by Carine Asutilla (TV Patrol Central Visayas, ABS-CBN News)

According to www.birdwatch.ph, the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines celebrated the 1st Philippine Bird Festival on November 18, 2005 at the Crossroad 77 Convenarium in Quezon City.

Now on its 7th year, Dumaguete City hosted the 2-day bird festival.

The 7th Philippine Bird Festival aims to widen the awareness of the youth on bird preservation and protection.

Thousands of students from different schools in Dumaguete City gathered at the Silliman University grounds Friday morning for the 7th Philippine Bird Festival.

28 exhibitors from eight other countries in Asia and other wildlife organizations came to share their time and knowledge on how to protect the birds. They have put up booths where students can learn about the endemic birds; how they look, chirp, feed, and work in the ecosystem.

The two-day bird festival also taught the students about bird watching.

The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines led by Anna Gonzales put the whole thing together for the first time in Dumaguete City.

Gonzales said that the youth should learn that there are 6,000 species of birds found in the country. She said that these birds help in putting balance in the ecosystem. They are the original planters in the forest and they help control pests that feed on our food.