Showing posts with label birdwatching. Show all posts

Baras Bird Sanctuary Revisited

By Apolinario Villalobos

The last time I visited the Baras Bird Sanctuary was during the successful celebration of the Bird Festival 2017 last May. Lately, I visited it again but it was some kind of a reunion with college buddies, Rey Malana, the owner of the avian reservation park and Charles del Campo who was with his second wife, Neneng. When we arrived, the park wardens were busy with the laying down of new tiles for the pathway that wound around the bamboo and “kakawate” grove. Mr. Malana, himself, showed as around while pointing to interesting birds, some of which belong to very rare species. While going around, we had to cover our head with salakot to protect us from bird droppings.

Overhead, branches of trees and leaning bamboos lush with foliage and twigs were dotted with nests. Birds of various species were oblivious of our presence. Egrets were either on the ground while the rest were minding their nest. Fallen bamboos were left to rot to maintain an ambience akin to a forest. Meanwhile, a few feet away from the pathway, the brownish Upper Katungal or Kapingkong River continued rushing toward the Ala River.

After our tour, Rey treated us to a film showing that featured a documentary about the sanctuary. I was personally amazed at how the city and Baras with its Bird sanctuary were beautifully presented, especially, from the bird’s eye view.

Rey confided that he has been a nature lover ever since he observed the regular homing of egrets to the bamboo grove of their farm. To keep the avian park well-maintained, the city government has granted it a subsidy. Working in tandem with Rey in keeping the birding hobby and nature awareness in Tacurong alive is Ms. Emelie P. Jamorabon of the city tourism office. She surprised me with her thorough knowledge of the birds that have found home in the swamps around the city, as well as, the Bird Sanctuary itself. When I paid her a visit, she excitedly opened a site in the internet about the birds of Tacurong posted by avid birdwatchers who regularly visit the city.

Both Mr. Malana and Ms. Jamorabon are hoping that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) could further help the city government in preserving the identified homing areas of endemic and migratory birds, especially, the almost three hectares Baras Bird Sanctuary. Another identified area is a swamp within a private land in Carmen, which according to Ms. Jamorabon will be developed into a subdivision.

Those who are interested to visit Tacurong, the gateways are Davao, General Santos and Cotabato cities. The staff of the City Tourism Office on the second floor of the City Hall, and the receptionists, as well as, the park wardens of the Baras Bird Sanctuary are more than willing to assist for quick tours.

The Bird Festival of Tacurong City (May12-13, 2017)

By Apolinario Villalobos

The just concluded Bird Festival of Tacurong City, held on May 12 and 13 has been a resounding success with several travel bloggers and prominent personalities who are nature lovers in attendance. A contingent from ABS-CBN from Davao City also covered the duration of the affair which included activities such as forum on birdwatching and nature conservation at the Notre Dame of Tacurong College, photo exhibit at the bridge area of Fitmart, bazaar, and art exhibit highlighted by actual application of tattoo on willing visitors, by local tattoo artists at the parking ground of the sanctuary.

The Baras Bird Sanctuaty is located in the barangay of Baras which is a few-minute drive from the downtown area. Owned by Rey Malana and subsidized by the city government, it is situated along the eastern bank of Kapingkong River. Bamboo groves and madre de cacao trees or “kakawate”, many of which are more than 50 years old provide home to the indigenous and migratory birds from mainland China and neighboring Southeast Asian countries. But, dominant among the avian population is the locally known “tagak” or heron.

The sanctuary started as an ordinary “farm” of the Malana family with bamboo groves providing shade to the long stretch of the river bank. When Rey who took care of the property observed the steady arrival of birds which eventually enhanced the increasing population of the indigenous ones, he decided to protect them.  Foremost of his restrictive policies is the non-entry of vehicles beyond the entrance shaded with the branches of trees and bamboos creating an impression of a tunnel. This is necessary to prevent the disturbance of the bird, especially, the nesting ones.

Due to the popularity gained by the sanctuary, thanks to the discreet visit of bloggers who shared their experience among their followers, the local government under the stewardship of Mayor Lina Montilla, initially, provided support. Later, the local tourism office headed by Ms. Emilie Jamorabon, tried hard how to harness the popularity to boost their tourism effort. With the early festivals having shown encouraging results, Ms. Jamorabon sought support from friends for the rest of the festivities that followed. 

