Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon

Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon is one of the top birding sites in the Philippines visited by bird tour groups from abroad. It is a beautiful but tough site to bird. All of the birding there is done on foot, on trails that are muddy and slippery during the non-summer months. The accommodations there are at the very rustic del Monte lodge. There are bathrooms and running water, but no electricity. This site is one of the few places left where you can see the endangered Philippine Eagle in the wild. You cans see pictures of the lodge, the surrounding areas, and of us birdwatching in our Mt. Kitanglad 2010 gallery

This is the trip report from our 5 days at Mt. Kitanglad<br />
from Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2010<br />
<br />
Day 1 was spent mostly traveling and buying supplies. At night we went out to the woods near the lodge to look for the Philippine Frogmouth. It was amazing to stand in the woods, in complete darkness listening for bird calls while watching the occasional firefly!<br />
<br />
On Day 2 we started birding early in the morning, had lunch at the eagle viewing point and then continued up to the part where you could view the Philippine Eagle nest before. We saw 18 Grey-Faced Buzzards at one time. It was like we were out raptor watching! Back to the lodge, we had a lifer right from the lodge window! There was a Mindanao Hornbill perched on a distant tree, beside a Yellow Breasted Fruit Dove. We did more night birding in the evening.<br />
<br />
Day 3 was dedicated to seeing and photographing the Apo Sunbird. We were very pleased to see and photograph 2 females and 1 male! It was well worth the 5 hours it took to get to the Apo Sunbird site. And, we even got two views of a Philippine Eagle in flight! Once on the way up through the scope and then once more on the way down. We were really pleased that our son got to see Mt. Kitanglad specialties like the Apo Sunbird, Philippine Eagle, and Apo Myna!<br />
<br />
We were up very early on Day 4 to look photograph owls, but they didn't show up. Then, we went out to look for the Red-Eared Parrot Finch. It is a very shy bird and doesn't usually come out in the open. Tonji was able to see the first one that Nicky spotted, but I wasn't. So, I spent the latter part of the morning walking closely behind Nicky so I could see one too. This technique paid off when one Parrot Finch jumped up to a nearby branch and posed for us. Nicky was tremendously relieved! We went back to the lodge for lunch. It rained hard after lunch so we stayed at the lodge. After the rain came heavy fog, and then when that cleared, there were bird waves right at the lodge! It rained again at night, so no night birding that evening.<br />
<br />
On our last day, we went out while it was still dark and the moon was still up to look for the Blue Capped Wood Kingfisher. Amazingly, we saw it! Apparently, this kingfisher is active in early morning. Then it was time to pack up and head back home.<br />
<br />
We had a great time at Mt. Kitanglad and felt so lucky to have Nicky with us! <br />
<br />
Oriental Honeybuzzard 5<br />
Brahminy Kite 2<br />
Grey-faced Buzzard 25<br />
Crested Serpent-Eagle 1<br />
Philippine Eagle 2<br />
Plain Bush-hen 1HO<br />
Bukidnon Woodcock 6, 4HO<br />
Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove 3<br />
Philippine Cuckoo-Dove 2<br />
Spotted Dove (Spotted-necked Dove) 14<br />
Blue-crowned Racquet-tail 23 1HO<br />
Colasisi 8<br />
Brush Cuckoo 3, 1HO<br />
Philippine Coucal 1HO<br />
Philippine Scops-Owl 2HO<br />
Giant Scops-Owl (Mindanao Eagle-Owl) 5, 4HO<br />
Owl sp.1<br />
Philippine Frogmouth 2<br />
Great Eared Nightjar 3<br />
Philippine Nightjar 2HO<br />
Philippine Swiftlet 7<br />
Glossy Swiftlet x<br />
White-throated Kingfisher 2<br />
Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher (Blue-capped Kingfisher) 2, 1HO<br />
Mindanao Tarictic (Mindanao Hornbill) 4, 2m, 1f, 1HO<br />
Pacific Swallow x<br />
McGregor's Cuckoo-shrike 3<br />
Yellow-vented Bulbul 12<br />
Philippine Bulbul 41<br />
Hair-crested Drongo (Spangled Drongo) 2<br />
Elegant Tit 8<br />
Sulphur-billed Nuthatch 2<br />
Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis 11<br />
Brown Tit-Babbler 6, 1HO<br />
White-browed Shortwing 6HO<br />
Mountain Leaf-Warbler 5<br />
Tawny Grassbird 1<br />
Striated Grassbird 3 <br />
Mountain Tailorbird 5, Rufous-Headed Tailorbird Orthomus heterolaemus 2 H.O.<br />
Long-tailed Ground-Warbler (Long-tailed Bush-Warbler)1HO<br />
Grey-streaked Flycatcher 8<br />
Mountain Verditer-Flycatcher (Island Verditer Flycatcher)10, 1f,3m<br />
Snowy-browed Flycatcher 1<br />
Little Pied Flycatcher 7, 2f, 1m, 1HO<br />
Black-and-cinnamon Fantail 3<br />
Black-naped Monarch 1<br />
Yellow-bellied Whistler 6, 1HO<br />
Yellow Wagtail 4 <br />
Richard's Pipit (Paddyfield Pipit or Oriental Pipit) 4<br />
White-breasted Wood-swallow 1 <br />
Long-tailed Shrike 1<br />
Brown Shrike 8 <br />
Short-tailed Glossy Starling (Short-tailed Starling) 48<br />
Apo Myna 8<br />
Grey-hooded Sunbird 9<br />
Apo Sunbird 3, 2f,1m<br />
Olive-capped Flowerpecker 16<br />
Bicolored Flowerpecker 1<br />
Buzzing Flowerpecker 11<br />
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker 12, 4m, 2f<br />
Everett's White-eye 1<br />
Mountain White-eye 49<br />
Black-masked White-eye 3<br />
Cinnamon Ibon 10<br />
Red-eared Parrotfinch 6, 2HO<br />
White-bellied Munia 8<br />
Chestnut Munia (Black-headed Munia) 2, 1HO<br />
White-cheeked Bullfinch 2, 1HO

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This is the trip report from our 5 days at Mt. Kitanglad
from Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2010

Day 1 was spent mostly traveling and buying supplies. At night we went out to the woods near the lodge to look for the Philippine Frogmouth. It was amazing to stand in the woods, in complete darkness listening for bird calls while watching the occasional firefly!

