Chinanews.com, Fuzhou, April 3 (Chen Xueling) "I saw the "Three Treasures" gathered for the first time in 16 years of bird watching! I am so happy!" On April 1, someone caught up with the "Three Treasures of Minjiang" for one day. , Became explosive news among bird watching enthusiasts in Fuzhou.
Everyone rushed to tell each other, and they joked that "you can summon the dragon by watching all the'Three Treasures' in one day."
Chinese Crested Tern.
Photo by Xiao Bingxiang
The "Three Treasures of the Minjiang River" refer to three world-class rare birds that can be seen in the wetlands of the Minjiang River Estuary, namely the Chinese Crested Tern (less than 100, a globally critically endangered species) and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (less than 200 pairs, It is a critically endangered species in the world), Black-faced Spoonbill (less than 5,000, it is a globally endangered species).
Chinese Crested Tern.
Photo by Xiao Bingxiang
According to Zheng Hang, director of Fujian Minjiang Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve Management Office, the "Three Treasures" were witnessed at the Minjiang Estuary on the same day, which has never happened since the Minjiang Estuary wetland was upgraded to a national nature reserve in 2013. .
Looking for birds on the beach and found "One Treasure"
A total of five people who witnessed the "Three Treasures of the Min River" on the same day were Huang Xueding, Hu Weining, Xiao Bingxiang, Lu Guocheng, senior members of the Fujian Bird Watching Society, and Guo Tingting, a staff member of the Minjiang Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve Management Office.
They recorded this grand occasion during the second bird survey project of the Minjiang Estuary Wetland.
Black-faced Spoonbill.
Photo by Lu Guocheng
According to Hu Weining, on the 1st, when the tide was low, they boarded the eel beach, the core area of the Minjiang Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve, at about 10:30 in the morning.
Outside the dam in front of the upper beach, they saw about 20 black-faced spoonbills. Later, they saw about 50 black-faced spoonbills on the beach.
On that day, the most abundant birds on the beach were sandpipers such as sandpipers and ring-necked plovers.
The gulls are dominated by the red-billed giant gull, mixed with a small number of other gulls such as the Siberian silver gull.
The climax is coming, and the "mythical bird" appears
After the high tide of the sea at 12:40, they found two great crested terns while observing along the coastline.
Previous bird watching experience tells them that the Chinese Crested Tern, known as the "Mythical Bird", likes to live in groups with the Great Crested Tern. The most significant difference between the two is that the Chinese Crested Tern has a black tip. of.
Black-faced Spoonbill.
Photo by Lu Guocheng
According to Huang Xueding, the earliest record of Chinese crested terns in the wetlands of the Minjiang River Estuary was April 1, 2016. “I am very looking forward to it coming. I have a chance to try my luck today. I didn’t expect luck!”
At 13:50, Lu Guocheng and Xiao Bingxiang were kneeling on the ground with their cat waists on the ground preparing to continue filming the Great Crested Tern. Suddenly, two terns flew over their heads and landed on the nearby water.
The two thought they were great crested terns, and they held up their cameras in secret joy.
"The camera looks at the past, it's really hard to see, their mouths are black! Immediately the shutter sound keeps on, da da da, da da da..." Lu Guocheng said.
In the camera, two Chinese crested terns bathing in love, bathing and frolicking by the water, the male bird circling the female bird, and the two dancing waltz of love.
Huang Xueding told reporters that the two Chinese crested terns, who had just visited the wetlands of the Minjiang Estuary, "have very beautiful hair, just like an 18-year-old girl with long black hair. Because they just started dating, they dressed very beautifully."
Huang Xueding said that by May, after mating and laying eggs, the black feathers on their heads will quickly turn white as human beings age; by September, their heads will be even more pale.
About to leave the beach, happy to meet "Xiao Shao"
At about 14:30, the sea water ebbs and two Chinese crested terns disappeared from the investigators' vision.
The investigators who packed their bags and were about to embark on the return journey were still unsatisfied, and they all talked: "Since there are already'two treasures', can you find Spoon-billed Sandpipers again and try to get the'three treasures"." So everyone Turned back again, hoping to find the Spoon-billed Sandpiper among the densely packed sandpipers.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Photo by Lu Guocheng
"I just walked back not far, and saw a group of small sandpipers. They were looking for it and found a spoon-billed sandpiper in the middle. We were very happy," Hu Weining said.
According to reports, under normal circumstances, Chinese crested terns visit the Minjiang Estuary around April 10 each year and fly away in mid-October.
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper flies in November and flies away from the end of March to early April of the following year.
Only in April will Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Chinese Crested Tern appear at the same time in the Minjiang Estuary Eel Beach.
Before April and after May, there was basically no such opportunity.
Huang Xueding told reporters that the Chinese Crested Tern is larger and easier to find.
The spoon-billed sandpiper is relatively small, and is very similar to other sandpipers in terms of body and coat color.
When the spoon-billed sandpiper is mixed with thousands of waterbirds, it is extremely difficult to identify.
If it hides its iconic shovel-like mouth in its feathers while resting, it is even more difficult to distinguish it.
"It's a coincidence. It's a miracle to find both the spoon-billed sandpiper and the Chinese crested tern! In addition, we have seen the black-faced spoonbill a long time ago. The'three treasures' are complete, so I am very happy! "Huang Xueding said.
Hu Weining told reporters that on May 10, 2009, 12 years ago, when he had just started bird watching, he followed several old "birdmen" to go to the eel beach for bird watching for the first time, and was lucky to see the "Three Treasures of Minjiang".
And that record was the first time that the Fujian Bird Watching Club was established in 2004 to observe these three endangered birds in one day at the same location.
At that time, everyone did not have a "cannon" camera for taking pictures of birds. The veteran could only use a small digital camera to attach a single-lens telescope and took a few photos of the "Three Treasures of Minjiang".
"I just participated in the bird club at that time, and I didn't understand the cherishment of these three birds. Later I learned that it is not easy to watch this thing. Twelve years later, I saw the Sambo one day again, and I was so happy. "Hu Weining said.
A black-faced spoonbill with a flag.
Photo by Lu Guocheng
Environmental improvement, Spoonbills stay long
According to Zheng Hang, director of Fujian Minjiang River Estuary Wetland National Nature Reserve Management Office, in recent years, they have established a normalized patrol mechanism, treated 1,800 acres of Spartina alterniflora harmed areas in the reserve and planted native soils. Vegetation, and adopted measures to "retreat and return to wetness" to create more habitats for waterbirds at high tide.
These have greatly improved the living environment of waterbirds.
After years of hard work, the Minjiang River Estuary wetland currently has a protected area of 2381.85 hectares, and there are 1089 species of wild animals and plants in the area, which has become an important ecological business card of "Fresh Fujian".
Chinese Crested Tern.
Photo by Lu Guocheng
Volunteers from the Fujian Bird Watching Club told reporters that the black-faced spoonbill was originally a winter migratory bird in the wetland of the Minjiang Estuary, and it moved north every March and April.
However, through observations, it was discovered that in recent years, several black-faced spoonbills that did not participate in the breeding of the year chose to stay in the Minjiang Estuary to spend the summer and become resident birds.
Six or seven black-faced spoonbills were observed in the Minjiang Estuary last summer.
Therefore, black-faced spoonbills can be seen throughout the year in the wetlands of the Minjiang Estuary.
(Finish)