Blue-headed diving duck.
Bird watching volunteers monitor birds in the wild.
All are provided by Wuhan Bird Watching Association
White-crowned long-tailed pheasant.
Yellow-breasted bunting.
black redstart.
Little Sandpiper.
Far Eastern reed warbler.
Gull-billed noisy gulls.
Red-billed giant tern.
Fork-tailed sunbird.
Black floating gulls.
April 1 is the first day of the "Bird Love Week" in Hubei Province, and the 2020 Wuhan Key Area Bird Monitoring Annual Report was officially released. Last year, 7 species of birds "rare guests" were listed on the "New Bird List" in Wuhan because they broke into the camera lens of Bird Friends.
This annual report is a compilation of the results of the monitoring of bird activities in 61 key areas of the city by the Wuhan Bird Watching Association under the guidance and support of the municipal garden and forestry department, and it is also the fifth annual report of bird watching released by the city. The monitoring results show that in the past four years, the number of bird species observed and recorded in Wuhan has increased year by year: 306 species in 2016; 321 species in 2017; 322 species in 2018; 342 species in 2019; and 338 species in 2020. Yan Jun, president of the Wuhan Bird Watching Association, who has more than ten years of bird watching experience, believes that there are three reasons: first, the ecological environment of Wuhan is getting better and better; second, the awareness of citizens to love birds and protect birds is increasing; third, there are more and more bird lovers in Wuhan, and more and more "eyes" of birds are observed and recorded, and the association alone has more than 170 bird watching volunteers.
The 2020 annual report contains a total of 1933 monitoring records and 145 bird rescue records. The 61 bird monitoring points in key areas cover the whole territory of Wuhan, covering different types of habitats such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, forests, farmland, and green areas.
According to the annual report, in 2020, bird friends observed a total of 338 species of wild birds and nearly 850,000 birds (times) in Wuhan. Among them, 81 species of resident birds, accounting for 23.96%; 97 species of winter migratory birds, accounting for 28.70%; 61 species of summer migratory birds, accounting for 18.05%; 95 species of traveling birds, accounting for 28.11%; lost birds and unknown resident birds, less than 1%.
The annual report includes more than 300 bird pictures taken by bird friends last year, and each bird observed is accompanied by the observation site, the frequency of occurrence recorded by month, and the largest number of groups recorded in a single time. For example, on January 11 last year, the world's critically endangered species, the blue-headed diving duck, was recorded by Peng Ji and other bird friends in Tongjia Lake, Huangpi District, a one-time observation record of 279; wild duck ribbed duck, on November 15 last year, Yang Rui and other bird friends in the Shenhu wetland one-time observation recorded 22,000.
Since 2016, the Wuhan Bird Watching Association has organized volunteers with members as the main body, wearing stars and wearing moons, sleeping in the wind, carrying out wild bird monitoring, and releasing the monitoring results to the public in the form of annual reports. While conducting bird monitoring, bird watching volunteers will take timely measures to remove the bird net and rescue trapped or injured birds when they encounter a net to catch birds, birds are trapped or injured.
On the 1st, the person in charge of the Municipal Landscape and Forestry Bureau said in an interview with reporters that Wuhan bird watching volunteers have worked tirelessly to watch birds and protect birds for many years, carry out bird monitoring on a large scale and with high frequency, and accumulate a large amount of scientific data, laying a solid foundation for wetland protection and scientific research in Wuhan and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
7 species of birds "rare" intruded into the bird friend shot
In 2020, wuhan found seven new bird species, including the ochre red-tailed partridge [qú], the small dipper [sháo] sandpiper, the Far Eastern reed warbler, the gull-billed noisy gull, the red-billed giant tern, the fork-tailed sunbird, and the black floating gull. These bird "newcomers" who broke into the bird friend's lens made the Wuhan bird record reach 421 species.
The reporter learned that since 2016, the Wuhan Bird Watching Association has begun to certify the observation records of new birds in Wuhan in accordance with the standardized procedures. By the end of 2020, a total of 38 bird friends in Wuhan had observed and recorded 33 new bird species. Nine of these species were included in the new bird record in Hubei Province.
Yan Jun, president of the association, introduced that the birth of each new bird record must go through a strict certification process. That is, 1, the discoverer submitted the observation record, submitted the bird pictures taken, and accompanied by a brief description of the recording process; 2, the association bird friends discussed; 3, the Wuhan Bird Records Committee certified; 4, bird experts confirmed; 5, the association's WeChat public account announced.
The declaration for inclusion in the new record of birds in Hubei Province has stricter requirements. In addition to completing the above procedures, it is also necessary to publish relevant papers in one of the national academic journals such as Journal of Zoology, Journal of Wildlife, and Sichuan Animals.
"As new bird records continue to be refreshed, it becomes increasingly difficult to observe new birds." Yan Jun said that because of this, every time the record is broken, Wuhan bird friends are like winning the lottery.
"Are these new birds originally living in Wuhan, but they have not been found before, or are they coming to Wuhan for the first time from other places?" The reporter asked. Yan Jun replied that both possibilities existed.
For example, he said, the newly discovered Far Eastern reed warbler was photographed by bird friend Qiu Hong in May 2020 in The Thousand Mu Pond of Tangxun Lake in Jiangxia District, and was identified by experts as the first new bird recorded in Wuhan. After the photo was sent to the WeChat group, a bird friend flipped out the 2016 photo comparison, which found that he also caught this bird at that time, but unfortunately mistook it for a black-browed reed warbler.
