WBCP 2Nd Newsletter
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Volume 2, Issue 1 Wild about Birds 14 January 2006 Newsletter of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines WBCP flies high with the First Philippine Bird Festival By Trinket Canlas Inside this issue: “Phenomenal. A huge success.” This was the overwhelming evaluation of the first-ever WBCP flies Philippine Bird Festival. Organized by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) and its high with the 1 Festival Committee, the one-day Festival was held on 18 November 2005 at the Crossroad First Philippine 77 Convenarium at Mother Ignacia Avenue in Quezon City. Bird Festival With its theme, “A Voyage of Discovery”, the Festival aimed at highlighting the country’s The Festival in wealth of bird life and raising conservation awareness through the promotion of bird 2 watching and the responsible appreciation of nature. It featured information and display pictures booths set up by environmental and community development organizations and WBCP is government agencies, photo and art exhibits, educational animal and bird shows, film showings, lectures, and children’s activities such as face-painting, drawing, origami and honorary OBC 3 colouring. member Highlights from Cutting the ribbon to start the festivities were WBCP President Michael Lu, Festival 4 Committee Chairperson Alice Villa-Real, Ricky de Castro of Mirant Philippines Foundation the field (the Foundation was the Festival’s main sponsor), and Bataan Congressman Albert Garcia. The opening program hosted by Anna Maria Gonzales included a keynote speech by Tim WBCP Fisher, one of the authors of the Guide to the Birds of the Philippines and WBCP member. endorses 6 Principles of More than a thousand students flocked to the Convenarium to take part in Festival activities. They milled around looking at exhibits in the various booths, queued to have Conservation their faces painted with bird designs, folded paper animals origami-style, slumped on the floor in their hundreds to colour pre-prepared bird drawings. By the afternoon, an entire WBCP section of the Convenarium was papered with these drawings. participates in 7 Taiwan Fair Report from the 7 Prez Philippine Eagle and Rufous Hornbill mascots from Conservation International entertained the crowd and added to the festive atmos- phere. Children swarmed around Robert Alejandro on the stage to learn “easy as 1-2-3” bird drawing. They squealed in delight at the animals brought on stage by Drew Galano for the My Zoo Foundation’s Zoo to You presentation. A view of the astonishingly large crowd at the Festival Photo: Orly Punzalan Continued on page 3 The Festival in pictures... Photos: Romy Ocon, Orly Punzalan. Photomontage: Jon Villasper - 2 - Wild about Birds. Volume 2, Issue 1. 14 January 2006. WBCP flies high... tions and government agencies. They Sponsors included the following: Center for The mini Bird Show presented by Environmental Awareness and Educa- Mirant Foundation Philippines was Davao-based Dr Bo Puentespina of tion; Conservation International Phil- the major sponsor of the Festival. the Malagos Garden Resort and the ippines; Consuelo Chito Madrigal The other sponsors were Ayala Land, Malagos Wildlife Preservation Foun- Foundation; Department of Environ- the Candaba Local Government Unit, dation captivated everyone. The audi- ment and Natural Resources Caylabne Bay Resort, ComWorks, ence watched in awe as Dr (DENR)-Protected Areas and Wild- Incorporated - Bird Mobile Phones, Puentespina brought out several re- life Bureau; DENR-NCR-Manila Bay Crossroad 77 Convenarium, Energy habilitated and rescued birds, includ- Environmental Monitoring Project; Lounge, Figaro Foundation, the For- ing a pair of African Grey Parrots, a ISLA Biodiversity Foundation; Katala est Club and the Soul Shop. Rufous Hornbill and a Philippine Foundation; Miriam PEACE; Munici- Hawk-Eagle. pality of Candaba; My Zoo Founda- “It has exceeded all expectations,” tion Volunteer Group; National Mu- Alice Villa-Real said, as the Festival The highlight of the afternoon con- seum-Manila; Philippine Butterfly ended. It was the culmination of five sisted of scientific seminars targeted Habitat Conservation Society; Philip- months of hard work and prepara- at the more mature segment of the pine Eagle Foundation; Winner Foun- tion by the Festival Committee. The audience. Indira Widmann of the dation; and World Wide Fund for pioneering event is expected to be- Katala Foundation lectured on the Nature-Philippines. come a major annual activity for state of the Philippine Cockatoo and WBCP. As early as December, its conservation; JC Gonzales, Profes- Also featured were art pieces by preparations for the Second Philip- sor at the University of the Philppi- WBCP members and friends. Among pine Bird Festival 2006 were already nes-Los Baños, spoke of the contri- the exhibitors were Rene Bajit, Jason under way. butions of birdwatching to science. A Cahigas, Nicky Icarangal, Rich Pijuan, timely panel discussion on the avian Orly Punzalan, Arnel Telesforo and