My Philippine Birding Dream Trip
I mostly enjoy fish watching. But, being in the Philippines it would be a big missed opportunity if I wouldn’t be a bit of a birder too. I love finding new species, and I very much enjoy observing bird behavior. I don’t keep a bird list yet – I guess this makes me a not yet fully grown birder? Such a list would be a good thing to start in 2025. My iNaturalist observation list is mostly fishy, but also contains a few birds.
What would be my dream birding trip in the country? Something like this … I’m assuming that I am going with a friend who comes from overseas, hence the start and end of the trip in Manila. Also, I didn’t list the exact number of days to spend in the individual locations. I recommend spending at least two days in each spot, to make sure travel delays don’t mess up the schedule, and to make sure you have more than one chance of spotting the more interesting & rare birds at each destination. On top of that, the trip can be combined with a few beach & relaxation days, ideally in Bohol or Camiguin. Also, see the travel advice video at the end of this blog post which discusses the enjoyable travel speed when visiting the Philippines.
In each destination we’ll get together with highly knowledgeable local guides to make sure we’ll spot as many bird species as possible.
So, let’s go:
Day 0: Arrival in Manila. Depending on where you came from, one day of chilling/de-jetlaging might be in order.
On the next day we head to the La Mesa Ecopark, close to Metro Manila. Manila is something else, a super busy metropolitan area with about twice the number of people as Austria, but surprisingly relatively nearby a nature/birding area exists. As of January 2025 I haven’t been there yet, but on the birding sites on social media I see lots of very nice bird shots, such as the Philippine Eagle Owl or the Spotted Wood Kingfisher.
Flight Manila-Cebu
The Cebu airport is in Mactan, a larger island just off the coast across from Cebu City. We’ll stay in Mactan. Olango Island is just across from Mactan and features a wildlife sanctuary with great numbers of migratory shorebirds. An extensive coastal wetland/mudflat area, which is legally and also factually protected makes this a top birding spot. 97 bird species are known from the area. There are always birds to observe, though the best season is September to May.
Next we’ll head to Dumaguete on neighboring Negros Island by van and ferry. We aren’t taking the plane, because ferry travel always gives us the chance to observe seabirds.
Once in Dumaguete, we’ll head to the Twin Lakes Nature Park. This is an upland lake with a rich avifauna. While in the Dumaguete area we’ll also check out my backyard, and its neighborhood. The residential/agricultural coastal area where I live is home to several kingfishers, as well as the barred rail (Hypotaenidia torquata), and the Philippine pied fantail (Rhipidura nigritorquis), which you can see in the photos and videos below. As of January 2025, I have spotted nine bird species in our 200 square meter garden alone.
Next: We’ll take a ferry from Dumaguete to Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
The ferry trip takes about two hours, and is another chance to spot seabirds, and possibly dolphins. Birding in Bohol is great. We’ll try to see the Visayan Wattled Broadbill, Yellow Breasted Tailorbird and Samar Hornbill. While in Bohol, we’ll also check out the unique minute primate at home on the island, the Tarsier:
Next: Van to Anda in the south of Bohol, and a trip by ferry to the Island of Camiguin.
Camiguin is a lovely, very laid back volcanic island south of Bohol. The island isn’t very developed & urbanized at all, which is great for the eco-tourist and birder. Tourism infrastructure on Camiguin is quite nice, in an island province which is still mostly agricultural. The upper slopes of Camiguin’s volcano, Mount Hibok-Hibok (1322) are home to still pristine primary forest. We will try to find the endemic Camiguin Hanging Parrot (Loriculus camiguinensis).
Then: Flight Camiguin – Cebu; Flight Cebu – Davao; This will be a day mostly spent traveling. Time to sort through your photographs.
In Davao we’ll head to the Philippine Eagle Foundation. This is the chance to see the gigantic Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), albeit in a rescue/conservation center, and not in the wild. It’s very tricky to find this bird in the wild: it’s rare, due to the large territories of such a huge predatory animal, and sadly due to habitat destruction. Also, frankly: The Philippines outside of Mindanao and the Davao area in Mindanao are completely safe travel destinations. However some parts of the Mindanao hinterland where the Philippine Eagle lives still suffer from occasional political instability, and are not recommended as travel destinations. It’s better to be safe and observe the Philippine Eagle in the foundation’s facilities. Davao is also famous for its tasty Durian fruits (don’t let anyone tell you that they “stink”).
Finally: Flight Davao-Manila, Departure back home from Manila, trip ends here.
Manila – Olango – Negros/Twin Lakes – Bohol – Camiguin – Davao … no doubt you will see quite a few bird species new to you.
Questions? Don’t be shy, contact me, klaus@pacificklaus.com
Best,
Klaus
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And, don’t miss this video. How to travel the Philippines? Take your time:
