Black-faced Spoonbill Sightings
from December 2003 - December 2004
According
to the Guide to Birds of the Philippines by Kennedy, et al,
the Black-faced spoonbill was a rare migrant, and only recorded
in the tidal flats of Manila Bay but not since 1914. In more
recent history, the only other record was of 3 birds in Batanes
from October to December, 2001.
In
December 2003, visiting Canadian birder Todd Pepper along
with local guide, Arnel Mallari reported seeing 3 Black-faced
spoonbills at the Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan.
To
read Todd Pepper's complete report please click
here. The chronology of events as follows:
Dec
6, 2003 - First report by Todd Pepper and Arnel Mallari
Dec
7, 2003 - Seen again in the same site by Todd Pepper
and Arnel Mallari
Feb
19, 2004 - Confirmed by visiting birding group guided
by Tim Fisher
April
21, 2004 - Arnel Mallari observes that juvenile bird
seems to have grown
May
5, 2004 - Peter Widman of the Katala Foundation sends
in first pictures of the spoonbills
May
12, 2004 - Arnel Mallari notes birds seem to be molting
May
26, 2004 - WBCP member Jon Hornbuckle takes pictures
of the spoonbills
June
11, 2004 - Arnel Mallari confirms the spoonbills'
presence
June
24 & 30, 2004 - only one bird seen by Arnel Mallari
July
2, 9 & 16, 2004 - only one bird seen by Arnel Mallari
August
6 & 21, 2004 - only one bird seen by Arnel Mallari
September
5 & 15, 2004 - only one bird seen by Arnel Mallari
September
24, 2004 - last sighting of the lone spoonbill by
Arnel Mallari. Gunshots from local
police target training scares off lone spoonbill
December
22, 2004 - lone spoonbill returns to the same area
December 28, 2004 - one
bird seen by Arnel Mallari
Todd
Pepper's report was accepted and published by the International
Black-faced Spoonbill Census and Palawan was acknowledged
as the southernmost point in the range of the Black-faced
Spoonbill migration.
