The group has reported sightings of 82 species of birds in the campus, more than double the number reported in 1998 in a study of Diliman fauna by biologists Dr. Perry Ong, Marisol Pedregosa and Michael G. de Guia. "The birds like it here because of the diverse habitats. In Diliman we have almost everything – forest, grassland, watery and muddy areas, buildings for nesting," surmises WBCP member and conservation scientist Prof. Jonathan Villasper of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.
Even mainstays of the Diliman campus are unaware that the chirping in the stately acacias comes from species other than the familiar "maya." If one is observant enough, Villasper says, one might catch a glimpse of the swift blue-winged kingfishers around the grounds of the Marine Science Institute or the Lagoon. Then there are also the impressive orange-tinged Cattle Egret, the Barred Rail trotting through the tall grass, the slender White-Breasted Waterhen, the inconspicuous Brush Cuckoo, and many others found in different spots over the 493-hectare campus. Though most of the birds visit to breed and feed, the Diliman habitats also support some endemic Philippine birds such as the Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker and the bright Colasisi.
In recent years, these fascinating creatures have drawn more attention to UPD as a bird sanctuary than a family picnic ground or jogger’s romp. Individual birders and bird enthusiasts, as well as bird-watching groups and environmental stalwarts, such as the WBCP and Haribon, to name a few, are flocking to the campus to catch a glimpse of its feathered inhabitants.
Their vigilance does well for the continuing process of gathering information about the birds, as each sighting brings discoveries to light. For instance, birders became aware of the presence of the Ashy Ground Thrush in Diliman when one crashed against the glass panels of the Vargas Museum. "We picked up the injured bird and was able to identify it as an Ashy Ground Thrush," related Villasper. The Thrush is listed in The Threatened Birds of the Philippines, published in 1999 by Nigel J. Collar, Neil Aldrin D. Mallari and Blas R. Tabaranza Jr.
But more of the birds, explains Villasper, are common enough in the Philippines. No "exotic" species – in the eyes of many are here. But what is ironic is that in the state of things – rapid urbanization resulting in loss of habitat – even the most common birds are quickly becoming rare, when once upon a time they were widespread all over the Metro Manila area. Now the birds are concentrated in unspoiled pockets of UPD, the nearby Ateneo de Manila University, Fort Bonifacio, and the Manila American Cemetery.
In UPD, they have found a safe haven for now. "But there are still threats to the birds, from hunting and the conversion of habitats around the campus," Villasper says. Since the birds are not on the list of protected species as specified by the Philippine Resources Conservation and Protection Act, there’s no stopping anyone from collecting them, as one group has done, having "harvested some 20 waterhens from the Jardin ng Mga Rosas supposedly for food," related Villasper. According to him, there have also been some instances where the residents of the University, some from the squatters’ areas and communities on the fringes of UPD, have hunted birds using traps and air guns. Other times, the birds have been displaced when new structures, agricultural or landscaping methods are installed in the campus.