Discovering local wetlands: the vital habitat of migratory birds in Mongolia

On May 13th, Saraana Nature Conservation Foundation (SNCF) held an event ‘Discovering local wetlands: the vital habitat of migratory birds’ to celebrate 2023 World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). As the theme of this year is ‘Water: Sustaining Bird Life’, SNCF held an event that is focused on discovering wetlands and migratory birds.

The event aimed to educate and inspire young minds at Bayandelger Soum in Tuv Province about the importance of wetlands and foster a sense of interest in migratory birds. Thirty-five Students and three teachers from Bayandelger Secondary School were our main participants, the first program of the event was a presentation about migratory birds and WMBD by Sarangerel Ichinkhorloo, the head of SNCF.

After the presentation, the students and teachers headed to the Gun-Galuut Nature Conservation Center (GGNCC) at the Gun-Galuut Locally Protected Area (GGLPA).

GGNCC is an information, training, and research center, that aims to monitor local biodiversity, especially birds as an umbrella species, and run conservation and educational activities. Moreover, GGLPA is a birding hotspot located 130km far from the capital city, which comprises wetlands such as lakes, river basins, streams, and oases. Its area serves as an important resting, feeding, and breeding habitat for migratory birds, especially threatened species such as White-naped Crane, Siberian Crane, Dalmatian Pelican, etc.

At the GGNCC, SNCF staff and student volunteers shared their knowledge about the GGLPA, wetlands and biodiversity including migratory birds. At the GGNCC building, information on GGLPA and wetlands was shared, also, bird monitoring and ringing equipment were instructed to the participants. At the yurt (Mongolia Ger), the traditional style of Mongolia house, participants had a chance to learn more about bird species with pictures. During the instruction, students were actively responsive to the content and showed their interest in birds.

For further activities, participants walked all together to one of the wetlands at GGLPA, the Ikh Gun Lake. At the Ikh Gun Lake, the SNCF ran three stations each with different themes: Birdwatching, Invertebrates Survey, and Water Survey.

At the Birdwatching Station, participants observed birds by the lakes through binoculars and telescopes. They observed more than 10 migratory bird species such as Demoiselle Crane and Pied Avocet.

At Invertebrates and Water Survey stations, participants drew water from the lake and took a deeper observation with magnifiers and pH test papers. They used scoop nets to find invertebrates from the lake to understand the biodiversity of wetlands. Also, they tested the acidity (pH level) of wetlands and compared it with drinking water, understanding the water filtration function of the wetlands.

During the outdoor activities, the wind was strong, but it couldn’t stop students’ curiosity about birds and wetlands. After all, through the presentation and field trip at GGLPA, the participants had a chance to engage themselves to increase their interest and self-motivated to further local birdwatching and conservation activities on migratory birds. Especially, as they acknowledged the nearby place such as GGNCC and Ikh Gun Lake, we believe it would lead the participants to have further engagement too.

Watch the video of the WMBD event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OODPdQOgG0

The project was funded through the 2023 EAAFP WMBD Small Grant Fund. View the report, Click here.

Article prepared by Saraana Nature Conservation Foundation

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