BIRDING TOURS WORLDWIDE ITINERARY. PHILIPPINES March 1-24, 2013 Mindoro/Visayan Islands Extension March 24-31, 2013

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1 field guides BIRDING TOURS WORLDWIDE ITINERARY PHILIPPINES March 1-24, 2013 Mindoro/Visayan Islands Extension March 24-31, 2013 We include here information for those interested in the 2013 Field Guides Philippines tour: a general introduction to the tour a description of the birding areas to be visited on the tour an abbreviated daily itinerary with some indication of the nature of each dayʼs birding outings Those who register for the tour will be sent this additional material: an annotated list of the birds recorded on a previous yearʼs Field Guides trip to the area, with comments by guide(s) on notable species or sightings a detailed information bulletin with important logistical information and answers to questions regarding accommodations, air arrangements, clothing, currency, customs and immigration, documents, health precautions, and personal items a reference list a Field Guides checklist for preparing for and keeping track of the birds we see on the tour after the conclusion of the tour, a list of birds seen on the tour The Philippines, that huge archipelago consisting of more than 7000 islands, extends some 2000 kilometers from north to south across the warm waters of the western Pacific Ocean. In the north are the ethnically distinct Batanes Islands, only 90 miles off the southern tip of Taiwan, whereas the Sulu Islands, comprising the southernmost region, lie just 30 miles to the east of Borneo. Although geographically very close to other parts of Asia, the rugged volcanic islands of the Philippines have shown not only an evolutionary history distinct from nearby regions, but also from one Philippine island to the next. Many of the islands show distinct relationships to other avifaunal regions such as Sulawesi, Borneo, or mainland Asia and bring together Papuan, Malayan, and Palearctic faunal elements within the islands. These factors, plus an inter-island evolutionary explosion, have led to a tremendous biodiversity: There are more than 4000 species of trees, 160 species of mammals, and 270 species of reptiles. The high degree of endemism can clearly be seen in the countryʼs nearly 600 species of birds of which nearly one-third are endemic, many restricted to just one island! During our tour we will visit three of the major islands. On these can be found a large majority of the endemics, and we have a very good chance of seeing 125 or more of these. Unfortunately, many of these birds have become very rare over the years due to a variety of factors such as habitat destruction, trapping, and hunting. During the tour we will often have to travel significant distances to reach different habitats, whether it be the northern Field Guides Incorporated 9433 Bee Cave Road #1-150 Austin TX fax

2 mountains in Luzon or the lush lowland forests in northeastern Mindanao. Once at each new site, the birding is very exciting and offers lots of new and beautiful birds. As is often the case on most birding tours, our trip will enable us to get to know the country and its diverse peoples better than the average tourist is able to do. The Filipinos, many of whom speak some English, are a very friendly and hospitable people. Urban areas are typical of many others worldwide, but in smaller towns and villages weʼll encounter tribal folk whose lives have changed little over the centuries. Our journey starts on the large northern island of Luzon, where weʼll visit three main areas to maximize our opportunities for birding (two at the start of the tour, one more after a visit to Palawan). After a first night in Manila, weʼll journey to the northwest of this modern metropolis to the old US Naval base at Subic Bay. The lush lowland forests near here are home to a number of endemic species that weʼre unlikely to see elsewhere on the tour. From there, weʼll continue north to the cool montane habitats on Mt. Polis near Banaue. Itʼs then back to Manila for a night before we head to Palawan the following morning. During our time on Luzon we will visit both forest and wetland areas and see a great variety of the islandʼs birds from endemic fruit-doves to flowerpeckers. Our trip will then take us to beautiful Palawan, a long, thin island linking Borneo to the rest of the Philippines. Palawanʼs proximity to Borneo gives it a distinct Malayan faunal flavor. We will spend most of our time at St. Paul's National Park (now called Puerto Princesa Subterranean River NP), a magnificent area of lush tropical forests, limestone cliffs and rugged peaks, and beautiful white-sand beaches. Here weʼll look for such exotics as Tabon Scrubfowl, Blue Paradise-Flycatcher, Falcated Wren-Babbler, and the rare Palawan Peacock-Pheasant. From Palawan weʼll then fly back to Manila and then drive on to our third productive site on Luzon about 90 minutes away, Mt. Makiling near the town of Los Banos. Wide trails with good visibility and a fine variety of birds make this a good complement to the other sites weʼve visited already. Then itʼs on to Cagayan de Oro on the large southern island of Mindanao, where we will spend time in the Kitanglad Mountains, home to the magnificent and critically endangered Great Philippine Eagle, and then to the lowland forests near Bislig (in Surigao del Sur province in the northeast corner of the island), probably the richest single site in the Philippines for lowland forest birds. It should be a fabulous way to wind up this great tour! In 2013, weʼll again offer an optional The splendid Palawan Peacock-Pheasant by guide Dave Stejskal. extension to the islands of Mindoro, Bohol, Cebu, and Negros after the conclusion of the main tour. Not only will this short week-long extension give us a chance to see another 20-plus entirely new endemics on these four islands, weʼll have a chance to catch up with a number of others that we may have missed elsewhere and weʼll likely see a number of other forms of more widespread Philippine species that are likely candidates for splitting in the near future. With great birds, memorable scenery, good food, and friendly people, we should have a productive and very popular tour for many years to come! About the Physical Requirements & Pace: Our survey trip of the Philippines involves coverage of three of the most important islands, and thus our itinerary involves quite a bit of travel, sometimes to remote areas where facilities are limited. Most of our accommodations are very comfortable and have air conditioning or fans in the rooms, private bathrooms, and good restaurants (e.g. all of the Luzon venues, Palawan, and Bislig on Mindanao). The tour includes three nights of outfitted mountain camping as part of our search for the Great Philippine Eagle on Mt. Kitanglad on Mindanao. Here, our outfitter will provide us with all of our bedding materials, all of our food and drinks, a cook, and a small crew to assist us during our stay. The islands include a lot of mountainous topography, and therefore quite a few of the areas weʼll be birding feature trails or roads with lengthy steep sections or with significant elevational gain (e.g., Mt. Polis, St. Paulʼs NP, Mt. Makiling, Mt. Canlaon on Negros and especially the Kitanglad Mountains). Where possible (Mt. Polis, Mt. Makiling), weʼll start 2

