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Sunday, December 11, 2022 Vol. 18 No. 60
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 12 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
ACCIDENTAL TENANTS
A narrow strip of land developed to provide a nesting site for turtles in Davao City has attracted several species of birds, including some rare ones. CLEANERGY Park from above. White-sand Nesting turtle beach can be seen. ABOITIZ.COM
A GREY-TAILED tattler was captured with a small crab caught between its beak near the shore of the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park. DAVAO LIGHT PHOTO BY BRENDA MILAN
I
By Manuel T. Cayon
N 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.
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A PINK-NECKED Green Pigeon was captured perched on a branch at the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in 2016. DAVAO LIGHT PHOTO BY PETER SIMPSON
A SPOTTED Imperial Pigeon was captured soaring above the beach area of the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park in 2016. DAVAO LIGHT PHOTO BY PETER SIMPSON
At that time, the Pinknecked 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
cies 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.”
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 spe-
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 Continued on A2
n JAPAN 0.4070 n UK 68.0512 n HK 7.1425 n CHINA 7.9843 n SINGAPORE 41.0959 n AUSTRALIA 37.6375 n EU 58.7141 n KOREA 0.0423 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.7914
Source: BSP (December 9, 2022)