• Home
  • Search
  • About Us
  • Contact

Birds of the Philippines

Photos and videos of wild birds found in the Philippines. We travel all over the Philippines to document and take pictures of birds. Our goal is to make this site a resource of information and images about wild birds of the Philippines.

  1. Equipment List

Birding Gear

It is not hard to start birdwatching. The first step is usually trying to see a bird well enough to identify it. So you need a means of seeing the bird well and a resource for identifying the bird. It helps to have a notebook so you can take notes of what you have seen, the time, the date and the place.

This is the gear we use for birdwatching. For the basics you only need two items. A field guide and binoculars. We will add our other favorite items in the future.
Read More
If you are going to buy one book on Philippine Birds buy this one. It is the bible of the Philippine birders. A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Robert S. Kennedy, Pedro C. Gonzales, Edward C. Dickinson, Hector C. Miranda Jr., and Timothy H. Fisher. It is usually just called the Kennedy Guide. It is printed by the Oxford University Press and was first published in the year 2000. There is a hardbound version and a soft cover version. <br />
<br />
This is the best field guide for Philippine Birds. Its is a resource that is meant to be a birders companion. The picture above is our copy of this great book. We bring it on all our trips. It has travelled by jet plane, propeller plane, boat, car, jeep, tricycle, horse and it has also done its share of hiking. Its a bit bent, dirty, and battered. But it is more or less intact and in slightly better condition compared to the more abused copies we have encountered. Some of our friend's field guides are stapled together, bound by duct tape, xeroxed, laminated and basically subjected to all forms of Frankenstein book binding to keep their tomes in one piece. A Philippine birder usually feels slightly naked without a Kennedy Guide nearby. This book is meant to be by your side at all times. Its not meant to be in a book shelf. It is supposed to be a readily available resource to be whipped out at a moments notice. <br />
<br />
The members of the two biggest birding associations in the Philippines rely on this field guide. The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Philippine Bird Photographers Forum members use this book. <br />
<br />
The first part of the book consists of drawings of birds arranged in pages called plates. There are 72 plates.  The birds are arranged in taxonomical order. When you find the bird after looking thru the plates you can get more information by going to the next part of the book. The second part of the book is around 368 pages. It describes the birds in greater detail. You get to know the size, call, range, color and different races of the birds. <br />
<br />
It is not easy to find this book in the Philippines. Sometimes you can find it in Fully Booked. Locally the price ranges around P4,000 sometimes a bit less.  We got ours from Amazon.com. The cost of the book in Amazon is $85.00. You might be able to get it cheaper from the other sellers (around $64) in Amazon or by buying it used in Amazon (around $48).  It is available in Book Depository  <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com">http://www.bookdepository.com</a>)  for US$56.52 including free shipping to the Philippines. It is not cheap. But if you are interested in Philippine birds. Bite the bullet. Get this book.<br />
<br />
You can buy other books on birds in the future to augment your field guide. We have bookshelves full of other books. But this book is so well used it does not go back into the shelves. It usually stays on our bedside table. <br />
<br />
For a beginner this book is the portal to great adventures. Get a pair of binoculars. Then walk to a tree with birds flying around it.  Look for a bird then search for it in the book. Repeat. <br />
<br />
Pretty soon you might find yourself in a Palawan forest, looking up a tree trying to get a good look at a Palawan Hornbill.  You could find yourself deep in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range looking for the beautiful Whiskered Pitta. Or you could be drinking coffee in your house looking at a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker having its breakfast on one of the trees in your garden.
1 / 3

If you are going to buy one book on Philippine Birds buy this one. It is the bible of the Philippine birders. A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Robert S. Kennedy, Pedro C. Gonzales, Edward C. Dickinson, Hector C. Miranda Jr., and Timothy H. Fisher. It is usually just called the Kennedy Guide. It is printed by the Oxford University Press and was first published in the year 2000. There is a hardbound version and a soft cover version.

This is the best field guide for Philippine Birds. Its is a resource that is meant to be a birders companion. The picture above is our copy of this great book. We bring it on all our trips. It has travelled by jet plane, propeller plane, boat, car, jeep, tricycle, horse and it has also done its share of hiking. Its a bit bent, dirty, and battered. But it is more or less intact and in slightly better condition compared to the more abused copies we have encountered. Some of our friend's field guides are stapled together, bound by duct tape, xeroxed, laminated and basically subjected to all forms of Frankenstein book binding to keep their tomes in one piece. A Philippine birder usually feels slightly naked without a Kennedy Guide nearby. This book is meant to be by your side at all times. Its not meant to be in a book shelf. It is supposed to be a readily available resource to be whipped out at a moments notice.

