I never thought I would appreciate birdwatching. It seemed to me too dull and boring, sitting or standing for hours just trying to sight with a pair of binoculars some strange-looking birds in wetlands or swamps. But that was until last Dec. 30, 2009 when a friend of mine, who is a member of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), invited me and a couple of friends to the Candaba Swamp in Pampanga, a favorite of migratory birds fleeing from freezing weather which has been especially harsh this winter. I have friends and relatives in the U.S. and Canada who write about temperatures of minus 40 or minus 50. No wonder that in the last days of December and early January 2010, new migratory birds such as the mallard and the grey-headed lapwing have been sighted.

We went to the Candaba Marsh in Candaba, Pampanga where Mayor Jerry Pelayo, has developed his former fish pond into a bird-watching haven. In a period of two and half hours, we sighted a total of 44 bird species, which included the purple heron, great egret, little egret, white-browed crake, purple swamphen, pheasant-tailed jacana, little ringed-plover, blue-tailed bee-eater, artic warbler, pacific swallow, and the pied fantail. Of course, there were the native birds like the zebra dove or the brown shrike. I felt so close to nature watching, with the use of powerful binoculars, so many colorful birds resting on trees, shrubs, flowers, water, and grass. These feathered creatures were completely oblivious to the presence of humans.

The Candaba Swamp is a leisurely two-hour ride from Manila. The area developed by Mayor Pelayo is very tourist-friendly with comfortable paths around the swamps. Central Luzon is especially endowed with bird-watching sites. The completion of the very modern Northern Luzon Expressway has made the sites much more accessible. In addition to the Candaba Swamp, there are the Paitan Lake in Cuyapo and Pantabangan Dam, both in Nueva Ecija; Puerto Rivas in Balanga City; and Consuelo in Macabebe, Pampanga.

By sheer coincidence, two other famous places for bird-watching – Balanga, Bataan and Bani, Pangasinan – are governed by two close friends of mine, i.e. Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III, of Balanga and Mayor Marcelo Navarro of Bani, Pangasinan. Since Mayor Garcia established a wetland park in Balanga, there has been a significant increase in the number of birds in Balanga City. Mayor Garcia has coined the slogan "Ibong Dayo, Kaibigan Tayo" (Migrant Bird, Our Friend). Secretary of Tourism Ace Durano, who has done much to develop Philippine tourism during his watch, was especially impressed by the colorful birds that flocked along the fishponds in the coastal village of Tortugas in Balanga. In the very near future, I plan to visit Bani, Pangasinan to visit my friend Mayor Navarro and learn more about the bird-watching sites in his town which has been cited as one of the best governed municipalities by the Institute for Solidarity Asia.

Members of the WBCP, like the friend who invited us, are very active recruiting more aficionados among Filipino families. To develop this very promising sector of tourism, we should start with Filipinos ourselves. Since it involves a great deal of walking, the activity combines healthy exercise with being close to nature, both flora and fauna. Those who are interested in knowing more about bird-watching in the Philippines may consult the website http://www.birdwatch.ph/index.html. For comments, my e-mail address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.