Tanza, Navotas is main sighting ground of Little Stint in Philippines. With only two previous records in1888 and another in 1907, came year 2020 , 2021 through 2023 it proved to be Little Stint years that might actually be , not so unusual! With so little study on shorebirds of Philippines migratory birds, there is always room for new findings!   To put things simple, the location of Tanza, Navotas and Bulacan mudflats is right on the critical "line" of majority of shorebirds passing by the country. These two critical areas hold species of critical importance and also ..read more

Three years of waiting for this critically endangered species to show up on one of the mudflats and sandbar that is most important in Philippines. This site sits right on the East Asian-Australian pathway of many species of shorebirds, Black-headed Gulls, and Terns species. I don't just bird there, I do shorebirds count without pay of course. This unique skill the heavens blessed me with will never be used for working with reclamation companies! For a country that sits on extremely important part of East Asian Australian Flyway, it is surprising we do not have organisations that concentrate on ..read more

I've not been able to update my blog for nearly 2 years! Well the last post I wrote was January 2022! Things just got so hectic entire year mostly guiding birders, and shorebirds count. I hardly have time to stay at home long enough to allow me to write. Now it's already December 2023 and I've just managed to have time to really sit down and at least relax a little. So here it is, first update since my last post, though not in chronological order of happenings since Dec 2022.  Among Philippine's endemic bird species that is very tough to see and is not a ground bird, which very few people ..read more

 Just when I thought, ok, I just released a wild bird and duty is done... Well, it didn't take long for another wild bird to check-in into   Kit's" home based rescue bird hotel room".   October 13, 2021. It was one of those days again, supermarket run with birding side trip. I already spent some 2 hours on the mudflat. Just as I was thinking to leave, I saw three local children walking from the other end of the mudflat towards the side of the dike and what was that ?!!! Something white  in one of the kid's hand!  I quickly aimed my scope at the kid... well ..read more

15th Sept 2021. I went to Bulacan Mudflats to check if waders are there already in good numbers. Bulacan is a hidden gem of bird watching and toursim! If only there is promotion of their locality and specialties, imagine how beautiful it is see vast old growth mangroves with roots so thick and sturdy?  Mudflats and sandbar of very very fine texture black sand, with things from the sea that you can walk on! The water feels great on your feet while you enjoy shorebirds watching! The mudflat of Bulacan is not just a fishing ground for local fishermen, it is also wintering ground for thousan ..read more

Just when I thought when will I have my Philippines lifer number 555?  Well,  Christmas Frigatebird  was a really nice one for lifer 554  with only 4 records in the country, but, I wondered if I will have a birthday lifer this year? After  releasing my rescued Red-necked Stint,  I got busy and not able to bird again until September 7th.  To be honest I was very tired that day.  I happen to, well, not exactly happen to... more like exceeded my habit of... So, I drank 6 cups of extra strong black tea while working and that was just about 3 hours ..read more

A wild shorebird lived with me for six days. Hm... I'd never thought I'd be sharing my room with a wild bird ... well...I've had a freezer at one point with a dead Philippine Pitta living in it before I finally found an ornithologist interested in collecting the sample for data. It was a dead Pitta picked up by a church guard that the guard handed to me after seeing me observing birds in the church ground. Oh, I must have freaked out the guard when I asked for his unused Mc Do paper cup to put the Pitta in it then I took it home! Well...  living with a wild bird in the house was a first f ..read more

Another prior to ECQ last hurrah of birding gave me a huge surprise... literally, huge in size, surprise.  Haha! Again, unending community quarantine, yes, again. So many times of ECQ, MECQ ... it all just means lockdown!   30th July, 2021. My usual local patch birding at Tanza, Navotas. A prime shorebird mudflat along coastline north east side of Manila Bay. This is THE  PRIME spot of migratory birds activities. When I say , it is the prime spot, I mean  MAJOR PRIME SPOT extending into Taliptip. I will write a separate entry dedicated to both mudflats !  Unfortun ..read more

6th June 2021 was typical COVID times Sunday for me. Not much happening, since I still can't really travel. Even if Metro Manila is under GCQ now, really, GCQ still means a form of  "soft community quarantine", and travel to areas open for visitors are point to point. Not great! It's not good for road trip if you have to get from point A to B then back to point A, then point A to C then back again!  Not effecient way in all aspects of travel!  If only more people are willing to get their jab then things would be more normalised soon!  But sadly still many people refuse to ..read more

 It's a Saturday morning not like the usual. I did not go to bird. I set aside today to attend online interment of my good friend Edwina Tayag Bandong. I cannot help the tears as videos of her were played on Facebook live. Did not even think about going out today but just planned my " homework" on photos I need to sort out to submit for records and just a bit blank that moment when Christian messaged to inform me that the gull I saw in Tanza last years now has an ID and it is 6th country record! The ID is well, done by Rar comm and the gull experts ( whover they consulted).    e ..read more