TACLOBAN CITY—Migratory birds from the Tundra regions near the North Pole have flocked to the bays of Carigara and Ormoc City in Leyte province to escape the cold winter of that region to the warmer and tropical climate here to feed and roost.
Experts say migratory birds move from one geographic location to another, usually from a breeding area to a nonbreeding area, before the onset of winter to avoid the impact of harsh weather conditions.
During migration flights, the birds stop over at wetland sites to feed and refuel.
“Apparently, there have been recorded sightings of migratory birds in our wetlands. It only shows that our wetlands are still intact and abundant foods are still available for them,” said Crizaldy Barcelo, regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Eastern Visayas.
Barcelo said the monitoring of these migratory birds is essential in the protection and management of these birds, as well as the wetlands. The peak months for migratory birds to arrive in the country is from September to January or sometimes even until February.
The Philippines is part of the East Asian and Australasian flyway and serves as host to more than 80 species of migratory birds. It is also home to more than 600 species of resident and migratory birds.
In Eastern Visayas, the wetlands in Carigara Bay and Ormoc Bay are the most frequently visited wetland habitat of these so-called “visitors without passports.” Among these frequent visitors are egrets, ducks, plovers, herons, curlews, sandpipers and greenshanks.
“We have to step up our monitoring, conservation and management of these birds and our wetlands in order to maintain or even increase migrant bird population,” Barcelo said.
Other wetlands in Leyte, including the large Leyte Sab-a Basin, is known to host endemic and rare birds and some migratory species.
Wetlands include all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs and all human-made sites, such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.
The DENR in Eastern Visayas is also closely working with various stakeholders, including local government units, the private sector, scientific community, academe and civil society for the protection and conservation of the country’s biodiversity. The Philippines currently has seven sites designated as Wetland of International Importance, or Ramsar Sites, with a surface area of 244,017 hectares. It is also a Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands Especially as Waterfowl Habitat.