Sometime in 2015, a big flock of the rarely seen Green-faced Parrotfinch appeared in the Abucay, Bataan campus of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. The bird were feeding on the bamboo flowers found in the campus. It so happened that the late Fr Auckhs Enjaynes, an avid birder, was the VP-Finance of said school that time. Thus many birders flocked to Abucay and were able to see and photograph these enigmatic birds. Enigmatic because their known diet are bamboo flowers, hence their local name Mayang Kawayan. But what happens when the bamboo are not flowering? Where do they go? What do they eat? This is the mystery about this bird and it was the subject of a recent article by Alain Pascua, current WBPP President.
Here's the link to said article: https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/green-faced-parrotfinches-a7952-20240529-lfrm?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2Q9fNlni6mUUiJrExtil46yIEPS2Ae1UUpgx-gcKop3IAcRoxcEX6esZA_aem__FRND_S2dwAdSbY1gxbGsg
I was not able to see these birds in 2015 probably because I was in Coron or maybe I was busy with Mama's medical condition, I cannot remember anymore. I vowed to myself not to miss the next appearance (as we always do when one misses a rare bird), However, it was not seen again (at least by the birding community), until May 11, 2024 at Palo Alto subdivision in Baras, Rizal. And as fate would have it, I was in Korea on a business trip! (Why do rare birds always appear when I am away?). So again, all I could do was admire the photos, congratulate those who lifered it, and pray that they stay on until my return.
I arrived back in Manila on the wee hours of May 16 and was due to fly to Coron early May 18 so my window was tight. The birding gods smiled at me because the birds were still at Baras, I had available time on the morning of the 17th and was invited by Ed Santos and Steve Albano to ride with them that morning. We arrived at the site around 6:00-ish and found Prof Ferdie Llanes already waiting. A few minutes later Prof Bert and Jun Madrigal also arrived followed shortly by Nelson Sibal. After the greetings we all settled down to wait and after another 15-20 minutes (which seemed like an eternity), Prof Bert blurts, "andyan na sila" and two Green-faced Parrotfinches landed on the rocks in front of us. One flew off right away but the other one stayed long enough for us to get many photos.
Sharing my humble contribution to the Parrotfinch craze...
Green-faced Parrotfinch, Philippine Lifer # 2 for 2024
Thank you Lord for this rare lifer (estimated to be only between 6000-15000 left). Thank you Steve and Ed for allowing me to tag along.
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