BALANGA CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in cooperation with the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) on Saturday conducted a census of waterbirds here.
Mike Lu, WBCP team leader, announced that 9,544 birds were counted.
Less than last year’s 13,065 in four birdwatching sites in Balanga City – barangays Tortugas, Lote, Sibakan and Puerto Rivas Ibaba.
“Mababa. I think this is the lowest count for the last five years,” Lu, former WBCP president, said.
He cited the reasons for the plunge in the count to deep water in fishponds and the erosion of the mountain that resulted to flash floods.
“Mga fishponds puno ng tubig kaya ang mga ibon hindi maka-landing. Nabago ang timing ng fish farming,” Lu said.
He said that more affected by the deep fishpond water were the small birds. He said that the small birds may have just transferred to other areas outside of the counting area.
Lu said he also noticed cut logs apparently flushed by water from the mountains down to the river and the sea that affected mud flats.
“Alagaan natin ang mga forests at huwag basta gumawa ng reclamation projects,” the WBCP official recommended. Mila Ramirez, DENR provincial wildlife officer, said that information dissemination and the protection of the birds’ habitat should be given more attention.
“Pagbutihin natin ang information dissemination sa mga kababayan natin na importante ang migratory birds. Pangalagaan din natin ang kanilang habitat hindi lang sa ibaba kundi maging sa forest areas man,” she said.
Ramirez said she noticed not only cut logs but also solid wastes that affected the habitat of birds.
“Maraming solid wastes. Pagtuunan ng pansin up to barangay level ang implementation ng solid waste management,” she said.
Lu said that counted were 36 species of 13 resident birds and 23 migratory ones. Whiskered terns registered the most number at more than 2,000.
A Far Eastern Curlew which is seldom reported in birdwatching sites in the Philippines was sighted for the first time in Balanga.
The number of Pond Heron, one counted for the first time last year, increased to seven.
The census is held simultaneously in various birdwatching sites in January every year “to monitor the population of waterbirds in the Asian Region”. The census started in Balanga in 2009.
