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Birding
Site: Candaba
rice fields and fish pond
Date: 4 January 2005, 630am-2pm ; Cloudy with intermittent
sun
Birders: Romy Ocon, Patty Adversario, Herbert de la
Rosa
Trip Report and Birdlist by: Patty Adversario
1.
Black-Winged Stilts busily foraged on ricefields while Garganeys
dominated the fish ponds. We were treated to a wondrous air
show of 500+ stilts flying over rice fields. It was amazing
to see how they moved in perfect motion as they swerved and
curved the air in synchronized flight. From the ground, the
shape of their fluttering black wings reminded me of the herring
bone stitches I used to agonize over in grade school sewing
class.
Common Kingfisher
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The
male stilts appeared to be breeding as some had mottled
grey or black patches on their white heads and on their
hindnecks. (Check out the pictures in the gallery.)
The
flock of stilts and egrets were most active in the fields
where farm hands were plowing the earth with hand-held
tractors. They foraged on the upturned earth of the
rice fields elegantly walking about on their long thin
red stilts. Egrets mingled with the stilts both on the
air and on the ground. A few Common Sandpipers also
mingled freely among the stilts. |
2.
Behind the mayor's house is a dirt road lined with trees.
While we walked, we noticed the ground was speckled with white-colored
bird poo and a few grey feathers. We suspect the trees lining
the path were a roosting ground for the colony of Grey Herons
that were peeping out from everywhere on grassy land on the
right side of the dirt path. This area was just teeming with
birds!
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3.
Along the same path, Romy saw a Peregrine Falcon chase
a lone Garganey. This must be the year's first record
of the P Falcon in Candaba by a WBCP member. Romy said
he also saw the P. Falcon in a previous visit to Candaba
on December 30. His camera also caught an Eastern Marsh
Harrier that flew low over grass near the edge of a
big pond. It seemed to be looking for prey.
4.
We spotted a huge cage behind the mayor's house. Unfortunately,
the mayor keeps a Crested Serpeant Eagle in a cage.
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Northern Shoveller
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BIRD LIST:
1.
Little
Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis -1 (we were wondering why there
was only one)
2. Grey
heron Ardea cinerea -30+
3. Purple
Heron Ardea purpurea -10
4. Great
Egret Ardea alba -4
5. Intermediate
egret Ardea (Mesophoyx) intermedia- 10+
6. Little
egret Egretta garzetta-common
7. Cattle
egret Bubulcus ibis -10+
8. Yellow
Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis -3, heard several
9. Northern
Pintail Anas acuta -3 (flying with a flock of Garganeys)
10. Garganeys
Anas querquedula -800+
11. Northern
Shoveler Anas clypeata - 50+ (mingled among the Garganeys)
12. Eastern
Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus -1
13. Peregrine
Falcon Falco peregrinus-1
14. White
Browed Crake Porzana cinerea -4, heard several
15. White
Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus -3
16. Common
Moorhen Gallinula chloropus -common
17. Little
Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius -- 8
18. Common
Greenshank Tringa nebularia -1
19. Wood
Sandpiper Tringa glareola -2
20. Marsh
Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis-1
21. Common
Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos -15+
22. Terek
Sandpiper Xenus cinerea-2
23. Black
winged stilts Himantopus himantopus-- 500+
24. Whiskered
Tern Chlidonias hybridus-common
25. Zebra
Doves Geopelia striata -2
26. Common
Kingfisher Alcedo atthis -2
27. White
Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris -1
28. Barn
Swallow Hirundo rustica -common
29. Yellow
vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier -1
30. Pied
Bushchat Saxicola caprata --1
31. Oriental
Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis -1
32. Striated
Grassbird Megalurus palustris -common
33. Long-tailed
Shrike Lanius schach - 1
34. Brown
Shrike Lanius cristatus -2
35. EurasianTree
Sparrow Passer montanus -common
36. Chestnut
Munia Lonchura Malacca -10 (in flight)
PLUS: A caged Crested Serpeant Eagle Spilornis cheela
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