The Three Kings Club

The main attraction of Capayas Creek Kingfisher Preserve was, and still is, the three resident kingfishers, namely the Ruddy Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfisher, and Rufous-backed Kingfisher (listed as Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher in some taxonomic lists). This is something that I have mentioned in previous blogs and in socmed posts. However, while it is true that Capayas offers a high chance of seeing these birds, it is never a guarantee that one will see all three in one day. Some birders, including me, take several tries. My personal experience is as follows: Rufous-backed in May 24, 2013, Ruddy in June 28, 2013, and Blue-eared on March 12, 2014. This was pre bird hide days hence it was harder to see all three in one day. The establishment of the hide made seeing and photographing these birds easier but by no means guaranteed. There would be stretches (months) that we might not see one of them. And nature being nature, we also have several stories where the third king will appear literally at the last minute when the guests are already packing their bags. All of these prove that even with a hide, these birds remain wild and free. Thus, being able to see/photograph all three in one birding trip, especially in one day, or in some cases, in one morning, is cause for celebration. To give recognition to our guests who accomplish this, we have decided to establish the Three Kings Club. Every guest of My Blue Backpack who is able to bag all three Capayas star birds receive a certificate and a token and their names will be included in our wall of fame at CCKP. To make it fair to our previous guests, we shall also give them recognition.

Sharing some photos of our recent awardees both new and previous guests.

Previous guests and constant shooting buddies, who all accomplished the feat years ago.

Another former guest and one of my birding mentors (BI in birderspeak). She accomplished the feat in 2017.

The first current guests we awarded was this lovely couple from Sweden

Our most recent awardee, (April 18), from Canada.

And this post will not be complete without sharing some of my most recent photos of the Three Kings.

Rufous-backed Kingfisher

Blue-eared Kingfisher

Ruddy Kingfisher

I am eternally grateful to our Lord for creating such magnificent creatures and for making me a Coronian so that these birds are within my reach. I thank Atty Ramon Quisumbing for putting up this bird preserve.

If you would like to have the chance to see and photograph these gorgeous kingfishers, kindly get in touch with us. We would love to welcome you to the Three Kings Club.

You may reach us at mybluebackpacktours@gmail.com and +63 9178815121 (same number in Viber and WhatsApp