We had another new bird for the Farm Bird List! Tonji spotted a Balicassiao near the cottage! We had just finished walking around with the dogs. I went inside the cottage to use the bathroom when Tonji called me to come out fast because there was a new bird! I finished up in the bathroom as quickly as I could and rushed out to the veranda! You never know how much time you have to grab your camera and bins and spot the bird before it decides to fly away.
Good thing this bird hung around long enough for a photo. There were 2 of them, but I only got one in the picture.
I was so focused on trying to get a good shot of the Balicassiao that I didn’t even realize until I went through my pictures that there was a Rough Crested Malkoha right next to it! Oh my goodness. I was happy that I got the Balicassiao but felt dumb that I missed the Malkoha. Also, it may or may not be a thing, that birds of the same color flock together. We had an experience like that before when we encountered a mixed flock of different kinds of black birds!
The following day I went back to the spot where the Balicassiao and Malkoha were to get better photos of the Malkoha. There is a big Ficus benjamina near the are that was full of unripe green fruits. A big flock of Pink Necked Green Pigeons were eating the unripe fruits. Maybe the fruits were what attracted the Balicassiao and Malkoha also. I didn’t know the birds ate the green fruits also.
The Malkoha was not that easy to photograph. It kept hiding its face behind the leaves. Got the face eventually!
Some of our visiting migrant birds were still around. This is the Ashy Minivet .
At the Big Pond, the Garganey, Tufted Ducks, and Eurasian Wigeon were still there along with the 100+ Philippine Ducks.
How cool is it to see 3 different species perfectly lined up?
Loving view of Tufted Ducks in the foreground, tall grass in the middle, and Philippine Ducks in the back because it looks so natural!
At the Water Lily pond, I had a good view of a White Breasted Waterhen. Look at those long legs and long toes!
I usually don’t take pictures of the crows, unless they’re doing something unusual like perching on a horse or standing in a field in a menacing manner. This one got photographed because it was perched so nicely on a beautiful flowering and fruiting Malabulak tree!
It was a very nice February at the farm refuge. It is such a treat to walk outside and see birds, trees, flowers, and water!
We also did some rearranging of furniture. Now I have a comfy spot for some knitting, napping, and Netflix!
Tonji and Sylvia's Wildlife Refuge 