Birdwatching in the Philippines

A Special Treat to All the Nature Lovers Out There...

Philippines is a perfect place to be! With 7,100 islands, there is such a variety to choose and there are other attractions too.

Picture yourself traveling along to the north side of the country where the pine-clad mountains and cool, clear air resides and when you turn in the south there are steaming jungles and virgin forests waiting for you to discover. Many visitors chooses to travel hundred miles of over difficult mountains roads just to watch 612 bird species only found within the archipelago. Add to those 8 species mainly found within the islands and one can see the attraction for birding there. Hence, many visiting birders are told -visit now before it is too late...

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Asian Odyssey, 1966

The film includes footage of the President's meeting with other heads of state at the Manila Conference and footage of President Johnson being received by heads of state in the countries he visited, including the prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia, President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, the King and Queen of Thailand, and the President of South Korea. The film includes substantial footage shot aboard Air Force One.

Amazon Price: (as of 05/17/2008)

Great Books About the Birds in the Philippines

A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines

by Robert S. Kennedy, Pedro C. Gonzales, Edward C. Dickinson, Hector Miranda, Timothy H. Fisher

A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines is the first and only guide that covers all 572 species of birds known to occur within the 7,100 islands that make up the Philippines. The Philippine avifauna includes some 170 endemics - species that are not found anywhere else in the world - and is thus of interest to avid birders around the world. Many of these species are also endangered, due to the high levels of habitat destruction in the Philippine forest, and this book is also urgently needed by conservation workers in the region. The Guide is illustrated by 72 specially painted colour plates that show all but the three vagrant species recently recorded there. Its text gives detailed information about the plumage, voice, range, distribution, status, habitat, life history and behaviour of the birds and is accompanied by distribution maps for all the species described. The expert team of authors and artists includes two prominent Philippine ornithologists, and has combined field experience summing to over 100 years. This book clearly will be the standard for Philippine Ornithology for many years to come.

Amazon Price: $68.60 (as of 05/17/2008)

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia: Including the Philippines and Borneo (Princeton Field Guides)

by Morten Strange

This is the very first comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Borneo, including the birds of Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Indochina, South China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Covering 668 species, the volume contains a distribution map for each species in addition to more than 700 brilliant color photographs, many appearing here for the first time. The photographs are complemented by a concise text providing all the information needed to accurately identify species in one of the world's richest avifauna regions.

Given the notorious difficulty of photographing rainforest birds, this book represents a major achievement. It is an ideal volume for travelers to the region as well as for all bird lovers.

Amazon Price: $25.04 (as of 05/17/2008)

A First Look At Philippine Birds - Philippine Book

Acclaimed by The Philippine Star as extremely handsome books that prove beyond doubt that biology need not be dreary school fare, This series aims to sharpen young childs skill of observation. Only two goals governed the making of these books: to help children understand basic classification in biology and zoology, and to open their eyes to the glorious diversity of the world around them.

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Commonly found Birds in the Philippines

All Pictures Taken by our Flickr Friends...

There are three things that have proved too wonderful for me, and four that I have not come to know: the way of an eagle in the heavens, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the heart of the sea and the way of an able-bodied man with a maiden...Prov.30:18-19

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List of birds of the Philippines: Non-passeries
Grebes, Shearwaters and Petrels, Tropicbirds, Pelicans, Boobies and Gannets, Cormorants, Darters, Frigatebirds, Bitterns, Herons and Egrets, Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills, Ducks, Geese and Swans, Osprey, Hawks, Kites and Eagles, Caracaras and Falcons, Megapodes, Pheasants and Partridges, Buttonquails, Cranes, Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots, Jacanas, Painted Snipes, Avocet and Stilts, Thick-knees, Pratincoles and Coursers, Plovers and Lapwings, Sandpipers and Allies, Skuas and Jaegers, Gulls, Terns, Pigeons and Doves, Cockatoos, Parrots, Macaws and allies, Cuckoos and anis, Barn Owls, Typical owls, Frogmouths, Nightjars, Swift, Treeswift, Tragons and Quetzals, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Typical Rollers, Hoopoes, Hornbills, Barbets, Woodpeckers and allies.

