PARANAS, Samar – Bird watchers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Eastern Visayas reported sightings of the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) in the forests of Samar and Eastern Samar provinces.
DENR regional executive director Manolito Ragub said the recent sightings were recorded in the Taft Forest Wildlife Sanctuary in the municipality of Taft, Eastern Samar and in Paranas, Samar.
“We must be proud of the sightings because from among the provinces in the Philippines, it is here in our region that this important bird species naturally abounds,†Ragub said.
The presence of the Philippine Eagle in an area is an indicator that there is still an ecologically-balanced forest, he added.
Ruth Francisco of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and Joselito Sierra, a local tour guide from the Samar Island Natural Park, sighted the bird last March 10 in the forests of San Rafael in Taft, Eastern Samar.
Francisco also found other birds such as Samar Hornbill, Yellowish Bulbul, Amethyst Brown Dove, and Red-keeled flower picker, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Philippine Bulbul and Sunpride Species in the forest.
Ragub said the sighting of the Philippine Eagle is not only a moment of pride “but also a challenge and reminder to the community to help protect the remaining forest of Samar.â€
The Philippine Eagle was first sighted in Paranas, Samar on June 15, 1896 by British naturalist and collector of bird specimens John Whitehead. The various sightings of the Philippine Eagle in the forests of Samar prompted then President Joseph Estrada to declare on July 31, 1999 the 3,720 hectares of forest as Taft Forest Wildlife Sanctuary through Presidential Proclamation No. 155.