The avian festival has decidedly boosted the tourism program of the city which to date is already gaining ground due to the mushrooming of inland resorts located along the peripheries of the downtown area, most especially, in Baras and New Passi, home of the internationally-known Monte Vicenteaux Resort. According to Ms. Jamorabon, more plans are being conceived to encourage birdwatchers from other parts of the country to visit Baras. Among the plan is the putting up of viewing posts and accommodation facilities that would follow the concept of “nature tourism”.

The Baras Bird Sanctuary, is the first-ever community- protected avian haven in southern Mindanao. It provides a serene oasis in the midst of vast palm oil plantations that stretch from Montilla, Katungal, up to New Passi. From the air, the canopy of the palm trees looks like a stretch of dark jade panorama….no wonder the winged creatures found solace among the branches where they built their nests to mark their well-chosen home!

Roxas of Palawan

And Tabon birds of Stanlake Island

By Apolinario Villalobos

When one mentions Roxas, what comes to mind is the Roxas City of Capiz on the island of Panay. Palawan has its own Roxas,too, but not known as is, unlike Tabon cave and its exotic species of bird, the tabon bird.

When I visited Roxas, I did not expect the arduous travel that involved different modes. The curious in me, however, prevailed so that I took the risk of being bitten by the dreaded mosquitoes that were infected with malaria virus (today, this has been checked by the local government) and went ahead with my unplanned trip to Palawan. It happened during the summer of 1980…

Puerto Princesa was just a fledgling city during that time but took phenomenal metamorphosis to become what it is now, practically, declared cleanest city in the whole of Philippines several times, and virtually bloomed with structures- signs of fast development.

My trip to the town of Roxas from Puerto Princesa City was made on a bus, early the following morning after the day I arrived. The sights along the way were splendid, as we passed by white sandy beaches fringed with swaying coconut trees and tropical fruit trees. We negotiated winding roads until we reached Langogan River where we were ferried across it. But we got off the bus first, although, the ferrying was made at the same time.

Upon reaching the other side of the river, we went on with our journey over winding roads that cut through verdant hills and forests. The panoramic view from the mountainside road overlooking the North China Sea was just fantastic. The expanse of water was dotted with green canopied islets ringed with white beaches.

Finally, we reached Roxas, a coastal town of abundant coconut groves and white sandy beaches. It covers 608 nautical miles or 142 kilometers of distance northeast of Puerto Princesa City. It is bounded on the northeast by the Ilian River, north to northwest by the Pagdanan Range and in the south by Langoyan. Its total land area is 122,030 hectares.

The evolution of the town into what it is now is interesting. The town was once noted for its small-scale  shipbuilding industry of a community of Cagayanos. The cutting of amorawin tree however, the wood of which was used and abounds in Araceli, was strictly regulated. As most of the time, such wood was not available, they left the place but later returned and settled at Retac which they found not to their liking later on. They found another site marked with a boton tree on which they tried to settle….this, they named Sanboton. With the influx of other settlers, the simple settlement became a barrio that later on became known as del Pilar, in honor of the Filipino hero, Gregorio del Pilar. Finally, it became the municipality of Roxas, after the late President Roxas, by virtue of Republic Act No. 615 signed in September 30, 1951.

Roxas is endowed with minerals such as silica and quartz. San Miguel Corporation discovered high-grade silica in the area and established the Palawan Silica company which was later renamed Nin Bay Mining Corporation. The company developed the town by building roads and an airport, as well as, housing units for its employees. During my visit, the town was practically booming industrially with four companies operating for its mineral deposit. These were the Nin Bay Mining Corporation, Republic Glass Corporation, Roxas Silica Company, and Vulcan Industrial and Mineral Exploration Corporation.

Wild honey, a cottage industry also adds revenue to the coffer of the town. But the most famous of its backyard industry, though, strictly regulated is the gathering of tabon bird’s eggs. Tabon, means “to cover”, which is the habit of the birds to protect their eggs, that they bury in the beach, covered with sand. The scientific name of the bird is Palawan Magapode and found on Stanlake Island.

An adult Tabon bird has gray feathers tainted with green, with the male slightly bigger than the female. For a clearer comparison, the male bird is bigger than an ordinary chicken. Its bead is stout and pointed, with claws that consist of three toes that are blunt, two in front and one at the back. Interestingly, the bird’s call resembles that of a dog’ howl.

