This fall my wife and I spent the month of September in the Philippines visiting my wife's family on the island of Cebu. This is my fifth trip to the country and as usual I managed to find a few days to do some birding. Our home base was my wife's family's house in Minglanilla, south of Cebu City. Our birding trips were to the South Reclamation Area (9/6/09), Olongo Island (9/11/09), Nug-as Forest in southern Cebu (9/16/09) and the Del Monte Lodge on Mount Kitanglad, Mindanao (9/22-23/09). The legendary Tim Fisher and Mike Lu (Philippine Wild Bird Club) provided valuable contact information. Thank you.
There are many excellent trip reports available of the web, mostly by leaders or participants of organized tours. These reports are great for communicating the bird species that can be seen at a particular site. However precious little information is available on logistics. Hopefully the information in this report will prove useful to independent birders visiting the region.
At the time of our trip in September 2009, the exchange rate was about 48 Philippine Pesos to the US Dollar. Most of our days in Cebu were sunny and hot in the morning with afternoon showers. Toward the end of the month the weather became more unsettled with more rain and in fact Manila was hit by a typhoon just before we left. We brought along a cheap, light-weight, Eagle Optics 60mm scope that served us well during our trip.
South Reclamation Area, Cebu City, 9/6/09 We loaded up the family multicab and headed to the South Reclamation Area on the Coastal Highway between Cebu City and Talisay City. I had noticed many birds in the wetlands as we had passed by a few days earlier. We stopped at a pullout and started birding right next to the highway. Birds were plentiful but distant and our scope was put to good use. Things were going well as I pointed out and identified birds for my wife's family members when a good-natured but over-zealous security guard stopped by to tell us the area was restricted and we had to leave. I told him the local bird club had birded the area numerous times and he replied that they had special permission from the mayor of Cebu City. So we had to leave early but not before we had seen the following: Little Egret 2, Philippine Duck 8, Black-winged Stilt 2, Lesser Sand-plover 5, Little Ringed-Plove 5, Kentish Plover 2, Common Greenshank 1, Red-necked Stint 70, Long-toed Stint 3, Chestnut Munia 10
Olongo Island, 9/11/09 Honey and I took a cab from Minglanilla to the Angasil Warf on Mactan Island for 230 pesos. Pump boats leave from here for Olongo Island about every 30 minutes for 10 pesos per person. Boats also leave from the big resorts where boat owners will try to rent a boat for the day for 2000-3000 pesos. After arrival on Olongo we found a tricycle which took us to the "shorebird sanctuary" for 120 pesos. There we paid the entrance fee (100 pesos for me and 20 for Honey). Normally a guide takes visiting birders to the two hides on the coral flats. As I had been there several times before we were allowed to go on our own. From 9AM to 3PM we saw the folowing. Little Egret 45, Little Heron 15, Rufous Night-Heron 1, Black-bellied Plover 5, Lesser Sand-Plover 3, Greater Sandplover 10, Asian Dowitcher 1, Whimbrel 25, Eurasian Curlew 3, Bar-tailed Godwit 8, Common Sandpiper 1, Common Redshank 10, Common Greenshank 5, Ruddy Turnstone 15, Terek Sandpiper 15, Gray-tailed Tattler 40, Curlew Sandpiper 30, Great Knot 5, Red-necked Stint 25, Whiskered Tern 3, Collared Kingfisher 10, Pacific Swallow 5, Brown Shrinke 1, Pied Fantail 1, Golden-bellied Gerygone 6, Olive-backed Sunbird 8, Erasian Tree-Sparrow 5
Nug-as Forest, 9/16/09 We caught a Ceres bus in Minglanilla that was headed south and arrived in Alcoy (69 pesos each) about two hours later. I had earlier called Godfrey Jakosalem (0920-459902) who is a local biologist for the Cebu Biodiversity Consevation Foundation. Godfrey arranged for a habal-habal (motorcycle)to pick us up at our hotel in Alcoy (Bodo's Bamboo Bar Resort) and take us to the Nug-as Forest to meet our guide for the day, Pedro Villarta. The habal-habal driver chardged 150 pesos each way and Pedros's fee was 300 pesos. We were picked up at 4:30AM and arrived at the birding site 30 minutes later where Pedro joined us. Pedro whistled a perfect imitaion of the endemic Black Shama's song and there we had our bird overhead in the predawn mist. We saw five more during the day. Pedro < who speaks very little English, was a great guide who knew most of the forest calls and could do some amazing bird imitations. Of course the almost extinct Cebu