3 our walking at the highest point and walk downhill. On a few of the trails or birding roads, we will want to start our hiking in the pre-dawn hours (usually looking for a nightbird or two, or just to get to the best habitat at sunup), so youʼll need to be comfortable with doing some short hikes on good trails or roads with a flashlight or a headlamp. To fully participate in the groupʼs activities, you will need to be reasonably physically fit and be able to carry whatever you need for a dayʼs birding (water, umbrella, snacks, field guide, etc.) for up to 1-3 miles on a trail or road (the vast majority of hikes are much shorter than this, and our vehicles are usually nearby), some with significant uphill sections (Mt. Makiling; Mt. Kitanglad). Some of the trails, especially on Mt. Kitanglad, are narrow, steep, and muddy, and can be a challenge for anyone, including experienced hikers in good shape. We will be taking a couple of short boat rides (20-30 minutes) on local water taxis, or bancas, on Palawan. Typically, the water here is quite smooth with little, if any, chance of inducing seasickness. However, if youʼre particularly sensitive to motion sickness, you should take the appropriate precautions before you embark on these short trips. The boat trips at St. Paulʼs usually require both wet boardings and landings, so a lightweight pair of rubber sandals and a small hand towel for this would come in handy (you will need your hiking boots for the trails for this day, though). Since the Philippines lie entirely within tropical latitudes, we will experience high daytime temperatures and high relative humidity, especially in the lowlands and in the lower foothills. The Philippines also harbor an impressive number of endemic nightbirds, and we will spend a number of evenings or early mornings searching for these owls, nightjars, and frogmouths. Midday breaks back at our accommodations are few, given the distances involved between the birding sites and our hotels, but we will take some time to rest at lunchtime and as the opportunity presents itself. A few of our drives in our comfortable, air-conditioned bus and vans from venue to venue are long ones (6-8 hours), but these are unavoidable given the distances involved and the condition of the local roads. Some of our rides over rough roads in local vehicles (jeepneys) can be quite bumpy and uncomfortable on the hard bench seats. A small inflatable cushion or a sturdy foam pad would be most welcome for these rides (Mt. Polis, Mt. Makiling, PICOP). The Philippines hosts some 200 endemic species of birds, with about 150 possible along our main tour route. The focus of our tour centers primarily on locating as many of these specialty birds as possible and having some fun while doing it! If you are uncertain about whether this tour is a good match for your abilities, please donʼt hesitate to contact our office; if they cannot directly answer your queries, they will put you in touch with one of the guides. About the Birding Areas Subic Bay, Luzon Good, extensive lowland forest anywhere in the Philippines today is a rare commodity indeed. Subic Bay, formerly home to the US 7 th fleet, was abandoned by the US military after the 1991 eruption of nearby Mt. Pinatubo. US military bases around the world often preserve the native habitats on and around the base, and Subic Bay was no exception to this. Since the US Navy moved out of this area, Subic Bay has been transformed by the local Filipinos into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, a thriving hub of local and international commerce. Fortunately for us and for the birds here, the preserved forest has remained largely intact since the hand-over, and a couple of days worth of birding here at the start of our tour on good paved and gravel roads in this remnant forest should give us an excellent introduction to lowland Luzonʼs birdlife. Among widespread species such as White-eared Dove, Philippine Hanging-Parrot (Colasisi), Philippine Coucal, Pygmy Swiftlet, Philippine Woodpecker, Balicassiao, Philippine Bulbul, and Red-striped and Pygmy flowerpeckers, weʼll be on the lookout for such scarce species as Green Racquet-tail, Rufous Coucal, Rufous Hornbill, Sooty Woodpecker, White-lored Oriole, and White-fronted Tit as we walk the little-traveled back roads and trails of this area. Mt. Polis, Luzon Despite Luzonʼs mountainous terrain, good intact montane forest is awfully tough to come by on this island. You either canʼt get there (aside from a two-day hike), or the forest has been cut to make room for a burgeoning population and its need to feed itself. Mt. Polis, near the highland town of Banaue in the Cordillera Central of northern Luzon, is one of the rare exceptions. Reached by a weathered dirt road in high clearance vehicles (weʼll use local jeepneys), the stunted forest on the slopes of this mountain harbors virtually all of Luzonʼs high elevation endemic species. Most of the birding in this habitat is done on foot once we reach the proper spot, either on the dirt road with firm footing, or on a couple of narrow and muddy trails through the wet, dense, and gnarled woodland. Both can prove to be very productive. Among the prizes that await us here are Luzon Bleeding-heart (tough), Flame-breasted Fruit-Dove (also tough), Luzon Racquet-tail (usually quite early in the morning, but very rare), Luzon Scops-Owl (also very early), Whiskered Pitta (you wish! but we did see one in 2001), Green-backed Whistler, Gray-capped Shrike, Luzon Redstart (at a nearby raging torrent), Philippine and Long-tailed bush-warblers, Chestnut-faced Babbler, Flame-crowned Flowerpecker, Metallic-winged Sunbird, and White-cheeked Bullfinch. 3

