The Philippines

14th February – 6th March 2010

Leader: Rob Hutchinson

Participants: Halsey Bradford, Marcel Capello, Stuart Keenan,
Steve Kornfeld, Wilfried Mahu, Dermot O’Mahony and Oliver Ziesing

Silvery Kingfisher, PICOP, Mindanao © Rob Hutchinson / Birdtour Asia

Another immensely enjoyable trip around the Philippines archipelago drew together dedicated birders from around the globe in search of the unsurpassed endemic bonanza on offer. Birding in the Philippines is always challenging and this year the continued habitat destruction in lowland Mindanao, plus the effects of an el nino weather system made things difficult but our hard work was greatly rewarded. Among the perennial favourites; Philippine Eagle, Spotted Wood Kingfisher, Blue Capped Wood Kingfisher, Silvery Kingfisher, Philippine Scops Owl, Short-crested Monarch, three species of pitta including great views of Steere’s and Red-bellied, and our old friend the ever-reliable Palawan Peacock Pheasant were particularly appreciated , while our views of Philippine Frogmouth were particularly noteworthy.
Less expected sightings included a superb Luzon Scops Owl, Ashy Thrush and a delightful male Celestial Monarch – one of the most threatened of the islands specialities.
Habitat destruction, particularly on Mindanao, continues apace and our advice for anyone who hasn’t already been is to make a Philippines tour a priority in order to enjoy the amazing biodiversity while you still can.

We started our tour this year on the main island of Luzon, leaving the capital Manila early for our first destination of Candaba Marshes. Even before first light we had seen Australasian Grass Owl in the spot-light along the access road and dawn saw us excited watching this small but incredibly active marsh. An abundance of Black-crowned Night Herons, Purple Herons and Yellow Bitterns were always on show and we were soon picking out others such as odd Cinnamon Bittern, Philippine Swamphens, Barred Rails on the tracks, Pheasant-tailed Jacana on floating vegetation and White-browed Crakes on the muddy margins. Open water attracted Little Grebe, Eurasian Teal, Garganey, Shoveler, Coot, the scarce Common Pochard hiding among the Tufted Ducks and most importantly the endemic Philippine Duck.
Whiskered Terns were hawking over the marshes as Oriental Pratincoles swooped overhead, while scrubby margins held Australasian Reed Warblers, Zitting Cisticola, Red Collared Dove and the proposed split of Philippine Collared Doves perching nicely. Making our way around the pools we pulled in an excited pair of Golden-bellied Gerygones, and on the back side of the pools a female Pied Harrier both perched and in flight. We finished with an Australasian Bushlark on the access road as we departed.
A full breakfast nearby provided sustenance for the long drive north into the Cordillera Mountains and the town of Banaue, adding Eastern Jungle Crow and Common Kestrel – a scarce winter visitor – from the coach, then a stop closer to our destination found a philippinesis Blue Rock Thrush on a mountain river.

