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Birds in flight for winter check out of wetlands earlier than usual
By Zhang Qian |
December 18, 2009, Friday
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WILD bird watchers in Hangzhou have witnessed an acceleration in the annual migration of birds from northern regions this year, caused by earlier winter snows. But they don't stay long in the usual wetland habitats. Zhang Qian checks out some reasons.
The mudflats around Qiantang River have been all aflutter lately, with birds arriving and leaving. As usual, they rest for a few days and then take off again, refreshed. But these days, they seem to be more in a rush.
The wetlands and mudflats around Qiantang River area in relatively warm Hangzhou are an important transit stop for migratory birds travelling south.
The birds usually pass through or rest in Hangzhou in early December, but wild bird observers this year have seen them as early as November.
Early snows in north China this year have accelerated the birds' trek, according to Song Jianyue, a member of Zhejiang Wild Bird Observation Club.
"Freezing air arrived in China too abruptly this year, which altered the birds' plans," says Song.
Most migratory birds break their journey into several stages, and take rests about every 100 kilometers. But the birds haven't seemed to stop long this year as the freezing air pushes their flight and cuts rest times.
"Most birds look tired. They only take off slowly when people approach really closely," says Song. "I saw a small migratory bird lying on the ground without any apparent injury. I helped it up, but it still failed to stand stably for quite a while before regaining enough strength to take off again."
Many big migratory birds have been seen in Hangzhou this year, especially at the mudflats near the Jiangdong Bridge.
They included four Oriental white storks, of which only about 3,000 survive worldwide, as well as more than 60 cygnets passing through in early November.
"Oriental white storks inhabit farm areas in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province. They travel south in winter, but it is very rare to witness four at the same time," says Song.
According to the China's bird migrant map, mudflat areas around Qiantang River are an important transit stop for birds traveling from northeast.
Birds taking off from Liaoning Province will stop first in Tianjin, and then take off for a second stop in Yancheng City in Jiangsu Province.
They stop again at Chongming Island in Shanghai and arrive in Qiantang River area before heading further south.
The dozens of hectares of mudflats in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District are a wonderful rest area for the birds with wetlands, weeds, shrimps and fish.
About 100 new bird species have been recorded in Hangzhou since 2000, 43 percent of which are water birds, according to Chen Shuihua, vice president of Zhejiang Natural History Museum.
Chen found and observed about 150 bird species from 1997 to 2000. About 130 of them overlapped with those recorded in the Hangzhou Bird Species Directory of 1983; 75 of those in the directory were not observed, while 37 in Chen's observation are new species.
In general, there were about 225 recorded bird species by 2000.
"There are about 250 species of birds observed in Hangzhou almost every season now. It is such a big increase," says Chen.
Much more professional bird observers, of course, contributed to the increased number of recorded birds, but environmental improvements also played an important role, says Chen.
Rare species sensitive to the environment are widely cited by ecologists to evaluate the environment situation.
A number of rare species appearing in Hangzhou in recent years are testimony to its improvements, especially in water environment.
These include appearances of black storks, swans, Eurasian spoonbills, black-faced spoonbills and the greater white-fronted goose.
Yet reclamation of land from marshes and illegal hunting are still threatening the birds.
Take the migratory birds resting in Hangzhou recently. The temperatures suited the birds at the time, conducive to resting and feeding for at least a week, according to Song from the Zhejiang Wild Bird Observation Club.
But many birds left within just a few days, because the bulldozers and bird hunters caused them to take off in flight for survival.
The mudflats around Qiantang River have been all aflutter lately, with birds arriving and leaving. As usual, they rest for a few days and then take off again, refreshed. But these days, they seem to be more in a rush.
The wetlands and mudflats around Qiantang River area in relatively warm Hangzhou are an important transit stop for migratory birds travelling south.
The birds usually pass through or rest in Hangzhou in early December, but wild bird observers this year have seen them as early as November.
Early snows in north China this year have accelerated the birds' trek, according to Song Jianyue, a member of Zhejiang Wild Bird Observation Club.
"Freezing air arrived in China too abruptly this year, which altered the birds' plans," says Song.
Most migratory birds break their journey into several stages, and take rests about every 100 kilometers. But the birds haven't seemed to stop long this year as the freezing air pushes their flight and cuts rest times.
"Most birds look tired. They only take off slowly when people approach really closely," says Song. "I saw a small migratory bird lying on the ground without any apparent injury. I helped it up, but it still failed to stand stably for quite a while before regaining enough strength to take off again."
Many big migratory birds have been seen in Hangzhou this year, especially at the mudflats near the Jiangdong Bridge.
They included four Oriental white storks, of which only about 3,000 survive worldwide, as well as more than 60 cygnets passing through in early November.
"Oriental white storks inhabit farm areas in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province. They travel south in winter, but it is very rare to witness four at the same time," says Song.
According to the China's bird migrant map, mudflat areas around Qiantang River are an important transit stop for birds traveling from northeast.
Birds taking off from Liaoning Province will stop first in Tianjin, and then take off for a second stop in Yancheng City in Jiangsu Province.
They stop again at Chongming Island in Shanghai and arrive in Qiantang River area before heading further south.
The dozens of hectares of mudflats in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan District are a wonderful rest area for the birds with wetlands, weeds, shrimps and fish.
About 100 new bird species have been recorded in Hangzhou since 2000, 43 percent of which are water birds, according to Chen Shuihua, vice president of Zhejiang Natural History Museum.
Chen found and observed about 150 bird species from 1997 to 2000. About 130 of them overlapped with those recorded in the Hangzhou Bird Species Directory of 1983; 75 of those in the directory were not observed, while 37 in Chen's observation are new species.
In general, there were about 225 recorded bird species by 2000.
"There are about 250 species of birds observed in Hangzhou almost every season now. It is such a big increase," says Chen.
Much more professional bird observers, of course, contributed to the increased number of recorded birds, but environmental improvements also played an important role, says Chen.
Rare species sensitive to the environment are widely cited by ecologists to evaluate the environment situation.
A number of rare species appearing in Hangzhou in recent years are testimony to its improvements, especially in water environment.
These include appearances of black storks, swans, Eurasian spoonbills, black-faced spoonbills and the greater white-fronted goose.
Yet reclamation of land from marshes and illegal hunting are still threatening the birds.
Take the migratory birds resting in Hangzhou recently. The temperatures suited the birds at the time, conducive to resting and feeding for at least a week, according to Song from the Zhejiang Wild Bird Observation Club.
But many birds left within just a few days, because the bulldozers and bird hunters caused them to take off in flight for survival.
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