Birds of Tubbataha
Tubbataha marine park ranger Segundo ‘Seconds’ Conales, Admin and Finance Officer Mary Grace Barber, BenCab, Superintendent Angelique Songco, Melvyn Calderon and ranger Noel Bundal at the opening of the exhibit “Birds of Tubbataha” at the BenCab Museum in Baguio City.
Birds of Tubbataha, a new exhibition of watercolors by national artist Ben Cabrera and photographs by photojournalist Melvyn Calderon, opened last Saturday 13 October 2012 at the BenCab Museum in Baguio City.
In 2010, Cabrera and Calderon volunteered to join the seabird census in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and were inspired to create the works now on display in this collaborative exhibition.
Seabirds spend most of their lives in the open ocean but need breeding grounds on islands or islets. Sadly many of the birds’ former breeding areas are now inhabited by humans, so populations are currently in decline. Seabirds are also threatened by marine debris such as plastic, which they mistakenly feed on, and the deteriorating productivity of the ocean, their only food source. The health of our seabirds reflects the health of our seas.
A portion of the sales of the photographs and watercolours will be put towards future seabird surveys in Tubbataha.
Birds of Tubbataha will run till 9 December 2012.