September 2011

We went to Dumaguete to attend the 7th Philippine Bird Fest of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines.The Bird Fest was held on Friday and Saturday at the Siliman University. There were exhibits, lectures, and kid-friendly activities. We arrived in Dumaguete on Wednesday so we could go birding and look for the Negros endemics.

We had a good number of birds, including two raptors (Chinese Goshawk and Philippine Serpent Eagle) and 4 kinds of sunbirds. We missed out on the Flame-templed Babbler and Visayan Tarictic Hornbill.

The birding sites we visited were all fairly near Dumaguete.
Forest Camp,Valencia - this is a resort. There were a lot of sunbirds here.
Twin Lakes in Sibulan - easy birding from the observation deck. You can even order lunch and drinks!
The house of Rene Vendiola - the #1 bird guide for the area, he has created a Visayan Flowerpecker paradise in his backyard. Unfortunately we were there in the afternoon. Prime feeding time is in the morning.
Mangrove boardwalk in Tanjay - this was disappointing. There were more birds along the road on the way to the mangrove than at the actual site. We were pleasantly surprised by all the Javan Pond herons in breeding plumage along the road!
wetland in Sibulan - we saw the Red-necked Phalarope!
Centrop in Dumaguete City - there was a Spotted Wood Kingfisher! A lot of people from the Bird Fest were able to see this bird and take pictures to their hearts content!