4 4 Palawan Palawan is the westernmost of the major Philippine islands and undoubtedly served as the avian colonization bridge connecting the northern Philippines with the Greater Sundas. Palawan, in fact, has more in common with Borneoʼs birdlife than it does with Luzonʼs! About 275 miles long and only about 40 miles wide, with a mountainous limestone backbone reaching elevations of over 6800 feet, Palawan is a visually exciting place to visit. Most of our time on the island will be spent birding the lowland forests of breathtaking St. Paulʼs NP on the west side of the island, where treeless weathered limestone peaks jut starkly out of the lush tropical woodland of the valleys below. St. Paulʼs is within walking distance (or a quicker short boat ride) of the town of Sabang, where we plan to stay for a couple of nights at a new tourist lodge with comfortable accommodations and good food. The park has an excellent trail system, but please be forewarned that there are many steep sections that we will likely have to traverse (most of these with wooden steps and handrails, but some are much more primitive). Besides the fabulous scenery in the park, weʼll enjoy a number of the Palawan endemics during our stay such as Palawan Peacock-Pheasant (difficult), Blue-headed Racquet-tail, Palawan Scops-Owl, Palawan Swiftlet, Palawan Hornbill, Blue Paradise-Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Leafbird, Palawan Blue-Flycatcher, White-vented Shama, Sulphur-bellied Bulbul, the recently split Ashy-fronted and Gray-throated bulbuls, Ashy-headed Babbler, Falcated Wren-Babbler (difficult), Palawan Tit, Palawan Flowerpecker, and Lovely Sunbird (Aethopyga shelleyi split now from the Handsome Sunbird, A. bella). A number of Malaysian species here will add to our birding enjoyment. Back on the east side of the island near Puerto Princesa, the terrain isnʼt quite as dramatic as we saw in the park, but a hike on another (easier) trail here might yield a couple of birds that weʼre unlikely to see on the west side, namely the Palawan Flycatcher and the Palawan (Melodious) Babbler. Mt. Makiling, Luzon This birdy, nicely-forested site is only ninety minutes from our hotel in downtown Manila (20 minutes from our Los Banos hotel), and itʼs a great place to supplement the lowland birding we did in the Subic Bay area earlier. A dirt road ascends the lower slopes of this low peak (3700 feet), and weʼll get as high as about 1800 feet during our visit. Weʼll have our local, high clearance jeepneys with us for some of the time, but most of our birding will be on foot as we slowly ascend the road (actually, just a trail now) beyond where the jeepneys can travel. Thereʼs some overlap with what we saw in the Subic area, but thereʼre also a number of birds that weʼll see for the first time here. A typical dayʼs outing here produces the likes of Philippine Serpent-Eagle, Philippine Falconet, Philippine Cuckoo-Dove, Yellowbreasted and Black-chinned fruit-doves, Guaiabero, Philippine Hawk-, Philippine Drongo-, and Brush cuckoos, Red-crested and Scale-feathered malkohas, Spotted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Pitta, Yellow-bellied Whistler, White-browed Shama, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Yellowwattled Bulbul, Gray-backed Tailorbird, Stripe-sided Rhabdornis, Elegant Tit, Bicolored Flowerpecker, and Flaming, Purple-throated, and Handsome sunbirds. A bit An endemic on Mt. Makiling, Spotted Kingfisher, by Dave Stejskal. of late afternoon birding on the outskirts of the Los Banos might get us looks at Spotted and/or Barred buttonquail, Swinhoeʼs and Pin-tailed snipe, Philippine Coucal, Gray-spotted Flycatcher, Yellowish White-eye, or even a gorgeous Indigo-banded Kingfisher! Mt. Kitanglad, Mindanao Like the island of Luzon, getting access to the montane habitats of Mindanao is a bit of a challenge though more so here than on Luzon. Starting in the warm foothills at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon Province of east-central Mindanao, weʼll have to hike about one-and-a-half to two miles up a sometimes muddy trail to our camp (about a 1200 foot elevation gain, but a team of horses will carry all of our gear) at about 4100 feet in order to give us access to the many highland endemics on this mountain. Once at the camp, a number of mostly decent trails continue up the mountain through a patchwork of remnant highland forest and farm fields. We plan to hike up to a maximum elevation of about 6000 feet in order to find such high elevation species as Cinnamon Ibon (White-eye), Apo Myna, Mt.

5 Apo Sunbird, and White-cheeked Bullfinch. Please note that some of these trails are steep and often slick and muddy, so good sturdy waterproof footwear is a must and hiking sticks are recommended. This is home to the magnificent Great Philippine Eagle, second in size only to the Harpy Eagle of the Neotropics. We have about two-and-a-half days on the mountain to look for this great bird of prey while trying to dig out as many of the other specialty birds as we can. Among the many that we hope to see here include the recently described Bukidnon Woodcock, Mindanao Racquet-tail, Mindanao Eagle-Owl (tough), Philippine Frogmouth, Philippine Swiftlet, Blue-capped Kingfisher, Black-and-cinnamon Fantail, McGregorʼs Cuckoo-Shrike, Mindanao White-eye, Rufous-headed (Mountain) Tailorbird, Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis, Red-eared Parrotfinch, Olive-capped, Flame-crowned, and Bicolored flowerpeckers, and Gray-hooded Sunbird. Weʼll all be camping here with a cook, tents, bedding, and sleeping bags provided by our outfitter. PICOP logging concession, Mindanao One of the habitats that is disappearing the fastest in the Philippines is the once-extensive lowland rainforest of Mindanao. The site that we visit on this tour, the PICOP (Paper Industries Company of the Philippines) logging concession has been very productive for us in the past, but it too is quickly disappearing. There is still enough remnant habitat here to certainly make it worthwhile to continue to visit, at least for a few more years. The new endemic birds that await us are all still around, but theyʼre just a little tougher to find now and the drives to the best remaining habitat are a little longer each year. Thereʼs a good system of rough dirt roads that can reach all parts of the concession (part of the reason why itʼs disappearing, but it gives us access to all of the micro-habitats), and weʼll spend most of each day in the field birding along mostly flat to gently undulating roads, as well as a couple of productive, narrow forest trails. From the nearby town of Bislig, weʼll have three full days and part of a fourth morning to enjoy the likes of Pink-bellied Imperial-Pigeon, Silvery Kingfisher, Azure-breasted Pitta, and maybe even a Wattled Broadbill or a stunning male Celestial Monarch, plus a host of others. 5 Bay-yo rice terraces on Luzon by participant Sid England. Itinerary for the Philippines Days 1-2, Fri-Sat, 1-2 Mar. Departure from Los Angeles. We suggest the Philippine Airlines Flight 103 departing LAX at 9:00 p.m. on March 1 and arriving in Manila at 5:55 a.m. on March 3. Weʼll lose a day (Day 2, March 2) when we cross the International Dateline on our overnight flight to Manila. Weʼd also strongly suggest that if possible you arrive at least a day early so that you have some time to rest up in a comfortable hotel room in Manila before the start of birding on Day 3.

