I woke up at 5:30 am last July 31 to birdwatch around UP Diliman with a graduate student who recently got hooked with birdwatching. We were really not expecting to see a lot of birds, although i am hoping (for myself) to see at least 1 lifer. There were the usual long tailed shrikes, yellow vented bulbuls and orioles, but the rails that used to be common near the MSI Building when I started birdwatching in 2003 were nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, we went to the area near the Executive House, where we saw a lot of interesting feathered creatures. First was the coppersmith barbet, a lifer for me and a bird I really want to see up close. Next were the golden-bellied flyeaters, philippine woodpecker, pied thriller and, to our surprise, a plump and bright green guiabero, drying itself atop a lifeless (leafless?) tree, near where there were also a lot of white-collared kingfishers. Four (4) lifers for my companion in just 30 minutes!!!
For beginners, therefore, I would recommend this area (aside from NIGS/CS Complex and Hardin ng Rosas) because the birds are easy to spot and are relatively "large" enough to be identified even with the most simple binoculars.
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