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Come Fly with Sacha Dench, Human Swan -to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day
Brief Introduction Have you thought of flying with the migratory waterbirds, and even helping to save them from extinction? The theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2023 “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” highlights the importance of water for migratory birds and identifies key actions for protecting water resources and aquatic ecosystems. On 12 May, we are honoured to invite Ms. Sacha Dench, aka "Human Swan", Ambassador, UN’s Convention on Migratory Species, CEO and Founder of Conservation without Borders to share with us her exciting flying journeys to raise awareness of the conservation of migratory birds, and invite the audience to discuss new ideas with Sacha to the call for conservation actions! Date/Time: 12 May, 2023 (Friday) (15:00 – 16:00 KST/6:00-7:00 GMT/7:00-8:00 BST) Venue: Zoom Language: English Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYocuChqjksGtQp0-YfuilaqDOKW06K5_GM Speaker Sacha Dench Ambassador, UN’s Convention on Migratory Species; CEO, Founder of Conservation without Borders Sacha Dench is an Australian-born biologist who graduated from the University College of London and the current UN’s Convention on Migratory Species. She is the founder of Conservation Without Borders, which looks out for migratory species and issues that most need help. She is a conservationist, adventurer, and a motivational speaker having presented TED talks about her work in conserving different wildlife species across the world. She has worked for international conservation organizations in communications for more than 15 years. Q & A Moderator Chris Rostron International Engagement Manager, WWT (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) Chris has been working in wetland conservation and environmental CEPA activities for over 30 years. He is now based at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), UK, working as the International Engagement Manager, particularly engagement in CEPA activities. For the past 12 years, he has led on WLI, the global network of wetland centres, supporting delivery of CEPA activities at wetland sites. He has worked closely with the Ramsar convention, supporting their CEPA programme, and actively engaging at their COPs, CEPA oversight panel and Standing Committees, allowing him to influence and support global wetland conservation. Support: Learn more about EAAFP activities and materials on World Migratory Bird Day: https://www.eaaflyway.net/world-migratory-bird-day-2023/ For inquiries, please contact Ms. Vivian Fu, Senior Communication Officer of EAAFP Secretariat, at communication@eaaflyway.net.
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HKBWS Asia Conservation Fund 2023-2024 applications are now open
HKBWS Asia Conservation Fund supports research, monitoring, education and capacity building for bird conservation in the region, with a higher priority given to i) projects that target species that occur in Hong Kong or on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway; and ii) projects that assist the relevant country in meeting Aichi Biodiversity Targets and implementing its action plan. Funds are donations from members and supporters of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. The funding amount can be up to USD2,000. Applications will be reviewed by the HKBWS Asia Conservation Fund committee. For further details, please refer to the attached Application Guideline. Applicants can complete and submit the attached application form with all relevant documents to lkenneth@hkbws.org.hk Closing date of 2023-2024 application: 18 June 2023 [Hong Kong time 12:00 noon (GMT +08:00)] *Applications will receive a confirmation e-mail within 5 days of application submission. Please contact lkenneth@hkbws.org.hk or apply again if applicants do not receive the confirmation e-mail. Application Guidelines: https://www.hkbws.org.hk/cms/attachments/article/530/HKBWS%20_ACF_Guideline_2023-2024.pdf Application form: https://www.hkbws.org.hk/cms/attachments/article/530/HKBWS_ACF_Application_Form_2023-2024.docx
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Gochang Big Bird Race 2023 brought birdwatchers to contribute bird data to the UNESCO World Heritage Site
From 21st to 23rd April 2023, the 2nd Gochang Big…
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EAAFP Foundation protects Sura Tidal Flat with Film
Special Screening On April 15, a special screening of the film <Sura> organized by EAAFP…
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A brief summary of Bird Ringing in Mongolia in 2021-2022
