20
Natural History
F
ASIDE from skyscrapers and factories, Hong Kong has some 300 square miles of coun- tryside. Hills and cultivated valleys stretch across the New Territories and outlying islands, and even the densely populated Hong Kong Island has miles of wooded slopes.
More than half the countryside is now under one or another protection order so as to conserve wildlife, trees and plants. Most of the big game-like tigers- vanished before conservation began 20 years ago. Urban development also caused a decline in the numbers of other mammals. There is, however, still a variety of wild animals and also many species of birds.
Wild Life
Concern that a housing development scheme on privately-owned land at Tai Shang Wai might affect migratory birds in the neighbouring Mai Po marshes was followed in mid-1975 by increased protection of the marshes. Under the Wild Birds and Wild Mammals Protection Ordinance, access is now restricted to permit-holders. This area of mudflats, mangrove and shrimp ponds is Hong Kong's richest habitat for birds. More than 250 species have been recorded there, and at least 110 of these are rarely-if ever-seen elsewhere in the territory.
The area is best known for its many ducks and shorebirds. Two shorebirds which have been recorded on the marshes-the Asiatic Dowitcher and Nordmann's Greenshank were recently added to the international list of birds in danger of extinction.
At the Yim Tso Ha egretry--which is a strict nature reserve-Chinese Pond Herons, Cattle and Little Egrets continue to nest, as do the one or two pairs of the rare Swinhoe's Egret which have nested there for more than 10 years. A small number of Night Herons have also nested there since 1972.
In the urban areas, the Chinese Bulbul and Crested Mynah can be seen and the Black-eared Kite is a familiar sight over the harbour. The Agriculture and Fisheries Department is continuing its full-scale ecological study of the Black-eared Kite in relation to the birdstrike hazard at Hong Kong International Airport.
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society's latest checklist covers 343 species of birds which have been recorded in an apparently wild state during the past 50 years. Species recently recorded for the first time include the Ancient Auk, Brown-headed Gull, Great Black-headed Gull, Sooty Flycatcher and Reed Bunting. The society holds about 12 field outings a year.