June 14-15, 2006.
Mt. Palay-Palay, Cavite
Birders:
Leni Sutcliffe (June 14 only)
Desmond Allen
Trip report and bird list by: Desmond Allen
I have been reading lots of trip reports about Mt
Palay Palay from here in the UK so I was very pleased when Leni offered
to take me over there and show me the site. We arrived about 9.30am
- very late by usual trip standards.
A short way in, just past a collecting area for felled trees, were
many small trees in fruit. After some waiting we got views of Guaiabero,
Rough-crested Malkoha and Philippine Fairy-Bluebird but heard only
calls of Spotted Wood-Kingfisher, Tarictic Hornbill and White-browed
Shama.
Further along, descending the zigzags, there was a surprising amount
of bird activity for the time of day, with several small parties of
flowerpeckers, tits and monarchs. A flock of noisy Blue-throated Bee-eater
were perhaps migrating. The most interesting, though not as glamorous,
was a Striped Flowerpecker, which showed very rusty buff wing edgings
and also tail. A mid-sized raptor flew over that I think could only
have been a partly melanistic Philippine Hawk-Eagle. The breast was
blackish, but the shape and size and barring and streaking otherwise
matched that species. However, I am only including it as a possible
as I did not get a photo for greater study. There were few birds along
the walk at the bottom but we did see a few Blackish Cuckoo-shrikes
before the rain came in.
The next day I was able to return alone earlier in the morning, but
the fruiting trees lacked many birds although a Red-bellied Pitta
was calling. Down the zigzags there were a few small bird flocks but
there some doves calling, which we hadn't noticed the day before.
Along the bottom track I saw the Tarictics and heard Rufous hornbill
calling.
On this day I heard a chainsaw up on the hill somewhere, presumably
attacking one of the last trees of value in the mountain. I was surprised
by how much the forest here had been logged given comments I remembered
form past reports. Nevertheless it is clearly quite a good birding
site for those on the south side of Manila.
Bird List:
Brahminy Kite <Haliastur indus> 1
Philippine Hawk-Eagle <Spizaetus philippensis> 1 probable
White-eared Brown-Dove <Phapitreron leucotis> Heard
Black-chinned Fruit-Dove <Ptilinopus leclancheri> Heard only
Guaiabero <Bolbopsittacus lunulatus> 2
Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo <Cuculus pectoralis> Heard only
Red-crested Malkoha/Rough-crested Malkoha <Dasylophus superciliosus>
2
Philippine Coucal <Centropus viridis> 1
Glossy Swiftlet <Collocalia esculenta> Several
Whiskered Treeswift <Hemiprocne comata> 2
Spotted Wood-Kingfisher/Spotted Kingfisher <Actenoides lindsayi>
Several heard, 1 seen
Blue-throated Bee-eater <Merops viridis> Party of c.6?
Tarictic Hornbill/Luzon Hornbill <Penelopides manillae> 4 seen
Rufous Hornbill <Buceros hydrocorax> Heard
Coppersmith Barbet <Megalaima haemacephala> 4-6
Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker/Philippine Woodpecker <Dendrocopos
maculatus> 4
Red-bellied Pitta <Pitta erythrogaster> Heard only
Blackish Cuckoo-shrike <Coracina coerulescens> 2
Yellow-wattled Bulbul <Pycnonotus urostictus> 1
Philippine Bulbul <Ixos philippinus> Many
Balicassiao <Dicrurus balicassius> 4
Philippine Fairy-Bluebird <Irena cyanogastra> 1
Elegant Tit <Parus elegans> Small parties
Stripe-headed Rhabdornis/Stripe-sided Rhabdornis <Rhabdornis mystacalis>
Several
White-browed Shama <Copsychus luzoniensis> Heard only
Grey-backed Tailorbird <Orthotomus derbianus> Heard only
Black-naped Monarch <Hypothymis azurea> 4-5
White-breasted Wood-swallow <Artamus leucorynchus> Several
Coleto <Sarcops calvus> 2-4
Striped Flowerpecker/Thick-billed Flowerpecker <Dicaeum aeruginosum>
1
Red-keeled Flowerpecker/Red-striped Flowerpecker <Dicaeum australe>
Several
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker <Dicaeum trigonostigma> 1
Pygmy Flowerpecker <Dicaeum pygmaeum> 1
