Birds in the Neighborhood

Birds in the Neighborhood

Kekesyag, kuyotan, samote, solak, indukit, kalimbabanga, leblebdik… These are some of the Kankanaey names of birds already familiar to me when I was still a child growing up in Kibungan, Benguet in northern Philippines. And I’m happy that I still see these birds in the sub-village of Benin in Pinsao Proper Barangay of Baguio City where we moved in two years ago. In fact, some of these birds wake us up even before the break of day.

I also hear an owl (which we call kup in Kibungan) or two hooting at night or at early dawn. A migratory bird we call tala also appears from September to December, signaling the coming of another season. Some 300 meters from where we live where we also tapped our water source from a spring, I once saw an ot-ot or wild pigeon, which is now quite rare, if not under threat of extinction.

These birds continue to remind us of some remaining wildlife species in our neighborhood. And despite the bird-flu virus, I always take delight in listening to them as they cheerfully feast on some worms and caterpillars from the caliandra, alnus, pine, bal-lay, apiitan, dagad-ay and other planted and endemic trees within our environs.

When the fruits of the already existing backyard native guava tree ripen starting October, some big bats would also come at night to share in the harvest. An environmentalist friend says the presence of bats helps indicate some balance in an ecosystem because bats help propagate trees. Wherever they drop their wastes, these flying mammals are helping sow seeds, which grow to become full-fledged trees.

We are fortunate to have some trees in our small community. So as early as six years ago I tried to do my part by helping plant some fast-growing caliandra seedlings on the small lot we acquired there. These caliandra trees now mingle with other trees the families of the lot owner planted earlier. Because caliandra trees help fix nitrogen in the soil, the Benguet coffee seedlings and some fruit trees I interspersed with them are proving to be in good company with these ipil-ipil-like trees.

Also enjoying the friendship of the caliandra and alnus trees are my passion fruit plants, whose ripening fruits are ready for the picking any day now.

If where there’s smoke there’s fire, where there are trees there are birds. That’s obviously why there are no birds along Session Road. If there are, they would suffocate to death from the thick vehicular smoke that now engulfs Session Road and the rest of downtown Baguio.

And have you ever wondered why after a day in your downtown office or after hours of doing your rounds downtown, your head aches and your eyes feel strained and heavy? This always happens to me. But the headache and eye strain disappear once I go home and inhale a lot of fresh air. Obviously, no expert would need to tell you that the headache and eye stress were due to gas emissions and other foul air you absorb downtown.

So home is not a drag, but a pleasure haven and a place to rejuvenate one’s tired and stressed body if one happens to be where there are swaying trees and humming birds. With trees and birds as company at home, one doesn’t have to long for relaxation elsewhere, such as at the noisy big mall. A good book plus hot lemongrass and mint tea from the backyard are enough to help one contemplate and appreciate all the best things that life can offer.