6 6 Day 3, Sun, 3 Mar. Arrival in Manila. Arrival at Manila International Airport is scheduled for 5:55 a.m. After clearing customs, youʼll be met by your guide(s) and weʼll then transfer to our nearby hotel. We will have most of the day to rest up after our long trans-pacific flight with some birding around Manila late this afternoon. Weʼll discuss tomorrowʼs plans at dinner at our hotel this evening. Night in Manila. Day 4, Mon, 4 Mar. To Subic Bay via Candaba Marshes, Luzon. Weʼll depart our hotel rather early this morning with a picnic breakfast in tow so that we can avoid the hottest part of the day at our first lowland birding stop. We will break up our journey to Subic Bay with a stop at the Candaba Marshes for a few hours to look for a variety of wetland birds such as the endemic Philippine Duck, Oriental Pratincole, Barred Rail, Greater Painted-Snipe, Island Collared-Dove, Clamorous Reed-Warbler, and many others. This lowland marsh gets hot early on, so dress in light field clothing for the day. From here, itʼs another fifty miles or so to our hotel in Subic. After a restaurant lunch and a short break at our local lodging, weʼll head out into the field to some of the remaining good forest near the old US Naval Magazine. Late afternoon will give us a good chance for some of our first endemic landbirds, perhaps even a pair or two of Green Racquet-tails heading to roost for the night. Night near Subic Bay. Day 5, Tue, 5 Mar. Subic Bay, Luzon. Subic Bay, site of the abandoned US Naval base, lies at the northern base of the Bataan Peninsula northwest of Manila. From our comfortable hotel near the old Naval Magazine, weʼll have a chance to bird some remarkably undisturbed lowland foothill forest via a couple of good, paved roads. We may also wish to walk a trail or two in the rear of the forest reserve depending on our luck earlier in the day. Here we should see a range of endemics such as Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove, Rufous Coucal, Philippine Fairy-bluebird, the bizarre-looking Coleto, Pygmy and Red-striped flowerpeckers, and many more. With luck, we should see some of the rarer specialties such as White-lored Oriole, White-fronted Tit, or possibly even a Philippine Hawk-Eagle. We will be out most of the day, taking a break for lunch at a restaurant nearby. Lingering in the forest until sunset this evening will give us a chance to see our first of the many possible endemic Philippine nightbirds. Night near Subic Bay. Day 6, Wed, 6 Mar. Subic Bay early; drive to Banaue, Luzon. Weʼll have an hour or two in the productive early morning to look for any targets here that we still need before we head to the north of Luzon. Weʼll then start our long journey in our comfortable bus northward, stopping initially for a restaurant lunch and then once or twice for birds (e.g., at Lagawe Gorge to look for the Indigo-banded Kingfisher, often found perching on the rocks in the river). Weʼll spend the next portion of this tour to the north of Manila in the Cordillera Central in northern Luzon, where weʼll spend three nights at the lovely Banaue Hotel. Our birding site will be on Mt. Polis just north of Banaue, famous for the magnificent rice terraces carved into the mountains more than 2000 years ago (referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World ). We should reach our lovely hotel by early evening. Night in Banaue. Days 7-8, Thu-Fri, 7-8 Mar. Mt. Polis, Luzon. Weʼll have two full days here, taking our lunch with us each day, and weʼll travel by local jeepney up a rough road to the pass at Mt. Polis on the road to Bontoc. The pass lies at around 6100 feet elevation, and it is here along the road that weʼll bird most of both days among the remaining oak forests that cover these magnificent mountains. There are about fifteen or so endemics here, besides a fine variety of other montane birds, and we have a good chance to see most of the following: Flame-breasted Fruit-Dove, Philippine Swiftlet, Gray-capped (Mountain) Shrike, Green-backed Whistler, Philippine and Long-tailed bush-warblers, Chestnut-faced Babbler, Flamecrowned Flowerpecker, and Metallic-winged Sunbird. We will want to do some forest trail birding while here for a couple of hours at least, so the footing could be wet, steep, and narrow in parts, and leeches might be a nuisance. For one of our picnic lunches we will ride over to the scenic village of Bay-yo overlooking a rushing mountain stream, where we have an excellent chance of seeing the Luzon Redstart (a close relative of the Plumbeous Redstart) at the end of a short, but rather steep, trail. Weʼll then continue our birding along the road, returning to the hotel in the late afternoon. Weʼre likely to encounter some rain or mist these two days, so please plan accordingly. Also, early morning here is likely to be rather chilly, so have a light jacket or sweater handy for the first couple of hours. On one or more nights we will want to try for the elusive Luzon Scops-Owl above our hotel. Nights in Banaue. Day 9, Sat, 9 Mar. Mt. Polis; drive to Manila. After a more leisurely start to the morning, weʼll depart Banaue for Manila to the south, planning to stop for a few birds and for lunch along the way. Night in Manila.

