Monday, January 9, 2012

Family of Birds

The year opened with the Philippine Eagle-Owl as my lifer. Thanks to birding friend Karen Ochavo who brought us to her office last January 2 where the biggest owl of the country (second in the world) is perched. The biggest surprise is that it’s just in Quezon City. Tim Fisher’s birding guide says that this bird “is difficult to see and remains little known.” What gladness it brought to me and birding friends Karen Ochavo, Maia Tañedo, Jops Josef, Kuya Jun Osano and his daughter Yana, Abby Santos and Mark Jason Villa when we saw that there is actually a family of Eagle-Owls. I’m still amazed with what we saw. I just see owls through the documentation of Discovery Channel or National Geographic. I wasn’t able to photograph the family of owl because it was already dark.


Then my church Higher Rock had a three-day retreat in Jabez Campsite, Pala-pala, Dasmariñas, Cavite that started last January 5 up to January 7. Last year, the youth ministry went there for a camp and they saw an Indigo-Banded Kingfisher. Unfortunately, it accidentally went to the electric fan and it died because of the impact. I just saw the photo of the dead bird. I planned of seeing the bird alive so I brought my birding gear. I didn’t see the endemic kingfisher but I saw another lifer instead. I saw a White-Breasted Waterhen. Further, I was able to see a family. A saw the pair and then I saw four young chicks.



I wasn’t able to photograph the waterhen family because I’m observing from a perilous spot. The waterhen lives in a creek, which is two to three meters below where I’m standing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed what I saw. I never ventured going nearer where the nest is because I discerned that the parents seems to have sense my presence, even though I’m quite a distance away and I’m camouflaging behind trees and shrubs. The creek wasn’t a pleasant place to bird because it really stinks because it serves as the piggery sewerage of someone somewhere. But then for the sake of observing a bird in its natural habitat, the foul odor has to be tolerated.

My Bible reading plan is in Genesis this month. I was by the creek spending time in the Word while I also being keen to what is happening in my surrounding. I was struck by the Bible truth written in Genesis 9:2, “The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.” I readily remembered when I first saw the waterhen. The bird is quite jittery. Now I understand why birds flee from the presence of humans. Their fear was set by God.

For a Christian birder and photographer like me, there’s deeper and biblical meaning now to the birding etiquette to respect the birds. I have learned before that one should not go near where the birds nest or go near the feeding area. I also learned not to destroy some trees or plants just to have a better view or just to have a better photograph. I also learned to consider the use of playback and other stalking techniques so as not to stress the bird. Well, I would be writing further on this topic in the near future. See you next time.

Lifer

76 lifers. 67 photo lifers. 20 video lifers.

My birding for the year 2011 ended with 76 lifers. I’m very happy! For me, seeing 76 species of the more than 600 plus birds that can be seen here in the Philippines is already an achievement. Out of the 76, I was able to photograph or document sighting of 67 birds and taken video of 20 birds. For readers not into birding, lifers are birds seen for the first time in the wild or in their natural habitat. So birds found in zoos are not counted.

I only started seriously watching birds last April 2010. I also became a member of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines on this month. My first guided trip was last February 2010 with Jops Josef and Maia Tañedo. I owe much of my lifers to these birding friends.

I’m actually into photography and taking photos of birds is what I enjoy most. Even if I can’t produce a shot like that of Romy Ocon, I would still take photos. I love looking back at my photos and reminisce of my birding adventure. It reminds me of the thrill of discovering a lifer. It reminds me how my brother and I commuted to Coastal Lagoon and walked hundreds of meters just to get to the birding location. The difficulty of someone without a car and yet all those difficulty disappears when we see a lifer. It reminds me when I fell on my back in Mt. Talinis just to see the Flame-Templed Babbler.

Friends ask me why I prefer taking photos of birds. For one, birds always remind me of God’s faithfulness and gracious provision. This year, I would be writing blogs about my birding adventure (I have to fulfill a promise to my birding friend Ruth Francisco). I would be writing some of the reasons why birding is such a fulfilling hobby.