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Samar Island Natural Park, Samar

Samar Island National Park—one of my personal favorite sites to bird—is home to the Philippines’ passerine crown jewel: the Celestial Monarch. Although this species can be found elsewhere in the Philippines (spanning the north of Luzon all the way down to Mindanao), Samar has become the most reliable spot for it in recent years. One thing I love about birding here is that the accommodations are right by the start of the trail, which means less time travelling and more time birding! It’s amazing being able to wake up, put on your birding gear, and within five minutes, run into some fantastic species like the Visayan Broadbill, Mindanao Bleeding-heart, and Black-faced Coucal. Deeper in the trail, Azure-Breasted Pittas, Visayan Blue-Fantails, and Celestial Monarchs are active, although the thick forest cover can make them difficult to photograph at times. A newly constructed viewing platform a few dozen meters above the canopy serves as a great spot to view the sunrise and catch some of the samarensis subspecies of the Southern Rufous Hornbill, which have flat casques unlike their counterparts outside of Samar.

If these birds aren’t enough to convince you to visit (they should be!), Samar also hosts some of the rarest and least-recorded species in the Philippines. Most of the Samar endemics are found along Ulot River, which you traverse via torpedo boat, and at a transect around 45 minutes down the river. The boat ride itself is a crazy experience that just adds to the many reasons to love birding in Samar! Along the river, you have the chance to see Blue-backed Parrots crossing or possibly perched on the surrounding trees. Northern Silvery-Kingfishers are littered throughout the foliage along the rivers edge and are pretty much guaranteed. The Leyte Plumed-Warbler—the smallest bird in Asia—is probably the most difficult of the endemics, only appearing (so far) at a specific spot at the transect. The Samar Crow is another rare endemic that had no photos on eBird until 2025, when I documented an individual who seemed to be playing with a patch of leaves. Many of the target species found in SINP can be found at the transect too, including the broadbill, the hornbill, and the bleeding-heart.

Samar has only recently been developed as a birding spot, with many experienced local birders only visiting for the first time within the last 5 years. In that short time, there have been many fantastic finds and amazing photos that have come out of both SINP and Ulot River. If it weren’t for the frequent typhoons during the rainy season and the fairly long trip to get there (a flight from Manila + a 3-hour drive), I would instantly recommend Samar to anyone. If you find yourself in the Philippines in the right month and with enough birding days, Samar is where you should go!