Flowerpecker was nowhere to be seen. White-eared Dove 15, Black-chinned Fruit-Dove 5, Emerald Dove 2, Philippine Cuckoo-Dove 1, Brush Cuckoo 3, Philippine Coucal 1, Glossy Swiftlet 10, White-collared Kingfisher 3, Philippine Pygmy-Woodpecker 2, Coppersmith Barbet 12, Hooded Pitta 3, Pied Triller 1, Philippine Bulbul 20, Yellow-vented Bulbul 2, Black Shama 6, Pied Bushchat 2, Lemon-throated Warbler 2, Arctic Warbler 1, Tawny Grassbird 3, Gray-streaked flycatcher 1, Mangrove Flycatcher 1, Citrine Canary-Flycatcher 1, Pied Fantail 4, White-vented Whistler 1, Brown Shrike 2, Asian glossy-Starling 70, Coleto 2, Olive-backed Sunbird 10, Handsome Sunbird 3, Eastern Crimson-Sunbird 5, Red-striped Flowerpecker 8, Pygmy flowerpecker 3, Everett's White-eye 9
We stayed at Bodo's Bamboo Bar Resort along the highway in Alcoy where we had a clean room, with fan and bath, overlooking the highway and ocean for 1270 pesos. The restaurant was very good. It would be possible to stay at the new and clean Nug-as Forest research facility but you would need your own bedding and food. I saw the following from the veranda of our room at the BBB during the afternoon of the 15th. Little Egret 6, Zebra Dov 5, Spotted Dove 4, Glossy Swiftlet 3, Blue-tailed Bee-eater 2, Pied Triller 3, Black-naped Oriole 1, Barn Swallow 3, Pacific Swallow 2, Yellow-vented Bulbul 2, Philippine Bulbul 2, Long-tailed Shrike 2, Brown Shrike 2, Pied Bushchat 3, Eurasian Glossy-Starling 375, Red-keeled Flowerpecker 2, Eurasian Tree-Sparrow 5
Mount Kitanglad-Del Monte Lodge 9/22-23/09 Honey and I flew on Philippines Airlines on the morning of the 21st to Cagayan de Oro and took a taxi across town (250 pesos) to the bus station. The fare for the air-conditioned bus to Malaybalay was 190 pesos each. The guides at the Del Monte Lodge in Damitan Village are Carlito and his son-in-law Danny, who both speak very little English. We had earlier contacted Carlito's daughter, Maricar, (phone 09294586164) who speaks some English. She informed us we needed both guides - Carlito at 1000 pesos/day and Danny at 750 pesos/day. The cost of the lodge was 300 pesos/night which would include Carlito's wife, Amelia, cooking any food we brought. We were given Noli's number (09053857298) at the DNR park's office in Malaybaly. She told us the Mount Kitanglad park fee was 700 pesos for myself and 100 pesos for Honey but that the park office would be closed on our arrival date, due to Ramadan, and that we should pay the fee to Carlito's wife. However we were charged only 540 pesos for the park permit. For some reason we did not have to pay the customary ritual cleansing fee for access to the mountain. As it turned out I was very happy with the guide service and their expert knowledge of the birds and their calls so we just paid 5000 pesos for two days. Carlito and Danny were quite happy with the large tip and told us this would be their last work till January. Of course they still have to work on their farms tilling the soil behind the waterbuffalo.
The bus ride took us through driving rain in the vicinity of Mount Kitanglad. Maricar and Amelia met us at the bus station in Malaybalay at noon only to inform us that the road to the lodge was flooded and that we would try to reach the lodge in the morning. So Honey and I got a room at the adequate Malibu Haus Hotel for 640 pesos. That evening we bought water, sweet bread, cookies, rice and corned beef (yum) and watched it rain like crazy. The next morning I surveyed the foggy scene out the hotel window had serous doubts about trying to make it to the lodge and being able to see anything if we made it there. I also dreaded the two hour walk through the mud just to make it to the lodge. Luckily Honey was gung-ho so we took a trycycle to the bus station and found a multicab (small jeepney) going south. The drive knew where to let us off for Carlito's house in Dalwangan. Honey and I boarded one small motorcycle along with the driver and our packs. Danny boarded another with the driver and our provisions. Carlito and Amelia were already at the lodge. The ten km trip was along a rough, muddy dirt track. Having riden a dirt bike in past years I really appreciated the drivers skills as he manuevered the deep muddy ruts. We stopped once to walk across the stream that had been flooded the day before. We then got back on the bikes and soon reached the end of the road. The driver told us we were the first birders to make it on the bike all the way to the end of the trail. Usually they walk the whole way. It took another 20 minutes hiking up a steep muddy trail to reach the lodge at 9AM.
