Tag: mindanao

Apo Myna: funky or punk-y?

This is the funky (or punk-y)- looking Mindanao endemic Apo Myna. It is found in the high elevation forests of Mindanao island, most commonly reported in popular birdwatching sites like the Mt. Kitanglad mountain range. It is one of the two endemic starlings** here in the Philippines (the other one is as funky or punk-y looking as well, see the bald Coleto here). Its very distinct, unique crest and the large bright yellow bare skin around the eye makes it one of the most-sought after species birders seek in the Mindanao. It prefers to perch on top of dead branches and feed on fruits and insects. It usually flies and moves in flocks while doing its distinctive tinkling, metallic notes. ** Depending on the taxonomy, as some authors would like to lump the Philippines' endemic family - the Rhabdornises to the starlings Apo Myna, Basilornis miranda November 2011 and January 2012, Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines

Mr. and Mrs. Mindanao Wattled Broadbill [HD]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What more if it is a video?!? Especially if it is a video of a pair of one of Mindanao's most sought-after birds: the funky-looking Mindanao Wattled Broadbill. Mr. Broadbill sports a pinkish, light purple breast and belly (real men wear purple!) while Mrs. Broadbill has a plain white breast and belly. They both have light blue bills and legs and of course the striking brilliant blue wattle around their eyes. They are described as uncommon but they are not as easy to see. They are sometimes given away by their noisy wing beats in flight and their loud bill snapping when perched. Some birders/taxonomists have split this species from the Visayan Wattled Broadbill seen in Bohol, Leyte and Samar. The birds from Bohol and Samar differ from the Mindanao birds by having a light purple wing patch instead of the yellow wing patch as seen here in the video. This pair was videoscoped in one of our birding tours last January in the forests of PICOP, Surigao del Sur, Eastern Mindanao, Philippines with a Swarovski ATM 80mm HD, 25-50x eyepiece, Canon Powershot S95 with a Swarovski Universal Camera Adaptor. Mindanao Wattled Broadbill, Eurylaimus steerii January 2012, PICOP, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines

The Uncommon Little Slaty Flycatcher [HD]

This is a video of the uncommon Little Slaty Flycatcher, Ficedula basilanica digiscoped in the remaining forests of PICOP, a former logging concession in Surigao del Sur, Eastern Mindanao. This endemic flycatcher is a lowland Mindanao endemic, preferring the understory of forests and second growth. It has a very soft call and can be a challenge to see and photograph. This individual came quite close during one of our birding tours last December. The male individual came close, preening and showing off its characteristic blue grey plumage and the white spot above the eye. The female individual with rufous plumage shown near the end of the video clip was a lot closer and would not even fit the frame. 🙂 Little Slaty Flycatcher, Ficedula basilanica December 2011, PICOP, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines

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A calling Amethyst Brown-Dove [HD]

The Philippines is a treasure-trove for an amazing number of endemic doves and pigeons. There are 33 recorded birds belonging to this family and 19 of them are endemic. The most famous of the doves/pigeons are the Bleeding-hearts, very shy, ground-dwelling birds that have a red patch on their white breast, looking like a bleeding bird stabbed with a dagger to the chest. Then there are the fruit-doves like the stunning Flame-breasted Fruit-dove from high elevation Luzon, and this Yellow-breasted Fruit-dove from Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The more common forest doves are the Brown-doves such as this White-eared Brown-dove and the one featured in this video: the Amethyst Brown-Dove. The Amethyst Brown-Dove is described as a locally-common dove found in the lowlands and up to montane forests. It is very similar to the White-eared Brown-Dove with both having a white "ear" below the eye but the Amethyst Brown-Dove is distinguished from its brown-dove relatives by being the largest, with a larger, more prominent bill, less conspicuous “white ear”, and a violet upper back. It has a nice soft call hooot, hooot hoot  and can be found singly or in pairs often in fruiting trees from Luzon, Mindanao, and other bigger islands. Hear the call at around 0:30 into the video. Amethyst Brown-Dove, Phapitreron amethystina from two clips: June and August 2011, Mt. Makiling and Mt. Bulusan, Luzon, Philippines

Philippine Frogmouth [HD]

A sure way to rouse a sleeping birder out of his/her sleep is to yell out a sighting of a special endemic nocturnal like  this stunning Philippine Frogmouth. This uncommon Philippine endemic is a regular in Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines but can also be found in Luzon and satellite islands, Bohol, Leyte and Samar, and Negros and Panay. Philippine Frogmouth, Batrachostomus septimus July 2011, Mt. Kitanglad Range, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines

