Subic Bay/Luzon - Philippines
Subic Bay is an former american naval base and today a free port zone with strict laws. In between residential areas, offices, a hospital and several theme parks large undisturbed forest tracts remain. Lack of hunting pressure and adequate protection make for excellent and easy birding, something quite unusual in the Philippines.
During a 5 day visit in March 2022 we focused on some of the Subic specialities, which are hard to see anywhere else.
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Using the excellent page www.birding2asia.com we had little problems reaching the birding sites from our Baloy hotel using a rented scooter. Please note that hill 394 is now a private area and no longer easily accessible. We found road birding at Nabusan and especially all the way from the airport to the hospital and Boton falls trail very productive.
philippine serpent eagle, spilornis holospilus
endemic, common and conspicuous
philippine green pigeon, treron axillaris
endemic, fairly common
blue-naped parrot, tanugnathus lucionensis
endemic, fairly common in more open forest, rare or absent anywhere else apart from Palawan
guaiabero, bolbopsittacus lunulatus
endemic, fairly common in forest
green raquet-tail, prioniturus luconensis
luzon endemic, uncommon in forest
only in Sierra Madre Mts apart from Subic
luzon hornbill, penelopides manillae
luzon endemic, fairly common in forest
male (left) and female
northern sooty woodpecker, mulleripicus funebris
endemic, fairly common in forest
male
luzon flameback, chrysocolaptes haematribon
luzon endemic, fairly common in forest
male
white-bellied woodpecker, dryocopus javensis confusus
fairly common in forest
male
bar-bellied cuckoo-shrike, coracina striata
common in forest
philippine falconet, microhierax erythrogenys
endemic, fairly common
green imperial pigeon, ducula aenea
fairly common and conspicuous
blue-naped parrot, tanugnathus lucionensis
endemic, fairly common in more open forest, rare or absent anywhere else apart from Palawan
guaiabero, bolbopsittacus lunulatus
endemic, fairly common in forest
here a fledgling is being fed
red-crested malkoha, phaenicophaeus superciliosus
luzon endemic, fairly common in dense undergrowth,
apologies for this poor photograph, the species gave us a headache
luzon hornbill, penelopides manillae
luzon endemic, fairly common in forest
male (left) and female
northern sooty woodpecker, mulleripicus funebris
endemic, fairly common in forest
female
luzon flameback, chrysocolaptes haematribon
luzon endemic, fairly common in forest
female
coppersmith barbet, psilopogon haemacephalus
fairly common in open forest
