Bustards Birding Tours

ITINERARY

 

Day 1 : April 27, 2019 Arrive Manila and check into a hotel near airport.

 

Day 2 – Subic Bay Rainforest, Jest Camp Area, Boton Falls.

Pick-up guests in the hotel and then travel to Subic Bay Rainforest birding the whole day in different sites inside the Subic Rainforest to target the following birds: Philippine Hanging Parrot, Green Racket Tail, Guaiabero, Luzon Flameback, Sooty Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker, Rufous Coucal, Philippine Hawk Eagle, Philippine Serpent Eagle, Luzon Hornbill, Philippine Green Pigeon, Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike, Blackish Cuckooshrike, Elegant Tit, Philippine Falconet, Coleto, Philippine Bulbul, Rough-crested Malkoha, Scale-feathered Malkoha.

Dinner and check-in hotel, overnight Subic Hotel

Day 3 – Subic Bay Rainforest : Woodpecker Alley in Nabasan Trail, Botanical Gardens.

Target Birds: Luzon Flameback, Sooty Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker, Guaiabero, Philippine Hanging Parrot, Green Racket-tail, Rufous Coucal, Blue-naped Parrot, Philippine Hawk Eagle, Philippine Serpent Eagle, Luzon Hornbill, Philippine Green Pigeon, Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike, Blackish Cuckooshrike, Elegant Tit, White-fronted Tit,  Philippine Falconet, Coleto, White-throated Kingfisher, White-eared Brown Dove, Philippine Bulbul, Rough-crested Malkoha, Scale-feathered Malkoha, Whiskered Treeswift, Mangrove Blue-flycatcher, Rufous Coucal, Red Junglefowl, Green Imperial Pigeon.

Transfer to a roosting site of the Blue-naped Parrots and the Guaiabero. Other birds that can also be found here are Luzon Flameback, Sooty Woodpecker and Luzon Hornbill.

Here we should encounter the endemic and endangered Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acedoron jubatus) and the Philippine Fruit Bat (Pteropus vampyrus lanensis).

Travel back to Manila and stay overnight in a hotel near the next birding site

 

Day 4-5 – Intavas Ridge in Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon 1

Travel to Cagayan de Oro International Airport Check in the first flight and then travel to our base in Malaybalay, Bukidnon for the Mt. Kitanglad birding sites. Travel time is about 3 to 4 hours on good roads.

 

We will go straight to the bird site to look for the following montane bird species: Apo Myna, Apo Sunbird, Mountain Shrike, Island Thrush, Black-and-cinnamon Fantail, Montane Racket-tail, White-cheeked Bullfinch, Cinnamon Ibon, McGregor’s Cuckooshrike, Metallic Pigeon, Philippine Cuckoo Dove, Amethyst Brown Dove, Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove, Mindanao Hornbill, Grey-hooded Sunbird, Short-tailed Starling, Mindanao Hornbill, Rufous-headed Tailorbird, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Mountain White-eye, Red-eared Parrotfinch, Olive-capped Flowerpecker, Turquoise Flycatcher, Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Mindanao White-eye, Philippine Honey Buzzard and Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle.

Check-in Hotel, dinner and overnight

On Day 5 we will travel to PICOP in Bisling for the next leg of the tour. Travel time is about 6 hours. It is a comfortable trip because the roads are good and well paved.

Check-in at the Paper County Inn, dinner and overnight.

 

Day 6 – Road 42 Birding Site in PICOP.

Breakfast and travel inside the forest area in PICOP

Whole-day Birding to target the following species: Azure-breasted Pitta, Philippine Pitta, Celestial Monarch, Short-crested Monarch, Wattled Broadbill, Striated Wren Babbler, Rufous Hornbill, Writhed Hornbill, Rufous Paradise Flycatcher, Philippine Falconet, Blue-crowned Racket-tail, Mindanao Pygmy Babbler, Metallic-winged Sunbird, Handsome Sunbird, Black-faced Coucal, Yellowish Bulbul, Black-headed Tailorbird, Mindanao Blue Fantail, Philippine Leafbird, Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo, Naked-faced Spiderhunter, Rusty-crowned Babbler, Brown Tit-Babbler, Black-chinned Fruit Dove, Amethyst Brown Dove, Orange-tufted Spiderhunter and Naked-faced Spiderhunter and other endemics.

