DoT London Tourism Attaché Domingo Ramon Enerio, Hon Kenneth Clarke and MP Mark Pritchard.

Much have been written about the Philippine’s diverse and endemic avian species but to really appreciate the tranquil splendor of bird-watching, one would have to witness the birds’ flight and immerse himself in the rare sightings of nature’s winged masterpiece. 

Bird-watching has become the fastest growing outdoor activity in the United Kingdom and North America and a number of the most sought-after species can be found in the Philippines. Recently, the Department of Tourism (DoT) welcomed a bird-watching delegation led by two of the United Kingdom’s (UK) Members of Parliament (MP), Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke QC, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Hon. Mark Pritchard MP, Chairperson of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

The MPs, who are also renowned birders in UK, were brought to the Nabasan Trail and Naval Magazine Trail in Subic and the Candaba Swamp and Wildlife Reserve in Pampanga where they observed a total of 80 birds, 19 endemic, while 3 were only “heard” as attested by the group’s bird sound recording technician.  Some notable sightings of endemic birds included the rare Philippine Duck, the Philippine Serpent-Eagle, the Philippine Falconet, the White-eared Brown Dove, the Sooty Woodpecker and the Coleto.

The British birders we’re so pleased with their experience that they vowed to do it again, bringing with them the rest of the British Parliamentarians. “We plan to do another bird-watching tour in the Philippines, we’ll convince the whole British Parliamentarians to come with us as soon as we get back to UK,” said Hon. Mark Pritchard MP.

According to Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, the gains of bird-watching have far exceeded the DoT’s expectations considering that the country is relatively new to the birding industry. “We already have a strong bird-watching market in the UK that even esteemed birders from the Parliament are raring to see our endemic species,” Durano added.

Another noted group that recently visited the country was the British-based Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s (WWT) fact-finding team that studied four wetlands that are being conserved as bird-watching sites and possible water resource.  The exploration was part of the WWT Patron Partnership Program which was signed by the London Wetland Center and the DoT during the international launch of the country as a premiere bird-watching site in the World Travel Mart held in London.  

The team extended its expertise in preserving Pampanga’s Candaba Swamp and Wildlife Reserve, Balanga’s Wetland Park, Cebu’s Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, and Las Pinas-Paranaque’s Critical Habitat and Eco-tourism Zone, by involving local communities in the conservation, and improving the tourism experience of visiting birders.

Tourism Planning and Promotions Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. noted that the country first gained recognition from the British Bird-watching community when the Cebu Flowerpecker received the Bird Life Species Champion award in the British Bird-watching Fair 2009 in Oakham, Rutland, UK.