Birding in San Juan Batangas

With a distance of 130km (80 miles) or roughly a 3 to 4 hours drive from Manila, San Juan, Batangas is likely one of the common locations for an out-of-town escape. For the seaside, there’s the white sand stretch of Laiya. Climbers and nature lovers additionally hike up the height of Mt Daguldol. However there’s additionally a unique kind of crowd that flocks the areas of Balagbag and Pinagbayan villages of the municipality — the migratory birds. Making birding in San Juan Batangas one of many foremost attracts for birders even past the migration season.

A few Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) in Balagbag,

The Migratory Birds

My latest go to to Solmera Coast, a promising new leisure residence actual property growth by DMCI Houses in Barangay Calubcub and Subukin gave me an opportunity to do birding in San Juan, Batangas. We had been guided by Professor De Villa of Batangas Japanese School who has lengthy been an environmental advocate. One of many websites he introduced us is on the busy agricultural fields of Balagbag.

A Javan pond heron (Ardeola speciosa) looking out

Elegant Black-winged stilts (Himantopus himantopus)

Among the many flight of the frequent cattle egrets flustered by the passing farm tractor, the professor was capable of simply spot a number of migratory birds a few that are lifers (newly noticed and recognized birds) for me. We noticed the elegant and slender Black-winged stilts. Lifers for me listed here are the sentinel-like Java Pond Heron and the adorable-looking Oriental Pratincole who’re each frequent migrants.

coppersmith barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus)

red-keeled flowerpecker or red-striped flowerpecker (Dicaeum australe)

pygmy flowerpecker (Dicaeum pygmaeum). Philippine endemic.

Sapangan Birds

From the lowlands, we went uplands of Sapangan, and into the personal lands of the professor’s household. We visited a big balete tree and had been anticipating to catch the birds feeding however missed the bloom and fruits by every week. Nonetheless, we discovered a number of birds feeding on an aratiles tree. The colourful and placing eyelashes of the Coppersmith Barbet, a few flowerpeckers within the Crimson Keeled flowerpecker, and the pygmy flowerpecker are each lifers.

balicassius (Dicrurus balicassius). Philippine endemic.

Philippine pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus maculatus). Endemic and smallest woodpecker within the nation.

Was additionally capable of {photograph} a Philippine pygmy woodpecker and a Balicassiao. Sighted however not clearly photographed had been a Luzon hornbill, a tailorbird, Philippine Magpie-robin, and a White-throated Kingfisher.

La Luz Arboretum

One other fascinating location we visited for birding is the sprawling La Luz Arboretum. This pure dwelling museum comprises an enormous assortment of greater than 1,000 native bushes inside a 117-hectare land space. This is likely one of the two locations within the nation the place the native Philippine teak grows. Other than this tree assortment, Mark, who manages the world, has photographed a number of fowl species right here, together with their resident Philippine Megapode. I wasn’t capable of see it right here however we might hear its distinctive calls close by.

Philippine pitta (Erythropitta erythrogaster)

What we had been capable of observe for a time was the Philippine Pitta. A really skittish and colourful floor fowl was known as “Crimson-bellied Pitta” by its seems to be. It took a while to observe its tracks however we had been capable of see and spot clearly. To {photograph} although was somewhat difficult. Nonetheless a beautiful lifer for me.

rufous-crowned bee-eater (Merops americanus)

blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus)

Birding in San Juan Batangas

For less than a half-day sortie, we had been capable of go to a number of birding areas in San Juan, Batangas. We had been capable of spot some migrants, residents, and even endemics. One needn’t go too far to understand birding even on the frequent floor areas. Even on the streets, perched by the electrical traces, the 2 species of bee-eaters might be discovered, the Blue-tailed bee-eater and the rufuos-crowned bee-eater.

white-breasted woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)

Dawn and White-breasted woodswallows at Solmera Coast

At Solmera Coastthe place we stayed at their short-term villas for the reason that space continues to be in growth, I discovered loads of White-breasted woodswallows, crows, and Asian Shiny Starlings. A raptor I wasn’t capable of establish even flew by. Whether or not you’re an fanatic or a hardcore birder, San Juan, Batangas has some glorious birding outdoors of Manila.

Ferdz Decena is an award-winning journey photographer, author and blogger. His works has discovered print in publications comparable to Singapore Airways’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airways’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has additionally lent his experience to varied organizations just like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Basis, Save the Youngsters and World Imaginative and prescient, contributing high quality pictures for his or her advertising supplies.

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