Boeharti 2015: Miners Coming, Birds Disappear

The sand mining on the Progo River uses trucks further south. Around August 2015, sand mining has been done south of the Srandakan Bridge connecting Bantul to Kulon Progo. Beginning in October 2015, sand mining is nearing the sea or already in the Progo River Delta.

On the Day of Batik World that falls on Friday (2/10), the author went to Progo River Delta to do Bird Observation on Batik Day (Buharti). Not until the location, the authors stopped because there are two trucks that passed and closed a small road that just paved a few months ago.

Passing through a rocky dirt road, truck tires make basins and distinctive lines still visible. Turn around the final corner, the line of trucks lining up waiting for their empty vessels to be filled with black sand from Mount Merapi. On the north side of the sand mining only visible long white pipes ending in the water stream while the other end in the mainland and soaring upwards. Counted there are dozens of pipes already lying there.

Arriving at a location usually used as a bird watching spot, no birds were observed. Usually the arrival of bird watchers at this location will be greeted by the sounds of beach birds who settled in this location as well as migratory birds. Only the noise of truck engines passing around the site.

Set foot on the muddy sand, a bird called Cerek Jawa then flew away. Gaze into the middle spot commonly used entourage Dara-Laut Jambul and Cangak Abu to rest and foraging, but they are not observed there. The overgrown plain of sand left a bit of sand and the base of the land was already flooded with trucks and sand hoists swinging at their skirts.

Water that at the time receded shows a kind of green algae in some plots. The excessive footprints of coastal birds are still visible where the author stands. But on the other side, within 10 meters of an occasional stream of water, many fathers jokingly joked as they climbed the sand into the tailgate.

When the authors were taking pictures of four Trinil Pantai near the mining site, there was a voice from someone on the other side saying "Wah, disyuting cah". In the heart, very sad. For the sake of the economy, the natural habitat of these beach birds is damaged.

Walking south, it was there that the group gathered. Yes, five Cangak Abu and Dara-Laut jambul entourage are south of the ship shards. But the number of Dara-Laut Jambul that looks very little than before, when it was still at 7:30 pm. Where are they?

Observation Bird Day Batik (Buharti) only lasts one hour. Cerek Java, Cangak abu, Trinil Pantai, Dara-laut Jambul, Cabak Kota, and Apung tanah entry in the list. Yes, that's it. Is the migration season of the beach birds this year over? Where to go Trinil semak, Trinil Pembalik-Batu, Birulaut Ekorblorok, and others go?