Valichits swarm Batanes islands
from Bandillo Batanes

Valichits have been regarded as an Ivatan delicacy for generations. These small brown birds, whose migratory patterns take them over Batanes skies every September, are awaited with anticipation each year as everyone prepares feast for them.

But for the past several years, the waiting has been frustrating the locals, as few, if any, can be caught. Environment-concerned Ivatans were also disappointed about the birds' rare appearance in the islands. This absence also extended to the kuyab or grey-faced buzzard, which is now rarely spotted in the islands. This year, however, the long dry spell was broken - to say the least!

The valichits were everywhere. Every standing twig in the islands was covered with valichits, innocently squeaking away, unaware that they were easy prey. The appearance of tens of thousands of valichits in the islands which usually starts in mid-September and goes on up to the end of the month is most welcome to the children. These birds could be collected by the hundreds through stick-traps attached to protruding branches or twigs in open and grassy areas.

However, the law that declared Batanes a protected area also stipulated restrictions on the catching of valichits. During routine patrolling, the BPLS Project Implementing Unit encountered several children trappers and explained to them the better use of that particular wildlife to the ecosystem and told them to desist from trapping the birds.

In a radio interview, Protected Area Superintendent George Reyes stood firm on the regulation to ban any collection of the valichits. This is in response to suggestions by some that catching valichits be allowed since they are not among the endangered species listed in the BPLS management plan and in the CITES.

During the interview, Reyes also stressed the importance of conserving these migratory species as a way to contribute to the worldwide conservation effort. He appealed to the public to protect the Batanes islands as a distinct transit point foe migratory birds, as this will eventually help spur the local eco-tourism industry. He requested the parents and the schools to help in explaining to the children the importance of wildlife in preserving biodiversity.