The members of the two biggest birding associations in the Philippines rely on this field guide. The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Philippine Bird Photographers Forum members use this book.

The first part of the book consists of drawings of birds arranged in pages called plates. There are 72 plates. The birds are arranged in taxonomical order. When you find the bird after looking thru the plates you can get more information by going to the next part of the book. The second part of the book is around 368 pages. It describes the birds in greater detail. You get to know the size, call, range, color and different races of the birds.

It is not easy to find this book in the Philippines. Sometimes you can find it in Fully Booked. Locally the price ranges around P4,000 sometimes a bit less. We got ours from Amazon.com. The cost of the book in Amazon is $85.00. You might be able to get it cheaper from the other sellers (around $64) in Amazon or by buying it used in Amazon (around $48). It is available in Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.com) for US$56.52 including free shipping to the Philippines. It is not cheap. But if you are interested in Philippine birds. Bite the bullet. Get this book.

You can buy other books on birds in the future to augment your field guide. We have bookshelves full of other books. But this book is so well used it does not go back into the shelves. It usually stays on our bedside table.

For a beginner this book is the portal to great adventures. Get a pair of binoculars. Then walk to a tree with birds flying around it. Look for a bird then search for it in the book. Repeat.

Pretty soon you might find yourself in a Palawan forest, looking up a tree trying to get a good look at a Palawan Hornbill. You could find yourself deep in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range looking for the beautiful Whiskered Pitta. Or you could be drinking coffee in your house looking at a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker having its breakfast on one of the trees in your garden.

Field guidephilippine birdsphilippineRobert Kennedykennedy guideA guide to the birds of the PhilippinesRobert s. KennedyKennedyoxford