Pacific Golden Plover © Batmunkh Davaasuren Bird ringing is a crucial method for monitoring bird populations and raising public awareness about conservation efforts. Mongolia is located on three major flyways (East Asian-Australasian Flyway, Central Asian Flyway, and West Pacific Flyway) for migratory birds, and the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center (WSCC) aims to study and monitor bird populations using all three flyways through the use of bird ringing stations. In 2015, WSCC initiated migratory bird ringing activities at Khurkh Bird Ringing Station (Khurkh BRS), which was the first stationary bird ringing effort in Mongolia. Since then, the number of Mongolian bird ringing stations has gradually increased to five. In this report, we present the findings from three bird ringing stations located across the country, namely Khurkh, Khovd and Ugii Bird Ringing Stations, each with slightly different coverage goals. Other than bird ringing, research activities at the stations included Local breeding bird survey, raptor banding, Shorebird leg-flagging, Yellow-breasted Bunting project, and studies on ticks on migratory birds. In addition, there are other capacity-building and CEPA activities, such as International bird banding training, student practice, celebration of World Migratory Bird Day and other outreach activities. Please refer to the full report, available here. For inquiries, please contact Batmunkh Davaasuren at batmunkh@wscc.org.mn
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Seminar and Training on Shorebird Banding for Bird Conservationists at Trisik Beach, Kulon Progo, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2022 EAAFP Small Grant Fund Project by Ahmad Zulfikar Abdullah Endemic Indonesia Society Mist net installation practice © Endemic Indonesia Society Birdbanding is a technique used to study wild birds which had been applied internationally in numerous researches and requires a distinct set of skills and expertise, including equipment use, bird safety, and alertness during the entire process. Bird banding has been a regular activity in Indonesia since the 1950s, and is supervised by the Indonesian Bird Banding Scheme (IBBS). Since 2010, bird banding groups have emerged from different cities including Bogor, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya. However, the majority of these groups have failed to maintain a consistent program for the past few years, which resulted in the absence of new bird banding activists. This is shown by the stagnant number of licensed bird bander in Indonesia. With support from the EAAFP Small Grant Fund for Working Groups and Task Forces, Endemic Indonesia Society organized a bird banding-focused event through seminars and training. This event, which was held on November 19-23, 2022, has been conducted in Yogyakarta due to its ease of access and could involve the active bird banding community, Jogja Birdbanding Club. We believe that reintroducing bird banding through seminars and hands-on workshops to bird conservation activists, especially the younger age group, is urgently needed to ensure the continuity of bird banding scheme in Indonesia as well as keeping information on bird migration updated. Seminar The first plan for the seminar, which was held offline, was changed to online in order to reach more participants. This seminar has presented speakers from ornithology experts, especially those related to bird banding and wetlands. Participants who attended the event came from various backgrounds such as bird researchers, bird watchers, university students, local NGOs, government staff especially in the environment sector, and the local community. Presented seminar topics including : National and Global Perspective of Bird Banding Speaker: Prof. Dr. Dewi Malia Prawiradilaga, MSc., PhD. (National Research and Innovation Agency; Indonesian Bird Banding Scheme) Bird Banding Techniques & Application in Research Speaker: Ign. Pramana Yuda, Ph.D. (Lecture of Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University; President of Indonesian Ornithologists Union) Wetlands and Migratory Bird Conservation Speaker : Ragil Satriyo Gumilang, S.Hut., M.Si. (Wetlands International Indonesia) Goverment’s Role in Migratory Bird Conservation in Trisik Beach Speaker: Tri Dibyo Sumbogo (Natural Resources Conservation Agency of Yogyakarta) First Speaker Second Speaker Third Speaker Fourth Speaker The seminar that was held one day before the training went successfully. Discussions during the seminar showed that the topics presented by the speakers were well understood by the participants. From this seminar, it can be concluded that wetland conservation is generally known by the public, but it's the exact opposite in bird banding. It needs to be collaborative activities that involve many stakeholders if we want to apply this method to support bird and habitat conservation programs. Training The training was attended by 20 participants who had registered and been selected. This activity was assisted by trainers and assistants who have bird banding licenses issued by the Indonesian Bird Banding Scheme. The main trainer was Iwan Febrianto from the Yayasan Ekologi Satwa Liar Indonesia. Participants came from various backgrounds such as students, lecturers, NGO activists, bird watchers, and veterinarians. These activities were divided into two stages. The first stage was conducted twice, in July and September, with passerine