Migratory Waterfowl Seen in Glan, Sarangani

Glan, Sarangani Province, 12 January 2017 – Personnel of DENR CENRO Glan recently conducted census of waterfowl in consonance with the 2017 International Waterfowl Census/ Asian Waterfowl Census. (Top) Whimbrels were spotted in Glan Padidu, Glan, Sarangani. The whimbrel is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland. (Right) Some little egrets (Egretta garzetta) were spotted along ponds in Sitio Pagang, Barangay Baliton, municipality of Glan during a bird survey. Little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. The genus name comes from the Provençal French Aigrette, "egret", a diminutive of Aigron," heron". The species epithet garzetta is from the Italian name for this bird, garzetta or sgarzetta. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures Its breeding distribution is in wetlands in warm temperate to tropical parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In warmer locations, most birds are permanent residents; northern populations, including many European birds, migrate to Africa and southern Asia to over-winter there. Another species spotted are Black- winged Stilt. Found in West Europe and the Mediterranean region to Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia; localized breeder in East Asia (e.g. Taiwan) but more widespread during winter; has become a regular migrant to the Marianas and Saipan and sometimes is seen on other islands in western Micronesia (e.g. Koror, Ngeriungs Islet and Peleliu of Palau) since the late 20th-century. Northwestern populations migrate south to Africa in winter. (Wenie G. Vergara,Nelson Ycon and Paul John Cadorna/DENR – Glan, Sarangani)