Wildlife Expedition Narrative Mount Tingtingan Eagle Rendezvous By Phillip Somozo The rarest solitary, tallest and strikingly handsome, but strictly monogamous eagle in the world soared out from the shadow of speculation during a scientific expedition in one of the key biodiversity areas in the planet.* Our avian singularity, described as the sky’s noblest flyer, is the Philippine national bird: Pithecophaga jefferyi, while the bio-region concerned is Mount Tintingan, Daguma Range, Sultan Kudarat province, island of Mindanao, and ancestral domain of Manobo-Dulangan indigenous tribe. The expedition’s main activity is Biodiversity Indexing, its output necessary reference for the Manobo-Dulangan’s management of natural resources. Since eagle sightings had been reported by local inhabitants, expedition members were enthused to confirm its veracity. Eagles are accurate indicators of ecological balance. Identified eagle habitats are protected by law, located nests covertly monitored, aquiline activities studied, and buffer communities educated and supported with development projects. The team is a composite of Davao City-based non-governmental organizations, the Tri-People Concern for Peace, Progress, and Development of Mindanao (TRICOM) and the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF). Three Filipino scientists affiliated with the Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago, USA provided valuable additional expertise. Indigenous peoples’ organization Kulaman Manobo-Dulangan Organization served as host, providing the team with parabiologists, cooks, and porters. This author acted as volunteer photo/videographer. Consisting of mammalogists, ornithologists, a herpetologist, foresters, field technicians, and volunteers, the team left for the area in three batches starting September 3, 2009, and arrived at base camp beginning September 7. PEF conducted information and education campaign among tribal villages along the way. If the trek was rainy, arrival at base camp was greeted by crickets fiddling that warm, sunny days were coming. True enough, transecting activities, setting up of rodent traps and bird nets, and collection of sample species done the following week went smoothly under the sun. Each researcher was hopeful to discover new species to add to existing Philippine wildlife list. When no Philippine eagle was sighted after days of raptor watch, apprehension that what the indigenous peoples had reported may have been other types of raptors gained credence among some members. It was a doubt that optimists like me did not entertain because IPs call the sighted big bird “banog-ubal,” literally “eagle-monkey” because it attacks macaques for food. No other Philippine raptor feeds on apes. On our seventh night, after covering a 2-kilometer downhill transect route, PEF research director Jayson Ibanez, field technician Emiliano “Blackie” Lumiston, parabiologists Ogoy and Mas, and I, armed with four flashlights, had monitored three flying lemurs, the same number of civet cats, and six flying foxes. Lemurs, civet cats, rodents, and bats, apart from monkeys, consist the eagle’s fave diet. It is necessary to evaluate their presence to assess a bio-region’s suitability as eagle habitat. Ornithologist Jayson claimed the numbers represent a “relative abundance” of the nocturnal mammals, increasing the probability of eagle presence. Two nights ago, doing the same activity at 1500 to 1600 meters above sea level, the same group came down with only one prized civet cat. The peak is 1700 masl. Rationalizations guided Jayson to go lower this time, at 1400 to 1300 masl where tribal villages are scattered, and was rewarded with our profuse find. “But it is to the solitary eagle’s disadvantage if his favorite foods are located close to where humans live because they are known to seemingly dislike our species and transfer elsewhere when approached by our kind. Isn’t it?” Jayson readily replied to my query, “Based on observation eagles like to hunt in forest edges. They do not mind people as long as they are not harmed by them. They can co-exist peacefully with us. Abandonment of nest and displacement is caused by irresponsible people like hunters, or noisy activity; that is why we need to educate communities concerning eagle characteristics.” His passion for the eagle is relentless. Early the following day he left base camp with several men to search where he believed he would find the object of his zeal. His determination was met with auspiciousness. Rain fell. When it stopped early afternoon, we found ourselves huddled close to the kitchen fire, sipping coffee in-between twice-told tales. A rooster and a hen, tethered for the cook’s knife, pecked food on the ground not far from us. We were in this situation when tribal shaman Wini, coming in from the forest, stepped into the clearing, announcing that banog-ubal’s identity is now confirmed. Jayson, he said, had seen the eagle before the rain, and recognized it as the Philippine eagle we were expectant of. The news brought warmth to our rain-drenched, mini tent-community. We enjoyed it so much that we asked Wini to retell how Jayson chanced upon our elusive superbird. While the group was in this gay mood, Ogoy noticed that the chickens suddenly cackled in fear and scampered under the dining table for safety. Looking up he told us the eagle is here. He searched the boughs above us while we watched curiously. “Over there!” He exclaimed pointing at a tree crown above the rest. My eyes focused on arboreal details. After a while I distinguished a large, brown, aquiline back hunched on a branch sixty meters away. Excitement electrified the group. The bird turned an eye at us, revealing a white nape. Moments later it flew away with widespread wings. After twenty minutes Jason arrived and we heard his story straight from him, just as we told him ours. The next morning, monitoring with Blackie and Mas from a huge rock overlooking a panorama sweeping from east to north, Jayson was able to take digital photos of the eagle soaring in wide circles from below upwards. When it neared their spot they discerned that the bird clutched a prey item that to Blackie looked like a bat, indicating that the bird may have been homing. If she really was, one could localize the spot where to search for nest by noting where she dove down. They followed her flight towards the western peak where she circled three times more, then, plunged out of sight to the other side. The sighting lasted for about 15 minutes, reported Jayson. Two days later, TRICOM forester Rey Palabon and I decided to take over the rocky loft Jason and Blackie had vacated. At about eleven thirty towards noon, we both sighted the eagle soaring in circles beyond the ridge leading to the peak. I hurriedly took footages, but the best I could get of the fleeting moment with the limited video camera were split-second images of her flight. On September 24, as the expedition was culminating, the rare and extinction-threatened object of our search seemingly allowed herself to be observed. Perching on a giant tree, she preened for about two hours to the group’s endless delight. Distant as the branch was, photos and video footage had to be taken through the lens of a field telescope. Meanwhile, mammalogists Aloy, Liza, and Joel Sarmiento are optimistic they have discovered a new species of rodent. Herpetologist Roselyn Quidlat, field technician Neri Baron, Jr. and guide Gubat, after praying for rain the past week, got what they wanted and became busy running after bouncing frogs. The bird team composed of ornithologist Anecito Allado, volunteer Mariano Roy Duya, KMDO field technician Ronilo, and Rey had net-trapped, identified, measured, and released-back a wide variety of birds, about fifty percent of which are Mindanao endemic. PEF forester Guiller Opiso, vegetation guru, had the easiest time in collecting floral rarities.** “He should,” quipped Aloy, “plants don’t run or fly away from us!” *Daguma Mountain Range is identified by Conservation International as one of the 120 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) in the world. **All photos are by the author, unless indicated otherwise. - End -
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 06:45:05 +0000
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