birds as the target. This stage aimed to introduce and familiarise the participants with bird banding techniques. Some of the birds that were successfully tagged including: Actitis hypoleucos, Alophoixus bres, Arachnothera longirostra, Cinnyris ornatus, Halcyon cyanoventris, Lonchura leucogastroides, Orthotomus sutorius, Passer montanus, Pellorneum capistratum. Bird banding in July Introduce mist net installation Bird tagging Halcyon cyanoventris Bird banding in September Bird measurements Actitis hypoleucos Orthotomus sutorius The second stage, training with shorebird targets, was conducted in November in Trisik beach area and Progo River estuary. Both locations become an ideal location for our training program due to its easy access and long history of shorebird records. Briefing for participants Mist net installation practice Mist net installation practice Mist net installation practice During the four days of training, it was raining almost every evening and night with strong winds. This condition causes the installation of nets to become not optimal considering that shorebird banding is ideally carried out at night. The training was maximized in the morning and afternoon by targeting birds in the location, which were mostly passerine birds. Some of the birds that were successfully tagged including: Alcedo coerulescens, Anthreptes malacensis, Cisticola juncidis, Geopelia striata, Lonchura leucogastroides, Lonchura punctulata, Orthotomus sutorius, Passer montanus, Prinia inornata, Turnix suscitator. Calidris alba Calidris melanotos Phalaropus fulicaria Philomachus pugnax The conclusion from these events is that there are needs to be encouragement in the form of continuous activities to optimize the use of this method, in order to support bird and habitat conservation efforts. The project was funded through the 2022 EAAFP WG/TF Small Grant Fund. View the report, Click here.
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Strengthening And Raising Awareness On Migratory Birds Trading Or Hunting Through Building The Capacity To Relevant Stakeholders In Cambodia
2020 EAAFP Small Grant Fund Project by Phallis Eang General Directorate of Natural Protected Area, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia Cambodia is located along the EAAFP and has become Partner of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) since 2007. Cambodia wetlands provide essential habitats or the stopover site for many migratory birds including Great Knot, Nordmann’s greenshank, Asian Dowitcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Sandplover spp., Chinese Egret, Bar-tailed Godwit, Yellow-breasted Bunting, etc. as well as short distance migratory bird like Sarus Crane. To date, there are five wetlands which had been designated as Ramsar Sites and one designated as EAAFP Flyway Network Site. Cambodia is rich in biodiversity and more than 600 bird species were recorded including land and waterbirds. However, there is little known about migratory bird hunting and trading. The relevant legislations related to illegal hunting are in place, but the dissemination on the illegal hunting of migratory waterbirds is limited. Under EAAFP small grant project, an online workshop on bird identification and relevant regulation on illegal trading of wild birds were organized by the General Directorate of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection, Ministry of Environment Cambodia in order to provide the capacity building to relevant authorities as well as raising the awareness to public. The overall objective of the workshop is to provide capacity building to site managers and rangers on the bird identification and relevant regulation on illegal trading of wild birds as well as share that knowledge to relevant people in their working stations. The workshop was precise over by H.E. Kim Nong, Director General of General Directorate of Natural Protected Area, with 90 participations from 7 departments under General Directorate of Natural Protected Area, Department of Environmental Knowledge, Department of Community Livelihood, Department of Biodiversity, Department of Environmental Information and Dissemination, Department of Ecotourism, 12 Provincial Department of Environment such as Takeo Province, Kampot Province, Kep Province, Koh Kong Province, Battambang Province, Kampong Thom Province, Siem Reap Province, Stueng Treng Province, Kampong Cham Province, Tboung Khmom Province, Banteay Meanchey Province and Prey Veng Province, relevant NGOs including BirdLife International, NataureLife Cambodia, WWT, WCS, WWF, WA, WEA, as well as acadmics from the Pannasastra University of Cambodia and the Royal University of Agriculture. Three training presentations were delivered by the trainers. The first presentation was delivered by Mr. Hong Chamnan on the basic of waterbirds identification. The next presentation was provided by Dr. Ding Li Yong from BirdLife International Asia and his presentation focused on the results of illegal bird hunting situation in Southeast Asia. The last presenter was Mr. Sou Sontara who present on the relevant