The weekend that was: A visit to Magaul Bird Park at Jest Camp, Subic Bay

If you are planning to have a weekend getaway, Subic Bay is a really good choice.  Just two hours away from Manila, they have beaches where you can enjoy the summer sun and engage in fun water activities, be one again with nature and go on adventure hikes, take the scenic bike route plus there are also several new attractions that are unique to Subic Bay.  One of which, Mickey and I were able to visit - the Magaul Bird Park at Jest Camp.

We paid the park admission of Php 370.00 per person to see the attractions, but there are different packages to avail of should you wish to get more adventurous and try other things like - taking the Goliath swing challenge (where you can swing up to 30 feet high over a cliff with a panoramic view of Subic Bay) or take the Aerial Adventure Walk (where you get to tackle their tree top obstacle course and finish by taking the zipline at the end).

Here's how our day went at the Magaul Bird Park at Jest Camp, Subic Bay:

We had our first encounter with our new found friends at Magaul Bird Park.  We met these beautiful cockatoos during their feeding time at 10:30 a.m. They love the attention you give them, they are very friendly and stands comfortably perched on our shoulders.  We had a blast interacting with them and feeding them.   

Mickey had a fun time with Scarlet too.  She is a bright red-colored macaw and had beautiful yellow, green and blue feathers on her wings.  She's quite a talker and had a really loud bird call that could ring your ears (haha!).  If you'd like to meet her, get ready for that.  She's adorable.

 

Scarlet's beautifully colored feathers

     

This area is where the flightless birds are

There is a walkabout surrounded with tall trees and has a view of the beaches below and the Zambales mountain range.  It's a good rest point from all that walking in the park.

The ostriches freely walk around in this area.  They are huge, but are calm birds.

 
This is one of my favorite areas, it's called the Feathered Forest.  A big enclosed space where several birds walk and fly around freely.  Some of them are quite curious and do not mind your presence such as these beautiful doves.

While there are also shy ones, such as this beautiful peacock that I had to follow very slowly just to get a good shot.  It keeps hiding in the bushes.

I'm not sure what these birds are, but there are quite a number of them in the Feathered Forest and they like walking around in groups.  They also have beautifully colored feathers.

Found these mantises that looked like dried leaves at the Insectarium.  It's a great camouflage.

 

We also went up to the Bird's Eye View Deck where you'll see Subic Bay from a high point

 

 

One last look at some pretty birds in their cages before catching the bird show at the Amphitheater.

These are baby Hornbills.  They are not shy, they like to approach you and stare (a lot, haha!).  They also like hopping around at almost like a bunny-like stance.  We kept laughing at how rhythmic they were bouncing around in the cage.  So adorable.

This is at the Winged Wonders Bird Show at the Alula Ampitheater

Gary teaches the kids a a few things - how to segregate waste and how to save money

This macaw has pretty colorful feathers, just like Scarlet!

Such a pretty sight to see when they fly around freely

The best part was when hundreds of different bird species appeared at the end of the show

 

Some of them came flying in from different directions

Others were flying over the amphitheater too!  It was awesome.

 

At the end of the show, we were given the chance to get closer to the birds on the stage

   

These ducks wouldn't leave Mickey's side.  They were always looking at his hand if he had food to give.

It was a fine day with our feathered friends at the Magaul Bird Park

 

Visiting Subic?  Stop by Magaul Bird Park at JEST Camp, Upper Mau, Cubi-Triboa, Subic Bay, Zambales.  For inquiries call (047) 252-1489 and 0917-796-4668.