By Christine Wehrli, Community Outreach Programs Manager
In March 2026, I traveled to the Philippines for a friend’s wedding. Though I’m half-Filipino and some of my childhood was spent there, this was my first time visiting as a birder. Funnily enough, it was during a Bird Week trivia night last year where I learned that the Philippines was in the top 10 countries with the most endemic bird species. With over 250 endemic bird species, it currently ranks third. Now, in addition to sharing dances from the Philippines as part of my folk dance group, I proudly spout off this fun bird fact.
In preparation for my trip, I followed a few Philippine birders on Instagram (@hellobirdie.ph and @celinemurillo_) and Googled some of the top places to bird in the areas I was going to – Manila and the Bicol region. I also decided to invest in a good camera to try my hand at bird photography. Fortunately, I had a few other birder friends on the trip with me who were excited and willing to carve out some time in our packed itineraries.
Our first birding excursion in Manila was at La Mesa Ecopark, an 80-acre green haven in the urban sprawl. Fortunately, being jet lagged worked in our favor for birding – we were up at 5am with ease. My friend reached out to one of the Instagram contacts for park suggestions, and we ended up with a local guide, Karl. Our group consisted of experienced and new birders, including my aunt, who wasn’t as thrilled with all the small songbirds that were harder to spot. Over the course of three hours, we spotted 14 different species. One of the first sightings was one of my favorites. We saw a group of birders gathered along the pathway looking into the trees at eye-level and naturally hurried over. In the most perfect clearing of leaves and branches, sat the endemic Ashy Thrush. Everyone paused quietly for several minutes to admire it and watch it sing.
After a few days in Manila, we traveled southeast to a region called Bicol, known for the currently active Mayon volcano, spicy coconut dishes, the pili nut, and whale sharks. Lucky for us, the wedding location was not far from Bulusan Volcano National Park, a scenic hot spot for birding. The morning before the wedding, four of us set out to bird at the lake at Bulusan, excited to see a lot of new species. While the scenery was lovely, we walked away some hours later without having seen much. As we walked to the car, two men passed us with large cameras and binoculars, which of course was my cue to ask about what they’d seen. As they mentioned birds like the Philippine Trogon and Luzon Bleeding Heart Dove, I knew we were in good company. I’d even recognized his name, Edgar, from an e-Bird checklist for that area. We agreed to meet at 5am the next day (which also happened to be the day of the wedding). With a much earlier start, experienced Filipino birders, and the guide they had hired, it was a very different morning than the one prior. Most of our time was spent on the winding, hilly road up to the park, where we heard the Luzon Bleeding Heart Dove and saw endemic species like the vibrantly colored Rufous-crowned Bee-eater, the Philippine Coucal, and the Guaiabero (which we joked could easily be mistaken for an avocado).
Towards the end of our bird walk, we gathered under a gazebo in the park as the rains came in towards us across the lake. Just above the lake, swiflets darted back and forth gracefully. We learned that they are called “balinsasayaw” in Filipino (“balin” meaning turn/change direction, and “sayaw” meaning dance). As we hydrated and munched on snacks, I pulled out the Houston Audubon stickers I had prepared for a moment like this. I had proudly talked about all the birds that we get to see in Texas, and the impressive sanctuaries that Houston Audubon (now Birds Houston) has. Next thing I knew, one of the Filipino birders with us, Jon, pulled out his own birdy sticker sets that he designed and gave us a few. This sticker swap and fortuitous birding adventure with some of the top birders in the Philippines is a memory I’ll treasure for a long time to come.
Birding has not only given me a new lens on nature and Houston, but allowed me to see my home country of the Philippines in a new light and helped me forge new connections. Here’s to more sticker and bird diplomacy!
For Philippine bird stickers, visit Jinx Birder Designs: https://www.facebook.com/JinxBirder/
For Edgar’s travel blog, visit EAZY Traveler: https://www.facebook.com/eazytraveler/
