THE WILD Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) is bringing the 2008 Philippine Bird Festival in Puerto Princesa on September 12-13 with a theme “Aba, Kakaiba!” that aims to acquaint residents of the city and province about different kinds of birds and the protection of their habitat.
The 4th Philippine Bird Festival will be opened at the Puerto Princesa City Coliseum on September 12 by a photo exhibit about various kinds of birds, display, lectures, film showing and other related activities. Entrance to the exhibit is free and all are invited, particularly students.
Meanwhile, before the Philippine Bird Festival, the 1st Bird Conservation Forum will also be held on September 11 at the Asturias Hotel. The forum’s objective is to gather all bird watching hobbyists, conservationist, eco-tour promoters and other stakeholders to discuss the protection, preservation and conservation of their habitats.
City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn expressed full support to the holding of the bird festival, saying he believes that protecting them is important to the ecosystem.
The entire province of Palawan has been declared a Fauna and Flora Watershed Reserve, and, within this, there are other kinds of protected areas including the St Paul Subterranean National Park (which is important for threatened species including Polyplectron emphanum) and the El Nido area (which has been proposed for protection under the Integrated Protected Areas System). Ursula Island (17 ha), 20 km south-east of the southern tip of Palawan is an important roosting and nesting site for pigeons including Ducula pickeringii and the widespread Nicobar Pigeon Caloenas nicobarica (Near Threatened). It was established as a bird sanctuary in 1960, but there has been a significant decline in the numbers of roosting pigeons, from an estimated 150,000 to a few thousand birds over the last 60 years, perhaps owing to the effects of introduced species and human disturbance.
Among the birds known to inhabit the city and province are Palawan Peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis), Blue-headed Racquet-tail (Prioniturus platenae), Palawan Tit (Parus amabilis), Sulphur-bellied Bulbul (Ixos palawanensis), Palawan Striped-babbler (Stachyris hypogrammica), and many more. (City Information Office)
