IN Punta Dumalag in Davao City is a narrow strip of land jutting out into the sea, now secluded and guarded to secure a refuge for the wildlife. More popular for the steady stream of turtles nesting in the area since 2014, recent wildlife activity has also pointed at the increasing number of birds, endemic and endangered, rare and fabulous, which are observed to have carved a niche in the area.
Only recently did birdwatchers record more than 100 bird species on refuge at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in Punta Dumalag in this city, adding another ecological reputation of its not only being a nesting site for turtles.
“An eight-hectare ecological preserve was once a grassland but has now become a haven for birds,” the Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Co. said in a statement, after hosting birdwatchers to its protected ecological sanctuary.
When a team of birdwatchers, including England-born birdwatcher Pete Simpson, visited the park in 2016, they documented 25 bird species at the park, the Davao Light said.
At that time, the Pink-necked Green Pigeon (Treron vernans) was first photographed at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park. The bird lives in a wide range of forested and human-modified habitats and is particularly found in Southeast Asia, a Davao Light statement said.
Since then, the number of endemic and migratory birds continues to rise, and by 2020, the number had finally reached 100. Davao Light quoted one Davao-born birdwatcher as saying, “What was really interesting is the sighting of the Pied Imperial-pigeon (Ducula bicolor) at the park,” said Brenda Milan, a Davaoeña birdwatcher and photographer.
She said the pigeon inhabits coastal forests on small offshore islands, only making occasional forays to mainland areas to hunt and sleep.
“Maybe something happened in their traditional roosting area, or where they regularly settle or congregate to rest, and they found Cleanergy Park a safer preserve,” Milan said. “I think the birds feel safe at the Cleanergy Park. There are very few people moving around in the area.”
Another notable finding is the annual visit of the Spotted Imperial Pigeon (Ducula carola). “The nesting records of the Pied Imperial Pigeon are impressive for an urban park. A small flock was first seen in 2019 and they are now residents in the park, recently confirmed to be nesting,” Simpson said.
The spotted imperial pigeon, also known as the grey-necked imperial pigeon, is a species endemic to the Philippines. It lives in forests and forest edges but goes down to the limestone shorelines, possibly to feed or to replenish the salt content needed by its body.
“The security personnel controls the number of people coming in and out of the area and prevents hunting, making the park a rare oasis of safety for the birds in Davao City,” Simpson said, as he noted that these wild species of birds were hunted everywhere in the Philippines despite laws banning it.
For example, vulnerable species like the Spotted Imperial Pigeon are threatened by habitat loss and hunting and are protected under Republic Act 9147 or the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.”
Only 5 bird species
Davao Light said there were only five bird species spotted during the time when a study was conducted by a group of researchers from the University of the Philippines Mindanao and the University of Southeastern Philippines who were commissioned to conduct a baseline study in 2013.
Planting of trees was among the recommendations of the study and in an effort to make the place more attractive to wildlife, tree planting activities were conducted at the site with the help of other public and private organizations.
In October, the Birdwatching in Davao group revisited the park. One bird captured by Milan is a grey-tailed tattler hunting for small crabs along the shores of the park. They darted about, bobbing and teetering between runs, and locate prey by sight or by probing.
Turtle nesting
The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park is more known as a nesting ground of the critically endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtles.
Park authorities has partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Region XI (DENR-XI) and the Davao city government to establish the Pawikan Rescue Center inside the park.
On May 20, an injured female hawksbill sea turtle was discovered and immediately turned over to the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park to ensure proper care and rehabilitation. The pawikan was a victim of spear-fishing practices, and had to undergo critical medical procedures in order to survive.
“We at Davao Light and AboitizPower are fully committed to our cause of saving the pawikans. We must all carry this responsibility so that our future generations will be able to see them. It can be through small acts such as keeping our coastal areas clean, not littering, and having safe practices when fishing. These are very simple but have a large impact on preserving our environment,” Edillon Fermin of Davao Light said.
To date, a total of 4,811 hatchlings across 42 nests have been discovered and released into the sea since Fermin’s team started collecting data in 2014. Fourteen pawikans have been rescued, and five were currently being nurtured at the Cleanergy Park.
Fermin and his team do their part in educating students and guests by hosting tours around the park and allowing visitors to release baby hatchlings into the sea and watch them crawl through the sand and swim into the ocean.
Visitors are taught that it is critical to a pawikan’s early stage of life to grovel through the sand and into the ocean on their own. The pawikans imprint themselves onto their birthing place—wherein after a few decades, they will return and make their own nests as parents for a new generation of hatchlings.
“It is important to let the youth understand the situation of the pawikans and all other endangered species, so that while they are still young, they are already aware of what they should do and how they could take action to save our wildlife,” Fermin shared.
The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park is completely wireless and is built entirely using recycled materials. Even at night, lights and lamps are not used, except for flashlights of roving guards and staff, in order not to disturb or confuse the pawikans nesting in the area.
The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park is managed by Davao Light and Power Co. Inc., an AboitizPower subsidiary, and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. “We’re happy to know that our conservation efforts have paid off. We thank our partners for supporting the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park by regularly conducting coastal cleanup and tree-planting activities to maintain the natural habitat of these birds,” said Rodger Velasco, president and chief operating officer of Davao Light.
Image credits: Aboitiz.com, Davao Light/Brenda Milan, Davao Light/Peter Simpson