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Dr. Philip Round, of the Wetland Trust, was in the country again this October to continue his search for the rare Streaked Reed-Warbler (SRW), Acrocephalus sorghophilus.
He first came in 2008 for a quick exploratory survey for possible survey sites (mostly in Candaba wetlands). During that survey, they found the country's first record of the Black-browed Reed-Warbler but unfortunately not the coveted SRW He visited again earlier this year to conduct a search in Calamba, Laguna and Candaba, Pampanga where they found one individual SRW.
Very little is known about the Streaked Reed-Warbler. It is presumed to breed in North-east China and there was a recent record of a singing male in Russia. There are very few passage records from China and Taiwan. The only known wintering records is the Philippines, particularly the Candaba wetlands and Dalton Pass.
This time around, Dr. Round came to try his luck in Dalton Pass.
Foggy morning in Dalton Pass
Dalton Pass is a famous bird migration site. It is located at the crossing point of the Sierra Madre Range and the Cordilleras and most birds travel through it as a passageway during migration.
The locals know about the migration phenomenon and have an old practice of catching birds at night called "akik". It is an old Ifugao tradition which is practiced throughout the Cordilleras.
When the weather is good, which is to say dark, moonless and foggy nights; the hunters, or "mangigilaw" as they are referred to locally (literally: hunters who use lights), position themselves up a hill, armed with nothing but a lamp and net.
The bright lights of the lamps attract the birds to fly towards them. The birds lose their direction in the fog and the artificial lights seemingly serve as a sensible way to follow, not knowing that nets attached to long bamboo poles await them as they come.
The hunters have become so experienced at this that they are able to tell where the birds will be flying from based on the direction of the wind. They stay up all night and keep vigil, ready for any unwitting bird.
Akik hunter over Dalton Pass
Akik hunter patiently waiting for bird to fly towards him
Bright lights from Akik lamps as maybe seen by birds
Akik hunter catches an egret
Depending on the species, the birds caught are either eaten for food or sold for the pet trade.
According to the hunters, pickings are slimmer now compared to before when they would catch sackfuls of birds in a single night. Nowadays, it seems to be more done as a hobby or in keeping with tradition as the catch probably isn't enough to make a living on most nights.
The team employed a couple of the hunters so that instead of becoming food or pet, the birds were ringed, measured and then released.
A few immature Red-bellied Pittas were caught suggesting local post-breeding disperal.
The similar Lanceolated Grasshopper-warbler was also recorded.
Mist-netting was also done during the morning and produced a few interesting birds. Among the species recorder were: (below from top) Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker, Oriental Reed-Warbler, Yellowish White-eye
.
Unfortunately none of which turned up to be the Streaked Reed-Warbler.
There have been bird ringing programmes conducted in Dalton Pass in the late 60's. A few hundred individuals, identified as Streaked Reed-Warbler, were caught and ringed. This suggested that the species was not as rare as previously thought. It used to be described as common in Candaba until the early 80's.
Unfortunately, habitat destruction and/or converstion to agricultural use in both its breeding and wintering range maybe affecting the population.
It is hoped that someday a ringing programme would continue again, and perhaps convert the hunters into conservationists and work in a future research station in Dalton Pass.
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.JPG)
