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Pasonanca National Park, Zamboanga
Due to intense deforestation over the past couple of centuries, lowland forests in Mindanao are few and far between. Of these remaining forests, Pasonanca National Park is the easiest to access, being a 1-hour drive from Zamboanga City. The top target in Pasonanca (although there are several iconic birds in the park) is the Mindanao Broadbill, which is often found in mixed flocks with Rufous Paradise-Flycatchers, Mindanao Blue-headed Fantails, Elegant Tits. Other lowland endemics such as the Philippine Leafbird, Rusty-crowned Babbler, Striated Wren-Babbler, and Philippine Jungle-Flycatcher all show up as well, making Pasonanca one of the few accessible places to see these species. The Zamboanga Bulbul—as its name suggests—can only be found in this part of the Philippines, although it’s not the most interesting species. The park also hosts some larger Mindanao Endemics, such as Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle and Writhed Hornbills. A personal favorite experience of mine was seeing a flock of 25 hornbills flushing a Pinsker’s Hawk-Eagle that was perched right in front of our group, leaving us awestruck with back-to-back sightings of two of the best Philippine endemics.
La Paz—the other main birding site—technically falls outside of the park boundaries, but it still hosts many of the species that birders travel to Zamboanga for. Buff-spotted and Southern Sooty-Woodpeckers make their nests in this area, sometimes being pestered by Dollarbids. Although not endemic to the Philippines, the Black-naped Fruit-Dove and Jerdon’s Baza are top targets of Philippine birders, as Zamboanga is the only place they are frequently seen. Rufous-lored and Blue-capped Kingfishers can also be found in this site. La Paz is also a great place for owling, with both Mindanao Boobooks and Giant Scops-Owls showing up just after sunset.
Most of the birding in Zamboanga is done in the two sites above, but there are a few spots around Zamboanga that host species that are difficult to find in the main site. Closer to the city, along a river frequented by locals and tourists looking to take a dip and cool off, Southern Silvery-Kingfishers can be seen on rocks at the water’s edge. Another spot in the city is the only site in the country where you can reliably find Glossy Ibises. If you’re lucky, you can find Little Bronze-Cuckoo in the city outside some of the restaurants where you typically stop for lunch.
Zamboanga is a fantastic introduction to birding in Mindanao, particularly for its lowland species. Pairing this with a trip to a montane area should net you a good chunk of the Mindanao endemics!