Back to hotel, dinner and stay overnight

Day 7 – Road 1-4, Quarry Trail and Cemetery Forest Area.

Travel to the birding site where the target owls are located at that time in April, travel to Quarry Trail and Cemetery Forest area to get the Wattled Broadbill, Guaiabero, Blue-crowned Racket-tail, Philippine Hanging Parrot, Writhed Hornbill, Mindanao Hornbill, Philippine Falconet, Blue-backed Parrot, Crested Honey Buzzard, Common Emerald Dove, White-eared Brown Dove, Amethyst Brown Dove, Philippine Green Pigeon, Black-chinned Fruit Dove, Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo, Black-faced Coucal Philippine Coucal, Mindanao Blue Fantail, Short-crested Monarch, Black-naped Monarch, Celestial Monarch, Rufous Paradise Flycatcher, Philippine Leaf Warbler, Tawny Grassbird, Black-headed Tailorbird, Mindanao Pygmy Babbler, Brown Tit-Babbler, Asian Glossy Starling, Coleto, Philippine Leafbird, Red-keeled Flowerpecker , Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Handsome Sunbird, Metallic-winged Sunbird, Orange-tufted Spiderhunter, Everett’s Scops Owl, Great Eared Nightjar.

In the evening , we will go to the abandoned air strip, a wetland area to look for the Philippine Duck, Philippine Nightjar, Eastern Grass Owl, Wandering Whistling Duck, King Quail, Javan Pond Heron, Watercock, Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler, Collared Kingfisher, Western Osprey, Buff-banded Rail, Barred Rail, Spotted Dove, Philippine Coucal, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, White-browed Crake, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern, Yellow Bittern, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Plaintive Cuckoo, Golden-headed Cisticola, Purple Heron.

Back to hotel, dinner and overnight

Day 8 – Tinuy-an Falls Birding Site in PICOP.

This area is rich with the following target birds : Winchell’s Kingfisher, Brown Tit-Babbler, Mindanao Pygmy Babbler, Black-headed Tailorbird, Mindanao Hornbill, White-eared Brown Dove, Amethyst Brown Dove, Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove, Black-chinned Fruit Dove, Yellow-bellied Whistler, Olive-backed Flowerpecker, Rufous Paradise Flycatcher and other endemic birds in the area.

Check-out and travel to the airport for the flight back

to Manila. Check-in hotel near the airport.

 

Day 9 – Birding Sabang Area: Underground River, Baruang and Buenavista

(Palawan)

Fly-out to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and travel to Baruang at 5:00 AM, which is one of the best birding sites in Puerto Princesa. It’s like a highway for birds travelling to and from their feeding sites. There’s a nice stream in this place where we can find the Lovely Sunbird, Copper-throated Sunbird, Black-headed Bulbul, Brown Tit-Babbler, Ashy-headed Babbler Pygmy Flowerpecker, Black-naped Monarch, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Blue-Paradise Flycatcher, Common Hill Myna, White-vented Shama, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher.

Boat trip for 20 minutes to PPUR to photograph the most sought after bird in Palawan, the Palawan Peacock-Pheasant. Other target birds are the following: Philippine Megapode, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher and other endemics like the White-vented Shama, Ashy-headed Babbler, Spot-throated Flameback, Palawan Blue Flycatcher, Hooded Pitta and the Palawan Hornbill.

Travel to the Mangrove Forest for ten minutes and take a very relaxing boat ride inside an old virgin Mangrove Forest to see some of the bird species not seen in other sites like the large Stork-billed Kingfisher and Ruddy Kingfisher. Other birds are the White-bellied Woodpecker, Mangrove Blue Flycather, Palawan Blue Flycatcher, and the big prehistoric looking Great Slaty Woodpecker and other birds in the Mangrove Forest.

There’s also good birding in these roads covering Buenavista and Tagabinet which we will check as we travel at a slow pace to see the other birds like the Palawan Tit, Fiery Minivet, Palawan Tit, Blue Paradise Flycatcher, Green Imperial Pigeon, raptors like Crested Goshawk and Oriental Hobby and other birds on the roads on the way back to the city.

We will go for night birding and will travel to the birding spot inside a residential area in the city for the Palawan Frogmouth.

