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The search for Far Eastern Curlews in the Philippines
Fig. 1. Far Eastern Curlews in Tanza, Navotas City 2022. © Irene Dy Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) is a large shorebird species found in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. It is assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an Endangered species and is part of Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). The species is mainly threatened by habitat loss due to conversion of mudflats for agricultural purposes, mangrove plantation directly in the mudflats, reclamation, and urbanization. They also face threats such as solid waste and water pollution, fishing bycatch, human disturbance, and climate change. The Philippines is a mega diverse country found in the Southeast Asian region. It is home to about 725 species of birds, wherein 278 species are migratory or accidental species. As an archipelagic country comprising of 7,640 islands, it has extensive coastal shorelines and bodies of water that are ideal for shorebirds including curlews. Figure 2. Philippine Map showing major areas surveyed In selected dates from October to December 2022, eight major areas in the Philippines were visited to conduct census of Far Eastern Curlew (Fig. 2). In mainland Luzon, sites surveyed were Pamarawan in Bulacan province, Tanza in National Capital Region, and localities in La Union province. In Bicol Region, Masbate localities were surveyed. In the Southwestern part of Greater Luzon, Mindoro localities were surveyed. And in the West Visayas Region, Cebu, Negros, and Iloilo were the areas surveyed. All surveys were led by Irene Dy, a professional Filipino bird guide and bird photographer. She has conducted multiple birding expeditions, both personal and professional guidance as well as volunteered for local and national environmental NGOs and other organizations for awareness raising and conservation of Philippine birds. The Far Eastern Curlew census started on 28 October, 2022, until 28 December, 2022 taking into account the tide levels in each of the areas surveyed. Pamarawan surveys were conducted on 28 October, 2022 and 27 November, 2022. Five sites were surveyed: Vitas Mudflat, Sandbar-Mudflat, Pulo-Pulo Mudflat, Berting’s Salt Farm, and Albert’s Salt Farm. A total of 45 species was recorded throughout the survey period with a maximum total count of 17,012 individuals. On Far Eastern Curlew, only one individual was recorded at Pulo-Pulo Mudflat. Other significant records were Nordmann’s Greenshank, Great Knot, and Chinese Egret. In Tanza, Navotas City, surveys were conducted on 31 October, 2022 and 01 November, 2022. This area had the highest number of Far Eastern Curlews recorded, with a maximum total count of 99 individuals. Far Eastern Curlew flock spread across the water edge of mudflat and the drier part near the mangrove area. Individuals were observed to be either resting, sleeping, foraging, actively vocalizing in the mudflat, duetting in pairs while in flight, or actively vocalizing flock while in flight from mudflat going to the mouth of Batasan River. Accounting all the sightings, a total of 44 species of birds were recorded and with a maximum total count of 13, 882 individuals. Other threatened species include Great Knot and Chinese Egret. In Mandaue City, Cebu, the surveys were conducted from 12-13 November, 2022. Four sites were surveyed: Fishpond site, Mudflat 1A, Mudflat 1B, and Mudflat 1C. A maximum total count of 24 Far Eastern Curlew was recorded. As an assessment, the ponds are high tide roosting sites of the species along with several other species. Site counts