Author: Sylvia Ramos

Tibig Fruits

The Tibig we planted in 2012 has fruits! Look at how it’s grown!

We planted this tree beside the creek. Some say these trees can help recharge a natural spring. It’s usually found near water, so maybe it just grows where there is a lot of water rather than the tree causing the water levels to somehow increase. Or it could be both!

We’re collecting the seeds so we can plant more Tibig along the creek. The seeds are tiny!

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November 2012
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December 2013
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July 2017
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fruits!
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The ripe fruits are yellow-orange

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Tibig seeds set out to dry

 

Bird List for the Farm

This is the most current list of the birds we have seen at the farm.

FEBRUARY 2026

Bird #121 – Balicassiao Dicrurus balicassius

Balicassiao

JANUARY 2026 – 7 new birds!

Bird #114 Garganey Spatula querquedula

Garganey

Bird #115 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca

Eurasian Teal

Bird #116 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

Tufted Duck

Bird #117 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

Little Grebe

Bird #118 Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus

Ashy Minivet

Bird #119 Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis

Yellow Bittern

Bird #120 Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope

Eurasian Wigeon

October 2025

Bird #113 – Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Common Kingfisher

May 2025

Bird #112 – Common Moorhen Galinula chloropus

March 2025

Bird #111 – Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

January 2025

Bird #110 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

October 2024

Bird #109 Northern Pintail Anas acuta

Fourth duck species for the refuge! There were 2 female Northen Pintails in the Big Pond. This was after we had Typhoon Kristine, a big typhoon.

March 2024

Bird # 108 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

picture to follow!

November 2023

Bird #107 Northern Shoveler Spatula clepeata

Our third duck species! There was only one Northern Shoveler. It was in the water lily pond.

October 2023

BIRD#106 Chestnut-cheeked Starling Agropsar philippensis
This was very exciting. There were flocks of them flying from tree to tree!

BIRD#105 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
Our first plover species!

March 2023

BIRD #104 Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis
(no photo)

September 2020

Slaty-legged Crake Rallina eurizonoides

June 2020

Rusty-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis sepulcralis
This bird was formerly known as Brush Cuckoo.

immature Rusty-breasted Cuckoo

February 2019

  • Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus

August 2018

  • Coleto Sarcops calvus
  • Ruddy-breasted Crake Porzana fusca

September 2017

  • Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda

    August 2017
  • Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
  • Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephaus stentoreus
  • Yellow-wattled Bulbul Pycnonotus urosticus
  • White-bellied Munia Lonchura locugastra 
  • Ruddy-breasted Crake Ponzana fusca
  • Philippine Green Pigeon (formerly known as Pompadour Green Pigeon) Treron axillaris
  • added Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus that was seen previously by Tonji but we forgot to add to the list
  • changed snipe sp. to Swinhoe’s Snipe after Tonji saw one and was able to identify it from the call
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Yellow-wattled Bulbul
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Philippine Green Pigeon and Pink-necked Green Pigeon

These are some photos taken on site of the birds at the farm.  More bird photos on  Tonji and Sylvia’s Bird List.