Dinner and back to hotel to retire for the night

 

Day 10 – Irawan National Forest Park (Palawan).

We will leave by 5:00 AM for breakfast and then travel to Irawan Forest Reserve one of the richest place for special Palawan endemics. Number one target is Melodious Babbler. Major targets are Philippine Pitta, Hooded Pitta and Rufous-backed Kingfisher. Other targets are Palawan Tit, Lovely Sunbird, Yellow-throated Leafbird, Blue Paradise Flycatcher, Palawan Blue Flycatcher, Crested Serpent Eagle, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Black-headed Bulbul, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Ashy-headed Babbler, Spot-throated Flameback, Blue-naped Parrot, Philippine Fairy Bluebird, Palawan Bulbul and other endemics.

Then we will transfer to Iwahig Birding Site where we can find the rare critically endangered Red-vented Cockatoo which almost became extinct as there were only 40 species left in the wild ten years ago. The other major target there is the elusive Blue-headed Racket-tail which feeds in the banana trees at Iwahig. Then we will transfer to the Puerto Princesa Rescue Center after lunch for the Pale Spider Hunter, Nankeen Night Heron, Black-headed Bulbul, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Ashy-headed Babbler and other birds in the area. Later we will transfer to the Badjao Seafront site to look for the rare Chinese Egret and the Stork-billed Kingfisher, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Common Iora, Copper-throated Sunbird, Greater Coucal, Ashy-headed Babbler and Spotted Wood Owl.

Dinner and back to hotel to retire for the night

 

Day 11  – Napsan Forest and Zigzag Roads

Check-out and travel to the new birding sites in Puerto Princesa which quickly became a favorite because of the rich variety of birds in this area not found or very difficult to find in other sites like the Palawan Hornbill, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Red-headed Flameback, Great Slaty Woodpecker, White-bellied woodpecker, Philippine Fairy Bluebird, Palawan Tit, Dark-throated Oriole, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Green Imperial Pigeon, Common Hill Myna, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, Fiery Minivet, Palawan Flowerpecker and Striped Flowerpecker. Other birds that can be found also in other area are the Spot-throated Flameback, Blue Paradise Flycatcher, Ashy-headed Babbler, Pygmy Flowerpecker, Philippine Fairy Bluebird and other birds

Lunch and travel to the airport for the early flight back to Manila, overnight in a

hotel in Manila

 

Day 12 – BK Valley Bird Sanctuary.

Travel to BK Valley the nesting site of the Whiskered Pitta, the rare and most sought after pitta species in the Philippines. After the Pitta look for the other montane endemics and other lowland species like the Blue-headed Fantail, Luzon Hornbill, Chestnut-faced Babbler, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, White-throated Kingfisher, Mountain White-eye, Yellowish White-eye, Rough-crested Malkoha, Scale-feathered Malkoha, Elegant Tit, Bicolored Flowerpecker, Buzzing Flowerpecker, Balicassiao, Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, Turquoise Flycatcher, Luzon Sunbird, Green-backed Whistler, White-browed Shortwing. If a nesting pair is found, a good chance to see Luzon Bleeding-heart and Flame-breasted Fruit Dove.

Lunch and then travel to a different site to look for the Indigo-banded Kingfisher, Philippine Coucal, Philippine Bulbul, White-throated Kingfisher, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher.

Travel back to Manila, stay overnight Red Planet Hotel

Day 13 – Montalban, Rizal Province.

There are two endemic kingfishers that are residents at the birding site today, namely the Spotted Wood Kingfisher and Indigo-banded Kingfisher. Other birds include the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, Philippine Hawk Cuckoo, Philippine Pied Fantail and Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker. If Birding is finished before lunch time we can transfer to another site on the way going to the airport. Travel to UPD to look for the Philippine Scops Owl and Philippine Nightjar, endemic night birds but can be photographed during the daytime

Tour price:

From $3,000

Single room supplement $250

Tour inclusions:

• Land transportation cost
• Park and entrance fees
• Bird Guide Fees
• Porter Fees
• Twin Sharing Room
• Accommodation and three meals a day.

 

Tour exclusions:

• Domestic and International flights & airport taxes
• Tour alteration & travel insurance
• Excess baggage charges
• Optional excursions
• Billable telephone calls
• Extra drinks
• Tips
• Laundry service, snacks and anything of a purely personal nature.