MINDANAO PRE-TRIP JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 8, 2020 Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo (Dion Hobcroft) LEADERS: ADRIAN CONSTANTINO & DION HOBCROFT LIST COMPILED BY: DION HOBCROFT VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM MINDANAO PRE-TRIP JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 8, 2020 BY DION HOBCROFT Critically endangered, the Chinese Crested Tern was once considered extinct. (Dion Hobcroft) Second largest of the Philippine islands, Mindanao is home to a diverse range of forest birds including many endemics, of which many are among the most threatened species on the planet. Most famous is the giant Philippine Eagle—a real living avian dinosaur. Mindanao does not offer easy birding, but it is certainly thrilling at times, and bird populations are quite healthy in many of the key sites. Our logistics were expertly catered for by Adrian Constantino, and it Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Mindanao Pre-trip, 2020 was, as always, a great pleasure to go birding with my good friend. We did very well in Mindanao, recording over 180 species of birds. Here is a report of our adventure. A Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo perched openly is a rare event at Mt. Kitanglad. (Dion Hobcroft) We flew to Cagayan de Oro and quickly transferred to a van that transported us to the town of Bukidnon for lunch at a golf club. Next stop was Dalwangan village where we transferred to a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and we and our luggage were taken to the end of the drivable road at the base of the Mount Kitanglad range. From here our luggage was transferred to horses, and we hiked the gentle uphill five kilometers (three miles) up a dirt road, muddy in places, to the Del Monte Lodge. Here we were very well catered for by the local family of Danny Doceno and his wife, son, and daughter. On the hike up we connected with our first quality birds including a superb Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo perched openly, quite a few colorful Philippine Hanging- Parrots, and our first Philippine Woodpecker. That evening we found a superb Giant Scops-Owl. On our first full day in the Kitanglad Mountains we left early to hike up to the eagle viewing area. We kicked another fantastic goal with a stunning Red-eared Parrotfinch that buzzed in and landed right next to us several times—what a super bird. Good birds came thick and fast Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Mindanao Pre-trip, 2020 through the morning session and while we waited patiently for the eagle: Mindanao Hornbill, Buff-spotted Flameback, Black-and-cinnamon Fantail, Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis, Apo Myna, MacGregor’s Cuckoo-Shrike, Elegant Tit, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Olive-capped Flowerpecker, Gray-hooded Sunbird, Naked-faced Spiderhunter, and Cinnamon Ibon. Our lengthy vigil at the eagle viewing area came up eagle-less, although we recorded seven species of raptors for the day including several Oriental Honey-buzzards, a Gray-faced Buzzard, a perched Crested Goshawk, and even a Philippine Falconet. Another great sighting was of perched Mindanao Racket-tails in the scope—recently fledged chicks hungrily pursuing their parents. It is rare to see this species perched; normally they are just flyovers. In the evening, back near the lodge, a Bukidnon Woodcock flew in after dusk causing one person to take evasive action as they almost collided. A close perched Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle at Mt. Kitanglad. (Dion Hobcroft) On our second day at Kitanglad we again returned to the eagle viewing area. We made a breakthrough when at 8:20 am an eagle was spotted in flight and watched for about thirty seconds before it disappeared to perch in a tree on the high ridge line, largely shrouded in clouds. It was not really that satisfactory. We opted to wait, and finally our patience was rewarded with two eagles that we watched for forty minutes perched in the scope and flying in tandem, and on one occasion we observed the female twist and turn in flight, plummeting into the forest interior possibly pursuing a prey item. She reappeared empty-taloned! It was a huge relief to have made such a fabulous sighting. While we had been waiting though, we found a Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Mindanao Pre-trip, 2020 perched adult Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle and a perched Barred (split as Philippine) Honey-buzzard juvenile. A Long-tailed Bush-Warbler was drawn into the open with playback for an excellent if brief view while White-browed Shortwing offered glimpses. With the key sightings under our belts, we walked uphill along the trail that heads into the higher ranges. Several mixed flocks were encountered with Mindanao White-eye being another key montane endemic. There were plenty of diggings of Mindanao Warty Pig. A perched Philippine Eagle in the