::Tour Reports::


Date: October 22-27, 2007 Location: Palawan Birders: Nicky Icarangal, Ixi Mapua, Peter and Leni Sutcliffe, Charlie and Cathy Te, Violy Tolosa Trip report by Leni Sutcliffe Bird List by Nicky Icarangal Photos by Ixi Mapua
	Palawan's breath-taking limestone cliffs.
	© Trinket Canlas / BAP
I had long wanted to do Palawan's famous birding areas and decided 2007 was to be my year for doing that. I had been badgering Nicky Icarangal for dates for some time ("Wait till the rains stop," he said). When he set the dates for 22 to 27 October, I had no trouble getting an excited little group to join me. And so it was that Ixi Mapua, Charlie and Catherine Te, Violy Tolosa, Peter Sutcliffe and I found ourselves with Nicky on the road north from Puerto Princesa to Sabang mid-morning on 22 October. Our first stop was White Beach, not far from the Puerto Princesa airport. Whimbrels, flying near us and calling low over the water, welcomed us. A group of emaciated Chinese Egrets (had they just arrived?) fed farther away. There were Little, Great and Intermediate Egrets; a Green Imperial-Pigeon, Zebra Doves, a Common Kingfisher, Collared Kingfishers, Pacific Swallows, Large-billed Crows, Pied Fantails, a Black-Naped Monarch , an Olive-backed Sunbird.
	But it was the Common Iora and the Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, lifers for all but Nicky, that made our hearts dance. They were a sign of lifers to come. And did they come! We saw (this is the group's common list of lifers; some have other birds to add to their personal lists): * Further down the 50-km stretch of road to Sabang: three Great Slaty Woodpeckers, 2 Asian Fairy-Bluebirds, 2 White-Vented Shamas. * On the boat to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (aka St Paul's Subterranean etc.): 2 Eastern Reef-Egret * At the Park : a Crested Goshawk, the famous and wonderfully vain Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, 2 Asian Drongo-Cuckoo, hundreds of Edible-nest Swiftlets, Palawan Tit, Ashy-headed Babbler, Striped Tit- Babbler, Palawan Flowerpecker, Yellow-throated Leafbird, Ashy Drongo, Hair-crested Drongo, 5 Blue-naped Parrots, 3 Stork-billed Kingfishers, 5 Palawan Hornbills.
Bird guide Nicky Icarangal with birders Leni Sutcliffe, Violy Tolosa, Peter Sutcliffe, Cathy and Charlie Te
© Tour Participant Ixi Mapua
	* When owling near the Lion's Cave at Cabayugan and on the Sabang road: 3 magnificent Javan Frogmouths; 3 Large-tailed Nightjars. * Roadside birding at Sabang: 2 Common Flameback, 2 Fiery Minivets, 3 Black-headed Bulbul, 2 Olive-winged Bulbuls, 2 Grey- cheeked Bulbuls, Dark-throated Oriole, Hill Myna, 10 Blue-headed Racquet-tail, 3 Chestnut-breasted Malkoha. * At the Iwahig Penal Colony: Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Blue Paradise- Flycatcher. * At Rasa Island (to which we were guided by Romel of the Katala Foundation): 75 Pied Imperial-Pigeons, 100+ Philippine Cockatoos. We also heard: * The Mantanani Scops-Owl, the Palawan Scops-Owl (seen by Nicky), the Spotted Wood-Owl, Melodious Babbler (seen by Nicky), Falcated Ground-Babbler (seen by Ixi and Nicky), Palawan Flycatcher, Little Spiderhunter.
Striped Tit-Babbler
© Nicky Icarangal / BAP

We saw and heard most of these 40 bird species several times, often with very good and long views. To do that, we waded into and out of the sea; went in and out of boats, big and small; walked slippery forest trails; melted in the heavy rains; steamed under our jackets in the hot forests; crossed rivers; walked in the dark over muddy roads; and woke up at dawn everyday. We got bitten by mosquitos and by sandflies (for which Nicky's anti-itch remedy is to hold a piece of burning katol or to roll a hot-water bottle over the bite). Our van had to be towed out of a deep rut in a horrendously bumpy road. A monkey unzipped my backpack once, pulled my jacket out and made a hole in the netting! What an adventure!
		Crossing streams in Iwahig
		© Tour Participant Ixi Mapua
We had glorious sunrises and sunsets, serene views of mountains and limestone cliffs, and once, on the way to and from Rasa Island, a wonderfully calm sea. We had great food! And we had Nicky! Never was a birding group happier with its tour leader. Nicky's hotel and transport arrangements were perfect, his scheduling of activities superb, his bird guiding faultless. He handled us all with absolute calm, and with a firm but kind and gentle hand. We are all looking forward to our next birding trip with him. ‚ Click here for a systematics list of all the birds recorded> Click here for Birding Adventure Philippines' Gallery of Palawan birds >
		Glorious sunrise at Rasa Island
		© Adrian Constantino / BAP