What is your favorite bird species?
3 Ground Warblers of the Philippines
Bicol Ground-warbler
What is your name, and where do you live?
Irene Dy. I live in Manila.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
I guide throughout all the birding areas of the Philippines.
How long have you been a bird guide?
I’ve been guiding professionally since 2016. But have been guiding people non professionally since 2013
How did you get into bird guiding?
Accidental bird guide. People have noticed that I’ve been seeing difficult-to-spot birds, such as the wild Whiskered Pitta, Fruit Doves, and Ground Warblers, among others. As a result, people often asked me to take them to see their target bird as a favor. Eventually, I received referrals, and in 2016, when my good friend Mark Wallbank, who is also running a tour company, fell ill and couldn’t guide, asked me to cover for him. The rest is history!
Whiskered Pitta
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
The main aspect I love most is being able to show people around the world my home country’s beautiful endemic species! As a Filipino, it is an honour to be able to showcase our beautiful endemic species in situ, not just birds, but also reptiles, flora species, mammals, and our beautiful landscape, culture. It is like showing the world our natural art in situ!
What I dislike most is when people do not respect our culture and the Filipinos. There have been a few instances when guests were extremely rude to our locals and to me!
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
Top 10 birds of the Philippines ( not as a region as I guide around the whole country):
- Whiskered Pitta ( wild one, not in a feeding station! I specialize in Wild Pitta!)
- Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher
- Blue-capped Kingfisher
- Philippine Eagle
- Philippine Eagle Owl
- Flame-breasted Fruitdove
- Palawan Peacock Pheasant
- Mindanao and Visayan Wattled Broadbill
- Yellow-faced Flameback
- Negros Bleeding Heart
Blue-capped Kingfisher
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip
- A typical 3-day trip would be 1 to 2 locations in Luzon/ Mindanao/ Visayas without camping / hiking trails/boat rides to shorebirds during migration season. We are a hotspot for Asian Dowitcher among many other shorebirds in EAAF.
- A typical 1-week trip can be 1 to 3 sites in Luzon / and/or Mindanao
- A typical 2 to 3 week trip can be 3 to 5 sites among 3 big Islands with hiking.
The islands to visit depend on the key targets of the birder.
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Birding in the Philippines is actually year-round as we do not have winter. What you need to consider is the typhoon / Monsoon season affecting certain parts of the country. Essentials in Philippine birding are a wide-brimmed hat, umbrella, rain jacket, and a good pair of waterproof boots!
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
Contact email is happyowl.images@gmail.com
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
The Philippines is not only rich in endemic birds, mammals, snakes, frogs, moths and butterflies, flowers, but we are also rich in migratory shorebirds!
I specialise in WIld Pitta… that is one @#$ of a statement to make.