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）
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