In addition, the fork-tailed sunbird is a bird distributed in the southern region, its population is very small, the frequency of occurrence is very low, and it is the first uninvited guest to "break into the mirror" to come to Han.
13 species of birds on the list have not seen "Buddha-figures" in 40 years
The record of bird observations in Wuhan began in the 1860s when the port of Wuhan was opened. By the end of 2020, a total of 421 species of wild birds were recorded in Wuhan, accounting for 29.13% of the country's wild birds. That is, there are nearly 30% of birds in the country, which have appeared in Wuhan.
However, the bird observation record in Wuhan also leaves a regret: for more than 41 years from 1980 to the present, there have been 13 species of birds, and no one has ever seen their "Buddha-figures" in the wild. They are: Eastern cuckoo, great bustard [bǎo], partridge [huán] billed sandpiper, eagle eagle, white-shouldered eagle, prairie harrier, chestnut kite, hairy-footed grebe [kuáng], great grebe, yellow-legged fishing owl, northern locust warbler, aurora crow, common [shī].
"Whoever is going to observe and record these birds in the field is like putting a satellite." Yan Jun said that these birds may no longer be distributed in Wuhan, perhaps because the number is too small to be recorded.
"If someone re-observes and records these birds, is there a reward?" The reporter asked. "Yes. Treatment is like observing and recording new birds. Yan Jun laughed.
The reporter learned that from 2016, all bird friends who observe and record new birds, the Municipal Bird Watching Association will reward a warm water cup, the cup is engraved with the name of the recorded new bird, the name of the recorder, and the time and place of the record.
"Although this cup is not a trophy in the traditional sense, it is a great honor in the eyes of our birdwatchers." Qiu Hong, who discovered and recorded the Far Eastern reed warbler in 2020, said.
5 species of "new" national I. protected birds to "punch in" in Han
The delicate yellow-breasted bunting is as critically dangerous as the blue-headed diving duck
On February 5, 2021, the state promulgated a new List of National Key Animals For Protection. According to the new list, in 2020, 69 species of wild animals (birds) under national key protection of Grade I and Grade II were observed in Wuhan, an increase of 23 species compared with 46 species in 2019.
In the list of birds in Wuhan, 7 species of birds were promoted to national level I key protected wild birds, of which 5 species were observed in Wuhan last year. They are: blue-headed diving duck, yellow-breasted bunting, white-crowned long-tailed pheasant, black eagle, colored ibis (only curly-winged pelicans and white-naped cranes have not been observed). In the list of birds in Wuhan, 23 species of birds have been newly added to the national level II key protected wild birds, of which 19 species were observed and recorded in Wuhan last year.
The reporter noticed that the bird yellow-breasted bunting with yellow feathers on its chest was petite and beautiful, but it jumped to the highest protection level of the country. Yan Jun explained that this bird, also known as the grass flower finch, was once listed as a "pest bird" because it liked to eat grain, and its population had decreased sharply and was on the verge of extinction. Among the threatened species listed in the IUCN International Book of Threatened Animals and Plants Red Book of Threatened Species (a total of 16 species), the yellow-breasted bunting, together with the blue-headed diving duck and the white crane, is a critically endangered species. Therefore, it is observed and recorded in Wuhan, which is both a rare thing and a gratifying thing.
"After the wuhan bird protection list was refreshed, the protection level of some wild birds has been improved, and correspondingly, the legal liability for illegal crimes has also been enhanced." For example, the thrush and red-billed acacia birds, which are traditionally used as caged pets, have been promoted to national level II key protected wild animals, and if they are bought and dealt with and raised, they will have to bear heavier legal responsibilities. The relevant person in charge of the Wildlife and Wetland Protection and Management Department of the Municipal Garden and Forestry Bureau said. She hoped that the general public could learn the law and abide by the law, love birds and protect birds, and protect these beautiful spirits.
The Annual Bird Report can be read free of charge in 4 parks
The reporter learned that in order to facilitate the public to read the "Wuhan Key Area Bird Monitoring Annual Report", the Municipal Bureau of Gardens and Forestry will allocate the book to the Yellow Crane Tower Park, Shahu Park, Guishan Mountain Scenic Area Tourist Service Center, as well as the Liberation Park Beautiful Life Shared Space and Visitor Service Center. In the future, the annual report will also be placed in more parks for the public to read for free.
Citizens can also leave a message in the above public service areas if they have any comments and suggestions on bird love and bird protection.
Reporter Ming Guansheng Correspondent Zhao Xuan Zhao Yinfei
Observers of the 7 new species of birds, as well as the time and place of the recording
□ Ochre-tailed Plover
Gui Wenjun 2020.4.4 Hankou Jiangtan Phase III
□ Little Sandpiper
Yang Rui Zhou Yudong 2020.5.2 Liangzi Lake
□ Far Eastern reed warbler
Wang Xuefeng Qiu Hong 2020.5.2 Tangxun Lake Thousand Mu Pond
□ Gull-billed noisy gull
Zhang Hongxuan Chen Tao Lu Zheng 2020.5.5 Tianxingzhou
□ Red-billed giant tern
Yang Rui 2020.5.22 Pumping Station River
□ Fork-tailed sunbird
Zhong Yongle 2020.11.27 Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
□ Black Floating Gull
Sun Jiao Zhao Yuchen 2020.9.19 Tangxun Lake Thousand Acres Pond
Source: Wuhan Evening News