7 Day 10, Sun, 10 Mar. To Puerto Princesa, Palawan. This morning we will take the first of our inter-island flights, this time to Puerto Princesa, the capital city of Palawan. The island of Palawan, where we will be birding for the next threeand-a-half days, is the land mass that links the Bornean avifauna to the rest of the Philippines. This beautiful island is less populated and less developed than most others in the Philippines, such as Luzon, and still retains large areas of forest. Weʼll spend most of our time at nearby Puerto Princesa Subterranean River (St. Paulʼs) National Park, on the western side of the island, famous for its two-kilometer underground river. With its majestic white cliffs, lush forests, and white beaches, this park can boast some of the most magnificent scenery in the Philippines! Upon arrival at Puerto Princesa, we will meet up with our air-conditioned mini-buses and check a local mangrove area near the airport for Chinese Egret and a variety of roosting shorebirds. After lunch in town, weʼll hit the road and drive two-and-a-half hours to the west coast and the small town of Sabang, our take-off point for St. Paulʼs. During the journey, weʼll make numerous stops along the way to look at birds, and weʼll continue our birding after checking into our comfortable rooms at a small resort on the outskirts of Sabang. Weʼre unlikely to encounter rain here at this season (but it is always possible), and we should take precautions while in the field to guard against the biting sandflies in the area (long-sleeved shirts, insect repellent). Night in Sabang. Day 11, Mon, 11 Mar. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River (St. Paulʼs) National Park, Palawan. After an early breakfast this morning, weʼll board a couple of small water taxis, or bancas, that will ferry us about twenty minutes to our first stop in the park (itʼs likely to be both a wet boarding and wet landing here). Today we will be birding all morning along the park trails. The area is hilly and the trails are steep in places but not too difficult, since handrails and steps are provided in the toughest places. Since our birding here will be at or very near sea level, temperatures and humidity levels will be quite high, so dress accordingly. Around the two park camps that weʼll visit today, weʼll seek many birds, including Blue-naped Parrot, Ashy Drongo, Green Imperial-Pigeon, Yellow-throated Leafbird, and many others. On the beaches at low tide, the Great-billed Heron can sometimes be seen, while in the red flowering Erythrina trees weʼll hope to see the very rare Philippine Cockatoo. Also around the camps, the strange Tabon Scrubfowl, with its weird, siren-like call, can be seen. The park holds a large number of Palawan specialties, including endemics such as Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, Palawan Hornbill, Ashy-headed Babbler, Palawan Blue-Flycatcher, Palawan Tit, Palawan Flowerpecker, and those more widespread Malaysian birds found here, such as Chestnut-breasted Malkoha and Great Slaty Woodpecker. Late afternoon will likely find us walking the main road outside of Sabang in search of the remaining specialties of the area. We also have a chance to look for night birds such as the endemic chaseni race of Javan Frogmouth and Palawan Scops- Owl near town before a late dinner. Night in Sabang. Day 12, Tue, 12 Mar. St. Paulʼs NP; to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Weʼll continue our birding in St. Paulʼs all this morning, possibly on a little-used, narrow trail near the mangroves, and then return to Sabang for lunch. After lunch, weʼll load our minibuses and head back to Puerto Princesa. On the road back, we will keep our eyes open for anything that we still need, especially along the first portion of this productive road. If time allows, we will also stop at some saltpans to look for shorebirds and other waterbirds. We will then continue on to our comfortable hotel, offering modern, clean rooms with air-conditioning and an excellent restaurant. Night in Puerto Princesa. Day 13, Wed, 13 Mar. Balsahan Trail, Palawan; afternoon flight to Manila and drive to Los Banos. Today, weʼll visit some good forest near the Iwahig penal colony, a short drive from Puerto Princesa, and bird up the forested valley along the Balsahan Trail. Our purpose is to look for those endemics not found at St. Paulʼs, such as the Palawan Flycatcher with its bright orange tail and the Palawan (Melodious) Babbler an easy bird to hear, but not so easy to see. Other birds such as Hooded Pitta, Asian Fairy-bluebird, and Fiery Minivet can also be found here. Rubber boots or N.E.O.S. are recommended on this morningʼs hike since we need to cross a small stream several times along the trailʼs route. Weʼll head back to Puerto Princesa for lunch at the airport before our early afternoon flight to Manila. From the airport, weʼll drive about 90 minutes to the southeast to Los Banos near the foot of Mt. Makiling, where weʼll spend the next two nights. Night at Los Banos. Day 14, Thu, 14 Mar. Mt. Makiling, Luzon. Mt. Makiling lies about 30 miles south of Manila, stands around 3700 feet high, and is still covered on its north side with beautiful, dense tropical forest. Most of our birding will be between feet during our stay near here. The birding is easygoing as we walk steadily, but gradually, uphill along a wide, unpaved road. This mountain has a good sampling of Luzon lowland and foothill species such as Guaiabero, the recently split Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo and Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo, Balicassiao, Yellow-bellied Whistler, Elegant Tit, Sulphurbilled Nuthatch, Yellow-wattled Bulbul, Gray-backed Tailorbird, White-bellied Flowerpecker, and Black-crowned Babbler 7

