Candaba Wetlands and Bird Sanctuary

I am not a bird photographer. I don't even have the lens for it. But given a choice between spending the day walking outdoors in a nearby province in the company of my best travel buddies or battling it out with Dr. Zomboss in the rooftop of my zombie-infested house, the choice was definitely easy.

So, I, together with Ironwulf, Lagalog, Lantaw and Noise Ninja headed to the plains of Pampanga to spend the day shooting birds with our camera on their natural habitat and to shoot the sunset at Candaba Wetlands and Bird Sanctuary.

We left the Baliwag Terminal in Cubao at about 10 in the morning and arrived at Baliwag, Bulacan around noon. A 30-minute tricycle ride lead us to the paved streets of Barangay Donya Simang in Candaba, Pampanga. And from there, it was another thirty minute walk on the dirt-road leading to the Wetlands.

I was half-expecting a scenario of mud, swamps and foresty-feel of the area but most of what I have seen are rice-fields. I have learned that most of the wetlands have to give way to rice fields because people here keep on reclaiming them. In fact, I have learned that the area is all titled property so the owners may drain the swamp and turn it to a more commercially-viable rice fields.

What remains of the wetlands are basically land owned by the mayor of Candaba. At present, developments are on-going to make the place more tourist-friendly and more accessible. I have even seen a car passing through the dirt-roads there which was impossible to do a couple of years back.

Pardon me if I could not post the name of the birds I have seen in the wetlands but I do remember seeing herons, egrets and turns. And yes, I have seen a thousand wild ducks flying in the sky. Seeing them up there is a sight to behold. You have to be patient thou, because if you expect to see them abundantly in the area, then you will definitely be disappointed.

We spent most of the afternoon waiting to get lucky on one of the swamps or walking behind bird hides but only few birds decided to show up until we heard a gun-shot followed by the sound of cracking bamboos. We have learned that staff in the area do that to disturb the birds so that they will go out of their resting place and fly around the area. Although that was the time when we saw lots of birds, I don't know if that method of calling birds was a good idea.

As for the planned sunset shoot, the sun hid early on darkening clouds and the anticipated colors of the sky did not materialize so the sunset shoot turned into a lakwatsa photo shoot by the water-tank. But then again, cheery as we were, that did not dampen our spirits and just walk our way back amidst the darkness of the place while singing our hearts out from tunes that only us can understand.

Well, I am not against development but it has to be sustainable. After all, birds flock the sanctuary because for them, it is a habitat where they feel they are protected. But, if these developments stress them in one way or the other, then, I won't be surprised if the efforts of the Mayor to turn the place into a tourist attraction will fail to prosper because there will no longer be birds to see and observe in their natural habitat.

To date, there is a Php 150fee paid for the upkeep of the facilities. But since there are no store or canteen in the area, you have to bring your own food and drinks if you plan to spend the day there. And if you plan to spend the night, there is a house there that can be rented. Just walk past the bird's hide and it will lead you to the house owned by the mayor.