Pied Triller

Pied Triller in Ayala Alabang

   There are two kinds of black and white birds that are found in the village. One is the Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica), a very bold bird known for attacking dogs and cats that stray into its territory. The other black and white bird is the inconspicuous Pied Triller (Lalage nigra). The Pied Triller has a very apt name. In birding terminology, Pied means black and white. Triller refers to the musical, quavering "che-che-che-che" call it makes.

    Male and female Pied Trillers can be told apart by their coloring. The males have all white underparts, while the females have grayish white underparts with fine barring. Both males and females have black heads, white eyebrows, black backs, and black and white wings. Like many other birds, the immature birds have similar coloring to the females.

    Pied Trillers are usually found on tree tops, picking off caterpillars from the branches. Aside from caterpillars, they also eat moths and other kinds of insects. They are found all over the village in different kinds of trees.

      Last summer, there was a Pied Triller nesting in a tree along our street. The tree was in front of or neighbor's house. One day, my husband and I approached the nest and were surprised when the usually low-key Pied Triller attacked us! It buzzed us -- flying straight at our heads as if it intended to hit us. It did this several times, swerving away at the last moment and calling out in alarm the whole time. Of course we shouldn't have been too surprised and should have known better than to approach a nesting bird. This is one of the golden rules of birding: do not disturb nesting birds! We quickly moved away from the nest and did not bother the bird again.

    A few days ago, we were sitting outside our front door enjoying the breeze and noticed a Pied Triller perched on the topmost branch of our neighbor's akasya tree. It was just sitting quietly. Perhaps it was also enjoying the unusually cool breeze. We hope that this summer the Pied Triller returns to nest in our street again.

Click on this link to see more pictures of Pied Trillers by Tonji and Sylvia Ramos

NESTS and YELLOW-VENTED BULBULS

     The Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) is one of the most common birds in Ayala Alabang. Yellow-vented Bulbuls can be seen perched on branches of trees in most gardens and parks all over the village. They are bold birds and are not easily frightened by people or other birds. They are relatively easy to observe. Sometimes they flock together in one tree in a boisterous group of up to 20 individuals. A close inspection of a noisy tree or shrub will often yield a group of Yellow-vented Bulbuls making a variety of musical “chup-chup-chup” calls.

     

     The Yellow-vented Bulbul is bigger than a Eurasian Tree Sparrow or maya. It is about 7 ½ inches long. When seen from behind, the Yellow-vented Bulbul looks very non-descript and it can be mistaken for many other bird species. The back of its head, tail, and throat are an undistinguished looking olive-brown color that is common to many other birds. In birding terminology, the distinguishing features that help identify a bird are called field marks. The field marks of the Yellow-vented Bulbul are the black stripe on the top of its head, broad white eyebrow, black mask-like rings around its eyes, white breast and belly, and yellow below the belly, right before the tail. This is the yellow vent that gives it its name.

     photo by Tonji Ramos

     Yellow-vented Bulbuls nest at this time of the year. They make cup-shaped nests in dense bushes usually 3-5 feet off the ground. Like many small birds, the male and female bird both share in parenting duties. They take turns sitting on the eggs and later feeding the young. They parents keep the nest clean by carrying out the fecal sac of the nestlings. The fecal sac is the feces of the nestlings that are neatly wrapped in membrane. The parents continue feeding and caring for the baby birds even when they have fledged or left the nest. The fledglings stay in the area of their nest, taking short flights from branch to branch under the watch of the parents.

     

     Unfortunately, despite all the care and attention parents give to their young, some nests fail. When people approach a nest to do gardening or just out of curiosity, the nestlings can get so frightened that they jump out of the nest. Once they do this, it is impossible to return them to the nest. When parent birds feel threatened by people or predators that are approaching their nest, they will stay away from it to keep it from being discovered.

     

     Seeing birds nest in the village is a good sign that Ayala Alabang truly is a bird-friendly village. Sadly though, there are still incidents of bird cruelty in the village. A few weeks ago, a resident of Saranggani St. saw several maintenance men running in a suspicious manner towards a Black Naped Oriole nest. They were carrying a long bamboo pole, presumably to rob the nest. The men were maintenance workers of the Ayala Alabang Country Club. Thankfully, the resident was able to stop the men and report them to the club.

     

     It is likely though that most people in the village do not want to intentionally harm or disturb a nest. The best thing to do when you come across nest is to simply leave it alone. If there is some gardening work that needs to be done in the area where the nest is, it is best to just put it off temporarily until the nest has been abandoned. This will not take too long, not more than 3 weeks for small birds like the Yellow Vented Bulbul. Areas that are known to be popular nesting sites should not be altered to encourage the birds to nest there again. If you want to observe a nest, it is best to do so from a distance or a place where the birds cannot see you so that the bird family will continue with their natural behavior.

     

a fledgling, photo by Tonji Ramos

     Just a little care and consideration will go a long way in making Ayala Alabang a place where all kinds of families, including Yellow-vented Bulbul families, can grow and be nurtured. 

Check out my links to more pictures:

• More pictures of Yellow-vented Bulbuls
• Other types of bulbuls found in the Philippines
• Tonji and Sylvia's website of Philippine birds
• Photo List of Alabang Birds