Return of the black-faced spoonbill to Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a favourite wintering spot for the endangered birds who suffered a drop in numbers last year; this year is a different story
The black-faced spoonbills are back in Deep Bay after last year's vanishing act.
The number of the endangered birds returning to the Hong Kong-Shenzhen wetlands for the winter dropped to a 10-year low last year, with just 252 counted. This year's annual Bird Watching Society's survey saw the numbers bounce back by two-thirds to 411 - the highest total since 2010.
"This clearly indicates that conservation measures put in place in the last few years are finally coming into effect … It shows they are breeding and are not being disturbed," said the society's research manager, Yu Yat-tung. "We hope this rising trend will continue into next year."
Around October, spoonbills fly south from their breeding grounds in the Korean Peninsula to the warmer tropics. Deep Bay is the second largest wintering area after Taiwan, with the Mai Po Nature Reserve near Yuen Long the key wintering site in the city. But this year, birds were also seen in Deep Bay's Wetland Park in Tin Shui Wai, the mudflats of the Kam Tin River and the Shan Pui River in Nam Sang Wai.
The conservation efforts that have helped the spoonbills include a project which encourages fish farmers to drain down the water levels of their ponds to increase feeding opportunities for spoonbills and water birds. Almost 130 fish farms have partnered up under the scheme, which is run by the society with funding from the Environment and Conservation Fund.