laws and regulations related to illegal bird hunting in Protected Areas. A number of awareness-raising materials focused on illegal trading and hunting of migratory birds were produced. Those included the video and posters which were developed and designed by youths. The posters were provided to relevant institutions especially to the Provincial Department of Environment and wetland site managers for awareness-raising purposes while the video was public in the social media platform reaching more than thousand public. Through the training workshop, relevant departments, provincial department of environments, wetland site managers, rangers, academics and other participants who attended this workshop gained knowledge and understanding of the waterbird identification and relevant regulation on illegal trading of wild birds. They would share the knowledge with their colleagues and relevant people who work in the same field. Moreover, through the dissemination of posters and awareness videos, the public awareness of the disadvantages of illegal trading and hunting of migratory birds and also the negative impact of wild bird consumption on their health. The results from this project will contribute to the effort of reducing illegal trading and hunting of migratory birds. In addition, the trainees who are working on the ground will continue to share the knowledge and information from the workshop with their community. It is recommended to conduct more training and dissemination workshops on law and regulation related to illegal hunting, trading and consumption of wild birds and involved more relevant people especially the site manager and rangers who work on the ground. It is one of the effective mechanisms to sustainably protect and conserve the migratory waterbirds for illegal hunting and trading. It is also recommended to organize a series of education and awareness-raising activities or campaigns at the ground level and to the local communities. In addition, more research studies on the hunting and trading of migratory waterbird species should be conducted to provide data and information for supporting the decision-making and policy development. Web link: https://www.moe.gov.kh/index/32753 Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/314699302002531/posts/2096349793837464/ Video: https://fb.watch/j5qQMKaG1v/ Awareness-raising posters were designed and disseminated to local stakeholders © Ministry of Environment, Cambodia H.E. Kim Nong, Director General of General Directorate of Natural Protected Area, provided opening speech during the workshop on bird identification and relevant regulation on illegal trading of wild birds © Ministry of Environment, Cambodia Trainers and Guest speakers delivered the presentation lecture to participants during the training workshop © Ministry of Environment, Cambodia Participants to the online workshop on bird identification and relevant regulation on illegal trading of wild birds © Ministry of Environment, Cambodia The project was funded through the 2020 EAAFP WG/TF Small Grant Fund. View the report, Click here.
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Revealing migration of an unknown EAAF waterbird: The Wood Snipe
EAAFP Small Grant Fund Project by Xiaotong Ren, Peking University Shen Zhang, Shanshui Conservation Center On the remote alpine meadows of Pingwu County, Mianyang, Sichuan, China, there is a mysterious bird species that even locals rarely have a chance to see. Some of the villagers who often go to the alpine meadow said: “The call and flight of 'mud driller' (the name for Wood Snipe by local people, because it usually feeds on the ground) could be heard nearby when we stayed in huts at night. Sometimes, the sound of its flight is very strange, like there are little bells on its body, and it ‘po-po-po’ falls to the ground.” This is the Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola, Figure 1). Snipes (Gallinago spp.) are a very special group of shorebirds: unlike most "typical" shorebirds that prefer to live on muddy or sandy riverbanks and beaches, snipes tend to live in concealed wetland vegetation. The Wood Snipe is an even more distinctive species among snipes. According to historical specimen collections and birdwatching records, they appear in tropical forests near South Asia and Southeast Asia in winter but breeds in alpine meadows of the Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains in summer. Figure 1. Wood Snipe at Pingwu County ©Tong Mu The mystery of Wood Snipes is largely due to the difficulty in reaching alpine meadows, combined with their secretive behavior. Basic information about the species, such as population size, complete distribution range, habitat preferences, diet, and behavior, is extremely scarce. Prior to our project, the only modern research conducted on this species was a population survey project in Nepal. Current knowledge of the species is mostly based on piecing together various historical records and sporadic birdwatching records. While we know almost nothing about basic aspects of Wood Snipes, they have already been listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, with a declining population estimated at only 2,500-9,999 individuals globally. As the Chinese proverb goes, "the beginning is always the hardest," our fieldwork started in the midst of great unknowns. Based on historical records, interviews with local residents, and valuable information from Mr. Wang of the Mianyang Birdwatching Society, we speculated that the Wood Snipes would appear in early May at their breeding ground in Pingwu County. Our advance team gathered to conduct a final recce in late April 2021 before the formal field work started. However, to everyone's surprise, the Wood Snipes had arrived before us, even though it was still snowing heavily on the mountain (Figure 2). Just as the locals had said, we didn't spot any of them until nightfall when we heard their flying and singing near our shelters. The first batch of team members quickly assembled and departed on April 30th, only several days after the recce, rushing into the formal field work stage. Figure 2: Heavy snow suddenly falls when we were searching for Wood Snipes. The snowy weather at our study area could last until the beginning of June From May 1st, we started our 2-month fieldwork on alpine meadow living at a simple and crude camp (3400m in elevation, Figure 3) without electricity and stable mobile phone signal but surrounded by Wood Snipe display every sunrise and sunset. Our objective was to investigate the population size and distribution of Wood Snipes and characterize the habitats and threats to Wood Snipes at our study area and to identify the migratory route and wintering grounds of the Wood Snipe population that breeds in the Hengduan Mountains. We conducted population size and distribution survey, preliminary observation and description of breeding biology, call survey, individual capture and banding, survey for habitat characteristics and food resource. Figure 3: Camp site in the field We recorded a total of 123 Wood Snipe occurrence sites during the field survey in 2021. We estimated there were 9 home ranges in the entire study area, each representing 1 - 2 adult individuals. We also found that across the entire alpine meadow which seemed identical to us ranging from about 3400 - 3750 m, Wood Snipes preferred lower elevation (<3600m) and median level of soil moisture. They also had a higher probability of occurrence at sites with more potential food resources (soil macroinvertebrates). We also captured and banded 7 individual Wood Snipes and successfully fitted tracking devices to them while ensuring that the weight of each tracking device was less than 5% of the corresponding individual's body weight (Figure 4). Since the tracking devices were unstable, we only had the southward migration routes for two individuals and northward migration route for one individual (Figure 5). This was the first time that the migration of this cryptic species had been revealed. Figure 4: Wood Snipe individual fitted with satellite transmitter Figure 5: Map of Wood Snipe tracking in non-breeding season. Individuals marked by colors: orange indicates south-ward migration of one individual, dark blue and light blue indicate south-ward and north-ward migration of another individual respectively Our work for Wood Snipe in 2021 is just the beginning for the study and conservation of this species and much remains to be done in the future. You could find more details in our report and future publications. Please contact us if you are interested in our project or have any questions about it. The project was funded through the 2021 EAAFP WG/TF Small Grant Fund. View the report, Click here.
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Global population of Black-faced Spoonbill continues to break new record
© Jay Kong/HKBWS Coordinated by EAAFP Partner, The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS), the International Black-faced Spoonbill Census 2023 was conducted from 6th to 8th January 2023. Global population of Black-faced Spoonbills (BFSs) reaches another record high of 6,603, a rise of 7.2% (i.e. 441 individuals) from last year. However, 299 individuals were recorded in the Deep Bay area across Hong Kong and Shenzhen, which is 70 individuals less compared to last year. The number shows a decline of 11% and 19% from 2021 and 2022 respectively. Steady growth in Taiwan, Mainland China and Korea while moderate decline in Japan and almost 20% drop in Deep Bay The census covered about 130 sites all over the world. Taiwan, Mainland China and the Republic of Korea are the major regions which attribute to the growth in the overall population. Taiwan remains the largest congregation site with 4,228 individuals comprising 64% of the global population. The year-on-year growth is 10.6%. In Mainland China, 1,307 individuals and 15.1% year-on-year growth were recorded. The number comprised 20% of the global population. In Ro Korea, the number of BFS reaches 54 individuals with an increase of 45.9%, i.e. 17 individuals. Contrarily, in Japan 610 individuals are recorded which shows a decline of 10.7% from