The Rufous Paradise Flycatcher is one of those hardly seen birds whose appearance sends the birding community in a frenzy. It's sudden presence at the UP Diliman campus caused an exodus of birders from Metro Manila and nearby provinces to flock to the site. I was already in Coron when news about this bird hit social media so again another rare bird appeared while I am away and all I could do was like the posts and pray that it stays long enough. (Bakit ba ganun?).
I "lifered" this bird in July 2021 at LMEP. Read about that sortie here: https://chiwitchronicles.blogspot.com/2021/07/unexpected-lifers-not-one-but-two.html. But even it is not a lifer anymore, it is a rare bird and I was not that happy with the photos that I got three years ago. To my delight, the bird stayed for more than a week and gave me an opportunity to photograph it again. So on the morning of June 16, Father's Day, while most of my family were still in bed, I did a quick trip to UP Diliman, where I found several other fathers enjoying some "me" time. Here are some of the images that I was able to create during the two hours that I stayed at UPD.
Rufous Paradise Flycatcher
At one point it had what looked like a Cicada in it's mouth.
Jumping from one branch to another while its prey was still in its beak
Settling on another branch before gulping down its food
After consuming its food, the bird wandered off a bit and so did the birders. A few of us found it perched at eye level but one had to shoot through twigs and leaves.
Then it started flapping its wings and contorting its body in different ways, an action that reminded me of the Blue Paradise Flycatcher in Coron. Sharing a both photos.
Ang mga malalanding Paradise Flycatchers (Rufous & Blue)
And as with any birding sortie, a group hug is mandatory (photo grabbed from the FB post of Gid Ferrer). Note: some had already left before this photo was taken and some arrived after.
Ang mga dakilang haligi ng tahanan, a mixed flock of fathers...
As always, thank you Lord for the beauty of your creation and for giving is the time and gear to photograph it. Thank you also to my fellow bird nuts for the fun and the alaskahan. Hanggang sa muling pagkikita!
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