitation and getting the car stuck in deep mud on the West side of the reserve was not helpful. Thanks to two kindly local fishermen and another chap, they managed to push us out and we had so little time left we decided to just come on back to Fairview.

Despite this I got two lifers in the form of Oriental Skylark and a fly by Plain Martin, so one shouldn't complain. Of course I also saw flocks of Long-toed Stint, several Paddyfield Pipit, numerous Pied Bushchat & Zitting Cisiticola, loads of Marsh & Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Black Winged Stilt, Little-ringed Plover, all 4 common White Egrets, Great in large numbers, masses of Whiskered Terns, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Striated and Tawny Grassbirds, Yellow Bittern, Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater, Yellow Wagtail, White Browed Crake, Buff Banded Rail, White-Breasted Waterhen and untickable views of 2 Snipe in flight.

Paddyfield Pipit

Long-toed Stint

Little, Intermediate & Great Egret following farmer

Hundreds of Great Egrets

Pied Bushchat female

Egrets & Whiskered Terns

I also found an enormous flock of 3000+ Philippine Duck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, plus a few Tufted Duck and Eurasion Wigeon.

Duck flock close up  - Philippine Duck, Shoveler & Garganey

The whole duck flock - Far left with Arayat beyond

Middle Left

Middle right

Far right - Candaba reserve so near but so far

Ashy Thrush comes good

Arrived La Mesa 05:35 and marched up to where I heard it sing some days ago. As usual there were a lot of people jogging etc, so I kept going up into the East corner of the mini forest. A Grey Streaked Flycatcher alighted briefly over the Orchidarium, then another showed quite well, then I heard my first Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, sadly it sang only briefly towards the far East corner. A Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker called and perched just long enough to get an okay shot.

Back Naped Oriole sang quietly, Pied Fantail, Brown Shrike, Philippine and Yellow Vented Bulbul, Golden Bellied Flyeater, Arctic Warbler, Lowland White-Eye, plus 2-3 calls remain unidentified. But a squarky one I kept hearing, this and other times, turned out to be Philippine Fairy-Bluebird.

I was passed by some cyclists 2-3 times and decided it was going to be one of those mornings, but as it seemed quiet anyway, I was determined to give the Ashy Thrush a good go.

Another mountain biker seemed determined to annoy me by passing by 3 times in 5 minutes, then climbed the high ground above where I was heading and I thought "well that's blown it". I headed for the path towards the amphetheatre and stopped when I saw a tiny movement, a pause, a squint.....it was a Brown Shrike.

I waited thinking there was a lot of leaves here on either side and only 5 minutes went by when something shot across the path so quickly I thought it was a a tiny bird perhaps a Tailorbird? I crouched and lifted my bins and side on an Ashy Ground Thrush stood 12 feet from me for about 3 seconds, it moved so quickly, I got another 2-3 seconds on it before it moved deeper into the vegetation. I could hear the occasional leaf movement, so I know it was still there, but could not get onto it properly before I decided my time was up, but felt totally relieved and happy to have found it myself and what a great looking thrush it is.

Ashy Thrush Path just above Amphetheatre

As I left I picked up a pair of Blue-Throated Bee-Eater and eyed up the flowers thinking I wonder where the Naked Faced Spider Hunters get?

As I walked out the entrance I took some scenery shots, then 2 Pacific Swallows perched on wires for me.

La Mesa Entrance

Heavy colds stop play.....I mean birding

The constant in and out of air con cars, taxis and shops has again taken its toll on me and now my family, we al have colds and I am shaking off a chest infection, so not able to rise early for La Mesa, maybe tomorrow.

In the meantime, I took more shots of my favourite housing estate bird

The Thailand visa trip

After finding out too late to get a more than 21 day visa for the Philippines we would need to leave and go somewhere...we chose Bangkok. So whilst there I planned in a visit to Pak Thale, probably the best place to try and see Spoon-billed Sandpiper.

We were staying at a friends apartment in Bang Na to the East and spent 3 of our 5 day trip just relaxing and eating, but on the 24th I tried but failed to even get out of Bangkok in a hire car using sat nav, leaving me just the morning of the 25th to get there and see it, plus hopefully Nordman's Greenshank and Great Knot.

Our friend had a contact who had a van and drivers who could take me, all I had to do was part with 3500 baht ($110) and I'd be taken there for 06:00.
So obviously I did this and despite a false start due to lack of understanding as to which building to meet me by, was at a salt pan before dawn............just not the right one.

I spent 20-30 minutes de-misting my scope due to the air con, which everyone has up so high and this was really annoying as scoping the numerous waders and other birds during this time was virtually impossible.
As I stood mopping my scope, the sky was filled with Black Drongo, I have never seen so many, there were tons of Marsh Sandpipers and Black Winged Stilt, it was simply amazing, almost too many birds to look at and I wasn't even in the the right place yet.

Having shown the driver my guide book and pointing to Spoon Billed Sandpiper, he then proclaimed he knew where to go, I thought "why bring me here, what did you think I wanted to see then?"
We left and drove another 3-4 km past what looked like an oil refinery on the left, then turned right at the sign marked 'Pak Thale Wader Sanctuary'.