Sulphur-billed Nuthatch and Flame-crowned Flowerpecker, Luzon © Rob Hutchinson

The next morning we left early as always when we head to the Mount Polis pass above Banaue but while our searches for Luzon Scops Owl are usually forlorn, on this occasion a calling bird responded extremely well and within a few minutes this delightfully little owl was posing perfectly on a mossy branch at eye-level and just a few metres distant, hopefully a sign of things to come! As daylight broke we soon added the endemic Mountain Shrike in open fields near the pass and had our first sighting of Luzon Bush Warbler, so common that they were rarely out of ear-shot over the next few days. As we made our way down along the forested road Chestnut-faced Babbler and Green-backed Whistler were added, then Oliver’s sharp eyes picked out our first Scale-feathered Malkoha and ‘Luzon’ Blue-headed Fantail played hide-and-seek for some time before showing for us all. No calling Flame-breasted Fruit Dove could be located but we enjoyed the commoner montane bird like Philippine Mountain Warbler, Mountain White-eyes, Mountain Verditer, Mountain Tailorbird, delightful Metallic-winged Sunbirds and other treats along the road included a very confiding male anthonyi Flame-crowned Flowerpecker and some of us got glimpses of Benguet Bush Warblers which came in extremely close but remained stubbornly hidden for the most part among the grasses. The lower altitudes added Philippine Bulbul, dapper Elegant Tits and active Sulphur-billed Nuthatch as well as Olive-backed Pipits tail-pumping on roadside wires.
After a relaxing field-lunch at our ‘spaceship’ restaurant we made the pilgrimage down the valley below Bay-yo village to the fast-flowing river below for the regular pair of Luzon Water Redstarts, bobbing and diving around from the nearby rocks. Also in this area were Striated Heron and White-throated Kingfisher along the river and Philippine Serpent Eagle nearby before we then headed back to Banaue for some birding in the Hotel garden including the hoped-for Yellowish White-eyes and a Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, House Swift and Striated Swallows.
The next morning again began with pre-dawn looks at the same Luzon Scops Owl which incredibly managed to show at even closer range than on the previous day! Not long after Long-tailed Ground Warbler was teased out onto the roadside and views were very good of this elusive skulker. Moving straight to a favoured area of Flame-breasted Fruit Dove this time found a calling bird and with a great view of the forested slope a sighting seemed inevitable but it frustration went quite after some time and slinked away without a glimpse. Island Thrush were seen well around here and Brown-headed Thrush was seen briefly. We also heard Luzon Racquet-tails before heading down to lower altitudes where the Benguet Bush Warblers were still skulking but nice feeding groups added Little Pied Flycatcher and Citrine Canary Flycatchers. During the heat of the day we explored a forest trail and although birding was slow, most of us had views of one of the several White-browed Shortwings which periodically burst into song from the understory.

Luzon Water Redstart, female and male, Luzon © Rob Hutchinson

We also added Himalayan Buzzard today and in the afternoon returned to try again for the fruit dove, producing nice sightings of other species but not the target.
We left early the next day to avoid the worst of the traffic and arrive at Subic in time for some afternoon birding as this is a key site for several endemics. This worked well at we were at our Subic hotel by lunch time and soon out looking for the specialities. Even in the heat of the mid-afternoon we found our first Philippine Falconet, Green Racquet-tails (fly-bys on this occasion), wintering Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Bar-bellied and Blackish Cuckooshrikes.
Elsewhere the quiet roads through the former naval magazine gave us great views of Luzon Flameback (our first split from the Greater Flameback complex in the islands), Northern Sooty Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker, Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, our first Ashy Minivets, Stripe-headed Rhabdornis, Blue-naped Parrot and Luzon Hornbill.
The next morning began with some owling and we succeeded in capturing a Philippine Boobook in the spotlight after several close passes overhead and Great Eared Nightjars hawked harrier-like above. On the roads again we soon found a perched Luzon Hawk Eagle and a Philippine Cuckoo Dove, though it took quite some effort to finally track down a group of White-fronted Tits and even then they didn’t hang around for long.
Hitting a forest trail found things rather quiet a distant Amethyst Brown Dove call sent us scurrying towards the call and a few seconds of playback had it perched right overhead! We also found more Ashy Minivets and had good views of a pair of Green-backed Tailorbirds. A group of Rufous Coucals (with attendant Red-crested Malkoha and Philippine Coucal) which called consistently but hid well in the bamboo giving only views then eventually slinked away again.
Other birds seen during our time at Subic included Green Imperial Pigeons, Philippine Green Pigeons, White-eared Brown Dove, Peregrine Falcon, Island Swiftlet, Whiskered Treeswift, Coppersmith Barbet, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Black-naped Oriole, Coleto, Crested Myna (introduced but smart nevertheless) and two delightful little parrots in the guise of Guaiabero and Colasisi.
We delayed our departure back to Manila in the afternoon to allow another short birding session and despite the heat we were rewarded with great views of White-lored Oriole, then as we departed a Green Racquet-tail was spotted perched in a roadside tree so we all piled out to enjoy wonderful ‘scope views. We then happily returned to Manila for an overnight stay before departing the next morning to Mindanao.