  1. Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arcuata
  2. Garganey Spatula querquedula
  3. Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
  4. Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
  5. Philippine Duck  Anas luzonica
  6. Northern Pintail Anas acuta
  7. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
  8. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
  9. King Quail (Blue-breasted Quail) Excalfactoria chinensis
  10. Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus
  11. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
  12. Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis
  13. Cinnamon Bittern  Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
  14. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
  15. Eastern Cattle Egret (Cattle Egret) Bubulcus coromandus
  16. Striated Heron Butorides striata
  17. Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea
  18. Purple Heron  Ardea purpurea
  19. Great Egret  Ardea alba
  20. Intermediate Egret  Egretta intermedia
  21. Little Egret  Egretta garzetta
  22. Philippine Serpent Eagle (Crested Serpent-Eagle) Spilornis holospilus HO
  23. Japanese Sparrowhawk  Accipiter gularis
  24. Pied Harrier  Circus melanoleucos
  25. Brahminy Kite  Haliastur indus
  26. Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus
  27. Slaty-legged Crake Rallina eurizonoides
  28. Barred Rail  Gallirallus torquatus
  29. Buff-banded Rail  Gallirallus philippensis
  30. Plain Bush-hen  Amaurornis olivacea
  31. White-breasted Waterhen  Amaurornis phoenicurus   
  32. Ruddy-breasted Crake Porzana fusca
  33. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
  34. Spotted Buttonquail  Turnix ocellatus
  35. Barred Buttonquail  Turnix suscitator
  36. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
  37. Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
  38. GREATER PAINTED-SNIPE Rostratula benghalensis
  39. Oriental Pratincole  Glareola maldivarum
  40. Swinhoe’s Snipe Gallinago megala
  41. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
  42. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
  43. Rock Dove  Columba livia
  44. Island Collared Dove Streptopelia bitorquata
  45. Red Turtle Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica
  46. Spotted Dove  Spilopelia chinensis
  47. Philippine Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia tenuirostris
  48. Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
  49. Zebra Dove  Geopelia striata
  50. White-eared Brown Dove Phapitreron leucotis
  51. Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans
  52. Philippine Green Pigeon Treron axillaris
  53. Philippine Coucal  Centropus viridis
  54. Lesser Coucal  Centropus bengalensis
  55. Rough-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus
  56. Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
  57. Rusty-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis sepulcralis
  58. Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx pectoralis
  59. Eastern Grass Owl Tyto longimembris
  60. Philippine Scops Owl Otus megalotis
  61. Philippine Nightjar  Caprimulgus manillensis
  62. Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis
  63. Grey-rumped Swiftlet  Collocalia marginata
  64. Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
  65. Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda
  66. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
  67. Collared Kingfisher (White-collared Kingfisher) Todiramphus chloris
  68. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
  69. Indigo-banded Kingfisher  Ceyx cyanopectus
  70. Blue-tailed Bee-eater  Merops philippinus
  71. Coppersmith Barbet  Megalaima haemacephala
  72. Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos maculatus
  73. Common Kestrel (Eurasian Kestrel) Falco tinnunculus
  74. Peregrine Falcon  Falco peregrinus
  75. Philippine Hanging Parrot/Colasisi Loriculus philippensis 
  76. Philippine Pitta  Erythropitta erythrogaster
  77. Hooded Pitta  Pitta sordida
  78. Golden-bellied Gerygone  Gerygone sulphurea
  79. White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
  80. Pied Triller  Lalage nigra
  81. Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus
  82. Brown Shrike  Lanius cristatus
  83. Long-tailed Shrike  Lanius schach
  84. Black-naped Oriole  Oriolus chinensis
  85. Philippine Pied Fantail Rhipidura nigritorquis
  86. Black-naped Monarch  Hypothymis azurea
  87. Large-billed Crow  Corvus macrorhynchos
  88. Oriental Skylark  Alauda gulgula
  89. Yellow-wattled Bulbul Pycnonotus urostictus
  90. Yellow-vented Bulbul  Pycnonotus goiavier
  91. Philippine Bulbul Hypsipetes philippinus
  92. Barn Swallow  Hirundo rustica
  93. Pacific Swallow  Hirundo tahitica
  94. Striated Swallow (Red-rumped Swallow) Cecropis striolata
  95. Kamchatka Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus examinandus
  96. Japanese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus xanthodryas
  97. Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus (possible Oriental Reed Warbler or maybe Gray’s Grasshopper Warbler but we’re calling it Clamorous)
  98. Striated Grassbird  Megalurus palustris
  99. Tawny Grassbird  Megalurus timoriensis
  100. Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis
  101. Grey-backed Tailorbird  Orthotomus derbianus
  102. Lowland White-eye  Zosterops meyeni
  103. Asian Glossy Starling  Aplonis panayensis
  104. Coleto Sarcops calvus
  105. Chestnut-cheeked Starling Agropsar philippensis
  106. Stripe-headed Rhabdornis  Rhabdornis mystacalis
  107. Philippine Magpie-Robin Copsychus mindanensis
  108. White-browed Shama  Copsychus luzoniensis
  109. Mangrove Blue Flycatcher  Cyornis rufigastra
  110. Siberian Rubythroat  Calliope calliope
  111. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
  112. Red-keeled Flowerpecker Dicaeum australe
  113. Pygmy Flowerpecker Dicaeum pygmaeum
  114. Olive-backed Sunbird  Cinnyris jugularis
  115. Eurasian Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus
  116. Scaly-breasted Munia  Lonchura punctulata
  117. White-bellied Munia Lonchura leucogastra
  118. Chestnut Munia  Lonchura atricapilla
  119. Grey Wagtail  Motacilla cinerea
  120. Paddyfield Pipit (Richard’s Pipit) Anthus rufulus

Cadena de Amor

Antigonon leptopus

Family: Polygonaceae

Common Name: Cadena de Amor, Coral Vine

Origin: Mexico, introduced in the Philippines

References:

Guidebook to Grassland Plants  A Resource Material for Biology Teachers

University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

This is a climbing woody vine with heart-shaped wrinkled leaves. It is a perennial and forms underground tubers and large rootstocks. I saw photos of the large roots in Phytoimages. It is a smothering vine and can cover other plants. It is also very pretty and can be used to cover fences or climb trellises. The one photographed is growing on a Madre de Cacao tree.

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three-angled seed that can float on water

Aratiles

Muntingia calabura

Family: Muntingiaceae

Common Name: Aratiles, Strawberry Tree, Jamaican Cherry, Mansanita

Origin: tropical Americas, introduced in the Philippines and other areas

Reference: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk

This tree fruits year round. Many Filipinos of a certain age have childhood memories of eating the fruit straight from the tree! We planted several of these non-native (though naturalized) trees as a year-round food source for birds and bats.

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It is a small, spreading tree. According to some websites it can be grown in pots.