To further my appreciation of the forests and the fauna that I encounter along the trail and as an end in itself, I have begun taking up birding in 2012. I would like to thank my friends Paula Peralejo and Charlie Fernandez for introducing me to this fascinating hobby. The mountains feel more alive to me now that I am aware of the presence of the birds, yet, in seeking and sensing these birds, I realize all the more how fragile the forest ecosystem is, and how important it is to practice responsible outdoor recreation.
The following list tabulates all the birds that I have spotted with a fair degree of confidence in identification. My purpose for posting this is twofold: first, for myself, to keep track of my lifers; and second, it may also be of use to birders since I am reporting birds that I have spotted mainly in the mountains that I have climbed.
Disclaimer: As a novice in this hobby, I may be mistaken in the identification and nomenclature of these birds. If you think this is the case, your inputs are most welcome.
LIST OF BIRDS SPOTTED
1. Mountain white-eye - Mt. Ugo, March 2012 (Mt. Maagnaw, Oct. 2012)
2. Black-naped oriole - Mt. Tagapo, March 2012
3. Brahminy kite - Mt. Hibok-Hibok, May 2012
4. Barn swallow - Mt. Talamitam, May 2012
5. Philippine cuckoo dove - Mt. Bulusan, June 2012
6. Spotted wood-kingfisher - Mt. Bulusan, June 2012
7. Osprey - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
8. Ashy ground-thrush - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
9. Rufous night-heron - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
10. Little egret - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
11. Barred rail - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
12. Pied fantail - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
13. Little heron - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
14. Common sandpiper - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
15. Zebra dove - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
16. White-breasted water hen - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
17. Brown Shrike - La Mesa Eco-Park, October 2012
18. Olive-backed sunbird - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
19. Lowland white eye - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
20. Stripe-headed rhabdornis - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
21. Yellow-vented bulbul - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
22. Pied triller - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
23. Ashy minivet - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
24. White-collared kingfisher - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
25. White-throated kingfisher - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
26. Cattle egret - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, October 2012
27. Apo sunbird - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
28. Cinnamon ibon - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
29. Philippine fairy bluebird - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
30. Mountain leaf warbler - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
31. Mountain shrike - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
32. Elegant tit - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
33. Sulfur-billed nuthatch - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
34. Colasisi - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
35. Bar-bellied cuckoo-shrike - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
36. Mountain tailorbird - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
37. Mountain verditer-flycatcher - Mt. Maagnaw/Kitanglad Range, October 2012
38, Striated grassbird - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
39. Balicassiao - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
40. Coppersmith barbet - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
41. White-bellied munya - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
42. Scaly-breasted munya - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
43. Long-tailed shrike - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
44. Gray wagtail - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
45. Richard's pipit - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
46. White-breasted wood-swallow - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
47. Red-keeled flowerpecker - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
48. Red-crested malkoha - - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
49. Golden-bellied flyeater - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
50. Eurasian tree sparrow - Mt. Makiling/Los Banos, November 2012
