Last October 1, I was able to join my first birdwatching activity courtesy of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines.

Equipped with my rented binoculars (for only P50!), trusty hat and loads of sunblock, I set off to meet some of the 150+ resident bird species of Metro Manila.

Our original plan was to tour the American War cemetery but due to the devastation caused by typhoon Milenyo, we headed to the Heritage Park in Fort Bonifacio instead. We weren’t too disappointed since there was a nearby creek that attracted quite a lot of birds.

We stopped by a small pier and the birdwatchers (or birders for short) set up their telescopes (or scopes for short) so we could see the birds up close.

One of the first birds we saw was a yellow bittern that posed for a long time across the river banks. When I used my binoculars, it was quite hard to identify the yellow bittern but by taking a peek at the scope, I could clearly see its yellow eyes and striped body. We were even more amused when the bittern would look up the sky whenever an airplane passed by.

Over the next few hours, we saw a little heron, barn swallows, pipits, bulbuls, kingfishers, brown shrikes and even fruit bats! During that time, I learned how to focus binoculars, describe (quite vividly, I must add) the exact location of a bird and enhance my powers of observation.

Aside from birdwatching, I also liked observing the birders and seeing their excitement whenever a new bird comes into view. There is a flurry of questions–how large is it? what colors do you see? where IS it??!!

By the end of the event, I met a lot of new friends (both human and winged creatures) and acquired a new hobby that could prove to be a natural thing for me. Anna, who introduced me to this activity, says that I’m a quick study compared to other first-timers. =)

I tried putting my Kodak DC 3200 in front of a scope and this is what I got. At the middle of the viewfinder is a spotted dove that is resting on top of a tree stump. My digicam couldn’t capture the spotted markings of the dove nor could it capture the delight that one feels when watching birds in their natural habitat instead of seeing them behind a gilded cage.

For more information about upcoming birdwatching activities, feel free to visit the website of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines at:

http://www.birdwatch.ph