2026 Asian Waterbird Census in Bulacan
I was invited, once again, to count birds during the 2026 Asian Waterbird Census with the DENR and the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines in Bulacan! This trip was an exciting one because we were looking forward to seeing flocks of Black-faced Spoonbills in the area. And yes, we saw a lot of Spoonbills!!! Salamat Jasmin!
On the first day, we saw large flocks of birds foraging on the sandbars of Bulacan. We split into several smaller groups to cover multiple large flocks. In our spot, we had a lot of Curlews and Stints alongside amazing close-up views of Ruddy Turnstones and Broad-billed Sandpipers.
A big highlight of our first day was a flagged Greater Sand Plover with white-over-blue bearing a “0C” engraving on the white flag. It turns out that this individual (assigned as D22067) was originally banded in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, Lunwei, Taiwan, by the Taiwan Wader Study Group on July 30, 2007. This individual has gone unnoticed for 19 years until it was spotted again in the Philippines! Chung-Yu Chiang told me this bird was already banded as an adult... so this bird being older than me is not outside the realm of possibility!
During Day 2, we had a very close encounter with a Chinese Egret in one of the offset areas. Looking in two different directions, Riza and Cathy saw lots of Plovers and Stints, while I saw lots of Common Greenshanks. By noon, I achieved my second lifer for the trip, a Dunlin, with the help of Irene! This Dunlin was relatively small alongside several Red-necked Stints, and it had that swooping eyebrow distinguishing it from the Curlew Sandpiper.
It’s been a very fun time attending the Asian Waterbird Census in Bulacan for the second year in a row! The Philippines is growing rapidly. Crucial wetland areas, such as Northern Manila Bay, are increasingly being industrialized. We see how important it is to care for our wetlands so that local and migratory wildlife can thrive.
These photographs were made possible with the DENR and the WBCP. Most especially, maraming salamat sa aming mga boatman sa AWC, sina Sir Ericson Cruz and si Sir Larry!!
