New and old bird lovers counted “wader” birds last Saturday, November 5, in one of Manila Bay’s last remaining mangrove habitats. The data will now be sent to a world count of wader birds!

A “wader” is a bird with legs and/or a beak adapted to wading in the water for food, like little fish and crustaceans. And the world needs your help in counting waders visiting the Philippines!

Over half a million migratory birds including 64 globally-threatened species are now traveling through the Philippines via the East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF), one of only 9 flyways in the world where migratory birds travel every year.

These birds visit the Philippines from September to March to escape the cold winter months of the north. But these “vacationing” birds need more than warm weather. Without healthy wetlands full of food, and habitats safe from human disturbance, the birds may have no place to land when they arrive.

Why are migratory birds important?

They provide seed dispersal, pest regulation and other key functions that keep our environment healthy. Wetlands that are unwelcoming to migratory birds are more likely to be just as unhealthy for humans. By focusing on helping these birds, which are easy to spot and fun to watch, we in turn help the habitats we share with them.

Help raise awareness about the state and importance of migratory birds and their habitats.

Here are the bird counts!

Wader bird species:

• Great Egret Ardea alba – 121
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta – 147
• Grey Heron Ardea cinerea – 2
• Rufous Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus – 13
• Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax – 20
• Striated Heron Butorides striata – 1
• Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis – 1
• Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus – 5

Wader bird species collected by Wader Quest:

• Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva – 4
• Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola – 17
• Litte-ringed Plover Charadrius dubius – 4
• Lesser Sandplover Charadrius mongolus – 2
• Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus – 13
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus – 1
• Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos – 13
• Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia – 97
• Common Redshank Tringa totanus – 1
• Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes – 1
• Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus – 3

Other awesome bird species:

• Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida – 54
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo – 13
• Eastern Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis – 1
• Zebra Dove Geopelia striata – 7
• Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis – 3
• Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris – 4
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica – 38
• Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier – 16
• Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis – 3
• Striated Grassbird Megalurus palustris – 5
• Philippine Pied Fantail Rhipidura nigritorquis – 2
• Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus – 6

We counted a total of 31 species, and 618 individual birds, with the help of 34 Wader Watch participants!

Time: 7:30 – 11:00
Date: 11-5-2016
Weather: Fair

About Haribon Wader Watch

What: Help count visiting wader birds in one of Manila Bay’s last mangrove havens. New and old birdwatchers can join!
When: Saturday, November 5 @ 730am.
Where: Freedom Island, Parañaque, Manila Bay. Meetup point at Bulungan Seafood Market, Parañaque. Map https://goo.gl/JELg5d

Event donation fees:
Haribon members: FREE!
Non-members: P100 donation on-site, only P50 pre-registration!
Binocular rental: P100 donation (best to try if you want your own pair, but we’ll have “binocs” to share).
Van rental: May vary depending on number of passengers (P200-P500), indicate that you are interested in van rental in the RSVP below and updates will be sent to you!

Registration is now closed. Thank you for your interest! Please continue to follow us on Facebook (fb.com/goharibon) for more events like this!

RSVP now via our Google form! https://goo.gl/forms/AtOc0drOza8OHbNI3

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I don’t have binoculars, will you be offering them to newbies like me?
A: Yes! We have binoculars for you for a small rental donation of P100 to support conservation and awareness-raising campaigns like this. Simply indicate that you will need binoculars in the registration form above. If we run out, you can share with another participating “wader watcher”.

Q: Where and what time do I meet you there?
A: Meetup point is at Bulungan Seafood Market, Parañaque at 730am. View the map here: https://goo.gl/JELg5d. Contact number: David @ 09277978854.

Q: What is the fee for joining the van? Where and what time is the meet up?
A: From P500-P200 depending on how many choose to ride in the van. Meet up point is Haribon main office in Project 4, Quezon City. Update & exact location to come about 1 week before the event (we’re moving to a new office in Project 4!)

Q: Why a watch for wader birds?
A: Waders are some of the millions of birds that migrate the East Asian Australasian Flyway. The Wader Conservation World Watch was initiated by Wader Quest, a small group of volunteers from the UK, with a goal to raise funds and awareness about wader bird conservation. Haribon will be contributing its wader counts to this world-wide count! Learn more about them here!

Any other questions? Email communication@haribon.org.ph or call David at 09277978854 today.