Napocor Angat Hydroelectric Plant
Angat Watershed, Hilltop
Brgy. San Mateo, Norzagaray, Bulacan

Date: April 22-23, 2006
Birders: Trinket Canlas, Marites Cervero, Adrian Constantino, Eric Cu, Kristiansen Cu, Kristoferson Cu, Nicky Icarangal, Martin Johnson, Gina Jonson, Arnel Telesforo, Alex Tiongco, Mark Villa

Trip report by Trinket
Bird list by Mark, Nicky & Trinket

Alex was able to obtain permission from Napocor to allow a small group of birders to stay overnight at the Napocor guesthouse at the Angat watershed. The group headed out Saturday morning, got to Angat town after driving around and around Bulacan, only to find out that the Napocor Angat Hydroelectric Plant was in Norzagaray! The group arrived in time for lunch, and after a short rest, headed out birding lead by Nicky. The area birded was the Reservoir Trail by the river. It was a clearly marked, well-worn trail with not too much forest cover. The birds were mostly shy and very alert to our presence. A Red-bellied Pitta and a White-browed Shama were among the first birds (barely) spotted.

Grey-wagtail

Mangrove Blue Flycatcher

Tarictic Hornbill

The next day, we started out again in the same general area, joined by Eric and his 2 boys. Most of what we passed was bamboo thickets and small scrubby trees. Again most of the birds were very shy. We had good views of Spotted Wood Kingfishers doing exactly as described in Kennedy: perched quietly in the shadows. We ended the morning on a high note with a small flock of Rufous Coucals spotted by Nicky, and seen by most of the group crossing the wide path under the bright morning sun. Nicky had last visited the same area we birded almost 10 years ago and was disappointed by the deterioration of the environment and the elusiveness of the birds. Our local guide suggested taking a bangka or speedboat to the other side of the reservoir where another less disturbed trail awaits with, hopefully, more birds. Something
to look forward to for our next visit.

BIRD LIST:
1. Cattle Egret - 80 -100
2. Osprey - 1
3. Raptor sp. (possibly Oriental Honeybuzzard)
4. Crested Serpent Eagle - 2
5. Accipiter sp. - 1
6. Blue-breasted Quail - 1
7. Barred Rail - HO
8. White-breasted Waterhen - 1
9. White-eared Brown Dove - 1
10. Guaiabero - 10+
11. Cuckoo sp. - HO
12. Common Koel - HO
13. Scale-feathered Malkoha - 1
14. Red-crested Malkoha - 1
15. Philippine Coucal - 1
16. Rufous Coucal - 9
17. Grass Owl - 1
18. Philippine Scops Owl - 3
19. Philippine Nightjar - 2
20. Nightjar sp. - 1
21. Pygmy swiftlet - 4
22. Glossy Swiftlet - x
23. Purple Needletail - 2
24. House Swift - 1
25. Fork-tailed Swift - 2
26. Dollarbird - 1
27. White-throated Kingfisher - 5
28. White-collared Kingfisher - 2
29. Spotted Wood Kingfisher - 5
30. Tarictic Hornbill - 3
31. Coppersmith Barbet - 1
32. Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker - 2
33. Red-bellied Pitta - 1
34. Pacific Swallow - x
35. Yellow-vented Bulbul - 2
36. PHilippine Bulbul - 15+
37. Balicassiao - 5
38. Philippine Fairy Bluebird - 2
39. Large-billed Crow - 1
40. Elegant Tit - 2
41. Stripe-headed Rhabdornis - 5
42. White-browed Shama - 4
43. Blue Rock Thrush - 1
44. Arctic Warbler - 1
45. Mangrove Blue Flycatcher - 1
46. Black-naped Monarch - 1
47. Grey Wagtail - 1
48. Brown Shrike - 5
49. Coleto - 3
50. Crested Mynah - 2
51. Olive-backed Sunbird - 2
52. Red-keeled Flowerpecker - 2
53. Bicolored Flowerpecker - 1
54. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker - 1
55. Pygmy Flowerpecker - 5
56. Eurasian Tree Sparrow - 10+