SM City bird condominiums defaced
Posted by: Fats in: Fats, Vitamins & Minerals > What and WhyThe main building of giant shopping mall SM City along North Ave-EDSA in Quezon City must be some 20 years old now, a building sporting that distinctive SM architectural design of the gray ridged facade found in old SM buildings in Cubao, Makati and Manila.
Recently, perhaps in celebration of its 50-year anniversary, SM City is getting a massive face lift, apart from constructions of new buildings and a huge condominium-golf complex nearby.
The face lift includes a re-design of that distinctive ridged facade.
Above, construction work on-going. Below, two photos taken in February 2007, showing the same building with the birds nestled inside the ridges of the building’s facade. (From http://www.korakora.org/wordpress/2007/02/24/a-bridge-in-the-sky/)
This made me think of the implications of such a re-design, especially upon the thousands and thousands of birds that flock to SM City and nestle inside the ridges beginning the months of September/October, and then leaving in the months of February/March.
Above, construction work on the other end of the building. Photo below taken in February 2007 showing the birds as they start to gather and find their places inside the building wall’s ridges by sunset. (From http://www.korakora.org/wordpress/2007/02/11/mall-birds/)
I suspect that the new design will be a smoother facade for the giant shopping mall. So I was wondering how the birds will cope when they all return in a few months to find that their “condominium” has been defaced.
If the construction work was done in September or October when the birds arrive, it could have been quite a disaster. One night in December, during one of those weekends when the mall has a fireworks display, the birds were so disturbed that they flew in panic around the building, flying frightening low barely above people’s heads.
Anyway, I will miss these birds. I was so looking forward to seeing them again late this year …
September 5th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
We passed by that area ofthe mall where they were flattening the facade of the building - what a shock to see the birds have arrived, quite early, I thought, just this first week of September when I remember they would come by October.
Anyway, the birds were in a state of panic, apparently appalled that their “condominiums” have disappeared. Some of them tried fitting into small ridges along the walls of the new mall building called “The Block” but they kept slipping off; the ridges weren’t big enough for them.
I have no idea how the birds will manage to survive this crisis, perhaps they will find another place - very soon, hopefully.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:44 am
About the birds flocking every night to SM City mall, I emailed SM and Haribon Foundation several weeks ago asking about the birds (see http://www.korakora.org/wordpress/2007/02/11/mall-birds/ and http://www.korakora.org/wordpress/2008/08/06/sm-city-bird-condominiums-defaced/.
I have not yet received a reply from SM but have just received a reply from Haribon. I paste the reply below for those who might be interested.
As mentioned in the email, Haribon will be holding a birdwatching activity on Sept 27 (and orientation for first-timers on Sept 26).
I include info about the birdwatching activity under the email below. Feel free to pass on to folks who might be interested.
In the meantime, I observed that the birds, after having lost their ‘condominiums’, have decided to occupy the ridge around the carpark building wall.
Cheers!
Fatima
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:20:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Don Geoff Tabaranza
Reply-To: djop_is@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: SM City North EDSA Birds
To: digiteer@ispx.com.ph, communication@haribon.org.ph
Dear Ms. Fatima,
Greetings!
Thank you for your concern for the welfare of these birds.
Based on your observations that these birds are present in the area in large numbers during the months of Sept-March indicate that they are migratory and based on the photos, I can identify that the birds are Swallows (Family Hirundinidae), Layang-layang or Balinsasayao in Filipino.
I am not able to correctly identify which species of swallow due to the quality of the photos but I can present 2 possible identifications.
1) Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- upto 7″
- dark breast band with whitish underparts
- deeply forked tail
- habitat: from forests, open country, wetlands and towns.
2) Red-Rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)
- upto 7.5″ (largest swallow in the Philippines)
- rufous rump, withish underparts with dark brown streaks
- deeply forked tail
- habitat: open areas and towns, often near water
Both are migratory (following the East-Asia - Australasia Flyway) and widespread (Africa, Eurasia, India, China, Southeast Asia to Austalia).
Both species are Not Threatened: very wide distribution and very large global population (IUCN 2001: LC - least concern).
For additional information:
Kennedy et al. 2000. A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines
www.iucnredlist.org
www.birdlife.org
www.birdphotoph.proboards107.com
www.orientalbirdimages.org
I would like to invite you to a BIRDWATCHING activity by Haribon Foundation on the 27th of Sept-Saturday (with basic birdwatching orientation on the 26th-Friday). For more information pls visit www.haribonfoundation.multiply.com.
Yours in conservation,
-djop-
Don Geoff Tabaranza
Research Specialist / Biologist
Conservation Science Research Department
Haribon Foundation
Are you game for some birdwatching?
http://haribonfoundation.multiply.com/journal/item/21/Are_you_game_for_some_birdwatching
Sep 15, ‘08 6:07 AM
Dear Friends of Haribon,
It’s the month of September, and what is so special about September? Migratory birds such as Plovers, Terns and Egrets from China and Siberia will be coming down here to the Philippines due to the chilling season in the Northern countries.
Join our birdwatching activity in the Botanical Gardens at the University of the Philippines, Los Banos, Laguna. You will get a chance see the forest bird “Malkoha” which is endemic in Luzon, the Colasisi and some migratory birds too! So bring out your most comfortable earth-colored shirts and your rubber shoes, and experience FIRST HAND the riches of our biodiversity through birdwatching!
When: Saturday, September 27,2008,
Meeting Place: Haribon Office
2/F Santos and Sons Building
973 Aurora Boulevard Cubao, Quezon City
(near Anonas Station LRT2, North exit, UCPB is on the ground floor)
Time: 4:00AM
For first-timers, there will be an orientation on September 26, 2008 at the Haribon Office at 6:00 pm
Registration fee is PhP1,500 for Haribon members and PhP1,850 for non-members. Inclusions are orientation, expert bird guides, airconditioned van to and from the site, use of binoculars, Birdwatching and Field guides.
Please contact Ryoko “Ryo” Suda via e-mail at haribon.membership@gmail.com or call 421.12.13, or SMS (0922) 815-1942 for confirmation. Minimum slots is 12 pax.
Thank you.