Butch Gunio, Business Mirror 3 Jan 10;
BALANGA CITY—The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) has urged local government units (LGUs) around Manila Bay to adopt this city as a model in protecting migratory birds and promoting bird watching as ecotourism.
Michael Lu, president of WBCP, said that in just a few years, the city government here was able to initiate programs and projects to protect migratory birds and launched the city as a top bird-watching destination in the country.
Last year, this city was officially launched by Tourism Sec. Joseph Ace Durano as one of the 12 premier bird-watching sites in the Philippines. To promote the city internationally, the Department of Tourism (DOT) also launched a guide book for the country’s bird-watching destinations.
A group of experts and the DOT gave the thumbs up to Balanga City after visiting the seaside villages of Tortugas, Puerto Rivas Ibaba and Sibacan. The team was composed of officials from the DOT, tour operators and WBCP.
The Sibacan-Lote bird site has abundant vegetation that attracts migratory and local birds. Trees, shrubs and bushes are home to Fantails, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Munia, Sunbirds, Trillers, Shrikes, Blue Tailed Bee Eater and Flycatchers, said the WBCP.
Ponds are attractive feeding grounds for Asian Golden Plover, Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshanks, Pacific Golden Plover, Kentish Mongolian Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Red-Necked Stint, Common Sandpiper, Black Winged Stilt and several species of egrets.
The Puerto Rivas-Ibaba bird site has preserved a thick mangrove forest, grassland and wetland that serve as favorable roosting grounds to crows, waterhens, kites, falcons, hawks, pigeons, herons and egrets. Sighted in the area are Little Egrets, Purple Herons, Brahminy Kites, Peregrine Falcon, Chestnut Checked Starling, White Breasted Waterhens, Rails, Wood Sandpiper, Rufous Necked Stint, Grey Heron and species of Kingfishers, Flower Peckers and Sandpipers.
Mangroves and mudflats found at the Tortugas bird site are excellent roosting and feeding grounds for waders and waterbirds, said WBCP.
Commonly seen in the area are Wood Sandpipers, Terek Sandpipers, Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Little Egrets, Sunbirds, Whimbrel, Marsh Sandpipers, Common Tern, White Winged Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Crowned Night Heron, Chinese Egrets, Intermediate Egrets, Rails, Shrikes, White Collared Kingfisher, Asian Dowitcher Common Kingfisher, Blue Tailed Bee Eaters, Curlew Sandpipers, Black Headed Gulls and other shore birds.
The DOT is packaging a 22-day bird-watching activity for tourists in 12 sites in the Philippines for $10,000 per person, inclusive of airfare and board and lodging. The sites are divided into clusters with this city in the group composed of Subic and Candaba Swamp in Pampanga.
Other bird-watching sites promoted by the DOT are the Paranaque Critical Habitat in Las Piñas; Mount Palay-Palay National Park in Ternate, Cavite; Villa Escudero in Laguna; Nug-As Forest in Alcoy and Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, both in Cebu; Philippine Eagle Center in Davao; Hundred Islands National Park in Alaminos and Mangrove Marine Protected Area I in Bani, both in Pangasinan; and Rasa Island and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan.