We flew in the early morning to Cagayan de Oro and after a nice breakfast down on the seafront we headed south until we could see the magnificent, forested Kitanglad range of mountains emerging from the agricultural fields which cover most of this area. While our luggage was loaded onto horses for the traditional transportation into town we were fortunate this year to be able to take a small truck most of the way up to our camp, saving us the energetic climb up and optimising birding time, indeed the first group to be dropped scored with a pair of Philippine Eagles soaring distantly around the mountain tops and all of us had great views of Purple Needletails whizzing past.
In the afternoon our first foray on the lower parts of the mountain produced our first Mindanao Hornbill, Philippine Leaf Warbler, Short-tailed Starlings, Grey-hooded Sunbirds and Cinnamon Ibon, then at dusk we waited at a forest clearing where Philippine Nightjars were spot-lighted feeding and after dark we had wonderful views of a hairy-faced Philippine Frogmouth next to the camp.
Our first full day on the mountain was dedicated to finding the magnificent Philippine Eagle, the national bird of the Philippines. There was more beside of course and our first stop was in an area of sunflowers often frequented by Red-eared Parrotfinches. Occasional calls told us that the parrotfinches were around but it took a while before they finally headed up into the flowers to feed, allowing us superb scope views of this colourful skulker.

Philippine Frogmouth, Mount Kitanglad, Mindanao © Rob Hutchinson /Birdtour Asia

Our onward walk to the viewpoint produced Crested Goshawk, Olive-capped Flowerpecker, good views of Mindanao Racquet-tails passing overhead and a good showing by several Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis.
Once we reached a suitable viewpoint, with a great panorama of the adjacent forested hills and valleys and all eyes set about diligently scanning with Peregrine Falcon first to appear. There was plenty to distract us including Philippine Swiftlet, our first Apo Myna and a smart White-cheeked Bullfinch calling away in the nearby trees.
It was early afternoon when a large white shape appeared in the tree-tops down in the valley, it was the eagle of course and we had nice scope views of the bi-coloured bill and shaggy crest before it flew further down into the valley. More waiting didn’t produce more sightings so in the mid afternoon we made our way down to camp, picking up Rufous-headed Tailorbirds and towards dusk both Rusty-breasted Cuckoo and Philippine Hawk Cuckoo were seen well in the camp clearing.
Our aim the next day was to get higher up the mountain in search of some remaining targets. The walk up brought one of the major highlights of the trip when the huge shadow of a Philippine Eagle passed low over the canopy and a rush to the next clearing found the bird circling beautifully overhead.
On the walk up we added Black-masked White-eye and smart grey-white-and-black McGregor’s Cuckooshrike with mixed flocks which also attracted Mugimaki Flycatcher among the more regular species. A pair of Snowy-browed Flycatchers circled us and with so many distractions it was late morning when we arrived in suitable mossy forest but the birds were still active with a female Apo Sunbird performing almost immediately, then a decidedly more attractive male some time later. In the same area both White-throated Pigeon and Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove showed. We had been searching very hard on the mountain for Blue-capped Wood Kingfisher since the alternative sites at PICOP looked likely to be inaccessible, and it was while watching the sunbirds that we finally heard the distinctive calls and found a stunning male Blue-capped Wood Kingfisher. Some of the group had already started to head down to the nearby viewpoint for lunch but fortunately this obliging bird was relocated when they returned. Apo Myna were particularly common in the higher areas with some large groups noted, and several White-cheeked Bullfinches were again seen. During the walk down again a Philippine Falconet and more Mindanao Hornbills were seen.