8 (scarce now), nicely complementing our visit to Subic Bay at the start of this tour. Weʼll aim to be on site at the bottom of the road before dawn in order to look for the Philippine Hawk-Owl and Philippine Scops-Owl and then catch sight of the splendid Spotted Kingfisher as it calls in the early morning light near its nest burrow in an earthen bank alongside the road. The attractive White-browed Shama, with its beautiful song, is fairly common here in the thick undergrowth, and the beautiful Red-bellied Pitta feeds silently in the abundant leaf litter. Besides a variety of birds including flowerpeckers, flycatchers, white-eyes, and all of the above, we shall target certain special birds such as the Luzon Bleeding-heart, a terrestrial pigeon thatʼs hard to find but quite possible here as we track it down by its mournful call. The dapper Stripe-sided Rhabdornis is also found here and we have a good chance to see this one (no longer an endemic family but allied to the starlings instead). We will spend all morning on the lower slopes of the mountain with a picnic lunch in the field, and then weʼll explore some of the lowland habitats at the nearby University of the Philippines for the likes of Spotted Button-Quail, Banded Rail, Plain Bush-hen, Lowland White-eye, or Indigo-banded Kingfisher. Low elevations here mean that high humidity and warm temperatures are the norm, and rain is a likelihood as well. Night in Los Banos. Day 15, Fri, 15 Mar. Mt. Makiling; return to Manila. Today weʼll return to the mountain for our final morningʼs birding, venturing a little higher (but itʼll still be warm and humid) by local jeepney in order to see as many of the remaining species resident on the mountain that we may have missed. Around midday, weʼll return to Los Banos for lunch and then back to our hotel to prepare to head back to Manila for one night. Weʼll plan to get back to Manila fairly early so that we can reorganize our luggage for the trip to Mindanao and get a good nightʼs sleep before our flight tomorrow morning. Night in Manila. Day 16, Sat, 16 Mar. Flight to Mindanao; to Kitanglad Mountains, Mindanao. This morning weʼll catch the earlymorning flight to Cagayan de Oro on the north coast of Mindanao on our way to northern Mindanaoʼs Kitanglad Mountains, home of the vanishing Great Philippine Eagle. After arriving in Cagayan, we will proceed by mini-bus to Dalwangan and the foothills of the mountainous area we will be visiting. Before we ascend, weʼll plan to attend a brief ceremony in town with the village elders that will allow our group to visit the mountain. Our campsite is at around 4100 feet and weʼll have to walk the last 1200 feet or so of elevation, taking us around one to one-and-a-half hours, while horses haul our luggage to the campsite. The trail from the village up to the camp is quite muddy and flat in some sections and steep and rather slick in others, but it can be done by those in reasonably good physical condition if taken slowly. Hopefully, as we did on our last trip here, weʼll be able to hitch a ride in a flatbed truck part of the way up the mountain, shortening our hike to the camp. Our abode for the next three nights will be a large, two-story lodge building with a big, open shared room upstairs for sleeping, plus a number of largish tents on the grounds outside for those who would prefer a more private option. Clean bedding (mattress, sleeping bag, sheet, pillow, and blanket) is provided for all by our outfitter. Mosquitoes are normally not a problem here at all, but in a wet year they can be a nuisance (we suggest that you bring your own netting for this portion of the trip). Simple toilets with running water are available on a shared basis, and bathing facilities here are Asianstyle (= bucket and ladle). All of our food, including ice for the drinks, is brought up the mountain from below by our outfitter. We should arrive in time for a late lunch and some initial exciting birding in the area. Night in Kitanglad Mountain camp. Days 17-18, Sun-Mon, Mar. Kitanglad Mountains, Mindanao. The Kitanglad Mountains are still covered with fairly extensive forests above 4000 feet and are home to practically all of Mindanao's montane specialties; we have a good chance of seeing most of them. It is also the area where we will be looking for the Great Philippine Eagle, a pair of which has been resident in this area for many years. This incredible bird can either be seen as it slowly soars overhead or, more likely, perched on an exposed tree on the other side of the valley. During our two days here, we will make all efforts necessary to see this bird plus the numerous others such as Barred Honey-buzzard, the newly split Pinskerʼs Hawk-Eagle, Blue-capped Kingfisher, McGregorʼs Cuckoo-shrike, Short-tailed Starling, Island Flycatcher, Cinnamon Ibon (White-eye), Tawny Grassbird, Olive-capped Flowerpecker, White-cheeked Bullfinch, and many, many others. The area is also a site for the recently discovered Bukidnon Woodcock, while a number of nightbirds such as Philippine Frogmouth, Mindanao Eagle-Owl (Giant Scops-Owl), and Philippine Nightjar can be found here as well. During our stay, we will probably reach an altitude of about 6000 feet, via a mostly decent trail that is steep and slick in parts, in order to see the strange Apo Myna and Mount Apo Sunbird, but the daytime weather is generally quite warm for most of our birding (although early mornings can be chilly). Rain is quite likely during our stay here, especially in the afternoon, and trails (steep in parts) are likely to be muddy underfoot, or even partly submerged in rainstorm run-off. Picnic lunches will be delivered to us while weʼre on the trails each day. Nights at Kitanglad Mountains camp. 8

9 9 Day 19, Tue, 19 Mar. Kitanglad Mts. early, then drive to Bislig, Mindanao. Weʼll be able to bird for an hour or so near our camp to search for anything still needed before we proceed down the hill to our waiting mini-buses. Weʼll then continue on via bus to Bislig, our last birding stop, on the northeast coast. The journey to Bislig is, unfortunately, an all day affair and weʼll probably arrive after dark at the Paper Country Inn, a surprisingly comfortable little hotel that will be our home for four nights. Air-conditioning, hot water, good food, good laundry service, and a friendly staff will make this a popular spot. Weʼll have a restaurant lunch along the way today. Birding stops between Dalwangan and Bislig will be few. Night in Bislig. Days 20-22, Wed-Fri, Mar. PICOP logging concession, Mindanao. The next three-and-a-half days will be spent in the logging concession of PICOP, an acronym for Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines. Although much of the forest has been cleared, there are still some good areas left, and these are rich in birds. Birds such as Pink-bellied Imperial-Pigeon, Blue-crowned Racquet-tail, Yellowish Bulbul, Rufous-lored Kingfisher, Philippine Trogon, Philippine Needletail, the recently split Philippine Magpie-Robin, and most other Mindanao lowland species can be found here. With a measure of luck, we also hope to see more exotic birds such as Azure-breasted (Steereʼs) Pitta, Celestial Monarch, or Wattled Broadbill. Birding is relatively easy and we will be walking along fairly flat logging roads, wide open for easy viewing. Occasionally, we will step into the forest to seek such skulkers as Striated Wren-Babbler, White-browed Tailorbird, or Little Slaty Flycatcher. On some nearby ponds, weʼll hope to see the beautiful little Silvery Kingfisher. Weʼll also visit the marshes at Bislig airport where we should