are totally tidal level dependent. Far Eastern Curlews tend to congregate in large numbers in the ponds inside the mangrove area during high tide. The total count of species recorded was 33 and a maximum total count of 1,050 individuals. Threatened species recorded were the Far Eastern Curlew and Chinese Egret. In Negros Island, sites within the Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) were surveyed from 15-18 November, 2022. These include barangays Tibsoc and Nayon in San Enrique; Pulupandan; barangays Bocana and Andulauan in Ilog. A maximum total count of ten Far Eastern Curlew was recorded. Accounting all species, a total of 54 species was recorded with a maximum total count of 4,256 individuals. In Iloilo province, surveys were conducted on 19-20 November, 2022. Sites include Balabago and Bitoon in Jaro District as well as Hinactacan in La Paz District, all within Iloilo City. A maximum total count of 36 Far Eastern Curlews were recorded. On the other hand, a total of 54 species of birds was recorded with a maximum total count of 2,941 individuals. Within the Philippines, this site has one of the most numerous sightings of Lesser Sand Plover (Tibetan) (Charadrius mongolus atrifons) hence the record during the survey was very significant. Survey in Masbate in the Bicol Region was conducted on 23-25 November, 2022. Mangrovetum Park and Pawa Mangrove Park in Masbate City as well as Naro Island Wildlife Sanctuary were the sites surveyed. A total of 47 species of birds was recorded with a maximum total count of 954 individuals. A male individual of Far Eastern Curlew was sighted at Naro Island. Threatened species recorded include Far Eastern Curlew, Chinese Egret, and a Visayan Hornbill at Pawa Mangrove Park. In Mindoro, surveys were conducted on November 28-30, 2022. Sites include Silonay and Maidlang area in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro as well as wetlands in the municipality of Pola, Oriental Mindoro. Presence of Far Eastern Curlew wasn’t documented though another site in Calapan City, Mahal Na Pangalan Marine Park had records of Far Eastern Curlews on October 09, 2021 (two individuals) and on November 20, 2021 (one individual). Throughout the survey, a total of 33 species was recorded with a maximum total count of 3,346 individuals. La Union was the last area surveyed on December 26-28, 2022. Sites surveyed were within the towns of Santo Tomas and Agoo. A total of eight Far Eastern Curlew was recorded throughout the survey period. Accounting all the species recorded, a total of 42 species was recorded with a maximum total of 1,267 individuals. Aside from Far Eastern Curlew, threatened species include the Java Sparrow, Chinese Egret and Philippine Duck. Figure 3. Maximum total counts of Far Eastern Curlew in each of the main areas surveyed Figure 4. Total species recorded in each of the main areas surveyed Figure 5. Maximum total count of individuals in each of the main areas surveyed Throughout the survey period, Irene Dy was also able build capacity and influence locals as well as government personnel regarding bird identification and informing biodiversity conservation. They are now aware of the different species of migratory shorebirds, their importance, and their habitats. Figure 6. Local from Bitoon, Lapaz District, Iloilo City, Iloilo Province observing shorebirds and waders including Far Eastern Curlew. Photo © Irene Dy 2022 The census received a lot of support from locals, local birders, local government units, as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). A sincere gratitude to Lyndon Grondiano, a Cebu-based birder, who supported the survey in Cebu; Hon. Rose Faith