All hope is not lost for the iconic Philippine eagle. An on-going research on the world’s largest bird of prey in Zamboanga City confirmed the presence of at least one Philippine eagle family in Pasonanca Natural Park in the city.
A series of expeditions was started in October 2019 by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) and its partners, the Zamboanga City government, Zamboanga City Water District, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Protect Wildlife Project.
The announcement of the find made by the USAID in a news release came in time for the celebration of the Philippine Eagle Week on June 4 to 10.
The critically endangered Philippine eagle is endemic to the Philippines, or can be found nowhere else in the world. Around 400 pairs of this rare eagle species are left in the wild.
While PEF has led Philippine eagle studies and confirmed the presence of the eagle in various parts of the region, an eagle subpopulation in the Zamboanga Peninsula, including those in Pasonanca, is yet to be studied and fully understood.
The PEF, USAID and partners in Zamboanga City have rolled out last year the first-ever field study to survey Philippine eagles and find an active nest inside Pasonanca Natural Park.
The 17,000-hectare protected area is one of the few remaining intact forests in Zamboanga Peninsula, making it an important habitat for many bird species and other wildlife.
Jayson Ibañez, PEF director for Research and Conservation, said there are possibly three more eagle pairs in Pasonanca based on reported sightings of the monkey-eating eagle by forest protectors and traces of their existence, such as feathers, on the forest grounds.
The field study aims to locate nesting sites in the park, record and observe behaviors of resident eagles, and tag and monitor live Philippine eagles.
Finally, on the morning of December 4, 2019, as the team spotted a male eagle flying from a tree canopy after delivering food, an adult female eagle emerged into view from a thicket of ferns.
The team observed the nest and its feathered dwellers, including a healthy and well-fed one-month-old eaglet.
This was the first active Philippine eagle nest recorded in Pasonanca and the third in the whole Zamboanga Peninsula.
“The presence of an eagle nesting pair and its young is strong proof that conservation is working in the park,” Ibañez explained.
“Eagles breed and nest only in safe and healthy forest habitats. If forests are intact, that means the rest of biodiversity therein is also diverse and thriving,” he added.
In January 2020, however, upon the team’s return, the nest was already empty. Ibañez believes that the chick died of natural causes, which is not unusual especially in the wild.
But in February and March, the eagle pair were again spotted showing courtship behavior, such as exchanging vocals, soaring together and displaying their talons, with the male even attempting to mate with the female on a few occasions.
These are hopeful signs that the pair can still renest and lay a new egg.
The team continues to monitor the eagle pair while also preparing the site for trapping and tagging, in hopes of catching at least one of the adult eagles and using a GPS tracker to follow its range and movements in the forest.
Research being conducted by experts aim to pinpoint areas of Pasonanca that are hunting and breeding grounds for eagles, which can then be prioritized for stronger protection and conservation measures.
“We hope to see a new nest and track the nesting pair and their new eaglet in future expeditions. We also think that there could be three more eagle pairs in Pasonanca,” Ibañez said.
“Finding these pairs, and studying and monitoring them will be very important to eagle research and conservation in the region,” he said.
Image credits: Philippine Eagle Foundation