see Philippine Duck, Wandering Whistling-Duck, and Australasian (Eastern) Grass-Owl. The most arduous parts of this section of the tour are the rides that we take in local jeepneys from our hotel to the best habitat. The roads are long and bumpy and the seating in the jeepneys is uncomfortable, but these are the only vehicles in the area that can traverse the rough roads of PICOP. As at Kitanglad, rain is very likely here each day, so plan accordingly. Nights in Bislig. Day 23, Sat, 23 Mar. PICOP logging concession; to Davao City and flight to Manila. Weʼll have until mid-morning this last day before we have to journey to Davao City in our more comfortable vans and catch our late afternoon flight to Manila. Weʼll check into our hotel for a final night and a farewell dinner. Night in Manila. Day 24, Sun, 24 Mar. Departure for home; or fly to Mindoro to start the Mindoro/Visayan Island extension. Our Philippines Airline Flight 112 departs Manila at 8:30 p.m. We will re-cross the International Dateline, giving us back the day we lost on the way over. We will arrive in Los Angeles at 5:30 p.m. the same day. This may be too late for some folks to get home today. If this is the case, Field Guides will be happy to book a room at an airport hotel for an additional cost. For those going on to the Mindoro/Visayan Island extension, weʼll be up early to catch our initial flight to Mindoro. Itinerary for the Mindoro/Visayan Island Extension Day 1, Sun, 24 Mar. Early flight to Mindoro; forest birding at Sablayan penal colony. Our flight this morning to Mindoro is at 6:00 a.m. and weʼll be leaving our hotel in Manila for the airport well before dawn. Weʼll be met by our driver and bus when we arrive, and weʼll then drive to the Sablayan penal colony, about two-and-a-half hours away. The area around the penal colony still holds a reasonable amount of lowland forest, unusual in Mindoro, an island where most lowland forest has been cleared. We will concentrate first on finding the Mindoro Hornbill and Black-hooded Coucal inside this forest and, later in the afternoon, weʼll bird the forest edge around Lake Libuao. The birds we are particularly looking for along the lake edge are Scarlet-collared Flowerpecker, Black-bibbed Cuckoo-shrike, Blue-crowned Racquet-tail, and a variety of pigeons including Metallic Pigeon, and Green, Pink-bellied, and Spotted imperial-pigeons. The lake itself holds a variety of wetland birds including Wandering Whistling- and Philippine ducks. The Philippine Bulbul here is very different from Philippine Bulbuls elsewhere and was recently split out as Mindoro Bulbul (H. mindorensis). As the sun sets, weʼll look for the distinctive and endemic mindorensis race of Philippine Hawk-Owl before dinner back at our basic but clean accommodations. Night near Sablayan penal colony, Mindoro. Day 2, Mon, 25 Mar. Sablayan forest birding all day; late afternoon to San Jose. After an early breakfast, weʼll return to Sablayan before dawn, spending all morning deeper inside the forest in search of the Black-hooded Coucal (if it

10 eluded us yesterday) as well as any other birds we have missed. In the late afternoon, weʼll return to San Jose for an overnight stay in the comfortable Sikatuna Beach Resort. Night in San Jose, Mindoro 10 Day 3, Tue, 26 Mar. Morning flight to Manila and on to Bohol; afternoon stop at Philippine Tarsier Center and on to Chocolate Hills, Bohol. We will catch our forty-minute morning flight to Manila at 7:00 a.m. and then another flight to Tagbilaran, Bohol at 12:15 p.m., arriving at about 1:30. Weʼll be met by our new drivers and vans and be taken to the Chocolate Hills Guesthouse in the interior of Bohol. On the way, weʼll stop off at the Philippine Tarsier Center where we can see the Philippine Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, in a huge habitat enclosure. If time allows, weʼll spend the last hour of daylight in the Rajah Sikatuna NP close to our accommodations. Weʼll spend the next two nights in the Chocolate Hills Guesthouse, which is simple but clean and comfortable. Night at Chocolate Hills, Bohol. Day 4, Wed, 27 Mar. All day at Rajah Sikatuna NP. Weʼll spend all day in the Rajah Sikatuna NP, a small but well-forested area with wellmarked trails. The park contains many species that we may have already seen in PICOP on Mindanao, but it also has other special birds such as the Visayan Broadbill, Black-crowned Babbler, Yellow-breasted Tailorbird, and, if we are very lucky, the Mindanao Bleedingheart. Other birds to be found include Rufous-lored Kingfisher, Azure-breasted (Steereʼs) Pitta, Amethyst Brown- Dove, Yellow-breasted and Black-chinned fruitdoves, Black-faced Coucal, Streaked Ground- Babbler, Philippine Fairy-bluebird, Rufous-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher, and Blue Fantail, as well as a variety of nightbirds such as Philippine Frogmouth and Philippine Scops-Owl (the subspecies everetti here). Keep a sharp eye out for the strange Philippine Colugo launching from daytime roosting spots as the sun sets here, too. Night at Chocolate Hills, Bohol. Day 5, Thu, 28 Mar. Morning birding at Rajah Sikatuna NP; afternoon ferry crossing to Cebu City. This morning, weʼll check out of our hotel and return to the park for a final morningʼs Another beautiful endemic, Azure-breasted Pitta, photographed by Dave Stejskal. birding. Weʼll then transfer to the pier back in Tagbilaran where weʼll catch the Supercat fast ferry to Cebu. Upon arrival weʼll be met by our vans and taken to our hotel, the Montebello Villa Hotel, for an overnight stay. Night in Cebu City, Cebu. Day 6, Fri, 29 Mar. Morning birding at Tabunan; afternoon flight to Bacolod, Negros. Weʼll have a very early breakfast this morning and proceed with our bags to Tabunan in central Cebu. The whole area in which weʼll be birding was once the Central Cebu National Park but is now developed with very little forest remaining, except on the highest ridges. The area near Tabunan, thankfully, has small remnant patches of forest and was where the Cebu Flowerpecker was rediscovered in 1993 after being thought extinct since It is very difficult to find, but weʼll give it our best shot; we have a much better chance of seeing the endemic Black Shama and the Streaked-breasted Bulbul. Other birds in the area include Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher, White-vented Whistler, and Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler. In the late morning weʼll leave the Tabunan area and drive to the airport on Mactan Island for our afternoon flight to Bacolod, Negros. We should arrive around 5:20 and weʼll transfer to the LʼFisher Hotel for an overnight stay. Night in Bacolod, Negros.

