(off Mactan Island), Cebu,
Way before the scientists and the ecotourists arrived here, the flat muddy plains
of
Olango Island were already host to a set of visitors. Every
year, from February-April, thousands of migratory birds plying the East Asian
Migratory flyway arrive to make a stopover at the wildlife reserve. Essentially
a huge 920-hectare protected wetland, the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary serves
as a resting place for a variety of migrating water birds. Among the frequent
guests are Chinese egrets, Asiatic dowitchers, Eastern curlews, plovers, and sandpipers.
Located five kilometers east of Mactan Island, Olango Island lies between the
Bohol Strait to the south and the Camotes Sea to the north. To the east is the
Olango Channel while to the west is the Hilutungan Channel. It has seven barangays,
one of which is Sta. Rosa (erroneously used to refer to the whole of Olango Island),
where the island's wharf and parish church is located. Olango island hosts seven
Lapu-Lapu city barangays, namely, Baring, Caw-oy, Sabang, Santa Rosa, Talima,
Tingo and Tunga-san
Olango Island supports the largest concentration of migratory birds found so far
in the country. Migration starts from the breeding places of birds in Siberia,
Northern China and Japan. Anticipating the scarcity of food and winter cold, these
birds fly as far as Australia and New Zealand from late July until late November.
This is usually referred to as the Southward Migration. By late February until
May, these birds return to their breeding grounds in the reverse Northward Migration.
Based on data gathered so far, the birds use Olango as a major refueling station
as well as a wintering ground. At Olango, the birds can replenish their fat reserves
by feeding on rich supply of invertebrates in the intertidal mudflats. These fat
reserves must fuel the birds on the next lap of their journey which may cover
from 3,000 to 15,000 km. of non-stop flight.
Olango Island is a diverse coastal ecosystem consisting of extensive coralline
sandflats, mangroves, seagrass beds, and offshore coral reefs. The island's mangroves
are most extensive in the Cebu province, and its offshore corals are home to scores
of various marine species. The island is virtually flat, and it is surrounded
by warm seas and partly sheltered from monsoons and strong trade winds.
The unique biodiversity of life on and around Olango has made it one of the best
known of the wetlands recognized by the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International
Importance.