It is a strictly nocturnal bird and has a smallish hooked bill and a wide mouth like a frog (check it out at around 1:05 in the video) used in hunting for insects, flying out from a perch to catch its prey on the wing. The long bristles extending from the face (seen clearly in this photo) as well as the base of the bill are thought to protect the eyes from prey and also to detect subtle movements in its forest environment. Philippine Frogmouth

It is also possible to see it during the day especially if you get lucky and flush one out (like this one from PICOP, Bislig, Surigao also in Mindanao)

Philippine Frogmouth

Sometimes, you get really lucky and find the classic daytime frogmouth pose on a nest! This photo of the frogmouth trying to look like a broken branch was taken in Raja Sikatuna Protected Landscape in the laid-back island of Bohol in South Central Philippines. Philippine Frogmouth

Hope you enjoyed this video. If you are looking for more videos using our Swarovski Digiscoping Setup be sure to visit this page.

Mindanao Tarictic Hornbill [HD]

This is a Mindanao Tarictic Hornbill, one of the 10 endemic hornbills of the Philippines. It favors forest and forest edge up to 1500 meters and is usually found in pairs or small family groups. Hornbills are amazing creatures - Tarictics are known to lay 3 eggs in tree cavities with the female individual completely enclosed in the cavity during incubation. So when a male Tarictic dies during the breeding season, the whole family is in danger since it is the male who will bring food for the female and its chicks. They are also efficient re-foresters of the mountains. They are excellent seed-dispersal agents: they are known to gather several fruits and store them in their crop and can transport them over cleared forest areas or plantations, from one forest patch to another, in the process spreading seeds more efficiently than rodents and primates. You want to save our forests? - Save our hornbills! They are our allies in keeping our rainforests healthy and diverse. Mindanao Tarictic Hornbill, Penelopides affinis September 2010, Mt. Kitanglad Range, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines

Little Pied Flycatcher [HD]

This Little Pied Flycatcher is a fairly common inhabitant of the forest canopy, understory and edge usually in montane forests. This video is of a male individual taken in Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The female is more drab with greyish head and back and lacking the black and white plumage of the male. This bird can also be seen in the high elevation mountains of Negros (belonging to the endemic subspecies rabori), so it is also possible to see this bird in one of the post-birding trips of the 7th Philippine Bird Festival: BIRDS IN THE WILD HELP FORESTS THRIVE! Thanks for viewing and Happy Birding! Little Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula westermanni September 2010, Mt. Kitanglad Range National Park, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines

A nice pair of bright red boots!
 (on a Silvery Kingfisher)

Check out the bright "red boots" on this small, good-looking endemic: the Silvery Kingfisher. This kingfisher was videoed one rainy day in the forests of PICOP, Surigao del Sur, lowland Mindanao. The Silvery Kingfisher is a 3-toed kingfisher that can be found only in the islands of Mindanao and its satellites, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. It perches on rocks and on low-lying branches along the banks of forest streams and small rivers hunting for small fish and crustaceans. This rainy season, don't you think it will be nice to keep your feet dry with a nice pair of red boots? Happy Birding! Silvery Kingfisher, Alcedo argentata January 2011, PICOP Forest, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines

Tongue-rolling Red-eared Parrotfinch [HD]

Here is a video of a pair of one of my favorite birds : the Red-eared Parrotfinch. Red-eared Parrotfinches are high-elevation Mindanao endemics that favor the forest understory and cogon and sunflower patches near the forest edge. Though the field guide for Philippine birds lists it as a "locally common" bird, it can be difficult to spot as it prefers the dense underbrush and its green plumage and small size blends well in its surroundings. The first segment maybe the first ever video of an immature parrotfinch while the rapid ticking call tik-tik-tik-tik of the male bird can be heard at around 1:00. Tongue-rolling at around 1:20. The calls of Philippine Bulbul and Mountain White-eyes can also be heard in the background. Aside from the Red-eared Parrotfinch, Mt. Kitanglad in Mindanao is also good for the Great Philippine Eagle, Apo and Grey-hooded Sunbirds, Cinnamon Ibon, funky-looking Apo Mynah, and many more. Check out our Birds from Mindanao gallery for more. For more videos, using our Swarovski Digiscoping Rig, please visit our videos page here.