Jogja Bird Walk has nature lovers chirping with joy
Jogja Bird Walk has nature lovers chirping with joy
Bambang Muryanto, Contributor, Yogyakarta
A group of 50 people braved a cold Sunday morning recently to
spot birds as part of the Jogja Bird Walk (JBW) on the slopes of
Mt. Merapi here.
They slowly walked past the bushes of the Plawangan-Turgo
nature preserve on the southern slope of the mountain, with
binoculars dangling from their necks.
As they walked the participants shared notes on the birds they
had spotted. There was a Srigunting Abu, or Ashy Drongo, Cucak
Gunung, or Orange-Spotted Bulbul, an Elang Jawa, or Javan Hawk-
Eagle, and an Elang Brontok, or Changeable Hawk-Eagle.
"What a scene!" a participant shouted in excitement as he
spotted two Javan Hawk-Eagles darting past. The birds are not
easy to spot as they are endangered. Around the Plawangan-Turgo
area there are less than 10 of the birds.
The Jogja Bird Walk was started by the Kutilang Foundation for
Bird Conservation and is aimed at giving the public the
opportunity to study birds in their natural habitat.
The walks are held every last Sunday of the month.
"Watching a bird go about its daily activities in its natural
habitat is much, much more interesting than watching birds in
cages. The birds are more dynamic here and the singing sounds
more beautiful in nature," Sugihartono, director of the
Jogjakarta Animal Rescue Center, who was one of the participants,
said.
According to JBW coordinator Ige Kristianto, Yogyakarta was
trying to position itself as a bird watchers' paradise, given its
rich biodiversity, including bird species.
"According to data collected by Kutilang since 1991, there are
at least 228 different species of birds in Yogyakarta. Among them
are 19 of the island's 30 endemic bird species," Ige said,
expressing concern that such natural richness was not being used
to attract tourists to the city.
The 228 species account for some 53 percent of the total bird
species in Java.
Besides its forests and mountains, Yogyakarta's coastal areas
are also home to various species of birds.
Trisik Beach and Congot Beach in Kulonprogo in the western
part of the province, for example, have long been transit points
for migrating birds such as the Dara Laut Jambul, or Great
Crested Tern, and the Kedidi Putih, or Sanderling.
You can also find local species such as the Cangak Abu, or
Gray Heron, and the Blekok Sawah, or Javan Pond-Heron, in these
areas.
Other bird watching locations in Yogyakarta include the
Ketingan cluster in Sleman regency, where thousands of Cattle
Egrets live side by side with local people; the campus of Gadjah
Mada University, which is home to some 27 species of birds; the
Imogiri and Dlingo areas of Bantul regency, where raptors like
the Elang Ular Bido, or Crested Serpent Eagle, are often seen
flying over the regions.
During the bird walks, participants receive guidance from
Kutilang activists, who provide explanations and information on
the birds, including where to watch for them and how to identify
them.
A number of foreign tourists have also taken part in the
walks. Still, the number of people overall taking part in the
walks is still considered small, mostly due to a lack of
publicity.
So far, invitations to join the monthly walks are only
published in Kabar Burung, the monthly bulletin published by the
Kutilang Foundation.
Ige said that besides the recreational purposes, the bird
walks were also being conducted to help preserve nature.
"It's a way to campaign against keeping birds in cages. This
is important because such a tradition, mostly in Java, has caused
the massive hunting of birds in nature," Ige said.
Ige said the next step would be to ask bird lovers to plant
trees to help restore the birds' damaged habitat. Such tree
planting programs would be conducted not only in forests but also
in urban environments.
"That will reduce the worsening air pollution as well as
providing birds with new homes," Ige said.
At this stage, the dream of turning Yogyakarta into a green
city seems to be just a matter of time.