A young girl enjoys bird watching in Malalag, Davao del Sur while being assisted by a staff of the Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation Section of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 11. The bird watching and counting activity held on January 8 was one of those conducted in different municipalities of the region as part of the annual Asian Waterfowl Census (AWC) for migratory birds. The AWC aims to record the population of migratory birds (inset), monitor wetlands, and encourage interest in water birds and wetlands. The Philippines is part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway which is being visited by migratory birds from the months of September to February every year. The country’s wetlands are suitable for nesting, feeding, and breeding for birds migrating from Siberia, China, Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. ###