Credit for the success of the Festival flu issue capped the afternoon pro- Yong Ding Li. Bird photographs of goes in a large way to its Festival gram. Joining forum moderator Atty Ivor Lee and Romy Ocon were like- Committee, whose members were the Ipat Luna as resource persons were wise on show. following: Chairperson: Alice Villa- Mundita Lim, Director of the Pro- Real; Exhibits: Amado Bajarias, Jr., tected Areas and Wildlife Bureau; the The visitors Dindo Llana, Arnel Telesforo; Logis- United States Embassy’s Dr Leonides tics: Jon Villasper, David Marte; Fi- Cardenas; and Ruben Pascual, Coor- Most of the Festival audience came nance: Ann Lim, Mike Lu; Souvenir Pro- dinator of the National Avian Flu from various schools. Students from gram: Trinket Canlas, Adri Constan- Task Force. Ateneo de Manila University, Beacon tino, Tere Cervero; Schools: Jo Solis, School, De La Salle University, Jose Caloy Libosada; Activities: Anna Gon- Participating organizations Abad Santos Memorial School, Learn- zales, Ipat Luna; Publicity: Wawel ing Tree School, Mapua Institute of Mercado, Crysta Rara. Friends of WBCP came out in force Technology, Meridian School, Miriam to support the Bird Festival. In addi- College, Polytechnic University of the Acknowledgement must also be made of the other WBCP members who have tion to the WBCP booth, 16 other Philippines, and the University of the not been named here who manned the exhibit booths were set up by partici- Philippines were among those partak- pating non-governmental organiza- booths and generally helped keep the ing in the event. activities going on the day itself. WBCP is honorary OBC member However, there have been very few proposals from the Philippines. The By Jonathan Villasper BirdingASIA (a birding magazine) and last of these was a proposal from Forktail (a peer-reviewed scientific WBCP member Mads Bajarias to The Oriental Bird Club (OBC) named journal). Ms Sykes said that “as long study wetland birds in the North WBCP an honorary member in Oc- as the OBC has enough members Manila Bay. OBC is keen to receive tober 2005. Confirmation of the des- who are willing to support the honor- other proposals for work in the Phil- ignation came from OBC Secretary ary membership scheme, and the ippines. Margaret Sykes. She said that the honorary members find OBC mem- Based in the United Kingdom, the membership reflected OBC evalua- bership useful and informative, the Oriental Bird Club consists of bird- tion of WBCP as a Club “well worth relationship should continue for many ers and ornithologists from around supporting”. years, especially if the members are willing to give something back to the the world who are interested in the birds of the Oriental region and their OBC grants honorary membership to Club – for instance in the way of arti- conservation. This vast area em- groups and individuals able to benefit cles for BirdingASIA and Forktail.” braces tropical and temperate for- from the association. Dues are paid OBC also provides grants for conser- ests, outstanding wetlands, and grass- for either by OBC’s corporate spon- vation projects that focus on birds of lands providing habitat for over 2,600 sors or by its full members. Honorary the Oriental region and their habitats. bird species, many of them little membership entitles WBCP to re- To date, it has funded over a hundred known. The OBC website is ceive copies of the OBC publications projects in a number of countries. www.orientalbirdclub.org. Wild about Birds. Volume 2, Issue 1. 14 January 2006. - 3 - An immature Red-tailed Tropicbird Highlights from Phaethon rubricauda, the third documented record for this species, the field… was caught in the bay of Puerto By Arne E. Jensen Princesa, Palawan, but it died at the local wildlife rescue centre on 26 Contributors: Arne Jensen (AJ), Arnel October (TA). The bird had been Mallari (AM), Alice Villa-Real (AV), banded in March 2003 on Johnston Bruce Glick-USA (BG), Carmela Española (CE), Carl Oliveros (CO), Godfrey Jakosalem (GJ), Agerico de Villa (GV), Hans Matheve-Belgium Yellow bunting Photo: Marijn Prins (HM), Jon Hornbuckle-UK (JH), James McCarthy (JM), Kitty Arce (KA), Kathy this species in the Philippines (MP). MacKinnon-UK (KM), Lu Ann Fuentes (LF), Leni Sutcliffe (LS), Lisa Marie Half-year: July – December Paguntalan (LP), Mads Bajarias (MB), 2004 Mike Lu (ML), Michaela Ledesma (MLE), New country records Marijn Prins-Netherlands (MP), Mark Villa (MV), Merlijn van Weerd- A White Tern Gygis alba* in a flock of Red-tailed Tropicbird Photo: Kitty Arce Netherlands (MW), Nilo Arribas (NA), Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata and Common Ned Liuag (NL), P and E Collaert-USA Noddy Anous stolidus followed a WWF Atoll, 840 miles south-west of Hawaii. (PEL), Perry Ong (PO), Renato Fernan- research vessel at close range on 21 On 29 November Singaporean bird dez (RF), Romy Ocon (RO), Teri October, two hours northwest of photographer Ivor Lee reported seeing Aquino (TA) and WWF Philippines Bancoran Reef in the Central Sulu Sea, 4 Tropicbirds at the Coastal Lagoon, (WWF).