Balik Tanaw: Returning to Nature at UP Diliman

Hi everyone! I know I haven’t blogged here in a while—life has just been so busy these past two weeks! But I’m still here.

As I’ve shared before, my kids and I have recently developed a love for nature walks, where we observe birds and try to identify different trees wherever we go. Luckily, the University of the Philippines Diliman campus is just a stone’s throw away, making it one of our favorite places to explore.

A little over two weeks ago, I came across a post on the university’s Facebook page about an event called Balik Tanaw: Lakbay Kalikasan, which translates to “Looking Back: A Journey with Nature.” It was an open invitation, primarily for university alumni, to revisit the campus and discover its diverse trees and bird species. Since this was exactly the kind of activity I love, I signed up right away—especially since only 150 slots were available. And I got in!

Yesterday, I woke up early and asked my sons if they wanted to join me. I didn’t want to force them out of bed, but thankfully, my youngest was up for the adventure. We arrived at the venue, the old College of Science building, where we met fellow alumni, members of the UP Mountaineers, experts from the Institute of Biology, the dean of the college, the head of the UP Alumni Relations Office, and birdwatching enthusiasts from The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, the group that organizes events like this.

Here are the birds we spotted during our birding walk! Please note that these photos are not mine—I sourced them from Canva and Google Images since I don’t have the right camera to capture birds in flight or while perched. I put together this collage as a personal reference, so I can easily identify them when I see them again on campus or elsewhere.

This is a slideshow showing Ian and the rest of the participants during the walk:

Aside from recognizing different species of birds, the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines was generous for lending us their Kenko binoculars and allowing us to use their spotting telescopes to see the details of the perched birds. We also won a magnet for answering a question right. 🙂

After the birding session, we took a short 10-minute break before splitting into two groups again—this time for a tree walk. Leading our group was Anthony, a biologist and former student of Dr. Leonard Co. As we walked around the science complex, he pointed out various native and introduced tree species, sharing fascinating insights about their ecological roles.

Beyond their scientific significance, Anthony also discussed the cultural importance of these trees in the Philippines, how they’ve been used for sustenance and survival by our ancestors, and even their connections to different bird species, bees, butterflies, and other organisms. His explanations were so engaging that the allotted time for the walk felt far too short.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete the entire route before it was time to return to the old College of Science building for reassembly. Still, the experience was incredibly enriching—one that truly deserves another session, perhaps even a whole day, to fully explore the campus’s diverse tree species. Here’s a reel showing some of the trees featured by Anthony in a look-up manner. These trees are beautiful and they always remind me to look up to the heavens to remind me of how beautiful Mother Nature truly is. Enjoy!

Cheers everyone!

xoxo,

Grass

You might be interested in the following related blog articles as well:

Birdwatching and Painting a Bird in UP Diliman Campus with Fellow Homeschoolers

Birdwatching – a new favorite homeschooling activity in our family

Mongpong Island – An Island Paradise Every Budget Traveler and Homeschooling Family Must Visit in the Philippines