Visit the Critical Habitat @ Philippines Region V. Cabusao, Camarines Sur. Analysis of the location was the focus of the document.

1. CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur
INSTITUTE OF NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES
Name: Ronnie Z. Valenciano Jr. Course/Yr. & Sec: BSE 3B Date: February 16, 2012
WETLAND ECOSYSTEM
Laboratory Exercise No. 4
Bird Watching Activity
Cabusao, Camarines Sur
I. INTRODUCTION
Philippines in general has a vast of endangered natural resources and other animals that
shelter on it, one of this are trees where birds lay their eggs and brood it until it becomes a new
species of birds. In Brgy. Pandan Cabusao Camarines Sur is one of the poorest municipality in
the Bicol region but unnoticeable the rich natural resources inside of the municipality. The
wetland of Cabusao consists of mangroves that live in partly fresh and salty water. It serves as a
shelter for many other organisms that live on the trees (bacauan). Migratory birds rely on the
food (tabansak) one of the reasons why other European birds travels down to the Philippines
because of natural resources.
The Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act define a critical habitat as a
patch of land located outside a protected area and have the presence of threatened species. Under
an administrative order recognizing Cabusao as a critical habitat, the DENR’s Region V office is
required to define the boundaries of the critical area and manage it in cooperation with the local
government. The DENR regional office must preserve the existing ecosystems crucial to the
duck’s survival.
II. MATERIALS
Field notebook
Binoculars
Digicam (for documentation)
III. PROCEDURES:
1. Visit a critical habitat – Cabusao, Camarines Sur for bird watching.
2. Use your binoculars to view the different avian species present on the area.(
(*Be patient and stand still.)
3. Make an identification and description on the birds species observe and write it on
your field notebook. Document also the birds observed. You should at least
identify and describe at least five endemic birds and five migratory birds (either
residential or non – residential birds)

2. 4. Interview a resource person regarding the management of critical habitat at
Cabusao.
5. Answer the guide questions given by your Ecology professor.
IV. DATA
NATIVE SPECIES
Naga-
Maya/ Dignus
Rugmo
Punay
Tugwak
(* The above stated avian species were present on the site but not observe during the bird
watching activity.)
Crow – black all over the body. Distinguished by four-toed feet, with three toes pointing
forward and one large toe pointing backward. Crows are black, with more or less of a
glossy sheen.
Kagang – it is white above and brown on the under parts of the body.
Duck – the feathers are white, crown is red, webbed feet is pale yellow. Ducks differ from
geese and swans of the same family by their shorter necks and legs and other anatomical
differences. It has spatulate bills lined with bony notches, or lamellae, for straining plant
and animal matter from water.
Rooster (Gallus gallus) - The feet, usually four-toed. The head is decorated with wattles
and a naked, fleshy crest, called the comb, Plumage ranges from the color black red
orange and red.
Hen – wattles are smaller compared to rooster, Plumage ranges from the color of brown
black and red.
Gallus gallus Domestic duck

3. MIGRATORY BIRDS
Little egret- it has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black bill.
Little Egrets are mostly silent but make various croaking and bubbling
calls at their breeding colonies and produce a harsh alarm call when Little egret
disturbed.
Intermediate egret-This species, as its scientific name implies, is
intermediate in size between the Great Egret and smaller white egrets like
the Little Egret and Cattle Egret, though nearer to Little than Great. It has
all-white plumage, generally dark legs, with neck length a little less than
body length, a slightly domed head, and a shorter, thicker yellow bill.
Cattle egret- It has a relatively short thick neck, sturdy bill, and a hunched Intermediate egret
posture. The non-breeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow
bill and grayish-yellow legs.
Chinese Egret- is a full-crested, white egret with yellow bill.
Tufted duck- It has an obvious head tuft. It is brown with paler
flanks.
Collared kingfisher- It is blue above while the underparts is white.
There is a white collar around the neck.
Whimbrel-It is greyish brown, with a white back and rump and a long
curved bill with a kink rather than a smooth curve. It is generally
wary. The usual call is a rippling whistle, prolonged into a trill for the
song. The Whimbrel is smaller, has a shorter, decurved bill and has a
central crown stripe and strong supercilia.
Striated Heron - They have a blue-grey back and wings, white
underparts, a black cap and short yellow legs. Striated Heron
Northern shoveler- not seen but present. Large distinctive spoon-shaped bill – black in
the drake and brown in the hen. The drake has a green head and neck, a white breast,
brown sides and pale blue shoulder patches. The hen is buff and light brown with
grayish shoulder patches. Length: 19 1/2" Weight: 1 1/2 lbs.
Pacific Golden plover- is spotted gold and black on the crown,
back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border
and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black. In

