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Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flava
tagsing (Negros Occidental)
I used to go hunting with my Dad but he has since retired on this and I remember he would just let me observe him when I wasn’t still allowed to hold or shoot an airgun. But on this birding day, it was my chance to introduce to him something new that maybe had it been affordable during his time, my Dad could have become one of the bird photographers of his time and gave me a camera and a lens instead of a rifle to shoot birds. But I am not ashamed to be once called a bird hunter.
On this great birding day, we retraced our hunting trails but all that has gone. Instead of those muddy trails, houses are now standing there. And there are no birds anymore. Loss of bird habitat is clearly a big factor why these birds are now gone. As with hunting .. maybe.
As we roam around, we get into a small vacant field used for grazing goats and water buffaloes. Not much birds when I saw a couple of these wagtails and a lone Skylark. I thought it would be great to show my dad how he used to stalk Snipes in the field. So I get down on all four and here is what I got …
© Toto Gamboa
wbph 