Dahe Daily reporter Liu Ruichao photographed Bai Zhoufeng
A small kestrel pulled out the code for Zhengzhou's ecological improvement. In recent years, the kestrel, a national second-class protected animal, a small bird of prey, has flown out of the mountains, flies away from the woodlands, flies to the green city, flies into the urban area, makes nests on the balconies of residents, lays eggs, and breeds chicks to live.
According to statistics from the Zhengzhou Wildlife Rescue Station, they have rescued 46 kestrels in the first two quarters of this year, and may to July is the breeding period of kestrels, and this number will continue to increase. At the same time, the number of red-horned owls that are also national second-level protected animals has also increased significantly compared with previous years. Behind it is the gradual improvement of Zhengzhou's ecological environment and the strengthening of the people's concept of wildlife protection.
【Ambulance】A small kestrel fell into the rough house and injured its right wing and has received professional treatment
On the morning of July 7, Wang Jianjie, a maintenance worker in the Puyuyuan community near Guoji Road on Zhongzhou Avenue in Downtown Zhengzhou, once again dialed the phone of the Zhengzhou Wildlife Rescue Station.
"After a night, the kestrel still can't fly on its own, so hurry up and come to the rescue." The Zhengzhou Wildlife Rescue Station once told them to try to feed the kestrel, observe it for another night, and if they still can't fly, contact them for on-site rescue.
At about 11:00 a.m., reporters from the Grand River News and staff of the ambulance station rushed to Puyu Garden. When I arrived at the scene, I found that the community had not yet delivered the house, and it was all rough houses. Several staff members of the residential property walked out of the gate, holding a cardboard box, and the kestrel was standing inside. After a simple handover, the Kestrel was transferred to a dedicated ambulance box at the ambulance station.
In the eyes of several of them, the appearance of this kestrel was completely unexpected. On the evening of the 5th, they were conducting a routine inspection of the house, and went to Room 303 on the 30th floor of Unit 2 of Building 1, and just pushed open the door and saw this little guy. At first, they didn't know what kind of bird it was, but when they saw that it couldn't fly, they took it back to the office.
Out of curiosity, they took pictures of the kestrels and sent them to the circle of friends. Soon, a friend replied that this was an owl, and then it was denied, and a friend who knew the situation said that this was a kestrel, if you feed it privately, it is against the law, and it is recommended to contact the wildlife rescue department quickly.
Worried that the kestrels were hungry, they first brought some cooked meat, but the kestrels ignored them. Later, they took some raw meat from outside, cut it into small pieces, and put it in front of the kestrel, which quickly "eliminated" the raw meat that still had a fishy smell. In the process of feeding it, the back of Wang Jianjie's hand was also scratched by it.
They listened to the Zhengzhou Wildlife Rescue Station, fed the kestrel, and observed it for another night, hoping that it would fly away on its own. However, by the morning of the 7th, the situation of the Kestrel had not improved, so the ambulance station was contacted again.
After the kestrel was pulled to an ambulance station, after observation and examination, the staff found that it had a slight injury to its right wing. "It is possible that during the test flight, glass and other obstacles were encountered, and an accident occurred." The staff said they would conserve and treat the kestrel and release it back into nature in about ten days.
【Changes】 In the past two years, the number of kessus being rescued has increased significantly from more than 30 to about 60 per year
Don't underestimate this bird, it is a national second-class protected animal. Dong Chaowei, director of the Zhengzhou Wildlife Rescue Station, said that the kestrel is a small bird of prey, feeding on large insects, small birds, frogs and native lizards. In recent years, the number of keslies rescued by Zhengzhou has increased significantly, and there is a tendency for migratory birds to become resident birds.
In the whole of 2019, they rescued more than 30 kestrels. By 2020, the number of kestrels is close to 60. In the first two quarters of this year, the number of KES falcons they rescued has reached 46. The breeding season of kestrels is from May to July every year, and it is expected that kestrels will be rescued in the future. In addition, this year, the Zhongmu County foster care site also rescued more than a dozen kestrels, adding up to nearly 60.
This is a more gratifying change. When the Reporter of Dahe News interviewed in the Puyuyuan Community, a staff member of the property company said that he had never seen a kestrel bird since he was a child, and they should belong to the birds in the mountain forest. But from last winter to now, he's found it twice. Once when it was cold in winter, once when the little kestrel fell to the neighborhood where he worked, he also observed two adult kestrels circling around the community, they should be looking for children's parents.
"This year, we rescued 46 animals, and 3 died of serious illness or injury, but the overall survival rate was above 90%." Dong Chaowei said that more than a dozen of the 46 adult kestrels, the rest are young birds. Especially since the summer, the largest number of young birds have been rescued.
Kestrel rescue is generally divided into three stages. In the first stage, they will feed some bread worms, barley worms; After 10 days, start feeding chicken, pork, and some shredded meat; In another week, they will be fed some hairy food to assist the kestrels in their rewilding training, because eventually they will be released into nature. In the final stage, they will put the kestrels into a large cage, and they will not fight each other and live in peace, but will benefit their rewilding training and improve their ability to survive in the wild.
【Analysis】Ecological environment improvement and public awareness of protection Sufficient food sources attract kestrels to "settle down"
So, why in recent years, more and more kestrels have appeared in the field of view of the general public in Zhengzhou city?
Dong Chaowei said that under normal circumstances, the kestrel inhabits the environment of mountains, forests and grasslands. However, more and more kestrels live in Zhengzhou city for three reasons, one is the improvement of the entire ecological environment, the second is sufficient food, and the third is the sense of security of birds.
The first two reasons are closely related, only if the ecological environment improves, more wild animals will survive here, and the food source of kestrels can be guaranteed. This means that the food chain from the lower layer to the upper layer is relatively complete, and behind it is still a good ecological environment.
Birds' sense of security, derived from the tolerance and bird love of city dwellers, will not harm them, which is also an important reason why they choose to make a home here.
The Reporter of the Great River News learned that the kestrel belongs to migratory birds and winters in the south or mountains every winter and spring. Dong Chaowei said that kestrels generally lay 4-5 eggs per nest, with an incubation period of 28-30 days and a brooding period of one month. However, in the past few years, they have found that there are kestrels breeding on the balconies of residents in Zhengzhou City, breeding in the bridge holes of viaducts, and breeding in the heights of lampposts, indicating that more and more kestrels have entered people's living circles.
In addition, they also found that the kestrel has a tendency to develop from migratory birds to resident birds. Because in the autumn and winter, they also rescued kestrels in Zhengzhou city, and this situation was not available before.
Also as a national second-level protected animal, the population of the red horned owl is also increasing significantly. Dong Chaowei said that on the 7th and 8th, they rescued two animals in a row. So far this year, they have rescued more than 20 red-horned owls. In April and May this year, they rescued nearly 30 hedgehogs, which is also more than in previous years.
A relevant person from the Zhengzhou Forestry Bureau said that this also confirms the improvement of the entire ecological environment of Zhengzhou City, becoming more livable, suitable for human habitation, and also suitable for wild animals.
(Red Horned Owl)
(Longitudinal-bellied owl)
Blackbird (Hundred Tongues)
Source: Dahe Client Editor: Wang Yue