PHOTOS COURTESY OF Rommel Cruz (OPPOSITE PAGE & BELOW)
ONLY IN PARADISE: Acacia Tree Garden Hotel (ABOVE) is one of the city’s newest hotels in the city. The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant (BELOW) and the Brown-throated Sunbird (OPPOSITE PAGE) are just some of the exotic birds that are spotted by the local group of birdwatchers.
This other side of Puerto Princesa’s burgeoning eco-tourism is quite young, and birdwatchers are a mix of two basic personalities. There’s the contemplative birder who leisurely observes birds from the context of their natural surroundings. Local bird guide Rommel Cruz muses, the contemplative ones never stop being amazed by the appearance of an endemic bird even if they had already seen it the day before. And there’s the twitcher kind of birder. This one is on a race—he keeps a list of birds to see and moves from one site to another to maximize the number of birds in his life list. Both kinds of birders stick to sacred rules of birdwatching: to keep quiet on the ground, and to refrain from altering a bird’s natural habitat. Scaring the birds for a chance for on-flight photography is a no-no. It can earn you the ire of fellow birders, or worse, a stiff fine from park wardens. One Monday morning in September this year, while waiting for guests at one of the hotels near the Puerto Princesa
Baywalk, Rommel spotted a flock of white specks on the clear morning sky. His heart skipped a beat when he heard a distinctive call. Reaching for his camera with its zoom lens attachment, he was still adamant in believing what he suspected. In recent years, Philippine cockatoos have been largely confined to a town south of the city where the Katala Foundation has successfully rejuvenated their dwindling population in an island off Palawan’s eastern coast. That September morning brought good news: Philippine cockatoos are now thriving in Puerto Princesa. Rommel and his guest birdwatchers have a new bird on their list. STAYING IN A green brand of pampering is an emerging trend among those who opt to be city bound. The trend of green boutique hotels is exemplified by Acacia Tree Garden Hotel (www. acaciatreehotel.com). The 25-room cluster of Mediterranean-style villas ensconced inside a forested swath www.philippineairlines.com I 69