On Day 2 we started birding early in the morning, had lunch at the eagle viewing point and then continued up to the part where you could view the Philippine Eagle nest before. We saw 18 Grey-Faced Buzzards at one time. It was like we were out raptor watching! Back to the lodge, we had a lifer right from the lodge window! There was a Mindanao Hornbill perched on a distant tree, beside a Yellow Breasted Fruit Dove. We did more night birding in the evening.

Day 3 was dedicated to seeing and photographing the Apo Sunbird. We were very pleased to see and photograph 2 females and 1 male! It was well worth the 5 hours it took to get to the Apo Sunbird site. And, we even got two views of a Philippine Eagle in flight! Once on the way up through the scope and then once more on the way down. We were really pleased that our son got to see Mt. Kitanglad specialties like the Apo Sunbird, Philippine Eagle, and Apo Myna!

We were up very early on Day 4 to look photograph owls, but they didn't show up. Then, we went out to look for the Red-Eared Parrot Finch. It is a very shy bird and doesn't usually come out in the open. Tonji was able to see the first one that Nicky spotted, but I wasn't. So, I spent the latter part of the morning walking closely behind Nicky so I could see one too. This technique paid off when one Parrot Finch jumped up to a nearby branch and posed for us. Nicky was tremendously relieved! We went back to the lodge for lunch. It rained hard after lunch so we stayed at the lodge. After the rain came heavy fog, and then when that cleared, there were bird waves right at the lodge! It rained again at night, so no night birding that evening.

On our last day, we went out while it was still dark and the moon was still up to look for the Blue Capped Wood Kingfisher. Amazingly, we saw it! Apparently, this kingfisher is active in early morning. Then it was time to pack up and head back home.

We had a great time at Mt. Kitanglad and felt so lucky to have Nicky with us!

Oriental Honeybuzzard 5
Brahminy Kite 2
Grey-faced Buzzard 25
Crested Serpent-Eagle 1
Philippine Eagle 2
Plain Bush-hen 1HO
Bukidnon Woodcock 6, 4HO
Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove 3
Philippine Cuckoo-Dove 2
Spotted Dove (Spotted-necked Dove) 14
Blue-crowned Racquet-tail 23 1HO
Colasisi 8
Brush Cuckoo 3, 1HO
Philippine Coucal 1HO
Philippine Scops-Owl 2HO
Giant Scops-Owl (Mindanao Eagle-Owl) 5, 4HO
Owl sp.1
Philippine Frogmouth 2
Great Eared Nightjar 3
Philippine Nightjar 2HO
Philippine Swiftlet 7
Glossy Swiftlet x
White-throated Kingfisher 2
Blue-capped Wood-Kingfisher (Blue-capped Kingfisher) 2, 1HO
Mindanao Tarictic (Mindanao Hornbill) 4, 2m, 1f, 1HO
Pacific Swallow x
McGregor's Cuckoo-shrike 3
Yellow-vented Bulbul 12
Philippine Bulbul 41
Hair-crested Drongo (Spangled Drongo) 2
Elegant Tit 8
Sulphur-billed Nuthatch 2
Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis 11
Brown Tit-Babbler 6, 1HO
White-browed Shortwing 6HO
Mountain Leaf-Warbler 5
Tawny Grassbird 1
Striated Grassbird 3
Mountain Tailorbird 5, Rufous-Headed Tailorbird Orthomus heterolaemus 2 H.O.
Long-tailed Ground-Warbler (Long-tailed Bush-Warbler)1HO
Grey-streaked Flycatcher 8
Mountain Verditer-Flycatcher (Island Verditer Flycatcher)10, 1f,3m
Snowy-browed Flycatcher 1
Little Pied Flycatcher 7, 2f, 1m, 1HO
Black-and-cinnamon Fantail 3
Black-naped Monarch 1
Yellow-bellied Whistler 6, 1HO
Yellow Wagtail 4
Richard's Pipit (Paddyfield Pipit or Oriental Pipit) 4
White-breasted Wood-swallow 1
Long-tailed Shrike 1
Brown Shrike 8
Short-tailed Glossy Starling (Short-tailed Starling) 48
Apo Myna 8
Grey-hooded Sunbird 9
Apo Sunbird 3, 2f,1m
Olive-capped Flowerpecker 16
Bicolored Flowerpecker 1
Buzzing Flowerpecker 11
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker 12, 4m, 2f
Everett's White-eye 1
Mountain White-eye 49
Black-masked White-eye 3
Cinnamon Ibon 10
Red-eared Parrotfinch 6, 2HO
White-bellied Munia 8
Chestnut Munia (Black-headed Munia) 2, 1HO
White-cheeked Bullfinch 2, 1HO

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Birds of the Philippines

Photos and videos of wild birds found in the Philippines. We travel all over the Philippines to document and take pictures of birds. Our goal is to make this site a resource of information and images about wild birds of the Philippines.

Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon