⌛ Birds ?

I see a type of flightless bird on occasion crossing the road going up to our farm which is pretty far in the mountains. I have assumed it was a quail. Maybe one of these experts can help us out in terms of an identification

 

There are several species of Quail living here in the philippines along with a few other species of ground dwelling birds such as Crakes, Rails and Waterhens that thrive in long grasses and reed beds often near water or ditches.There are no true flightless birds in the Philippines apart from a newly discovered Rail called the Calayan Rail. Discovered on the isolated island of Calayan, the largest island in the Babuyan Island group in 2004. Hope this is of some help.

 

I have been told here in Cebu that the reason birds here are killed is because of the bird flu virus which hit some number of years ago.
They want to stop it from infecting their local chickens, but from what I have seen, most of the neighborhoods are hit at least once every 2 years by something that wipes quite a few out anyway.
Don't know if it is bird flu, but just the same, locals here are scared to death of losing their revenue.

 

thanks for the information angler, I wish I knew more about birds, heck i wish I knew more about nature in general. Hadn't heard that before about protecting chickens. Chickens are very susceptible to all sorts of diseases. It could be a general practice. I think they like shooting things, not to generalize but there seems to be a lack of empathy in terms of protecting the life of animals.

 

What you say about shooting and killing things here is all too true.
I chased a 6 year old boy out of my garden just the other day because he was smashing toads with a rock and in front of my 3 year old daughter no less.
She cries when she sees an animal hurt and I am really trying to instill a love and respect of nature in her regardless of how others act.
I have seen such behavior in the U.S. as well, but not on such a large scale as I have seen here.
Life is hard, but you can fight back I suppose, even if it is only in a small way.

 

Bird Flu

The Philippines has a large poultry industry, employing 300,000 people and worth 150bn peso ($2.72bn) a year.

It is the only Asian country with large-scale poultry farming which has not yet been affected by the bird flu virus.

Fears about the H5N1 virus have led to the slaughter of millions of chickens and ducks across Asia in the last 18 months.

 

Birdwatchers event in Duma. Posted thanks to Carmela

7th Philippine Birdfest - Dumaguete City Forum

Take care all.

 

Bird Sites

There are actually bird sites in and around the area. I will not be that specific because there are "unenlightened" folks out there who may use the information to hunt these animals down.

The beautiful Philippine endemics like the Flame–templed Babbler and Visayan Tarictic Hornbill have been spotted in Lawigan, Bacong. Occasional sightings also of the White-Throated Jungle Fly Catcher and Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon have also been reported there.

At Liptong, Bacong, asides from the Flame–templed Babbler, look for the Visayan Flower Pecker and Negros Striped Babbler. There have also been reported sightings of the endemic forest Kingfisher, the Spotted Wood Kingfisher.

Kalunggan, Bacong - the Philippine needle tail.

Lake Balinsasayaw, Sibulan, Negros Oriental is another good site. The Visayan Tarictic Hornbill, Amethyst brown dove, Flaming Sunbird, and Philippine Oriole have been reported.

Unfortunately, most local residents do not realize that some birds are only found in the Visayas and cannot be seen in the other islands like Mindanao or Luzon. Perhaps, if the communities realize that they have precious national treasures in their own backyards, they will take a second look and take pride.

You can't protect what you don't know exist.

To find out more about Philippine Birds and birdwatching, visit the 7th Philippine Birdfest on the 24-25 September in Silliman University. Bird-related activities like talks, Conservation Forums and guided bird tours will be made available. A chance too to meet local bird guides and birdwatchers.

Btw, do you know that birdwatching is a billion dollar industry abroad? While tourists go to Africa to see the Big 5, birders from all over the world lists the Philippines as one of THE destinations to go for birding?

 

Hi,
i have seen quite a few nice birds in and around where i live, in the UK i knew every bird and also what they ate, and where they nest, but here i no nothing!!, like starting over again, the worst thing is my binoculars were lost in a case that went missing Cebu Airlines !!, last week i saw a woodpecker but do not know which one, but could tell by the shape, and the way it was flying .

Alan PS where can you get a good book here?

 

Books on Philippine Birds

In Manila, Powerbooks and Fully-Book carry the hard-to-come-by Bible of Philippine birders,

Guide to Philippine Birds by Kennedy, et. al. They sell for P 4,500.

In National Bookstore, you may chance upon Tim Fisher's Photographic Guide to Philippine Birds.

Some of my favorite links...
Philippine Bird Photography Forum
http://http://birdphotoph.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=birdlist

Romy Ocon
http://http://www.pbase.com/liquidstone/philippine_wild_birds

The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines
Welcome to Birdwatch - The official website of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines

Happy birding!