Vinz Pascua was walking down a street in Subic when something very unusual caught his attention: A pair of birds with badminton rackets for tails. At least that's what they looked like. It was a moment that would change his life. "What kind of birds are those?! They look so weird!" were his first thoughts.
The bird was a green racket tail. Vinz was only 11 when that fateful encounter happened. Now that he's 20, he's now one of the most well-known bird photographers on social media. Many years later, Vinz would snap photos of that same species, seen below.
Vinz is one of the youngest birders and wildlife photographers from the Philippines. Now, he works with Birds in Focus, Inc. as a graphic designer for Haring Ibon, a retail brand promoting the vanishing avian treasures of the Philippines.
When Vinz was eight years old, his father took him to a birdwatching trip on Corregidor Island.
"From that point on, my early years in birding led me to places like Bangkong Kahoy Valley in Quezon, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park in Negros. I was only 8 years old back then, and I wasn't as invested in the field of bird photography as I am today," Pascua tells Esquire Philippines.
Vinz's interest in bird photography was heavily influenced by his father, renowned wildlife photographer Alain Pascua, who is one of the Philippines' most prominent birders.
"I started my birding journey when I tagged alongside my dad and his colleagues from the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) to go birdwatching on Corregidor Island in February 2011. From that point on, my early years in birding led me to places like Bangkong Kahoy Valley in Quezon, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park in Negros. I was only 8 years old back then, and I wasn't as invested in the field of bird photography as I am today."





When Vinz entered Philippine Science High School in 2015, he took a keen interest in different genres of photography, such as portraiture, sports, and events photography. However, it was during his final two years in Pisay that he truly discovered his passion for bird photography.
But it was during the COVID-19 pandemic when he truly grew in the field.
"To find a way out of the monotony of the Pandemic, I decided to take my birding gear and venture into the local forest in Subic Bay where we were based. From that one day of exploring the nearby forest in the village, I discovered the thrill and passion for bird photography."
Vinz ventured out early morning to see very rare birds such as Luzon Hornbills and Philippine Green Pigeons eating balete figs right outside their house.

"That made my day complete, and it lifted my spirit during those depressing times."

"The green racket-tail stands out among the rest of the Philippine birds for me. They're small green parrots with blue underwing feathers, and a distinct pair of racket tails tipped with blue-green. My first time seeing the Green Racket-tail was the experience that cemented its position as my favorite, and the bird that I'm always on the lookout for whenever I go into the rainforests of Subic."
People in the birding community have a term for a special bird that ignited their passion for birding. It's called their "Spark Bird." For most, it is the first bird that got them into the hobby.
"But for me, since I've been a part of it as early as 2011 and I've already seen lots of birds before, my spark bird is the one that solidified that passion. And the bird that earns the 'Spark Bird' and 'Favorite Bird' for me is the Green Racket-tail," says Vinz.








Throughout the years, Vinz has accumulated a massive personal collection of photographs. But one photograph stands out.

" The Fall" features a Rufous-crowned Bee-eater performing its graceful diving maneuver to catch insects.
"It impacted me because that frame captured the grace and beauty of flight in a unique freefall manner," says Vinz.
"The Fall" is also one of Vinz's first photographs featured in an exhibit. It was featured in the Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines Exhibit at the 2022 Fiera de Manila Graphic Expo held at the SM Mall of Asia SMX Convention Center.
The rarest bird Vinz has photographed in the wild is the Philippine Cockatoo, also known as the Red-vented Cockatoo and locally called Katala. They used to be widespread across the Philippines, but due to hunting and deforestation, they are now restricted to several small islands, with Palawan being the species' stronghold and the base of operations of its breeding program under the Katala Foundation.


"I first saw the Katala way back during the 2017 Puerto Princesa Underground River Bird Photography Race alongside my dad and his WBPP colleagues," says Vinz.
"We spotted a massive flock of Katalas by the shore. They were perched on mangroves, with some flying along the light breeze while other Katalas were playing with each other."
As a bird photographer, Vinz wants to promote public awareness and conservation of Philippine birds.

"I want to be in a crowd of Filipinos who know and recognize Philippine birds other than the symbolic Philippine Eagle and the typical maya. I relay this sentiment not only as a photographer but also as a Filipino designer. I often glance at product packaging and have taken a keen interest in Filipino design and products, particularly those labeled 'Proudly Filipino-designed.' What I find most jarring is the lack of representation of Philippine wildlife in these products. I often see tote bags designed by Filipinos, but they have a picture of a Toucan. Why can't that be a Rufous Hornbill or Luzon Hornbill? There are resorts in Palawan that have murals of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos instead of Philippine Cockatoos. Worst of all is the misrepresentation of the Philippine Eagle in various artworks and merchandise as an American Bald Eagle. The Philippines is the home of the largest, most powerful, and most beautiful raptor in the world, yet designers would still use a picture of a raptor from another country.

According to Vinz, there is still a lot of ground to cover when it comes to raising awareness on Philippine wildlife.
"The Philippines has over 725 species of birds that are colorful, bizarre, and unique, with birds like the Green Racket-tail, Apo Myna, Flame-templed Babbler, and Negros Bleeding-heart, which are only found in the Philippines. Most Filipinos don't know we have these unique birds in our country."

During his last two years at Philippine Science High School, Vinz realized that photography has the remarkable ability to relay a message to spark change. While other student photographers focused on creating captivating portraits and event coverage, Vinz showcased the birds of the Philippines.
"Philippine birds aren't a topic that is extensively discussed in the Pisay curriculum, so I took the opportunity to share photographs online so that my Pisay peers would take a glimpse of our wild avifauna. I started gaining some traction from my fellow Pisay students and teachers as they read through my posts and saw my photographs on their feeds. I knew from that point that my mission as a bird photographer was special," Vinz tells Esquire.
Now that he's established himself as a wildlife photographer on social media, Vinz wants fellow Filipinos to recognize these Philippine birds and other wildlife so ample protection will also be afforded to them and their habitats.
"People will not protect what they don't know, what they don't see, and what they don't recognize," says Vinz.
Of the 725 bird species recorded in the Philippines, around 160 bird species are classified as threatened species (Vulnerable, Endangered, and Critically Endangered) according to the IUCN and DENR Red Lists.

"I don't think there is a more effective way to describe the state of Philippine birds than what my dad told me. These birds are not just the Philippines' avian treasures regarded for their natural beauty and elegance, but these birds are the Philippines' vanishing avian treasures.
"These animals remind us of what we're about to lose in the coming century. And if we don't head out in the field to photograph them, no one would recognize what they look like, no one would start a conservation program for them, and they would vanish from our tiny blue planet."


Visit Vinz Pascua's bird gallery at vinzpascua.com.
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