  • If you are going to buy one book on Philippine Birds buy this one. It is the bible of the Philippine birders. A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Robert S. Kennedy, Pedro C. Gonzales, Edward C. Dickinson, Hector C. Miranda Jr., and Timothy H. Fisher. It is usually just called the Kennedy Guide. It is printed by the Oxford University Press and was first published in the year 2000. There is a hardbound version and a soft cover version. <br />
<br />
This is the best field guide for Philippine Birds. Its is a resource that is meant to be a birders companion. The picture above is our copy of this great book. We bring it on all our trips. It has travelled by jet plane, propeller plane, boat, car, jeep, tricycle, horse and it has also done its share of hiking. Its a bit bent, dirty, and battered. But it is more or less intact and in slightly better condition compared to the more abused copies we have encountered. Some of our friend's field guides are stapled together, bound by duct tape, xeroxed, laminated and basically subjected to all forms of Frankenstein book binding to keep their tomes in one piece. A Philippine birder usually feels slightly naked without a Kennedy Guide nearby. This book is meant to be by your side at all times. Its not meant to be in a book shelf. It is supposed to be a readily available resource to be whipped out at a moments notice. <br />
<br />
The members of the two biggest birding associations in the Philippines rely on this field guide. The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Philippine Bird Photographers Forum members use this book. <br />
<br />
The first part of the book consists of drawings of birds arranged in pages called plates. There are 72 plates.  The birds are arranged in taxonomical order. When you find the bird after looking thru the plates you can get more information by going to the next part of the book. The second part of the book is around 368 pages. It describes the birds in greater detail. You get to know the size, call, range, color and different races of the birds. <br />
<br />
It is not easy to find this book in the Philippines. Sometimes you can find it in Fully Booked. Locally the price ranges around P4,000 sometimes a bit less.  We got ours from Amazon.com. The cost of the book in Amazon is $85.00. You might be able to get it cheaper from the other sellers (around $64) in Amazon or by buying it used in Amazon (around $48).  It is available in Book Depository  <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com">http://www.bookdepository.com</a>)  for US$56.52 including free shipping to the Philippines. It is not cheap. But if you are interested in Philippine birds. Bite the bullet. Get this book.<br />
<br />
You can buy other books on birds in the future to augment your field guide. We have bookshelves full of other books. But this book is so well used it does not go back into the shelves. It usually stays on our bedside table. <br />
<br />
For a beginner this book is the portal to great adventures. Get a pair of binoculars. Then walk to a tree with birds flying around it.  Look for a bird then search for it in the book. Repeat. <br />
<br />
Pretty soon you might find yourself in a Palawan forest, looking up a tree trying to get a good look at a Palawan Hornbill.  You could find yourself deep in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range looking for the beautiful Whiskered Pitta. Or you could be drinking coffee in your house looking at a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker having its breakfast on one of the trees in your garden.
  • Tonji's Binoculars: Nikon Monarch 10x42<br />
<br />
Binoculars a birders most important tool. <br />
<br />
My current bins are the Nikon Monarch 10x42 DCF. The number 10 is the amount of magnification. So for this pair you see as if you are 10 times nearer the object. The second number in this case 42 is the objective diameter of the binoculars. The higher the number the brighter the image. I used to use the Nikon 8x42 bins. When they were accidentally dropped into the ocean I decided to get the same brand but I thought 10 x42 might be more useful. I think I do prefer the higher magnification. I find that bins with the objective diameter of 50 are too large. I think 42 is just the right size and weight for something that will be around my neck the whole day.<br />
<br />
Magnification is usually a personal choice. The two most common are 8x and 10x. A magnification of 8x gives you a bigger view while a 10x magnification makes the bird a little bigger. It is best to try both before buying to see which one suits you. I like 10x and Sylvia likes 8x. <br />
<br />
The specs of the Nikon  Monarch 10x42 binoculars are as follows:<br />
Magnification: 10<br />
Effective diameter (mm): 42<br />
Angular field of view: 5.5 degrees<br />
minimum focusing distance: 2.5 meters<br />
weight: 620 grams<br />
<br />
When I took this picture my bins were really dirty. We had just come home from a rugged week long trip. I fell from a horse, twice.  I slipped on the mountain trail a few times. There was a lot of dust. And there was one time when a whole dust cloud of orange spores covered me. My hair was orange. I guess it can be seen here that I had not cleaned my bins very well yet. <br />
<br />
The reason I am not so finicky with my bins is because I decided to go for the very reasonably priced Nikon Monarchs. This pair with the 10x42 magnification costs less than $300. They are light, clear and they work well. I usually strap them to my harness. Or they are in my car ready to look at any interesting birds. Bins live a hard life and I would rather get something that performs well but does not cost too much. <br />
<br />
There are nicer bins, the Swarovski EL 10x42 is superb. I tried a pair of Swarovski bins and I must say they are much better than my Nikon. The Swaros were a pleasure to use, brighter, sharper and gave me less eye strain. It was like watching TV, not looking thru bins. The cost is much more than my Nikon bins.  I like the Swaros a lot, but not the price. <br />
<br />
A weakness of the Nikons are the covers. They are pretty horrible. Easy to lose. I actually just lost the front covers already. Another problem is the eye cups can get damaged and stop moving. It is disappointing. The overall construction is ok. But as I do more birding and subject it to more use it does not seem to be holding up very well. These bins are ok I guess but if you want something that will last for a long time you need to look at some of the more expensive binoculars.<br />
<br />
I will probably upgrade to better binoculars at some point in time.
  • Swarovski Spotting Scope 80 HD<br />
with 20-60X eyepiece<br />
<br />
If you get serious with birding and you want to get really close to the birds then a spotting scope like this one is ideal. You first have to choose the brand. Then the size of the scope. Lastly the power of the eye piece. <br />
<br />
There are a few brands to choose from, Swarovski, Leica, Nikon and Kowa are reputable brands.   We have been able to use two brands extensively. The Leica and the Swarovski. They were both good but we liked the Swarovski more because it only has one ring for focusing. We also felt that the Swaro was slightly sharper. Maybe because it was a slightly newer model. There is always something new, and they usually keep getting better. <br />
<br />
You can choose two sizes for the body. A 60mm and an 80mm. The 80mm allows more light in so you get a brighter and sharper picture. The 60mm is smaller and lighter. <br />
<br />
For the eye piece there are three choices the 20-50x, a fixed 30x, and a 20-60x. We have the 20-60x. It works very well. <br />
<br />
The Swarovski is very well made. It is a quality item that is water proof. You need that when walking around the rainforests. But its always good to have a dry bag to cover up your scope if the weather turns bad. <br />
<br />
The cloth cover is optional and is a very good option to purchase. It provides additional protection from scratches and small bumps and is made very well. <br />
<br />
You will need a good tripod and a sturdy tripod head to keep your scope stable when you are viewing. We use the Manfrotto 393 head and the Manfrotto 055 Pro Carbon tripod for our spotting scope. <br />
<br />
We also have an attachment so we can connect our SLR with a 50mm lens to the eyepiece. A lot of people use their scopes to take pictures and videos. It is much lighter than using a super telephoto lens. So some people prefer it to carrying a heavy SLR lens.<br />
<br />
You don't need an SLR to take pictures with your scope. A point and shoot camera will work very well.<br />
<br />
We bought our scope from Eagle Optics. They were very helpful in terms of information.
  • No Comments
Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites
  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2023 SmugMug, Inc.