Other regulars seen during our stay were Elegant Tits (here the mindanensis subspecies), Philippine Mountain Warbler, Sulphur-billed Nuthatches, Bown Tit-babblers, the common Eye-browed Thrush, Mindanao Drongo, several Philippine Cuckoo Doves, Yellow-bellied Whistler, Black-and-cinnamon Fantail and in more open areas; Paddyfield Pipit, Eastern Yellow Wagtail and both Tawny and Striated Grassbirds.
Much of the next day was taken up by the long drive to Bislig on the east coast of Mindanao but we did manage some birding around the camp before our departure which after a lot of effort produced brief views of a pair of Bukidnon Woodcocks (very difficult at this time as they had finished ‘roding’), more Buzzing Flowerpeckers, Cinnamon Ibon and a stunning Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove. Once in Bislig we revelled in the hot showers and prepared for three days in the bird-rich Mindanao lowlands.
Our first morning started in a logged area where the few remaining tall trees produced several new species including Striped Flowerpecker, Philippine Leafbird and amazingly one of the old trees which remains provided the ideal fallen, epyphite-covered branch to support a Naked-faced Spiderhunter nest. A stop for a roadside Philippine Drongo Cuckoo was a good move as it was the only one recorded then moving to another forest fragment we were greeted by Philippine Needletails overhead and a Steere’s Pitta was soon encouraged to call, then showed well as he called away in the ‘scope. While watching the pitta, Rufous-lored Kingfishers began to call nearby so having had our fill we then tracked down the Rufous-lored Kingfishers for some of my best ever looks at this smart species.
Further along the same trail we found our only Philippine Oriole of the tour, a rather skittish group of Striated Ground Babblers, then a Philippine Fairy Bluebird which came in close to investigate us, and a stunning male Short-crested Monarch. Our first Rusty-crowned Babbler and Mindanao Pygmy Babbler were logged besides Rufous-fronted Tailorbird, Philippine Leaf Warbler, Yellow-wattled Bulbul, Yellowish Bulbul, Scarlet Minivet and a female Violet Cuckoo.

Philippine Eagle, Mount Kitanglad, Mindanao © Rob Hutchinson /Birdtour Asia

Our afternoon was spent in a large forest clearing where scanning produced no less than 17 flyover Writhed Hornbills and commoner species like Coleto and Philippine Falconets.
A long drive out into the concession the next morning was eagerly anticipated as the best chance of finding the rare Celestial Monarch. First highlight though was a fly-over Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeon, then a very obliging group of Striated Ground Babblers which were much more showy than the previous day. Sadly the illegal loggers had already reached this remote forest and two monarch territories from recent years had been destroyed, but then amazingly we heard the distinctive call further along the track and up Steve spotted the male Celestial Monarch as he sang from a nearby tree and most people had views before he dropped down the gully again – a thrilling sighting, but tinted with sadness as this area was already badly damaged by logging and set to disappear completely. As a Black-chinned Fruit Dove sat quietly in the canopy was new, another nested Naked-faced Spiderhunter was found, and another Short-crested Monarch gave fine views leading everyone to agree that contra the field guide illustrations this is actually the most attractive endemic monarch!

In the afternoon we made our way back towards Bislig, first stop being at the favoured pond of a pair of Silvery Kingfishers, and they performed beautifully as we admired the intricate silver spangling on the head and wings, indigo-toned body, and bright red feet. When then spent the late afternoon at Bislig Airfield. A Blue-breasted Quail was soon seen in flight, a distant perched Osprey was new for the tour and we had fine studies of the distinctive dubius subspecies of Little Ringed Plover. By using the jeepney roof as an elevated hide we saw Cinnamon, Yellow and Black Bitterns, Wandering Whistling Ducks, Philippine Ducks, a brief Australasian Grass Owl and many hundreds of Eastern Yellow Wagtails flying over to roost.

Short-crested Monarch and Philippine Serpent Eagle, PICOP, Mindanao

Metallic-winged and Grey-throated Sunbirds, PICOP © Rob Hutchinson

The next morning we again left early for night-birding and this time struck lucky with a Chocolate Boobook which circled right around us before perching up in full view for some minutes. After dawn the nearby forest found a Red-bellied Pitta glowing scarlet in the understory, a male Philippine Trogon and a pair of Blue Fantails were amazingly the only ones seen of this usually common species. A few Black-faced Coucals nearby were a welcome sight after hearing them frequently and a nearby fruiting tree attracting Bicolored Flowerpeckers and Handsome Sunbird was appreciated. We finished the morning battling with a calling Black-headed Tailorbird which finally gave us all nice views.
Our lunch break and afternoon stake-out of a nearby clearing gave much improved views of Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeons, both Bar-bellied and Black-bibbed Cuckooshrikes, and a male Violet Cuckoo was infinitely more colourful then the female previously.
Other regulars during our time at PICOP were Mindanao Hornbills, Mindanao Paradise Flycatchers, Everett’s White-eye, Grey-throated Sunbird, Metallic-winged Sunbird, Oriental Magpie Robin and daily sightings of Philippine Falconet. Other Raptors were well represented by multiple sightings each of Philippine Serpent Eagle, Steere’s Honey Buzzard and Pinsker’s Hawk Eagle.
We had time for a final few hours of birding on the final morning, time enough to finally see Mindanao Boobook which glided overhead pre-dawn then some diligent scanning found Rufous Hornbills for a few of us. More dubius Little Ringed Plovers were a surprise find in this location and we had great looks at more Philippines Needletails with accompanying Purple Needletails allowing a nice comparison of the distinctive structure of these species.
Then it was time to head to Davao and an evening flight to Manila where the huge hotel buffet didn’t disappoint!

