Date: August 31, 2003
Time: 9.30am-3pm
Weather: Overcast, intermittent rains to downpour
Mike Lu and Ivor Lee

After taking a few wrong turns in Cavite, Ivor and I finally arrived at the foothills of Pico de Loro at 9.30am. We could see the dark clouds hovering above the upper slopes of the mountain. Once past Puerto Azul, the drizzle started and at the DENR station, a small creek has formed alongside the road. No birds in sight nor any birdcalls. I decided to follow the road which ends in Caylabne Bay, at least to show Ivor how the resort looks from the cliff. After the marine camp just before the beach resort is a gate a sign that declares no hunting of wildlife. This is the stretch that I refer to as the wildlife sanctuary, where the bulk of my sightings occured. We had lunch down at Caylabne Bay Resort, the road going downhill offered a few surprises. Ivor commented that our White-Throated Kingfisher does not have a white throat at all because the white patch is so small. The rest of the trip proved to be fruitless although our birding totalled more than 20 species at the end of the day.

BIRD LIST:
1. Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus - 5, seen throughout site
2. Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus - 2, Caylabne Bay roadside
3. Colasisi Loriculus philippinensis - 1, wildlife sanctuary
4. Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis - 1, wildlife sanctuary
5. Pygmy Swiftlet Collocalia troglodytes - 5, Pico roadside
6. Whiskered Tree Swift Hemiprocne comata - 3, Pico roadside
7. White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis - 2, Caylabne Bay roadside
8. Tarictic Hornbill Penelopides panini - 2, wildlife sanctuary
9. Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos maculatus - 2, Pico roadside
10. Greater Flameback Dinopium javanense -2, Pico roadside
11. Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica - 30+, Caylabne Bay roadside
12. Yellow Vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier- 2, wildlife sanctuary
13. Philippine Bulbul Hypsipetes philippinus - 2, wildlife sanctuary
14. Balicassiao Dicrucrus balicassius - 1, Pico roadside
15. Stripe-Headed Rhabdornis Rhabdornis mystacalis - 1, wildlife sanctuary
16. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata - 1, wildlife sanctuary
17. Bright-Capped Cisticola Cisticola exilis - 1, wildlife sanctuary
18. White-Breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus - 3 ?, wildlife sanctuary
19. Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis- 20+, mixed flock of adult and juveniles
20. Olive-Backed Sunbird Nectarinia jugularis-1 female in flowering coconut palm, several heard within Caylabne Bay resort
21. Red-Keeled Flowerpecker Dicaeum australe - 2, Pico roadside
22. Lowland White-Eye Zosterops meyeni - 2, wildlife sanctuary
23. Slender-Billed Crow Corvus enca - 2, Caylabne Bay roadside