Flights of Fancy eBook Excerpt: Yellow Vented Bulbul Spotted in Maligcong, Bontoc

The Yellow Vented Bulbul is fairly numerous in Maligcong but I'm not one to take them for granted.   They seem to tolerate the presence of the smaller birds like the Olive Backed Sunbirds who have taken a liking for the same spots in the homestay -- the guava and avocado trees in particular.   I think they're equally guilty of taking ripe chili peppers from the plants along the driveway, too, very tolerant of the spiciness of the small berries.   But interesting to note that they seem to leave enough for our consumption -- I guess that's nature's way of balancing things out.  | © 2018 Oggie Ramos | Taken with a Nikon B700, Handheld, Manual Mode

American Fantail Pigeon Outside the Window

American Fantail Pigeon (?)

"Be.  And, at the same time, know what is not to be.
That emptiness inside you allows you to vibrate
in resonance with your world.  Use it for once."
- Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus, Part Two, XIII

Some days, you can get a surprise. In this case, it's the bird outside the window adjacent to our building's elevators. Someone in the Wild Birds Photographers of the Philippines FB group identified it as a Fantail Pigeon (or Oriental Frill) and what a thing of beauty it is.  It may be someone's escaped pet and far from being termed "wildlife" but still, it's a sight for this city-weary eyes.  Why, I even appreciate the Eurasian Tree Sparrows that come to my window to feed morning, noon and afternoon, so a rather fanciful pigeon is a real (and rare) treat.  It's sometimes saddening that not a lot of people care about birds.  Even some participants in a press workshop where I was invited to give a talk/presentation are rather dismissive or jaded when I pointed out a Maria Capra/Pied Fantail tittering in the treetops nearby and I thought, why, these are already "environment" beat reporters but they seem not to share any enthusiasm about the bird life of the venue, Eskapo Verde Resort in Badian, Cebu.  So how much more can be the ordinary city folk be even interested in 'em birds?