Just a few hundred yards on the bend we turned off the tarmac road right onto a dirt track and stopped in a small parking area about 1km which was a dead end. Salt pans in all directions and the driver said "we are here". "Where do I look" I said, he motioned his arm in an arc to suggest everywhere and my heart sank, already seeing large flocks of terns, herons, waders and gulls everywhere. Good stuff for a Brit to see any day of course, Greater & Lesser Sandplover, Marsh Sandpipers, Terek Sandpipers, uncountable numbers of Stilts, large noisy locks of Common and Whiskered Terns, Great White Egrets, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, many groups of Red-necked Stints.

I stood there scoping in all directions thinking "I am screwed, there is too much to look at nobody else here and I only have 3-4 hours. But my resolve kicked in, "well get on with looking properly" I said to myself and walked towards a dilapidated hut, where a woman with bins sat. Suddenly noticing the big sign with a lovely photo of my target bird, I said "is this here?"..."yes" she said, "today?"...."yes"..........."where?" .....the same arm arcing motion followed and I walked on thinking "does no-one speak darn English here?"

I turned left at the first junction of bund wall, got to the next junction about 60 yards further and noticed two photographers sat very low down along the bund wall 120 yards to my right, with cameras pointing to my left, so sat down and began scoping and less than 10 minutes of panning around, my eyes fell on this fantastic little wader, as my brain realised what I was looking at, I had a sharp intake of breath and a massive warm tingle all over, "there it is, oh wow".

Spoon-billed Sandpiper with Marsh Sandpiper Pak Thale 25th Nov 2012

I took about 120 pics with my iphone, but again the air con had played havoc with the clarity of the lens and ability to capture anything in focus. Either way I found a second bird about 40 yard further along the same bund wall. Also present were Terek Sandpiper, Greater Sandplover, Kentish Plover, Red-necked Stint, untold Black Winged Stilt, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Pacific Golden plover, amazing how light conditions make waders look so different, plus when you patch bird the UK, or even twitch rarities you only see one bird, so seeing flocks of everything is very cool, but takes getting used to.

A local guy walked up to me as I pointed the two birds out and he said there were actually 5 there, but he said he could not believe my luck in finding 2 on my own on my first visit and seemed flabbergasted I had to leave in 2-3 more hours to return to the Philippines. He was a ringer and actually more interested in the leg tagged Red Necked Stint nearby, which he had ringed in Taiwan, so he was very chuffed with that.

On getting back to the car parking area, I chatted with him some more and was told Nordman's Greenshank wasn't in yet, because the winter winds had not happened so far. I can vouch for that as was over 90 at 07:45. He did direct me to the best spot for Gtreat Knot and seeing these I also took distant snaps of some Terek Sands, Temminck's Stint, Sandplovers, Broad-billed Sandpiper and afew other bits.

Great White Egret 25th Nov Pak Thale

Terek & Marsh Sandpiper, Red-Necked Stint 25th Nov Pak Thale

Sandplover flock & Broad-Billed Sandpipers 25th Nov Pak Thale

Multitude of waders including Great Knot 25th Nov Pak Thale

Gull Billed Tern 25th Nov Pak Thale

Pacific Golden Plover 25th Nov Pak Thale

Painted Stork 25th Nov Pak Thale

Marsh Sandpiper 25th Nov Pak Thale

Pacific Golden Plover & Temminck's Stints 25th Nov Pak Thale

2 Purple Needtails with House Swifts over Bloomfields

I was just collecting laundry from around the corner, when I looked up and saw 2 very large swifts, but foolishly had left my bins at home. As it was only 150 yards, I shouted "I'll be back in a minute" and ran back home, grabbed my bins and rushed outside again. Looking from my drive I could see them still and grabbed my scope, not wasting any time extending the tripod legs I crouched down and looked up to confirm my immediate thoughts, 2 Purple Needletail with about 40-50 House Swift, which they dwarfed.

As Bloomfields is as good as a second home, then that is a pretty darn good garden tick! And a better view than at Subic.

Bloomfields housing estate birds

I like a pre dawn little walk around Bloomfields housing estate, firstly it a cooler and quiter than at any other time of day....but not for long, the kids here have to leave stupidly early to battle with the traffic just to get to school on time.

First thing you see around 05:30 is hundreds and hundreds of Swallows and Pacific Swallows heading out West from the roost at SM Fairview. I have seen the roost on the advertising hordings for the last 3 visits since 2008, so no reason to believe this will change, I haven't checked it properly for other hirundines, so will do that when we are back from a 2 day trip into Makati.

As soon as I got out this morning I had an Osprey over and the usual Glossy Swiftlets.

Tree Sparrow and Yellow Vented Bulbul are abundant, but my favourite estate bird, the Brown Shrikes are always on show, all ages, very confiding, often squabbling with Pied Fantails and giving their rattling call:

 

 

Today I had my first perched Olive Backed Sunbird on the estate, as I generally only see them going over.

The Straited Grassbird is obviously local too, not seen this here in the previous two visits.