Photo by Ferdie Llanes de Aves Flores

There is some advantage to being alone on a birding site: no crowd pressure and disruptive movements, a greater chance to observe bird behavior, and more elbow room to photo the subject.

The Philippine Eagle Owl (Ketupa philippensis) stayed with me for much of the day. It hardly moved on its regular perch. Only later in the afternoon did it shift perches, taking flight from its regular platform to a lower branch of another tree. It looked like it was after a prey, lowering its head as if to make a dive.

Before it took flight, it did one massive preen. Almost missing the act, got only half its face. But it gave me a one-eyed drama, as if asking one and all: thou shalt keep still, or I shall say goodbye!