last year, i.e. 73 individuals less. The results this year shows that the global population of Black-faced Spoonbills has increased steadily. The numbers in Taiwan and Mainland China have been setting new records in recent years, which suggests the conditions in those habitats are favourable for a larger number of Black-faced Spoonbills to stay or to gather. Favourable conditions may refer to a safe environment, and sufficient food sources in nearby feeding grounds. The decline in Japan might be related to the loss of stopover sites and the outbreak of bird flu, according to local experts. In Deep Bay area, 299 individuals were recorded, which is the second lowest record in the last decade. Compared to last year, there were 70 individuals les, that is 19% decline. Having reached its record high of 462 individual in 2010, the number of BFS in Deep Bay has not advanced since then and remained above 300 from 2016 until it dropped to 299 this year. The result this year is worrying. Fig. 1 Black-faced Spoonbill Census results 1989-2023 © HKBWS Fig. 2 Black-faced Spoonbill Population size and distribution © HKBWS Fig. 3 Black-faced Spoonbill Census results regional breakdown 1989-2023 © HKBWS The problem of habitat degradation must be confronted, and conservation should be prioritized in the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy The decline in the number of Black-faced spoonbills in Deep Bay area is alarming to Hong Kong. Black-faced Spoonbills mainly forage in the intertidal mudflats of Deep Bay, shallow waters in Gei Wai, and drained fishponds. As the Ramsar Wetland in Mai Po Inner Deep Bay is relatively adequately protected by law, these habitats can be maintained in relatively good conditions. However, the habitats outside the nature reserve are facing different threats. Without immediate measures, they may become unsuitable for Black-faced Spoonbills to loaf and feed. For instance, the expansion of mangroves, including the invasive species Sonneratia caseolaris, continues to eat up the mudflats resulting in a reduction in the habitat available to Black-faced Spoonbills. On the other hand, nearly 30% of the fishpond wetlands and the buffer zones in Deep Bay are hoarded by real estate developers or held privately. These lands have been abandoned or the land use has been altered, which continuously causes habitat degradation in the Deep Bay area. If proactive conservation and management actions are not taken immediately, there is a risk for losing these important winter habitats of the Black-faced Spoonbills’. In order to protect the Black-faced Spoonbill, many countries and cities put great effort into different conservation actions in the past 30 years, and finally the decline of the species is successfully reversed. "It is especially important to establish comprehensive protection laws, long-term conservation strategies and good land use planning, which can restore endangered species and even biodiversity around the world." Mr. Yu Yat-tung, Director of The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, continued, "The future of the Deep Bay wetlands is determined by the conservation and planning of the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy. To protect the ecological integrity of this internationally important wetland, the Northern Metropolis must comply with the guidelines to protect "Wetland Conservation Area" and "Wetland Buffer Area". The wetland conservation park system must fully cover the "Inner Deep Bay and Shenzhen River catchment area" Important Bird Area recognized by BirdLife International, and ensure them to be protected by stricter laws and regulations; also a management model that is people and ecology oriented must be applied.” Hong Kong is responsible for the proper protection of wetlands and biodiversity, the maintenance of the important ecological corridors for migratory birds, and the assistance to China in fulfilling its obligations under the “Convention on Biological Diversity” and the “Convention on Wetlands”. The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society hopes that the Northern Metropolis can practice "ecological priority", through proper management and conservation of the Deep Bay wetlands, turn crisis into opportunity, and maximize the benefits of bird conservation. Fig. 4 Trend of Black-faced Spoonbill population in Deep Bay © HKBWS About The International Black-faced Spoonbill Census Black-faced Spoonbill is listed as "Endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The International Black-faced Spoonbill Census takes place every January ever since it was first launched in 1994. During Census 2023, more than 200 veteran birdwatchers, conservationists, researchers and ornithologists were mobilized to record the number of wintering Black-faced Spoonbills at about 130 sites. Reposting of news article from Hong Kong Bird Watching Society with permission, original article (link). Learn about EAAFP Black-faced Spoonbill Working Group: https://www.eaaflyway.net/black-faced-spoonbill-working-group/
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