Who’s who at Parañaque-Las Piñas bird haven

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about protected birds—and more.

That’s all in a 30-page booklet launched at the 11th anniversary of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines recently to draw attention to the importance of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA) as a bird sanctuary in the light of plans to turn the area into a site of a reclamation project.

The booklet titled “A Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of LPPCHEA” was  funded by the Villar Sipag (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance), while the content and photographs were provided by the Wild Bird Club and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-National Capital Region.

“With the publication of the book, we again took another step in bringing attention to  the LPPCHEA, and of course the birds of LPPCHEA,” Sen. Cynthia Villar said in a statement.

Mile Lu, Wild Bird Club founding president, said  he hopes the field guide would “educate and raise the awareness of the general public to the diversity of species and the importance of the last mangrove island on southern Manila Bay.”

The booklet showcases 41 colored photographs of bird species found in the area, including the endangered Philippine Duck or “Papan,” the vulnerable migratory bird Chinese Egret, and the Black-winged Stilt.

“We will also come up with a guide book for plants and trees found in the area. We need to inform the public that this beautiful place exists, and that it has to be preserved and protected,” Villar said.

Free copies of the booklet are being given away at the Sipag office in Las Piñas City.