Paas and the local government unit of Tibsoc in San Enrique, Negros Occidental as well as Kim Castańares of Ilog, Negros Occidental for their support and assistance in the surveys conducted in Negros; the DENR-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Oriental Mindoro through Amor Asi and Earl Meman, and the DENR-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Socorro, Oriental Mindoro through Jose Maria Fontanilla, Joey Albert San Diego, and Adrian Catud for their support and assistance in the surveys conducted in Mindoro; and DENR-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Mobo for their support and assistance in the surveys conducted in Masbate. Thanks to Dr. Nial Moores and Dave Bakewell for the support and advice on species identification and confirmation. Lastly, the sincerest gratitude to the government of Hwaseong City and the EAAFP Secretariat for the valuable financial support to initiate the Far Eastern Curlew census and conservation in the Philippines. Prepared by Irene Dy and Virtito Natural Jr. Citation: Dy. I & V. Natural. 2023. Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) Census (2022, the Philippines). EAAFP Secretariat, Hwaseong Eco Foundation, and Hwaseong City. [link]
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Far Eastern Curlew Important Site on Sumatra Island, Indonesia
Far Eastern Curlew is the largest shorebird in the world. It is an endemic shorebird in East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The global trend of the Far Eastern Curlew population has…
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The Hwaseong Wetlands Project
Written by Dr. Nial Moores, Birds Korea The Hwaseong Wetlands, centred at approximately 37.115046° 126.731785°, are located in Gyeonggi Bay in the northwest of the Republic of Korea (ROK). Situated on the eastern shore of the Yellow Sea only an hour’s drive south from Seoul and Incheon, the wetlands sit at the heart of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), in a region where temperatures can exceed 35C in July and August, but fall well below zero for much of January. As a result, almost all waterbirds found in the Hwaseong Wetlands are long-range migrants, with some species flying the length of the Flyway every year. Formerly known as Namyang Bay, the Hwaseong Wetlands were created in their present form by the completion of a 9.81km long outer sea-dyke in 2002 which destroyed thousands of hectares of tidal flat and shallow marine waters, and caused huge damage to the livelihoods of many local fishers and to shorebird populations. The same reclamation process, however, left 1,000ha of outer tidal flat and also inadvertently created a large brackish reclamation lake, now used by flocks of Black-faced Spoonbills and rafts of diving duck; freshwater ponds and reedbeds; and rice-fields which support thousands of foraging geese in October and November The Hwaseong Wetlands © Jung Hanchul, Gyeonggi KFEM The area was first recognized as internationally important for waterbirds back in 1988. Subsequent government research effort there between 1997 and 2003 found an estimated 70,000 shorebirds annually during northward migration, identifying Namyang Bay as the second most important site for shorebirds in the ROK after the now-reclaimed Saemangeum. Post-reclamation, because of massive habitat change many species of shorebird declined, but geese and duck increased. Fortunately, research between 2015 and 2018 by the local NGO - Hwaseong KFEM confirmed the continuing international importance of the area for waterbirds, and the Hwaseong Wetlands were finally designated as EAAFP Flyway Network Site (FNS) 142 at