The birds bury their eggs in holes with depths of four to six feet, after which, they cover them with sands. The digging usually takes two to three hours and done during rainy days. The egg is twice the size of a chicken’s, oval-shaped and with color that ranges from white to pink and light red, with the shell so fragile that it breaks easily. Hatching takes from 16 to 18 days, during which the chicks struggle their way out of the hole. The chick reaches it maturity in eight to ten months, during which it takes it turn to mate and lay eggs.

Other interesting touristic areas of Roxas, aside from Stanlake Island which has been declared as a bird sanctuary, are those around the Barbacan and Matalangao rivers where birdwatching can be rewarding. Less than a kilometer away is the Matalangao Waterfalls that drops to 80 feet. Practically, the beaches that fringe the coastal town are haven for those who long for a peaceful recluse.

Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan is accessible via flights from Manila. Typical tourists need more than a week to enjoy their visit of the province, as aside from Roxas, they may find the call of  El Nido, the Underground River, and white sandy islets just too strong to ignore. 

The Philippine Eagle

By Apolinario Villalobos

The Philippine Eagle that we know today was actually, known before as “monkey-eating eagle”, a misnomer because, the bird does not only live on monkeys but other creatures of the forest, as well.

The former management of Philippine Airlines has been a big help in boosting the effort of foreign researchers to put to light one of the country’s rarest birds, thereby preventing its relegation into extinction. It took foreign naturalists steely will power to drum up attention to the plight of the to-be-extinct rare bird, before some local agencies were woken up. Foremost of these groups based in the country was the Haribon Society, a birdwatching organization  founded by Alicia Busser in late ‘70s. The name refers to the Philippine Eagle, the “hari ng ibon” (king of the birds), compressed into “haribon”, and their logo, that of the eagle’s face. The members were expatriates living in the Philippines, who took time in visiting forested areas to record different endemic bird species. A Filipino member was Ed Buensuceso, supervisor of PAL Tours and Promotions’ Research and Development Unit.

During the last week of January 1978, Ed Buensuceso told me prepare for a trek up Mt. Apo, but this time, for another purpose. I found out later that it had got to do with the filming of the breeding of the Philippine Eagle by FREE (Film Research of Endangered Environment, Ltd.) on one of the slopes of Mt. Apo. FREE was composed of four adventurous and young Americans, namely, Robert Kennedy, Wolfgang Salb, Neil Rettig and Alan Degen. The project was funded by the National Geographic. A telex about the death of the eaglet which was being monitored prompted Ed to hasten to the site with me to chronicle the event.

As planned, I went ahead to notify the local forestry in Davao of our intention. The following day, Ed and Wolfgang arrived from Manila. We immediately left for the filming site on a jeep that the FREE team rented for the duration of their project. Wolfgang handled the wheel expertly that even the rocky dirt road did not slow him a bit. We swayed to the crazy motion of the seemingly fragile machine which was actually designed for such kind of terrain.

We reached Baracatan after an hour of being juggled inside the jeep. I was dizzy but as soon as we got down several feet from the cabin of Ron Kruppa, I forgot how tired I was.  Ron was a volunteer naturalist who supervised the Parks and Wildlife Division of the Department of Natural Resources’ breeding program for the Philippine Eagle in Baracatan. The agency has been renamed, DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). He was taking care of the Philippine Eagle in captivity. At last, I have seen my first Philippine Eagle, up close!

The eagle’s eyes pierced mine with such hypnotizing effect that right at that moment, I realized why it’s given such respect that it deserve. Its piercing look sent a cold sensation down my spine. The tuft of fine feathers on its crest gave it a regal look. I would say, its beak could make anyone tremble, and its powerful claws add respectability to its appearance. Ron coaxed the bird to his leather-gloved left arm. In the process, it spread its wings much to our delight.

After lingering in the camp for about twenty minutes, we went back to the jeep and traced our way back to the junction that led to Matundo, which we reached at past four in the afternoon. We almost failed to find porters as it was already late. Two kind natives fortunately, gave in to our request. As soon as everything was settled regarding the fee and other conditions, we started our trek to the campsite.

