BALANGA CITY – A group of college students from Mariveles town in Bataan became the first batch of birdwatchers at the start here Thursday of the 5th Philippine Bird Festival.
They hiked through soil embankments and enjoyed watching whiskered terns, one of the most common species of migratory birds found in Balanga, flying over a dried fishpond and diving for small fish as food. “Nakakatuwa po itong mga dayong ibon kaya sasabihin po namin sa iba na hindi ito dapat barilin o saktan,” they said.
The students also observed egrets playfully feasting on the fishpond but the big white birds seemed to be not yet accustomed with visitors and stayed far away. They flew at the sight of watchers nearby and transferred from one dry fishpond to another.
The tern known as kanaway among the local folk and the egret or tagak start arriving every year in Balanga and nearby communities middle of September and leave for their country of origin by end of March.
Thousands of migratory birds that include terns, egrets, gulls and herons make the seaside villages of Sibacan, Puerto Rivas and Tortugas as their most popular stop-overs and feeding grounds during the cold winter months in their country of origin.
Various activities have been lined-up for the three-day bird festival that include a fluvial parade, street dancing, lectures and bird exhibit, release of Brahminy Kites and other bird raptor species, guided tours on bird watching and sale in various booths of products made in Bataan.
Tourism Sec. Ace Durano addressed a big crowd Friday at the giant Bataan People’s Center. Guests on board a big bus marked “Ibong Dayo, Kaibigan Tayo” (the festival’s theme), started arriving.
Balanga City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III said Sen. Bong Revilla attended Friday’s official opening program. Gov. Enrique Garcia hosted “Governor’s Night” for guests on the same day.
They hiked through soil embankments and enjoyed watching whiskered terns, one of the most common species of migratory birds found in Balanga, flying over a dried fishpond and diving for small fish as food. “Nakakatuwa po itong mga dayong ibon kaya sasabihin po namin sa iba na hindi ito dapat barilin o saktan,” they said.
The students also observed egrets playfully feasting on the fishpond but the big white birds seemed to be not yet accustomed with visitors and stayed far away. They flew at the sight of watchers nearby and transferred from one dry fishpond to another.
The tern known as kanaway among the local folk and the egret or tagak start arriving every year in Balanga and nearby communities middle of September and leave for their country of origin by end of March.
Thousands of migratory birds that include terns, egrets, gulls and herons make the seaside villages of Sibacan, Puerto Rivas and Tortugas as their most popular stop-overs and feeding grounds during the cold winter months in their country of origin.
Various activities have been lined-up for the three-day bird festival that include a fluvial parade, street dancing, lectures and bird exhibit, release of Brahminy Kites and other bird raptor species, guided tours on bird watching and sale in various booths of products made in Bataan.
Tourism Sec. Ace Durano addressed a big crowd Friday at the giant Bataan People’s Center. Guests on board a big bus marked “Ibong Dayo, Kaibigan Tayo” (the festival’s theme), started arriving.
Balanga City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III said Sen. Bong Revilla attended Friday’s official opening program. Gov. Enrique Garcia hosted “Governor’s Night” for guests on the same day.
