Fleeting Encounters with a Taluchi

The Palawan Hornbill ranks high in my list of sought after birds but because it is not easily seen in Coron or Busuanga, I do not have very good photos of it, at least not something worth printing and hanging on a wall. Because of this, any news of a Hornbill sighting in Coron or Busuanga gets my attention. The problem is, there are no stable sites in Busuanga island where the bird can be seen regularly. I do not even include it in my Coron bird tours since all sightings seem to be chance encounters. In fact, last month, this bird was a target of a group of Malaysian bird photographers and I couldn't think of a site with a high chance of a sighting. But the birding gods must have heard my prayers because on the eve of the guests' arrival, Jen Chua, a friend from Coron, posted a cellphone video of a pair of Palawan Hornbills taken that day in a resort somewhere in Busuanga. Iza Barcelona, my assistant at Darayonan, saw the post first and tagged me right away.

I immediately contacted Jen to ask for details. She referred me to the owner, Ms. Thess Morada who gave me information about the hornbill, the most important of which was that they are seen almost daily in the vicinity. OMG! The following day, I showed the video to my guests, who got excited, (who wouldn't be), and asked if they really want to see said bird because the location was 72 kms away from town and meant a 4am departure (in order to be in the area by 6am). They all said yes, so on the morning of Feb 23, we left Darayonan at 4am, boarded a van, and soon fell asleep. A little less than two hours later, we stopped at a mountainside resort somewhere in Busuanga. We were greeted by the cold night air as we stepped out of the van and marveled at the clear night sky. So clear that I could see traces of the Milky Way when I snapped a photo of the southern sky with my cellphone. At around 6am, we were treated to a glorious sunrise! It was around this time that we met Ms Morada who came out of the resort to also take a photo of the sunrise. Introductions were made and she ushered us in to her place.

We fanned out in different directions to wait for the target birds. Several minutes later, Bryan, our van driver called me to the parking area saying he has seen the Hornbills. He pointed to the trees and it took me sometime to find it, then the birds flew and we ran down the hill to look for them. We could hear them several meters down the road but could not see them. The birds then flew back to where they came from. We ran uphill again. As soon as they appeared on top of one tree, I told Bryan to fetch the guests.

A distant photo of the Palawan Hornbills

After several minutes, the the Hornbills, flew towards our left and perched on a distant tree. It turned out that there were three of them, (one was hidden from us). We trudged back uphill and settled down at the resort's restaurant to wait for their return, but they never did. We left at around 11am. I later messaged Thess if they had a vacant room that weekend so I could return, but they were fully booked.

I flew to Manila a few days later but was back within a week and finding some free time in my schedule, I messaged Thess again if they had a vacant room on March 11th. Nada. But there was one available for March 12th, which I readily booked. I arrived at the resort a little before 2pm on March 12th and spent the afternoon waiting for any sign. Nothing. I spoke to the resort staff who all said that they have not seen it lately.

The following morning, I was up and birding around 6am. I scanned the trees near the parking area but no Hornbills. According to Jen, she saw the birds near the resort's laundry area which was several meters below my cottage. So I made my way down the slope. While standing beside the laundry area, I sensed/heard movement and from a gap in the leaves, and saw something white and big fly-by in the direction of the forested area near the parking lot. Hornbill! I ran back up the hill and as soon as I exited the resort gate, I saw two hornbills glide by, one of them perched on an open tree about 15-18 meters from my car but partially covered from where I was standing. With my heart pounding from my uphill run and the excitement, I quietly walked to get a better view, aimed, fired, dark screen, under exposed! Frantically adjusted my shutter speed, leaned on my car, still gasping from breath, fired, a burst, blurred shot (!!!) and then bird flew to another tree down the road, follow again, praying for a clear shot, saw them fly further down, perch, then fly again to a distant tree. Haaaay.... I waited several minutes while catching my breath, then slowly walked up back to my car, got my stool, and sat down dejected, cursing myself for missing a golden opportunity.

After maybe twenty minutes, I dejectedly walked back to my cottage. But I could still hear birds chirping so after maybe another fifteen minutes, I went out again to check. I was at the parking area when I saw Ms Thess running down the path excitedly and told me she could hear the hornbills pecking at the resort's aluminum water tank on the slope behind the restaurant. I ran uphill as fast as I could and true enough they were there. Knowing how skittish they are, I immediately fired as many shots as I could. Sharing a few of them.

Palawan Hornbills

And true to their skittish nature, they left after only a few minutes. I walked a few steps to the resort's restaurant and ordered my breakfast. While waiting, I heard their calls on the trees in front of the restaurant, maybe about eighteen to twenty meters away. After some minutes, one perched on an open branch.

Palawan Hornbill with no tail. Must be moulting.

Palawan Hornbills - a closer crop

Oh, and why Taluchi? According to wikipedia, the local name for this bird is Talusi. Which honestly, did not sound Cuyonon to me. A cousin of mine told me that another local name for this bird is Longon Lobaina (or Lobayna), now that sounds Cuyonon or Calamianen. However, last February 18, I was invited to give a talk/training in Bgy Bogtong in Busuanga and I learned that the local name of the Palawan Hornbill in these parts is Taluchi. Now that sounds Cuyonon and/or Calamianen. So Taluchi it is!

Thank you Lord for creating such a majestic creature and for giving me an opportunity to see and photograph it. Thank you to Ms. Thess Morada for allowing me into their lovely resort. And thank you Jen for your video!