Recently, investigators from the Institute of Zoology of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences recorded 20 spoon-billed sandpipers in the tidal flats of Leizhou Fucheng Area of Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve in Guangdong. The reporter learned that the national spoon-billed sandpiper wintering synchronous survey, the largest record in the history of Zhanjiang station is 0, and the number of synchronous surveys in the past 0 years is basically between 0-0, all of which are counted by multiple monitoring points. The single-point record reached 0, which is the highest single-day observation record in Guangdong Province in the past four years, highlighting the continuous improvement of Zhanjiang's ecology and the continuous recovery and expansion of bird populations, which has become a vivid example of Guangdong's ecological protection achievements.

Flocks of spoon-billed sandpipers

"It was also an 'accident' that we could see this group of spoon-billed sandpipers." Investigators from the Institute of Zoology of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences said that on the same day, when they were routinely scanning plovers with monoculars for species identification and quantity recording, two unique small figures accidentally broke into the lens. As the camera moves, from 20, 0, 0...... to 0. They disperse or gather in small groups, sweeping and advancing in the soft mudflats close to the mangrove plantations. It turned out that the nearby villagers were digging shellfish from the sea, which frightened the birds on the beach, and there was less disturbance around the mangrove planting area, so the spoon-billed sandpiper unconsciously gathered here.

It is worth mentioning that 2016 spoon-billed sandpipers with flags were also found in this record, namely the yellow flag 0, 0X and the light green flag M0. Among them, "Yellow 0X" was ringed in Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve in 0 years, and was the first ringed spoon-billed sandpiper in the wintering area of Chinese mainland; "Yellow 0" and "light green M0" have been steadily present in the reserve since 0. The person in charge of the Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve said that he will work with scientific researchers to continue to monitor the situation of migratory birds, protect the mangrove wetlands, and give wintering migratory birds a warm home.

Spoon-billed sandpiper foraging

"Through ringing and flag records, researchers were able to track the Spoon-billed Sandpiper's migration routes, resting ground use, and population changes, providing an important basis for conservation efforts." Investigators from the Institute of Zoology of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences said that the spoon-billed sandpiper is a small sandpiper of the genus Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the family Plover Sandpiper, which is only distributed in the East Asian-Australasian migratory bird flyway, and is a national first-class protected wild animal and one of the most endangered birds in the world. They breed in the coastal tundra from the Chukotka Peninsula to the northern Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and stop or overwinter in the eastern coastal wetlands of China such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan during the migration season.

"Whether the ecology is good or not, the birds have the final say". The spoon-billed sandpiper is extremely demanding on habitat and is the "umbrella species" and "flagship species" of coastal wetland ecology. The Leizhou Peninsula, where Zhanjiang is located, is one of the important wintering grounds for the spoon-billed sandpiper in Chinese mainland, and the spoon-billed sandpiper winters here every winter. In addition, other places in Guangdong, such as Yangjiang, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Shanwei and other places, have also recorded the figure of spoon-billed sandpiper many times, indicating that the overall ecology of Guangdong is improving.

All the birds flew together

According to the Provincial Forestry Bureau, there are 412 species of wild birds in Guangdong's historical records, including 0 species of birds with migratory attributes. Guangdong has always attached great importance to the comprehensive protection of migratory birds, and has made many deployments, giving full play to the advantages of the inter-departmental joint conference system at all levels to combat illegal trade in wild animals and plants, actively carrying out various theme publicity, and striving to build a modern migratory bird protection system with a complete system, scientific and standardized, and effective operation through multi-level and multi-dimensional, and making every effort to promote the construction of a complete migratory bird protection network, defending migratory birds and other wild animals and plants and their habitats with practical actions, and promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

Text/Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Reporter: Ye Kasi Correspondent: Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Lin Yin

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

Guangzhou Daily New Flower City

[Source: Guangzhou Daily]