Account of a Solo Birding in Malalag

Part of my long-weekend schedules on February 24 was a solo birding trip in Malalag, Davao del Sur, a town considered as the best birding site in the entire province. I took an early bus trip to Digos and Malalag by 5:00 in the morning and arrived at the birding venue by 6:30. The site is a huge fishing pond that stretches to the border of Malalag and the municipality of Sulop going north.

 

Common Red Shank

I was welcomed by flock of waders in the façade of the ponds comprised of White-headed Stilts, Common Sandpipers, Whiskered Terns, Grey-tailed Tattlers, Grey Plovers and the Great Egrets.As I walked through the mangrove reserves two classes of kingfishers showed up – the Common Kingfishers and Collared Kingfishers.

White-headed Stilt

Common Sandpiper

Whiskered Terns

Grey Plover

Great Egret

Collared Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Some notable wading items such as Whimbrel and Common Greenshank, as well as the Striated Heron and Javan Pond Heron are also good scenes of the area.

Whimbrel

Common Greenshank

Javan Pond Heron

Grey Wagtail

Striated Grassbird

A total of 30 species in less than two hours were recorded in this first ever solo birding in this locality. I left the place by 8:30 and arrived home by 9:15.

1     White-headed Stilt

2     Great Egret

3     Little Egret

4     Javan Pond Heron

5     Striated Heron

6     Whiskered Tern
  Common Redshank

7     Common Greenshank

8     Grey Plover

9     Grey-tailed Tattler

1     Common Sandpiper

            Whimbrel

1     Grey Wagtail

1     Striated Grassbird

1     Collared Kingfisher

1     Common Kingfisher

1     Golden-bellied Gerygone

1     Barn Swallow

1     Asian Glossy Starling

1     Olive-backed Sunbird

2     Philippine Pied Fantail

2     Eurasian Tree Sparrow

2     White-breasted Woodswallow

2     Yellow-vented Bulbol

2     Large-billed Crow

2     Asian Palm Swift

2     Red-keeled Flowerpecker

2     Zebra Dove

2     Chestnut Munia

2     Brown Shrike

By the way,Malalag is the last municipality in the province of Davao del Sur situated just around 40 kilometers from the commercial center of Digos City.