Philippine Eagle - Pithecophaga jefferyi

The Philippine Eagle is among the rarest birds in the world. In terms of size it is also considered the largest eagle. To see this raptor in the wild is in the bucket list of die-hard birdwatchers. It was therefore a privilege for me and my wife to see not just one, but three - a whole family - of these eagles flying free in the forests of Mt. Apo in Davao province.

At first we were reluctant to go the site where these huge birds roam because of several factors: 1) we thought that the fees involved were somewhat prohibitive, 2) the fickle weather - it had been raining hard two days before our intended date of arrival and 3) military activity in the area due the presence of rebels. After some serious deliberations, consultations with our guide, Pete Simpson, and lots of prayers, we decided to go. The rewards were way beyond our expectations! As I mentioned earlier, we saw both parents and the eaglet - something that other groups did not see. Not only that we daw the magnificent raptors within 2 hours of our stay there, whereas others had to wait for almost a whole day just to see just one of the parent eagles. The weather was beautiful and we never saw a single military personnel. The fees, as we learned later, were justifiable - the local tribe imposed that amount to limit access to the site so as to protect the eagle family especially the young one which was still in the nest.

In celebration of the Philippine Eagle Week (first week of June) allow me to feature our photographs of this majestic bird:

The eaglet

An adult eagle photographed by Cynthia with only a 420mm lens, handheld!

Please click on the images to see a larger view. Thanks!

Thanks to Pete Simpson for bringing us to the site and to the local Barangay and Bagobo Tribe for their hospitality.