11 Day 7, Sat, 30 Mar. Birding on Mt. Canlaon, Negros; evening flight to Manila. Today we plan to spend most of the day on Mt. Canlaon. Itʼs about an hourʼs drive to our start off point, and, after an early breakfast at our hotel, weʼll aim to be there by 5:30. Weʼll be met on the moutainside by a couple of 4X4 vehicles that will transport us up the rough old road that ascends the moutain. The birds we can expect to see here are White-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Flame-templed Babbler, White-vented Whistler, Red-keeled (Visayan) Flowerpecker, Negros Leaf-Warbler (a likely split from Lemonthroated Leaf-Warbler), Philippine Tailorbird, Visayan Bulbul (split from Philipine Bulbul) and the Visayan races of Blueheaded Fantail and White-browed Shama, both of which may be full species. White-throated Jungle-Flycatcher and Visayan Hornbill have both been seen in the area but are quite scarce. In the early afternoon weʼll return to our vans and proceed to the airport where weʼll catch our flight to Manila at 7:00 p.m. arriving at around 8:00. Weʼll transfer to the Dusit Hotel for our farewell dinner and our final nightʼs stay. Night in Manila. Day 8, Sun, 31 Mar. Departing flights home. Our Philippines Airline Flight 112 departs Manila at 8:30 p.m. We will recross the International Dateline, giving us back the day we lost on the way over. We will arrive in Los Angeles at 5:30 p.m. the same day. This may be too late for some folks to get home today. If this is the case, Field Guides will be happy to book a room at an airport hotel for an additional cost. About Your Guides Dave Stejskalʼs love of birds and birding began at the age of nine near his childhood home in Phoenix. After teenage years consumed by birding and basketball, he went on to graduate with a degree in biology from the University of Arizona in Tucson, the desert city he and his wife, Julie Hecimovich, call home. Dave was co-editor for the Southwest Region report in American Birds/Audubon Field Notes for nearly 12 years, has served for many years on the Arizona Bird Records Committee, and has a solid reputation as one of the outstanding field birders in the Southwest and elsewhere. Dave is particularly skilled at identifying birds by their songs and calls and is eager to share his knowledge with others. Since guiding his first professional birding tour with Field Guides in 1985, his nearly 300 tours have taken him north to arctic Alaska, south to Tierra del Fuego (guiding tours in nearly every country in between), to Madagascar, and across the Pacific to Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia, and his enthusiasm for finding and watching birds has proven to be contagious. Dave has co-led all five of Field Guides previous Philippines tours. Visit for Daveʼs complete tour schedule; just click on his photo. Mark Jason Villa grew up in Manila with an avid interest in nature and wildlife. His exposure to natural history, however, was limited to visiting zoos and watching nature documentaries, and he thought that seeing these animals in the wild required traveling to far-flung places like Africa and South America. It wasnʼt until he was 20 years old that he discovered that his home had a rich and incomparable biodiversity, and with this discovery, he began to visit many of the important islands of the Philippines in search of its more than 200 endemic birds. Markʼs natural logistical abilities, his easygoing nature, and his impressive bird-finding talents quickly gained him a following, and it wasnʼt very long before he was guiding friends and visitors in search of birds. He began guiding professionally in 2004 and led his first tour for Field Guides in 2011 when he co-led with Dave Stejskal. He is also an avid nature photographer and a member of the bird records committee of the Philippine Bird Club, where he continues to contribute to the knowledge of birds in the Philippines. Financial Information FEE: $6375 from Manila Extension: $2550 from Manila AIRFARE: $ from LAX (as of July 2012; subject to change) DEPOSIT: $650 per person FINAL PAYMENT DUE: November 1, 2012 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT (Optional): $825; $275 for Extension LIMIT: 12 on the main tour; 8 on the extension 11

12 Other Things You Need to Know 12 TOUR MANAGER: The manager for this tour is Karen Turner. Karen will be happy to assist you in preparing for the tour. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call her! ACCOMMODATIONS: Most of our accommodations on the main tour are very comfortable and have air conditioning or fans in the rooms, private bathrooms, and good restaurants (e.g. all of the Luzon venues, Palawan, and Bislig on Mindanao). The tour includes three nights of outfitted mountain camping as part of our search for the Great Philippine Eagle on Mt. Kitanglad on Mindanao. Here, our outfitter will provide us with all of our bedding materials, all of our food and drinks, a cook, and a small crew to assist us during our stay. On the extension, accommodations in San Jose, Mindoro, on Bohol, on Cebu, and on Negros are also very comfortable and have air conditioning or fans in the rooms, private bathrooms, and good restaurants. Our one night at Sablayan on Mindoro is in basic, clean oceanside bungalows where single accommodations cannot be guaranteed. DOCUMENTS: US citizens must have a passport valid for 6 months beyond the travel date to enter the Philippines. A visa, valid for 21 days, will be issued to you upon arrival in Manila. An extension for up to 59 days can be obtained for an additional fee of PHP310 (about $8.00). If you are not a US citizen, please check with the Philippine consulate nearest you for entry requirements. Information about consulates and entry requirements is generally available online or you can contact us and we will be happy to look this up for you. Passports should have an adequate number of blank pages for the entire journey. Some countries require a blank page for their stamp and as a precaution it is best to have one blank page per country you will visit or transit. AIR ARRANGEMENTS: Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Manila is currently $ (subject to change). This does not include necessary internal tour flights, which are included in the tour fee. Field Guides is a full service travel agency and your tour manager will be happy to assist you with flights to join this tour. Field Guides does not charge a service fee for these services to clients booking a tour. However, we understand that tech-savvy clients often prefer to shop online or that you may wish to use mileage to purchase tickets. Regardless of which method you choose, your tour manager will be happy to provide assistance regarding ticket prices and schedules, along with rental cars and extra hotel nights as needed. Please be sure to check with your tour manager prior to purchasing your ticket to make sure the flights you have chosen will work well with the tour itinerary and that the tour is sufficiently subscribed to operate. Once purchased, most airline tickets are non-refundable and carry a penalty to change. Field Guides cannot be responsible for these fees. Also, it is imperative that we receive a copy of your comprehensive flight itinerary including any and all flights not covered in the tour fee so that we may track you in the event of missed connections, delays, or other mishaps. LUGGAGE: Please be aware that many airlines have recently modified their luggage policies and are charging additional fees for checked bags. Updates could easily occur before your departure, so you may wish to contact your airline to verify the policy. Additional charges for bags on any flights, whether these are covered by the tour fee or not, will be the clientʼs responsibility. TOUR INCLUSIONS/EXCLUSIONS: The tour fee is $6375 for one person in double occupancy from Manila. It includes all lodging from Day 3 through Day 23, all meals from breakfast on Day 3 through dinner on Day 23, the flights within the Philippines, all ground transportation, entrance fees, tips for baggage handling and meal service, and the guide services of the tour leader(s). The single supplement for the tour is $825. If you do not have a roommate but wish to share, we will try to pair you with a roommate from the tour; but if none is available, you will be billed for the single supplement. Our tour fees are based on double occupancy; one-half the cost of a double room is priced into the tour fee. The single supplement is calculated by taking the actual cost of a single room and subtracting one-half the cost of a double room (plus any applicable taxes). The fee for the extension is $2550 for one person in double occupancy from Manila. This includes all lodging from Day 1 of the extension through Day 7 of the extension, all meals from breakfast on Day 1 through dinner on Day 7, the