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Philippine holiday (part
5)
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OLANGO
ISLAND
On Friday,14th of August 2005 we went out to Olango (a small island an hour's boat
ride from Mactan) to see Ivy's mother's family, many of whom Ivy
hadn't seen for about eleven years. It
was a very happy reunion. The small town of Santa Rosa is a very
peaceful place after the crowded cities, much more to our
liking. Everyone was very friendly and inquisitive. The whole
family turned out to see us, from the oldest (Ivy's mother's uncle, aged 99)
to the newest one year old arrival. It was a marvellous reunion,
hosted in grand style by Ivy's uncle. Charles spent most of the
time being absolutely fascinated with the tricycle and clambering
about on it, assisted by one of his cousins. We even took in a
trip to the bird sanctuary on the tip of the island.
On our way to the island.
To get onto the boat, we had to go on
another, smaller boat to ferry us from the jetty. This smaller
boat was propelled by the boatman wading in the shallow sea and
dragging it to where the main boat was moored. It struck us as a
bit weird, and was evidently only necessary at low tide: on our
return, the main boat moored up at the jetty in a more normal
way.
On the tricycle .... this and motorcycles are the only
means of transport in Santa Rosa, apart from feet.
Meet Ivy's clan
The oldest living member of the clan. Ivy's
Mother's uncle, aged 99, with Ivy's Mother, Ivy and Charles - four
generations together.
OLANGO BIRD SANCTUARY
The bird sanctuary on Olango is a very
important stopping place on the Pacific Flyway, one of the main
migratory routes along the edge of the Pacific. Obviously, the
best times to visit are therefore the Spring and Autumn
migration periods, which this wasn't. And the tide was high,
which pushed many of the birds to the far side of the reserve
where they were difficult to see. However we did manage to see
16 species: Little Heron, Chinese Egret, Little Egret, Whimbrel,
Grey-tailed Tattler, Asiatic Dowitcher, Mongolian Plover,
Redshank, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Kentish
Plover, White collared Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, Olive-backed
Sunbird and Spangled Drongo. Though this was very good, and
several of the species were new to David, it was very noticeable
that this is rather fewer than are found at similar reserves in
places like Sri Lanka, Argentina and England. The people at the
centre speculated that this is because of the general habitat
degradation in the Philippines. It is noticeable that, in
general, the species density in the Philippines is lower than
many other countries. Some of this is no doubt because small
birds are hard to see in tall trees; but an hour's walk around a
typical village in the Philippines would find between 5 and 10
species, whereas a similar walk in England would find 15 to 20.
This is to my mind a graphic illustration of the impact of
mankind on the environment. Those areas where the natural
environment remains are so much more precious, and so much worth
preserving, for that.
The path that will lead to the best
viewing area in the sanctuary
Watching the birds, with the guide
from the sanctuary and his telescope. Charles enjoyed
looking through the telescope, to the extent of
demanding to do so all the time!! We enjoyed seeing all
the birds, for which a powerful telescope is absolutely
required. Philippa found some interesting lizards, and
we all saw some bizarre, brightly coloured crabs. As
well as a large snail on one of the trees! Along the
coast are mangroves, peculiar in their ability to
survive in salt water.
View of Lapu-Lapu City from the boat
On our way back the sea was much rougher; we had to reduce
power and head into the direction of the swell to keep the boat stable. Charles
didn't seem to mind, and rather enjoyed the ride. We suspect that the passengers
on the bigger ferries did not fare quite so well.
(We couldn't resist the first picture - Ivy
carrying the heavy rucksack while brother Oliver carried her handbag! What
the picture doesn't show is that Oliver also spent a lot of time carrying
Charles, which is somewhat heavier ...)
(David couldn't resist the last picture: since his job
involves selling pollution control catalysts to heavy lorries, it was
entertaining to see one which appears a long way beyond redemption!
Fortunately it was made by a company which is currently supplied by one of
the competitors ....)
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