I've not been able to update my blog for nearly 2 years! Well the last post I wrote was January 2022! Things just got so hectic entire year mostly guiding birders, and shorebirds count. I hardly have time to...
I've not been able to update my blog for nearly 2 years! Well the last post I wrote was January 2022! Things just got so hectic entire year mostly guiding birders, and shorebirds count. I hardly have time to stay at home long enough to allow me to write. Now it's already December 2023 and I've just managed to have time to really sit down and at least relax a little. So here it is, first update since my last post, though not in chronological order of happenings since Dec 2022.
Among Philippine's endemic bird species that is very tough to see and is not a ground bird, which very few people had seen them are two Jungle Flycatchers. One in Mindanao , and the other, in Luzon. I've been one of the few very lucky people in terms of having seen both Goodfellow's Jungle Flycatcher and Luzon Jungle Flycatcher! Apart from their very secretive nature, well, typical of Jungle Flycatchers that nearly doesn't make a sound most of the time, the Luzon version, nobody ever heard the call or have a recording. Until April 2023, I cannot believe the luck and blessing of the forest deities has showered upon us in 2 days of birding. I don't normally blog about my work ( guiding work) but this is an exception.
April 2023 custom tour. We did first day of the tour in Luzon, going to the mossiest part of the forest, birds in and out of the area yet not a single flick or sign of my birder's target bird. It is not a Lifer for me, I've seen it once before and heard the song on another visit, but the call itself, no one has a recording! In my usual practice, I always tell people straight forward the chances of seeing their target bird/s. So, of course I advised my birder that I don't have the call, and it is up to him if he still wants me to guide for this target and I do my best to help out find the target. Though I cannot find or call the bird at will, due to no recording to use. So this very clear " needle in haystack" kind of guiding was agreed. Despite no target bird seen on day one, our day 1 was filled with Whiskered Pitta! Yes, no joke, I counted how many on the stretch of distance we did, it was 10 in all. Our day did not end too bad as we got mega walk away views of Pitta and we got many other things.
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| Whiskered Pitta. Haha found way higher than the altitude limit of what the new Ph bird field guide says! No credit grabbing please from other sources but I and my team of real scientists suspect the species actually lives in higher altitude than previously thought by data compilation of Philippine bird books. ICD 2023 |
Day 2 of the custom tour, I thought to myself we try what we can get on day 2. For some unexplained reason, that morning, I was so calm, just felt like the nature is calling me , drawing me to it in the sense it just feels like it is talking to me that I will see the bird we are looking for. Without a clue prior to the moment of course, but perhaps just an intuition. It made my heart so calm like it was so assured of something. My birder went on ahead as I was looking for a place to pee haha! After which, I was walking alone to catch up with him, I heard this call I've never heard before, and instantly I froze. My heart froze , my feet froze right on the spot as I listened as the bird! It was just like the day I was birding with Tonji and Sylvia,Yann, in Mindanao that Yann and myself separately heard Mindanao Miniature Babbler on the same day though he was ahead of me, and both recognize and seeing the bird so we both got first and 2nd ever recording ( respectively) of the bird in the same morning! This time, it was same feeling Bam! Light bulb moment!! It could be our target bird calling!! This time it was not like March 2020 song ( not the call but song) where the bird only sang its song 1 round and went quiet. So this time I had enough time to pull out recorder to record before it stopped calling! This time it is the call itself. But where is my birder??? I must find my birder first to be sure he sees the bird. So, quickly, I waited until we were together to play it back. We just looked at each other knowing this could be it, and the moment I played it back, this large size bird shot out of the mossy bits and across into the branches!! I had to manage the recorder by stopping it after a short snippet of playing, as the bird shot out, while my birder being sharp eyes caught onto it right away, OMG! This is it!!! Luzon Jungle Flycatcher he said! I quickly looked, and oh my gosh ! To actually watch it vocalize and listening to it in situ was heart stopping moment! I cannot believe how lucky that day was! All I could say after was telling my birder to quickly take his shots, and after which I am certain he got good views and shot, luckily the bird stayed for me to get a shot just in time before it flew off! I cannot thank the forest goddess enough for giving us what we needed! I must commend my birder, instead of wanting more photos with the call I have, he also chose not to keep playing the recording and stress the bird. Yeah we had about 2 to 3 more rounds of seeing it with excellent views before we walked away from its hiding place.
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| Luzon Jungle Flycatcher omg first recording and my second time to see this species! What a beauty! Well I only managed 1 click of bursts then that's it! ICD2023 |
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| My very own recording and first recording of the species, if I am not mistaken that nobody every heard its call before nor have recording! ICD April 2023 |
Why I decided not publish the sound onto public forum Xeno Canto. Because I know there people in the very small community of Philippine birders who would play calls non stop to get perfect shots ( not only photographers!). Well, after I happen to bump into one of the tour leaders in January this year, playing call on Luzon Scops Owl along Infanta road from 4:00am to 5:00am with his clients, I thought it is a good decision not give the call out for people have the tool to harass this precious jungle treasure. For me, birding is a calling and part if it is protect the species and nature. To be lucky enough with blessings by nature on rare birds like this, it is part of my duty and conscience to contribute to protection of these species from being harassed, hunted, poached, as best as I can. But yes, this will not be lost, future generations for research of the bird can get the recording directly from me or my files keeper.
Amazingly, some months later, I saw the species again without using call at all! So happy to have seen it again ! Just being at the right time and right place. I mean I could be there a few minutes earlier or a few minutes later I would have not seen it, but just being there when it was there doing its thing in the mossy forest, made the difference! I still cannot believe the blessing from nature and very thankful to have seen this species three times in my life at the moment! Well, not that I am intentionally looking for it, but yeah I am extremely happy my birder on my April custom tour got his target!
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| Some months later, I saw the species again!! How can I not feel so lucky with having 3rd time of seeing this without using calls even when I got the first recording. Very thankful to nature gods for the blessing! ICD2023 |