Rufous-lored Kingfisher and Silvery Kingfisher, PICOP, Mindanao © Rob Hutchinson

Lowland White-eye and Philippine Scops Owl, Mount Makiling, Luzon © Rob Hutchinson

We left early to Mount Makiling the next morning, taking breakfast en-route, in order to try and catch some of the best birds which only usually show in the early mornings. This worked a treat! We were in place on the mountain well before dawn adding a flyover Philippine Scops Owl as we waited then just as it started a get light an Ashy Thrush appeared right where we expected it to feed on the road and fed for a few minutes allowing good detail to be seen through the scope before it this elusive zoothera disappeared into the forest for the day. Next up was Spotted Wood Kingfisher which had been calling all around in the darkness but then a pair was seen well, allowing us to admire the intricate plumage of this large forest-dwelling kingfisher. Further exploration located a White-browed Shama, Philippine Trogon, Scale-feathered Malkoha, Red-crested Malkoha, Elegant Tits, Lemon-throated Leaf Warbler, noisy groups of Luzon Balicassiao, Luzon Hornbill and Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike although Luzon Bleeding-heart was only heard. A Grey-backed Tailorbird gave nice views and Flaming Sunbirds were attracted to their favourite red flowers.

In the afternoon we dropped down onto the adjacent university campus to look for a different set of birds. A small river there is a regular hang-out for Indigo-banded Kingfishers and it didn’t take long for us to locate a male feeding quietly from the boulders in the river. In the same area Lowland White-eyes gave particularly good views as they seemed intrigued by our presence. We then visited nearby grassland where it didn’t take long before we had both Barred and the endemic Spotted Buttonquails in the ‘scope and we turned around at just the right moment to enjoy a pair of Plain Bush-hen crossing the track! After this rapid success we set off for a nearby area of rice-fields finding an Oriental Skylark singing sweetly overhead while the fields were packed with Wood Sandpipers and Little Ringed Plovers.

The next morning we again headed up the mountain in the dark, and this was rewarded by two great views of Philippine Scops Owl; the first remarkably perched on a roadside sign! And another which responded angrily to playback higher up the mountain, staring down at us with piercing orange eyes. Two Philippine Boobooks were also seen at dawn but there was no sign today of the Ashy Thrush, presumably disturbed by more people descending the mountain. Many of the previous days birds were seen again but we also found Striped Flowerpecker, Yellowish White-eyes, and overhead we also saw an Osprey, Purple Needletails and two Pacific Swifts.
A return to the forest in the afternoon found it incredibly quiet but we stuck it out and eventually found a group of Black-and-white Trillers.
We drove back to Manila the next morning and took our flight out to Puerto Princesa, on the beautiful island of Palawan. First stop was a beach close to the airport where the high tide thwarted our search for Chinese Egret although Pacific Reef Egrets were seen and a few waders roosting in the mangrove roots includes Grey Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler and Ruddy Turnstone. The nearby gardens were more productive, attracting Black-headed, Grey-cheeked, Olive-winged Bulbuls and a stonking Blue Paradise Flycatcher which sat posing in the ‘scope for ages.
After lunch in the town we made our way towards Sabang, making several stops along the way. Asian Drongo Cuckoo, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Yellow-throated Leafbird, Lovely Sunbird, Palawan and Pygmy Flowerpeckers and Sulphur-bellied Bulbul all featured during our first walk while our second stop had amazing views of at least 10 Palawan Hornbills and Brown-backed Needletails zooming overhead.
After dark we headed again into the forest and found a hairy-faced Palawan Frogmouth.
The next morning we set out aboard boats at dawn, skirting the picturesque coastline of St. Pauls National Park, with its impressive limestone peaks and pinnacles cloaked in pristine forest. Our first stop was the ranger station of the famous underground river. Our priority was the birds however and here we found our first White-vented Shama and of course the resident male Palawan Peacock Pheasant was welcoming visitors and posing for stunning views. Tabon Scrubfowl also gave nice close views before we moved on to another rangers station, finding Blue-naped Parrots and more Sulphur-bellied Bulbuls, Lovely Sunbirds and the like. Then followed an energetic walk back to Sabang across a ridge and along a mangrove-lined river where we didn’t find the hoped-for babblers but the tropical beach at the far end came up trumps with a pair of Malaysian Plovers.