4. winter, the black is lost and the plover then has a yellowish face
and breast, and white underparts.
Purple heron- The Purple Heron is a large bird, but it is slender
for its size. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in
breeding adults. Purple Heron
(Andrea Purpurea)
Whiskered treeswift- They have long wings, with most of the
length coming from the length of the primaries; their arms are
actually quite short.
Whiskered treeswift
V. ANALYSIS
1. Describe the local habitat, what are the physical and biological characteristics of wetland?
The Cabusao – Critical Habitat has a coordinates of 13°43’ 0” N, 123°5’59”E,
situated at Camarines Sur. The coastal wetland of 27 hectares was located at Brgy. Pandan,
Cabusao, Camarines Sur. It is considered as a wetland because it is an extending inland from the
estuary.
The area was enriched with different flora and fauna. The mangroves were the
flora dominantly present in the area and the only plants that separates the two sides of the area:
the open field area and the open sea area connecting to the san Miguel Bay. The different species
of mangroves were inhabited by another organism called slugs. But mostly, the mud plots were
situated on the open sea area. Within the mud plots are the fruits of nipa, shoots of mangroves,
logs and even garbages including the plastic wrappers and abandoned shoes. It is also observable
on the muddy area the different fauna that serve as food to the domestic/endemic birds and
migratory birds. This includes bugitis, tabansak, mangkak, crabs and rarely shrimp. There is also
a river or dam that outflows to the sea. The area was totally muddy.
The anthropogenic disturbances within the wetland ecosystem are the workers of
the area making an alternative pathway for the convenience of the visitors of the location and the
residents looking for timber on the mangrove trees area together with the fishermen using their
motorboat.
The sea was low tide when we had watched birds, together with gustiness of the
wind. Migratory birds and domestic avian species were present on the area. Below is the map
sketch of the critical habitat.

5. 2. What are the reasons for the migratory birds to feed and breed in the wetland of Cabusao?
Migratory birds came from the long trip of flying to flee on the winter season of
their original home, therefore the birds are looking for a place where in the season is appropriate
for them to regain their energy and for them to find the source of food, because in their original
home their source of food were frozen due to winter season. The Philippines maintain its
favorable climate to the migratory birds. Birds need to boost their energy and store fat to their
body in preparation to the next flight travelling miles away.
3. Describe the flyway of the migratory bird in the wetlands to Cabusao.
Forester Almazar said, there are 3 flyways of migratory birds to the Philippines.
The major flyway is the East Australian (EA) flyway. The migratory birds fly from the
Taimyr Peninsula in Russia to Alaska. It encompasses Australia, New Zealand, China,
Japan, Korea and South-East Asian countries including the Philippines. These migratory
birds spend their breeding season in northern Asia and Alaska and spend the non-
breeding season in South-East Asia and Australasia. The flyway passes through 22

6. countries with approximately 55 migratory species travelling along it, equating to about 5
million birds.
The West Pacific Flyway is a bird migration route that enables the migratory
birds to reach Philippines. It stretches from New Zealand and the east coast of Australia,
northwards through the central Pacific Ocean including the Philippines, the east coast of
northern Asia, including Japan and the Korea, and ending at the Bering and Chukchi Seas
encompassing easternmost Siberia and the Alaskan Peninsula.
4. What are the different stresses and shocks that the ecosystems have experienced? Discuss fully
what LGU plan and DENR will costs the ecosystem.
Stresses and Shocks that ecosystems have experienced were presented in the
table:
STRESSES SHOCKS
fishing on the area of wetland Modification of the natural area/habitat
residents looking for timber Invasion of migratory birds
workers that modifies the area Garbage on the area
tourists climatic change
high tide (because some of the flood on the area
significant organism in the area are hunting of the native and migratory
flowed down to the sea) birds
competition on source of food (for if possible tsunami (tidal wavws in the
endemic birds) area)
According to Forester Rechilda Almazar, there is new unidentified swan – like
migratory bird and probably an additional species of bird visiting the area of Cabusao. At the
same time Mr. Enrico Maravilla had stated that they are making an alternative pathway in
response to the convenience of the visitors in the area.
This plan would sacrifice the natural habitat of the domestic birds such as ducks.
There is a possibility that if this area were open to tourists, the avian species will be disturbed.
Probably they cannot spawn properly because of the stresses from the visitors. Another is the
continuous migration of the birds to Cabusao and some of them are now residential migratory
birds. There is a possibility that the endemic birds will just disappear because of the dominant
residential migratory birds.

