2 rare bird species spotted in swamp

CANDABA, Pampanga – Two rare species of water birds were spotted for the first time at the Candaba swamp here yesterday during a census that saw the number of birds drop compared to last year.

The rare species are the black-faced spoonbill and the pied avocet.

Michael Lu of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) said the black-faced spoonbill was last spotted along Manila Bay in 1914, but there were also reports of its sightings in Batanes and Palawan.

The pied avocet was last spotted at a Cavite lagoon about four years ago.

Carmela Expanoola, a biologist from the University of the Philippines, said both species originally came from mainland China and usually stay during winter in Taiwan.

“Siguro talagang malamig ang winter ngayon doon kaya, lumipat sila dito (Maybe winter is too cold there, so they moved here),” she said.

Other species spotted during the Asian water bird census conducted by the WBCP and officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were egrets, eastern marsh, Philippine mallards, oriental hobby, and common kingfishers.

Lu said that during the half-day census, a total of 12,613 water birds were counted, lower than about 17,000 water birds counted last year.

Though this year’s total is lower compared to last year’s, Lu said the number remains high.

Asked for factors for the low count this year, he told The STAR that it might be due to early tilling of rice lands surrounding the bird’s sanctuary.

Last week, he said they counted 15,000 water birds in a similar census conducted at Puerto Rivas in Balanga City in Bataan.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza lauded moves made by Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo to protect the bird sanctuary and implement a solid waste management program.

He said curbing pollution is one of the factors why water birds frequent the Candaba swamp.

“They feed here,” Atienza said, noting that if the swamp is polluted, water birds will leave and look for a place to feed.

Pelayo boasted of his administration’s environmental campaign

Pelayo also said they will hold another “Ibon-Ebon” festival on the first week of February to highlight the importance of protecting water birds and their habitat.