Soon I was exploring the edges of the clearing around the lodge racking up lifers like Black-and-cinnamon Fantail, Rufous-headed Tailorbird, Gray-hooded Sunbird and a surprise Flame-crowned Flowerpecker. Carlito then took us up a very muddy trail for two hours to the eagle overlook. Just before we reached it, Honey saw the fleged juvenile Philippine Eage fly into the tree ahead of us. We got breif scope views of this huge youngster and later saw the adult bird flying distant over the ridge. After some lunch. Carlito suggested we start birding our way down before the rain started. We did not bring boots so our light weight hiking shoes were completely mud covered along with the lower portion of our pants when we arrived back at the lodge. Luckily we brought ponchos which were put to use. Despite the wet conditions we only saw three leeches.
During the night I heard Philippine Frogmouth calling outside but was too lazy to get up and look for it. At the lodge they provided us with foam mats to sleep on and plenty of blankets. It was not nearly as cool as I had feared and the temperature didn't go much below 60 F. We got an early start the next morning and walked all the way to the end of the trail with clear skies all day. Along the way we had a brief very close encounter with the giant young eagle and had great looks at a Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher. Upper elevations gave us plenty of Apo Mynas, a small flock of White-cheeked Bullfinches, a poor look at a Long-tailed Bush-warbler and an untickable view of Apo Sunbird. On the way back I finally got good looks at Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis and Red-eared Parrotfinch. We would have had a great nights sleep were it not for the rats playing tag with my head. In the morning we said our goodbyes (Honey and Amelia became good friends)and walked back down the slippery trail to the waiting motorcycle which took us to the highway where we grabbed the first bus we saw to Cagayan de Oro.
9/22/09 Philippine Eagle 2, White-eared Dove 3, Yellow-breasted Fruit-dove 1, Montane Raquet-tail 3, Colasisi 1, Philippine Swiftlet 20, Philippine Pygmy-Woodpecker 4, Pied Triller 1, Spangled Drongo 2, Barn Swallow 20, Philippine Bulbul 2, Yellow-vented Bulbul 2, Brown Tit-babbler 4, Tawny Grassbird 6, Rufous-headed Tailorbird 3, Gray-streaked Flycatcher 2, Island Flycatcher 3, Little Pied-Flycatcher 3, Black-and-cinnamon Fantail - 6, Oriental Pipit 6, Long-tailed Shrike 2, Brown Shrike 3, Apo Myna 3, Gray-hooded Sunbird 3, Olive-capped Flowerpecker 6, Flame-crowned Flowerpecker 3, Buzzing Flowerpecker 2, Mountain White-eye 12, Cinnamon Ibon 6, Chestnut Munia 8
9/23/09 Blue-breasted Quail 2, Crested Goshawk 1, Japanese Sparrowhawk 1, Philippine Eagle 1, Philippine Falconet 1, Metallic Pigeon 1, White-eared Dove 3, Yellow-breasted Fruit-dove 1, Colasisi 1, Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher 1, Philippine Swiftlet 8, McGregor's Cuckoo-shrike 6, Philippine Bulbul 10, Yellow-vented Bulbul 2, Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis 5, Philippine Nuthatch 10, Elegant Tit 2, Arctic Warbler 1, Tawny Grassbird 2, Rufous-headed Tailorbird 12, Long-tailed Bush-warbler 1, Gray-steaked Flycatcher 3, Island Flycatcher 1, Little Pied-Flycatcher 3, Black-and-cinnamon Fantail 3, Yellow-bellied Whistler 1, Oriental Pipit 2, Brown Shrike 3, Short-tailed Glossy-Starling 5, Apo Myna 30, Olive-capped Flowerpecker 6, Buzzing Flowerpecker 1, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker 1, Mountain White-eye 50, Black-masked White-eye 8, Cinnamon Ibon 2, Red-eared Parrotfinch2, White-cheeked Bullfinch 4