Passeries
Broadbills . Pittas . Larks . Swallows and Martins . Wagtails and Pipits . Cuckoo-shrikes . Bulbuls . Leafbirds . Ioras . Thrushes and allies . Cisticolas and allies . Old World warblers . Old World flycatchers . Fantails . Monarch flycatchers . Whistlers and allies . Babblers . Thornbills and allies . Chickadees and Titmice . Nuthatches . Philippine creepers . Sunbirds and Spiderhunters . Flowerpeckers . White-eyes . Old World Orioles . Fairy-bluebirds . Shrikes . Drongos . Woodswallows . Crows, Jays, Ravens and Magpies . Starlings . Waxbills and allies . Buntings, Sparrows, Seedeaters and allies . Siskins, Crossbills and allies . Sparrows .

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Basic Facts on Birding in the Philippines

The bird-watcher's life is an endless succession of surprises. W.H.Hudson -The Book of a Naturalist

The list of non-endemics reaches around 300 species although this has been increasing each year as more people regularly bird-watch and more foreign tours visit the islands. It is important that trip reports be relayed to the recording body so that valuable data may be gathered to add to what is currently a largely word-of-mouth list of sightings and numbers.

There are three generally recognized geographical regions - Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, although for birdwatchers the area of Palawan is a 4th region that must be treated separately.

Luzon
The largest island with a limited number of associated islands off the north and east coasts, Luzon contain all the major habitats from mossy forest to marshlands. Due to logging there is extremely limited lowland forest left but within most mountainous areas small remnants of forest can be found. The island is relatively easy and safe to move around and with fairly good transportation links. There are a few birdwatching sites within or close to Metro Manila but most endemics are found scattered a day or two`s travel away.

The Visayas
The belt of the Philippine archipelago, the Visayas consist of the majority of the islands. In ornithological terms there are two or three major areas - the Negros/Panay complex in the west, Cebu in the centre and the Bohol/Samar/Leyte group to the east, which have many shared species with Mindanao to the south. Environmental degradation in this region is extreme - especially in the east where several species are located in very small forest patches and some species may even be already extinct or in non-sustainable situations. Travel is again not difficult and the area is generally peaceful and easy to access. With most of the islands being small, travel time to sites is normally a day although there are no formal organised transportation links and most visitors use local guides.

Mindanao
A large island close to Borneo, Mindanao is also all to often seen in the news or travel advisory lists as a place to avoid. Instability does occur but in general it is within certain areas and other regions are peaceful and the people receptive. With a host of endemics, and being the last holdout for the Philippine Eagle, one can see why most people still want to visit but areas are restricted and travel mainly must be done with prior organization or with extra days on hand to move about.

Palawan
Some of the easiest birding in the country and set in a truly tropical setting, Palawan is a favourite for anyone. With its own set of birds quite distinct to the rest of the country and a good set of migrants it makes a pleasant change from the hard work of the heavily trapped and bird-poor forests of the rest of the Philippines.

Other wildlife
As with other tropical countries the forests abound with insects and reptiles making a pleasant diversion while waiting to see a bird. Orchids are also abundant and as with the birds, endemism is also common across all the biological wildlife.

Weather & other considerations
Although Mindanao has a more equatorial climate to the northern areas in general the islands are governed by a dual season climate - wet (June-October) and dry (December - April). Temperatures are normally between 25-35 although the mountains can be cold at night in the early part of the year. Malaria remains in a very few areas but is not a major problem and other diseases are not significant. Most normal facilities (food, health care, airports etc.) are available within a day`s trek of any of the birding sites.

Birding around Manila
Within the city are two main sites that are easily accessible to a visitor; the American Memorial cemetery and the Libingan ng mga Bayani (or National Heroes cemetery). Both have a small selection of birds and are a good place to see passage migrants. Just to the south of Manila and about a 2 hour drive lies Mount Makiling which holds a good number of wet lowland forest endemics and is worth a visit at any time of year. Rather basic accommodation is available locally for those wanting an early start although many people do the site on a day-trip basis. Also 2 hours to the south lies a forested area known as Pico do Loro although a reference to Caylabne Bay or Puerto Azul (beach resorts) would be more likely to get you there. A dry lowland forest it has many shared species with Makiling and also a few others, which are not.

Source

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Common Scene in Candaba

A mixed flock of Terns and Egrets congregate at a drained fishpond in Pasig, Candaba, Pampanga, Philippines.

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Birdwatching in the Philippines

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A Special Treat to All the Nature Lovers Out There...

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Common Scene in Candaba

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