the Tenth Meeting of the Partners of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) in late 2018. As discussion between Hwaseong City and the EAAFP Secretariat progressed toward designation of part or all of the Hwaseong Wetlands FNS as a Ramsar site, multiple questions arose. These included which Ramsar criteria the wetlands still met; what the best site boundaries should be; and what kind of management approaches might be needed. An MOU was signed early in 2020, and soon after the Hwaseong Wetlands Project was launched. A collaboration between Hwaseong City, the sponsor of the project, the EAAFP Secretariat, Hwaseong KFEM, National KFEM and Birds Korea, the Wetlands Project, under the sub-project “National Cooperation for Hwaseong Wetlands and Establishment of a Korean Far Eastern Curlew Network”, was conducted between June 2020 and mid-March 2021 and aimed to answer these questions while continuing the all-important process of building support for conservation among local people. During 49 days of fieldwork led by Birds Korea, more than 131,000 individual waterbirds of 110 species were counted within the FNS. Furthermore, the peak count among surveys indicated 83,232 individuals of 57 species between 17th and 18th November in 2020. This total included internationally important concentrations of 19 waterbird species, seven of which are globally threatened. In all, 91,000 geese and duck were recorded, and more than 28,000 shorebirds were counted during southward migration alone, including a conservative count of 2,275 Far Eastern Curlew. The Project Surveys therefore helped confirm that the Hwaseong Wetlands FNS meet multiple Ramsar criteria for the identification of internationally important wetlands. Far Eastern Curlew and other shorebirds in Hwaseong Wetlands © Nial Moores, Birds Korea In addition, repeat counts within the Hwaseong Wetlands FNS and at adjacent wetlands helped us to confirm the ecological interconnectivity of the different habitat components and to identify movements of waterbirds between wetlands. The Project surveys therefore helped in the refinement of wetland boundaries and also confirmed the international importance of adjacent wetlands, from Asan Bay in the south, to the Maehwari tidal flats to the north. During the same period, Hwaseong KFEM led the Project’s CEPA work, holding multiple meetings with local stakeholders and educator groups, gathering opinions of local fisherfolk, and supporting the development of a photo exhibition and no less than three documentaries for broadcast on local and national TV! The data from the surveys contributed to the establishment of the Far Eastern Curlew Network of the Korean Peninsula. Hwaseong City led the establishment of the Network with other local governments where Far Eastern Curlews’ habitats are, Seocheon County of Chungcheongnam-do and Yeonsu district of Incehon. Together with the EAAFP Secretariat, all project partners also helped to organize the third international Wetlands Symposium in three years, held in Hwaseong City on December 1st 2020. Finally, to organize information gathered during the project and to support management decisions in the future, Birds Korea, the EAAFP Secretariat and Hwaseong KFEM coauthored a project report, which after professional layout was published in Korean in March 2021. Download via: https://eaaflyway.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Wise-Use-of-the-Hwaseong-Wetlands_Kor_online-compressed.zip The English-language version, while not formally published, is now available for download from the EAAFP website [here]. Follow the updates and see the birds in Hwaseong Wetlands: https://www.facebook.com/EAAF142 Oriental Stork, Hwaseong Wetlands © Jung Hanchul, Gyeonggi KFEM 화성습지 프로젝트 새와 생명의 터 나일 무어스 박사 작성 화성 습지는 약 37.115046° 126.731785°, 대한민국 북서부 경기만에 위치하고 있다. 