It was not just an ordinary trek as I found out later. Precipitous and narrow trails cut from the rocky face of the mountain made us gasp for air, as we gained altitude. My legs became wobbly as Ed and I made several ascents and descents. Darkness enveloped us in a forest, about three kilometers from the camp. From time to time, we rested during which I found time to massage my aching legs. The long strides of Wolfgang brought him very much ahead of us to the camp.

Finally, after almost an hour of downhill trek and hike over plowed cornfield, we reached the camp, a wooden two-room structure where we found Wolfgang, Alan and Neil having an early evening chat. We joined them and after a shot of rum, I somewhat regained some of my strength.

Early the following morning, Wolfgang, Ed and I went to the “blind” or “Lookout”, a camouflaged platform built on the slope of the ravine among the bushes and ferns. It was so near the nest which was meticulously built on a branch of a big tree. I peeked through the high-powered telescope that brought the nest nearer and just imagined the eaglet that should have been there. The poor eaglet, we were told, was choked by a bone that caused its death. With the eaglet gone, we were hoping that its mother would still visit the nest.

We patiently waited, from time to time listening to bird calls coming from around the area. The wait gave Wolfgang the chance to relate to us how they patiently cleared and blazed trails, with only the hope of finding the nesting eagle, prodding them on.

At high noon, it came. Warning and distress calls of preys filled the ravine. Soon, we saw in just a very short moment the sleek figure of the bird dart by. It soared up, reduced to a mere dot against the blue sky. After that rare moment, I went back to the camp, leaving Ed and Wolfgang in the “blind”.

In the camp I played with “tariktik”, the team’s feathered mascot. It was such a tame hornbill that they let it explore every nook of the house. It was even privileged to scatter its droppings around which the team would patiently scoop up in the morning.

A couple of hours later, Ed and Wolfgang transferred the telescope near the camp. I was told that the eagle came back several times after I left them.

Based on the team’s journal, the first sighting was made on December 6, 1977, but while they were situated in a different location. Robert Kennedy, wrote in the journal, that on such day, he first heard the bird’s call and later on, it appeared with a brown prey, which he presumed to be a flying lemur. Later, it was joined by another that Robert suspected to be the mate. Both glided towards a big tree not far from where he was hidden. He saw that one of the eagles with the prey landed on a large epiphyte fern growing on the last main fork of the tree’s crown. He suspected it to be a nest. After patiently observing one of them, tearing off green sprigs with its bill and flying back to the suspected nest, he finally, concluded that he discovered the nest!

Robert added in the journal that Wolfgang has also observed the ongoing from where he was situated. He located the perch of Wolfgang who let out a Tarzan-like call.  He saw Wolfgang jumping up and down with excitement while pointing at the same branch that he was closely watching.

The December 7 entry of their journal contained information on how they finally confirmed their suspicion about the nest on the huge tree. They made another “blind” very near the nest so that they could make a closer observation. That was the “blind” that Ed and I found. Their binoculars caught a “white object” in the middle of the nest. In just a little while, the female eagle glided down into the nest and positioned herself as if to incubate. So that’s it, they found the nest with the egg!

The egg hatched on December 23, and since the normal incubation period of the egg was reportedly 60 days, the laying was suspected to be on October 24. Based on findings, the eagles usually initiate their breeding activities at the start of the rainy season. Both the male and female took turns in incubating the egg, with the latter, giving its bigger share at about 70% of the effort. The male hunted and brought food to the female but their feeding took place outside the nest. When the egg hatched, the female alone brooded over and fed the chick. The male continued hunting, and that time, brought the food directly to the nest. The recorded food brought to the nest were, monkeys, flying lemurs, flying squirrels, a rufous hornbill and several unidentified animals. The female fed the chick three to seven times a day.

Unfortunately, the eaglet got chocked by a bone, after just merely a month after it was hatched. The heart-breaking incident made the team decide to look for other sites where they could make another documentary on the eagle, hopefully, from their mating to the hatching of their egg. They decided to try the thick forests of Bislig, an industrial town of Surigao.

After so many years, the then, monkey-eating eagle, and now Philippine Eagle has become one of the symbols of the country. The Baracatan Breeding Station at Baracatan, Davao del Sur has flourished with the success of DENR’s breeding-in-captivity program for the rare bird. The station is along the trail that Mt. Apo climbers take if they want to start from the Davao side. The other starting points for the Mt. Apo climb, are Makilala and Kidapawan, both of North Cotabato province.