Habitat built for Hong Kong’s wild ducks flying high 4 years on: green group
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society works with fishermen in northwest New Territories to build duck pond; 120 bird species recorded in last four years
A project by a green group and fishermen to create a habitat for wild ducks in the northwest New Territories has yielded unexpected and positive results, with 120 bird species recorded in the last four years, accounting for 20 per cent of the types in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society said the habitat consisted of two inactive fish ponds in Deep Bay with a total size of 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres), where three man-made wetlands had been designed and built for wild ducks to rest and preen during winter.
“We have implemented a series of habitat management measures, including adjusting water levels and quality, vegetation management, placing duck decoys,” society director Yu Yat-tung said of the government-funded project, which started in March 2021.
The group hoped to gain funding again to extend its programme, he added.
Assistant project manager Chung Yun-tak said the society and local fishermen regularly cleared the weeds and retained reeds to maintain the open habitats and provide shelter for birds that shied away from urban areas.
He added that algae cultivation could also help provide a food source for wild ducks.