mountain forests of Mount Kitanglad. (Adrian Constantino) We said farewell to Danny and his family, who had looked after us so well, and we hiked back downhill. Here we met William and his SUV car that transported us to Bislig. Making good time, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Mindanao Pre-trip, 2020 we squeezed in a visit to the Bislig Airport. Here we hoped to encounter Australasian Grass Owl, but it was not to be on this day. There was plenty to look at, however, including Little Ringed Plover (here the resident subspecies), and we managed some good views of Middendorf’s Grasshopper-Warbler. Interestingly, we flushed a buttonquail with cinnamon flanks that I thought for sure was a Barred Buttonquail, but the species is not reported for Mindanao. We set up in the Paper Country Inn and rediscovered “Princess of the Sea” Soup. We would have two full days to bird in remnant lowland forest patches with well-known local guide Zardo. The first morning we left at 3:30 am, making a beeline into the best surviving forest patch along Road 42. In the predawn, a pair of Mindanao Boobooks proved vocal and came quite close to us but disappeared unseen from the crown of several leafy emergent trees. Many other good birds were heard including (Southern) Rufous Hornbill, Pink-bellied Imperial-Pigeon, Azure- breasted Pitta, and Philippine Trogon, and all remained firmly out of view. The mixed flocks saved the day. We had great views of Black-bibbed Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-bellied Whistler, Yellow-wattled Bulbul, Yellowish Bulbul, Rufous-fronted Tailorbird, Black-headed Tailorbird, Mindanao Pygmy-Babbler, Rusty-crowned Babbler, Brown Tit-Babbler, Everett’s White-eye, Mindanao Blue Fantail, Metallic-winged Sunbird, Handsome Sunbird, Olive-backed Flowerpecker, and the stunning male Short-crested Monarch. Close to the end of the day, a male Celestial Monarch was located in yet another mixed flock in an area Zardo had seen it a few days before. This is very much a threatened species, and it was lucky for us. A Mindanao Squirrel was a notable mammal sighting. With rain arriving, we left and tried for (successfully) both Rufous-lored and Southern Silvery-kingfishers. Lina’s Sunbird: one of many Mindanao endemics. (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Mindanao Pre-trip, 2020 On our second full day the rain arrived in lengthy, heavy showers to full on downpours that cost us at least half the day. Miraculously we managed to call in a Mindanao Boobook that we scoped in the crown of a tall tree. Then we explored another forest remnant at Road 4, or “The Cemetery” to which it is often referred. The rain made life difficult, but between showers we had a few lulls. Writhed Hornbill was a major highlight. There were good perched views of Philippine Serpent-Eagle, Oriental Honey-buzzards (mating), White-bellied Woodpecker (also mating), Blue-crowned Racquet-tail, Guiabero, Philippine Oriole, Hair-crested (Mindanao) Drongo, Rufous Paradise-Flycatcher, and a superb female Celestial Monarch. We enjoyed repeat encounters with many of the species we had seen the previous day. At lunch we tried some durian that Zardo brought along. It gained mixed reviews! The mangosteens were definitely more popular. The rain returned heavy and steady, so we upped stumps and gave the Australasian Grass Owl another try at the Bislig Airport. This time spectacular success, as a lone grass owl came winging by straight towards us, and we watched it pounce unsuccessfully only thirty meters from us. It was a great finish to the day. A truly nasty bird to get a view of, this Rufous-fronted Tailorbird bucked the trend in PICOP. (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Mindanao Pre-trip, 2020 We hatched a plan to visit the relatively recently discovered montane birding site at Compostella at the highest point in the road where there are some decent forest edge plant communities. It proved profitable when we were soon watching a pair of the highly range restricted, endemic Lina’s Sunbird. A lucky break when we discovered a small flock of the rare Spotted Imperial-Pigeon that were scoped and watched uttering their resonant “hoo-hoo-hoo” calls. Bird activity was brisk, and beyond seeing several species we had previously seen at Kitanglad like McGregor’s Cuckoo-shrike and Cinnamon Ibon, we added Island Thrush and Olive-backed Pipit to our growing list. Dropping down from the mountains, we headed west to Panobo. Here on the coast we quickly found four Chinese Crested Terns, possibly the rarest bird on the planet with less than 100 birds in the entire population. A small number were discovered at this site in 2016 and seem to be faithful to the bay area. We scoped them roosting on bamboo poles, flying about the bay successfully fishing. We even watched one bird feed another that was perched on a pole; interesting behavior, like reinforcing a pair bond or perhaps a juvenile, though there was nothing discernible in the plumage to suggest that.