서울과 인천에서 남쪽으로 차로 한 시간밖에 떨어지지 않은 황해 동쪽 해안에 위치한 습지는 동아시아-대양주 철새이동경로(EAAF)의 중심부에 위치해 있으며, 7, 8월에는 기온이 35°C를 웃돌지만 1월은 상당 기간 영하로 떨어진다. 그 결과 화성습지에서 발견되는 물새는 거의 대부분 장거리 이주새로, 일부 종은 매년 동아시아-대양주 철새이동경로만큼의 거리를 난다. 남양만이라 불리던 화성습지는 2002년, 수천 ha의 갯벌과 얕은 해양수역을 파괴하고 많은 지역 어민들의 생계와 도요물떼새류 개체군에 막대한 피해를 입혔던 길이 9.81㎞의 바다 제방 완공 이후 현재 모습으로 조성되었다. 그 개간 과정으로 인해 저어새와 잠수 오리류 무리가 사용하는1000ha의 갯벌과 큰 간척호, 민물 연못과 갈대밭, 그리고 10월과 11월에 먹이를 찾는 수천 마리의 기러리류를 지원하는 논밭이 우연히 생겼다. 화성습지 © 정한철, 경기환경운동연합 1988년 처음 이 지역이 물새들에게 국제적으로 중요한 지역이라는 것이 인식되었다. 1997년에서 2003년 사이 정부 조사 결과 매년 약 7만 마리의 도요물떼새류가 북쪽으로 이동하는 것이 발견되면서, 남양만은 현재 복원된 새만금 다음으로 한국에서 두 번째로 도요물떼새류에게 중요한 곳으로 밝혀졌다. 개간 후, 대규모 서식지 변화 때문에 많은 종의 도요물떼새류가 감소했지만, 기러기류와 오리류는 증가했다. 다행히 2015~2018년 지역 NGO인 화성환경운동연합의 조사로 인해 물새들을 위한 지역의 연속적인 국제적 중요성이 확인되었으며, 화성 습지는2018년 말 동아시아-대양주 철새이동경로 파트너십 (EAAFP) 제10회 총회에서 마침내 EAFFP 철새이동경로 네트워크 사이트 (FNS) EAAF142로 지정되었다. 2020년 초에는 MOU가 체결됐고, 곧이어 화성습지 사업도 출범했다. 이번 사업의 후원사인 화성시와 화성환경운동연합, 환경운동연합, 새와 생명의 터, 습지 프로젝트(사업명 : 화성습지 국제심포지엄 및 국제협력사업)는2020년 5월부터 2021년 3월 중순까지 추진되었고 지역 주민들 사이에 보전을 위한 지원을 구축하는 모든 중요한 과정을 계속하며 질문에 답하는 것을 목표로 했다. 이의 하위사업인 “알락꼬리마도요 보전을 위한 국제협력사업”의 일환으로, 새와 생명의 터가 주도한 49일간의 현장조사 기간 동안 110종 131,000마리 이상의 물새가 FNS 내에서 집계되었다. 게다가, 조사의 최고 수치는 2020년 11월 17일부터 11월 18일까지 57종 83,232마리었다. 이 수치는 국제적으로 중요한 19종을 포함하고 있고, 그 중 7종은 세계적으로 멸종위기에 처해 있다. 모두 91,000마리의 기러기류와 오리류가 기록되었으며, 남하하는 동안에만 28,000마리 이상의 도요물떼새류가 집계되었으며, 여기에는 적어도 2,275마리의 알락꼬리마도요가 포함되었다. 따라서 프로젝트 조사는 화성 습지 FNS가 국제적으로 중요한 습지 식별을 위한 여러 람사르 기준을 충족하는지 확인하는 데 도움이 되었다. 화성습지에 있는 알락꼬리마도요와 다른 도요물떼새류 © 나일 무어스, 새와 생명의 터 또한 화성습지FNS내와 인접 습지 내에서의 반복적인 조사를 통하여, 다양한 서식지 간 생태적 상호연속성을 확인하고 습지간 물새의 이동을 확인할 수 있었다. 따라서 이번 프로젝트 조사는 습지 경계의 개선에 도움을 주었으며, 또한 남쪽의 아산만에서 북쪽의 매화리 갯벌에 이르기까지 인접 습지의 국제적 중요성을 확인시켜 주었다. 같은 기간 화성환경운동연합은 지역 이해관계자 및 교육단체와 여러 간담회를 열고 지역 어민들의 의견을 수렴하고, 사진전을 구축하고 지역 및 전국 TV에서 방송할 수 있는 다큐멘터리 개발을 3편 이상 지원하는 등 프로젝트 CEPA 작업을 주도했다. 이번 조사에서 나온 자료는 한반도 알락꼬리마도요 네트워크 구축에 기여했다. 화성시는 알락꼬리마도요 서식지가 있는 다른 지방자치단체와 충남 서천군, 인천 연수구 등과 네트워크 구축을 주도했다. 모든 프로젝트 파트너들은 EAAFP 사무국과 함께 2020년 12월 1일 화성시에서 3년 만에 열린 제3회 화성습지 국제심포지엄 개최를 도왔다. 끝으로 사업 과정에서 수집된 정보를 정리하고 향후 경영결정을 지원하기 위해 새와 생명의 터, EAAFP 사무국, 화성환경운동연합 등이 공동으로 사업보고서를 작성하였고 이후 2021년 3월 한글로 발간되었다. 다운로드: https://eaaflyway.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Wise-Use-of-the-Hwaseong-Wetlands_Kor_online-compressed.zip 공식적으로 출판되지는 않았으나 영어 버전은 현재 EAAFP 웹사이트[here]에서 다운로드할 수 있다. 더 많은 화성습지의 새들을 보고싶다면: https://www.facebook.com/EAAF142 황새, 화성 습지 © 정한철, 경기환경운동연합
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The Launch of Far Eastern Curlew Network of the Korean Peninsula
Hwaseong City in Ro Korea, where the Flyway Network Site Hwaseong Wetlands (EAAF 142) is located, the main habitat of Far Eastern Curlews, carried out the Hwaseong Wetland Project…
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The Critical Non-breeding Habitat of Nordmann’s Greenshank at Pantai Cemara, Jambi
Pantai Cemara, located in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, is known as one…
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EAAFP at CMS COP12
Spike Millington, Chief Executive The theme of 2017’s World Migratory Bird Day was “Their Future is Our Future”, highlighting the interconnectedness of nature,…
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EAAFP pre-MOP9 meeting: Shorebird Working Group and Far Eastern Curlew Task Force
Rick Lanctot, Shorebird Working Group Chair Mark Carey, Far Eastern Curlew Task Force Chair A one day meeting focused on the Shorebird Working Group and…
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