IRRI upland farms - 16th Feb

I tried a different area near the IRRI farms today for a change, and it was excellent. I had initially wanted to do a bit of owling around the university, so set off at 4:00am, just as the main group of revellers was returning from the annual festival on Baker Field in the middle of the campus, so no luck there! I instead went to the upland farms to wait for sunrise, and look for nightjars. Several Philippine Nightjars were singing, but none showed themselves. The first bird of the morning was a very close fly-by from a beautiful Grass Owl.

I decided to explore the ranks grass areas near the edge of the forest, and was rewarded with views of several birds I haven't seen often at IRRI, including two separate Plain Bush Hens, Barred Rail, Clamourous Reed Warbler, and a brown shape diving into a bush that was probably a Siberian Rubythroat. Other interesting birds included 5 Guiabero, Pied Triller, Black-naped Oriole, White-throated Kingfisher, Tawny Grassbird, Pygmy Flowerpecker and Lesser Coucal. Aerial feeders over the forest and adjacent farmland included Asian Palm Swift, Glossy Fwiftlet, Island Swiflet, Striated Swallow, Pacific Swallo, Barn Swallow and a bird that flashed past me as I was driving home that had to have been a Sand Martin.

Two White-throated Kingfishers having a bit of biff. It had started out quite calmly...

The bird on the left had been raucously declaiming his/ her presence, when the bird on the right swooped in and perched nearby, yelling its head off...

This was too much for bird #1 who almost immediately attacked the Johhny-come-lately in a stuka-like swoop that was extremely effective....

.....leaving the first bird in full possession of the field!

Tawny Grassbird

Island Swiftlet