Beautiful close up photos of the Northern Rufous Hornbill had been flooding FB since Valentine's Day and all I could do was like and praise them since I was in Coron starting Feb 10. I messaged Albert Abadicio on February 16 asking if the balete fruits will last until February 22. He corrected me and said it was hagimit that the birds were feasting on but they will not last long. I finally got my chance to go to Infanta on February 21.
I met up with Conrad Olayres at the Caltex station in Ortigas ave at 3am. Conrad is a long time birding companion and my roommate in Thailand (in 2017) and Sabah (in 2023). After a quick breakfast of 7-11 fried chicken, we proceeded to the Burger King along Marcos Highway where we met up with the ex PLDT boys - RJ Abad, Bong Caoadgan, and Jun Lacanlalay. We were also joined by Orly Mayoyo, another ex PLDT birder. After quick greetings, we were off to Infanta. The idea was our three vehicles will convoy but due to the presence of weekend motorcycle riders and trucks, we soon lost each other (so much for the idea of convoying). In any case, we all met each other again at the house of Francis, the Infanta bird guide, about 2 hours later. After picking up Francis, we hurried to the site and found new WBPP Member Paolo del Rosario with Mhark Gee at the site. And as expected, all the fruits were already gone, so no sign of the Hornbills. We went further down the road and waited. A few minutes later we got excited when we heard their honks somewhere near. After another few minutes, we realized that they were on a clump of trees somewhere to our front but on the other side of the tree (facing the ravine). Haaay....
Conrad's sharp eyes soon picked up a Luzon Hornbill through a triangle-shaped gap. But one had to stand in the perfect spot on a precarious ledge to see this triangle.
Roger started playing calls of the Kalaw and we all waited in anticipation. Visions of a flock of Hornbills in flight coming towards us filled my head, but...nada, zip, zero. We waited in that spot for a couple of hours and photographed whatever birds came. Here are some of the images that I was able to create.
We headed back to the original spot and still no Kalaws. But a lone Olive-backed Flowerpecker gave us plenty of looks.
Then we all got hungry and proceeded to Agape for hot bowls of lomi. I jokingly remarked that the last time I ate at this place, I also did not see the Kalaws. Anyway, after finishing the lomi and kapeng barako, we proceeded to the chapel area to look for the Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher, Philippine Trogon, and the Short Crested Monarch and whatever other birds we could find. And in keeping with the day's theme, bokya ulit. We then proceeded to Jake, a place along the Marilaque Highway that I have not been to but have seen in photos of birder friends. Jake served us steaming coffee at the cozy shack and the improvised couches made me want to sleep. After several minutes, a Yellow-wattled Bulbul appeared.
The Philippine Bulbul also made a brief appearance.
A few Elegant Tits were flitting about but most were backlit photos.
The afternoon was getting on and the skies were getting darker so we decided to go to another spot recommended by Francis. We found a fruiting hagimit and some of the usual suspects - three Buzzing Flowerpeckers, a lone Bi-colored Flowerpecker, one sleepy Amethyst Brown Dove (no photos worth posting), two White-eared Brown Doves, and Philippine Fairy Blue Bird. Sharing some images.
It drizzled a couple of times prompting us to run to our cars. At one point my D850 malfunctioned so I switched to my D500. At 430pm, with the skies getting darker, Conrad and I bade our companions good bye and headed back to Metro Manila. They were spending the night at Infanta and was planning to go owling. By Infanta standards, it was not a very productive day, photography wise. But it was such a happy and relaxing day that I did not even mind that we dipped on all the targets. I am looking forward to birding with this group of guys again. Hopefully soon.
A last selfie before we called it a day....
Salamat sa maraming tawanan boys! Till we bird again!
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