Over lunch another visiting bird group kindly flushed up a Watercock from the nearby marsh and Cinnamon and Yellow Bitterns were also seen.
An early start in the afternoon to a forest trail found a singing Palawan Blue Flycatcher then we set off into the sparsely wooded hills behind Sabang. It was a bird-filled walk and one of the first to show was a Hooded Pitta which betrayed its usually skulking nature by flying right passed us and perching in the open! A while later we were able to enjoy an amazing performance from a group of Great Slaty Woodpeckers who danced around each other on dead trees for an eternity. Also seen were our first Ashy-headed Babbler, while open snags were graced by Common Hill Myna and Common Dollarbird. Unfortunately the Blue-headed Racquet-tails which whizzed past were just too fast for most but Chestnut-breasted Malkoha showed much better.
The next morning after a close miss with a Palawan Scops Owl we headed back up the road. A scrambled down a slope bought us very close to a duetting pair of Falcated Ground Babblers but they wouldn’t budge and we left disappointed with only Dark-throated Oriole as compensation. Further along the road we struck lucky with great views of the Blue-headed Racquet-tails; perched, flying, feeding and preening. We couldn’t ask for more!
Back at the lodge we found beautiful Painted Snipe feeding in the adjacent marsh, totalling an impressive 14 individuals.

We set off after lunch, first stopping at an area of mature mangroves were Copper-throated Sunbirds obliged despite the heat and we were soon on our way again to Honda Bay. Here we took a boat out into the bay to Pandan Island, home to some very specialised birds. Our first target gave itself up very easily indeed as we had open, close views of several Grey Imperial Pigeons, as well as Pied Imperial Pigeons and the often elusive Common Koel. This then left us time to explore the mud-flats surrounding the island we found several Chinese Egrets where we enjoyed Kentish Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Grey Plovers, Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Grey-tailed Tattler, Rufous-necked Stint and a Great Crested Tern offshore.
Our other major target waited until after dark to play but fortunately it didn’t take us long to spot-light a Mantanani Scops Owl, and it was difficult to tell whether the groups excitement was due to the fantastic views of the owl or the chance for an early assault on the hotel buffet!
Along the Balsahan trail in the morning, bird activity was sullied a little by the dull weather but we eventually all managed good views of Melodious Babblers and excellent views of Palawan Flycatcher, a smart and colourful little bird which is unrecognisable as the dull little creature illustrated in the field-guide! Ruddy Kingfisher was a highlight as it was ‘scoped calling from high in the canopy and a Pechora Pipit stalking across the forest floor was particularly exciting for the Europeans among us, where this eastern vagrant is extremely desirable. Oriental Honey Buzzard and Crested Serpent Eagle were overhead as were good numbers of Brown-backed Needletail. The nearby rice fields gave us excellent looks at Long-toed Stints, Swinhoe’s Snipe and Black-winged Stilt.
Moving down to Narra, we made a visit to the harbour, noting distant Philippine Cockatoo’s over Rasa Island offshore and a Black-tailed Gull with Brown-headed Gulls there, the former a rare visitor to the Philippines. We didn’t find any more Philippine Cockatoos at their favoured feeding area that afternoon but the next morning we had lovely close views allowing the diagnostic chestnut undertail of this endangered species to be seen. Then it was time to drive back to Puerto Princesa for our flight back to bustling Manila and the culmination of a highly successful tour on which we had found no less than 341 species including 152 of the archipelagos amazing endemics.

Click here to view the Systematic Bird List

Click here to download the report as a pdf

For further information on Birdtour Asia tours to the Philippines please contact us via our e-mail or click here for our scheduled departure tours.