Sunday, June 5, 2011

Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya (April 11-21, 2011)

After arriving from Northern Samar, I joined the Geology 170 Class in Nueva Vizcaya, which I first visited March 29-31 for reconnaissance fieldwork with another faculty from NIGS. The area which we mapped for the class is situated north of the Caraballo Mountains at an elevation exceeding 700m. This makes the area a bit cold in the morning (almost zero visibility due to fog) and cool during daytime which makes it easy and bearable for the students and faculty. The town of Kasibu is known for its vast citrus plantations (which I was not actually expecting) which are sold locally for ~25 pesos/kilo!

We were in Kasibu for geologic field mapping but I won't talk about the rocks found in the area. Alright, I will just mention the caves in the area which were part of the Sta. Fe Limestone/Formation. The presence of these caves in the area made it possible for Kasibu to host the 2011 Cave Congress that was sponsored by the National Cave Committee, which I am a member of.

As you all probably know, I am a birdwatcher so this trip to Kasibu made it possible for me to observe birds in the area for the first time. I was able to observe at least 4 lifers: Scarlet Minivet, Yellowish White-Eye, Blue-headed Fantail and Rufous-bellied Eagle. There were a lot of insects too, not to mention the amazing flowers that I have been using as photography subjects since 2004.

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