BALANGA CITY – The Asian Waterbird census conducted Saturday showed there were 12,599 waterbirds from 38 species, mostly migratory birds, sighted in one day alone in the wetlands of this component city in Bataan.
Rodolfo de Mesa, city administrator, said the number showed an increase of 352 from the 12,248 waterbirds counted last year in the wetlands of Lote, Puerto Rivas Ibaba, Sibacan and Tortugas, all seaside villages in this city.
The census is part of a global waterbird monitoring program where volunteers across Asia and Australia visit wetlands in their country and count waterbirds on assigned dates in January. In the Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines undertake the count.
Gina Mapua, WBCP president, cited some reasons why the count for this year and last year has not reached the record of the city with more than 25,000 waterbirds tallied three years ago. She identified the causes as the bad weather, changes in tide, fishpond condition and some activities that disturb the birds like the undergoing dredging of rivers to lessen flooding in Balanga City.
The WBCP official said some fishponds in Balanga were cleared of vegetation and many still full of later during the census. “Birds with short legs were not able to feed in deep water,” she said. She was, however, hopeful that the birds will soon be back in the city. “We cannot predict wildlife,” she said.
“Do not disturb the environment the birds are used to. Do not cut or clear cut the trees but only trim them, leaving some portions for the birds and leave more vegetation,” Mapua said when asked for suggestions on how to make the migratory birds flock again in Balanga.
Although the number has lessened during the two succeeding years, Mapua noted the increase in quality in terms of interesting bird species visiting the city like the presence of more Black-necked Stilt and Sandpiper, among some other migratory birds.
The usual top three in number of migratory birds in Balanga are the Egret (small, medium and large), Whiskered Tern and Black-winged Stilt. The three species at the crack of dawn are already busy either diving, flying or feeding on fishponds.
The Department of Tourism has designated Balanga as one of the bird-watching sites in the country five years ago. City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III conducted aggressive campaign to protect the migratory birds by information dissemination and yearly bird festivals.
The birds leave their countries of origin in Asia and Europe to escape the cold weather, arriving in Balanga last week of September and leaving last week of March.