7. 5. Describe the food chain/ food web in the wetlands.
The schematic representation shows the flow of nutrients/energy of the
organisms in the wetland:
man/residents
wild duck heron egret
crustaceans/crabs/
bugitis
tabansak
zooplankton mollusks
phytoplankton algae detritus
*The Producers are the algae, phytoplankton and detritus.
*The Final consumers are the residents of the area.
* The flow of energy is composed of the algae, tabansak, bugitis, heron, man
* Algae – mollusks – crustaceans – egret – man
6. Describe and enumerate the ecological service that wetlands offer to the community.
Ecological service provided to the residents:
Filter toxic wastes, excess nutrients, sediments and other pollutants - Wetlands prevent
high concentrations of nutrients and toxic substances from reaching groundwater supplies
or other water sources that may be used for drinking water, thus reducing the costs for its
preliminary treatment.
Storehouse (sinks) of carbon - Wetlands play at least two critical roles in mitigating the
effects of climate change: one in the management of greenhouse gases (especially carbon
dioxide, CO2) and the other in physically buffering climate change impacts.
Help prevent erosion due to the trees present on the area (wetland) – wetland vegetation
stabilizes shorelines and protects from storms (by slowing down the wind speed,
minimizing the effects of waves, water flow and runoff, and by trapping sediments).

8. Reduce flooding by storing storm water. The flood will be accumulated by the mangrove
tress preventing the flood to flow on the residential areas.
Protection for storm surge
Aesthetic and educational value, support for tourism – the natural beauty of many
wetlands makes them ideal locations for recreation, education and tourism.
Biodiversity protection – support a great diversity of species, many of which are unique
and rare. Other wetlands’ products are used as construction material (reeds for thatching,
timber for construction); as a source of fuel (plant residues may be formed into briquettes
and used in homes or they may be burnt directly); fibres for textile and paper-making;
medicines from bark, leaves and fruits; dyes and tannins used to treat leather, etc.
Ecological service provided to the fauna:
Feeding, resting spot for migrating fowl
Provide food, habitat for other aquatic species
Provide nesting grounds for a number of species, including crabs, shrimps, oysters and
clams.
Breeding site of mosquitoes.
Nursery habitats
Site to regain energy and store fats

9. VI. DOCUMENTATION
The area seems flooded but it’s not. It is high tide, the sea water meets
the fresh water.
Flying with wings: Egrets with the same feathers flock together.
Wild duck Leader: Wild ducks, are you ready! Let’s conquer the sea!

10. I will follow you… Boo – Get – Tea’s: Bird food
The boat is sinking group yourselves into one!

11. Madam can you cite species of birds present here in the area?
Kammi…Hammii…Waveeee…..! Ma’am Flor and my group members strike
out at Cabusao – Critical Habitat.

12. VII. REFERENCES:
Forester Rechilda Almazar
Mr. Enrico Maravilla – Caretaker
Enger and Smith, Environmental Science: A study Interrelationship.
McGrawHill: Philippines, 1999.
Kadlec and Knight, Treatment of Wetlands
Lewis Publishing:USA, 1996.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collared_Kingfisher
http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2010/feb4/xbirds.html
http://www.maweb.org/documents/document.358.aspx.pdf
http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-pubs-info-ecosystem-services/main/ramsar/1-30-
103%5E24258_4000_0__
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/wetlands_200604.pdf
www.flyways.us/.../dabbling-ducks/northern-shoveler