The latest survey of the black-faced spoonbill population announced by Taijiang National Park on Dec. 25 last year showed that there were only 1,399 black-faced spoonbills in Greater Tainan, over 200 birds less than the year before, when there were 1,671 birds. There were also 34 birds in the Aogu Wetland in Chiayi County. The total number of birds in Chiayi County and Greater Tainan added up to 1,433.
Tsai Chin-chu, a researcher in the conservation division at Taijiang National Park Headquarters, said a survey conducted on Nov. 28, 2010 found 1,671 birds, which is the largest population ever recorded. Since then the number of black-faced spoonbills visiting the main habitat at the mouth of Zengwen River has shrunk. At times there have only been a dozen birds there, and sometimes not even a single one, which is disappointing visitors. Although not as high as the year before, the numbers were more stable last year, and there were always black-faced spoonbills in the habitat.
Tsai said that judging from the surveys last year and the year before, he is fairly certain that the primary cause of the declining populations of black-faced spoonbills in 2010 was the lack of food. The Taijiang National Park Headquarters added an additional feeding area at the site designated for the Cigu campus at National Tainan University last year, which was apparently effective because the latest survey showed that 420 black-faced spoonbills wintered in the habitat.
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Taipei Times
照片:自由時報記者劉婉君
(Translated by Lin Ya-ti)
台江國家公園去年最後一次黑面琵鷺普查,結果於去年十二月二十五日出爐,大台南地區數量一三九九隻,比起前年最大量的一六七一隻,少了二百多隻,嘉義鰲鼓濕地則有卅四隻,嘉南地區數量共一四三三隻。
台管處保育課研究員蔡金助表示,二○一○年十一月廿八日調查的數量一六七一隻,為歷年來的最大量。之後,曾文溪口主棲地便接連發生黑琵不翼而飛,主棲地有時只剩十餘隻,甚至沒有半隻的窘境,讓遊客失望而回。去年數量雖不及前年,但相對而言,去年數量比較穩定,主棲地不會沒有黑琵可看。
蔡金助說,從去年與前年的普查,幾可判定二○一○年黑琵搞失蹤主因應是食源不足。去年台管處在七股台南大學預定地增闢覓食區,這次調查有四百二十隻黑琵棲息,效果顯著。(自由時報記者蔡文居)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
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