The Birds of Camiguin

It’s good to be back in Camiguin this year to grace the second installment of the Local Government’s continuing program on Climb Camiguin. This time I was working with fellow birders to document the birds in an identified site of Barangay Itum, a jump off point to the new trail in Mt. Hibokhibok. I expected Tonton to join me in this trip but was not able to make it due to equally pressing reasons. However, it was great to have joined some pool of birding enthusiasts from Cagayan de Oro City and Ivan Sarenas, another good birding mentor who is now concentrating his cause on environmental conservation.

The birding schedule was March 2 but as early as March 1 we already started birding with Ivan in the roadside of Itum, just walking distance from the office of the Protected Area Superintendent (PASU) where a lot of dweller species were seen right there and then. To name one, Camiguin Bulbul was all over the place and practically anywhere in the island. This bird is I think one of the largest, if not the largest of all the Bulbul species in the country. I have seen them in greater number this time and noticed them growing significantly in this area, a good proof of an excellent conservation mechanism undertaken by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other stakeholders in Camiguin.

The Camiguin Hanging Parrot is another interesting bird endemic only in the island. Much effort was extended especially on the part of Ivan who was trying to catch one in the wild for a video footage. Unfortunately we only settled to two rescued birds in the PASU office. The rescued birds are expected to be released to its natural habitat anytime within this month and hopefully they will be able to multiply in time.

The Yellowish White Eye, an attractive Camiguin endemic was a good record. For me this is one of the easiest White Eye species to distinguish with all the yellow feature in its whole body. The roadside of Itum must be the most ideal place in Camiguin for birding I saw this bird effortlessly and is quite widespread here. The first time I saw this bird last year was at the peak of Mt. Hibokhibok.

Other roadside birds I personally recorded are Purple–throated Sunbird, and there are actually plenty of them there playing with other residents Everett’s White Eye and the surprising Arctic Warbler. The colorful Purple-throated Sunbirds this time were very friendly I was able to get good photos which I haven’t been in other birding sites in Davao. I was also delighted to finally had good glimpse of the Arctic Warbler which I previously struggled shooting in Cleanergy Park two years ago.

We have spent so much time birding along the road until we decided to go back to the PASU office as it was already getting hot by 10 in the morning. After a short coffee break I joined Ivan in chasing for the Camiguin Hanging Parrot using the rescued birds as bait. Still, the elusive bird did not appear.

I moved a little closer to the forest area and tried to look for the Rufous Paradise Flycatcher, a good-looking bird I last seen in Mapawa Nature Park 4 days before. The female bird responded to my call in four different locations before I could nail a good perspective.

Inside the forest was quite darker than expected due to the lush forest cover. In a bridge within the area I stayed longer to hopefully spot the Dimorphic Dwarf Kingfisher. This is the eight Kingfisher I hoped would be added in my collection but seemed like very difficult to see that time. After almost 1 and a half hours of waiting the bird finally showed up from afar perching shortly in a rattan branch. I had very noisy photo then but after few minutes it transferred to the other side. My photos of this bird still weren’t really good but I managed to get few which I can consider somehow presentable.

The same site offered me presence of the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, a lifer that I consider one of the more colorful flycatchers but not as hyper. And for the second time I also spotted the Camiguin sub-species of Black-naped Monarch, the one having an unlikely black spot in its nape that separate it to the usual species elsewhere.

A good personal record of 47 species is quite good enough for me. Definitely more species to explore in my next sessions in the future:

            Camiguin Bulbul

            Camiguin Hanging Parrot

            Black-naped Monarch

            Dimorphic Dwarf Kingfisher

            Mangrove Blue Flycatcher

            Rufuos Paradise Flycatcher

            Purple-throated Sunbird

            Brown-throated Sunbird

            Olive-backed Sunbird

            Yellowish White Eye

            Everett’s White Eye

            Arctic Warbler

            Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

            Red-keeled Flowerpecker

            Tawny Grassbird

            Brahminy Kite

            Philippine Serpent Eagle

            Grey-faced Buzzard

            Ridgetop Swiflet

            Philippine Magpie Robin

            Philippine Pied Fantail

            Yellow-vented Bulbul

            Scaly-breasted Munia

            Chestnut Munia

            Red-breasted Pitta

            Barred Rail

            White-breasted Waterhen

            Little Egret

            Cattle Egret

            Javan Pond Heron

            Asian Glossy Starling

            Brown Shrike

            Collared Kingfisher

            White-eared Brown Dove

            Camiguin Hawk Owl

            Spotted Dove

            Philippine Coucal

            Amythyst Brown Dove

            Black-faced Coucal

            Philippine Cuckoo Dove

            Zebra Dove

            Barn Swallow

            Rock Dove

            Pink-necked Green Pigeon

            Ameline Swiflet

            Asian Palm Swift
            Coppersmith Barbet

To round it up, Camiguin Island is one of the best birding sites in Mindanao and even in the Philippines. With the level of endemism here it is easy to say that birding is the next good activity to be offered to its tourists. For two consecutive years of birding here I am personally impressed how the birds grow in number. It is important, though, to always craft policies and guidelines in order to align the local government’s aspirations to that of the DENR.

Thank you very much to the Provincial Tourism of Camiguin for always inviting me in your Climb Camiguin program. To a very good friend Candice, the Tourism Officer I am always gratified for always considering me to visit your very beautiful island. Potpot Pinili, you are always the man Pot. I wish to see you in other parts of the country soon.