Wings Over Bacut Lake: Over 2,000 Asian waterbirds flock to Santa Marcela

Santa Marcela, Apayao – Over 2,000 Asian waterbirds were recorded by the DENR-CAR at the Bacut Lake Tourism Complex and Nature Park in Santa Marcela during the two-day conduct of the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) and National Zero Waste Month activities on January 14–15, 2026.

The activity was conducted in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)–CENRO Calanasan, PENRO Apayao, and the Local Government Unit of Santa Marcela, led by Mayor Evelyn B. Martinez, along with barangay officials and teachers and students of the Mayor Guillermo A. Barsatan Memorial School of Arts and Trade. The initiative aimed to encourage greater public interest in waterbirds and wetlands.

The recorded number has doubled from last year’s count of 1,000 during the same period. In 2024, only 145 waterbirds were observed in the area.

The significant increase in the number of Asian waterbirds visiting Bacut Lake this year indicates that the area is well conserved and protected. In a previous interview, LGU MENRO Benjamin D. Vega identified Bacut Lake–Tacang Swip as one of only three recognized wetland sites in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) that are considered safe for waterbird migration.

Based on the census, most of the species recorded were egrets—long-legged wading birds with white or buff plumage—barn swallows, Philippine ducks, purple herons, yellow bitterns, black-crowned night herons, brown-breasted kingfishers, collared kingfishers, and other unidentified waterbirds.

The LGU of Santa Marcela attributed the high number of waterbirds to the strict implementation of Municipal Ordinance No. 06, series of 2024, which prohibits the hunting, collecting, possessing, or killing of wild birds.

Waterbird migration occurs for several reasons, including weather patterns—particularly prolonged daylight or winter seasons in their places of origin—while others remain due to habitat suitability. This happens when an area offers abundant food and remains undisturbed during their stay.