Mon, Nov 29, 2021 page14

• 24-year-old black-faced spoonbill spotted in Tainan　24歲高齡黑面琵鷺　台南現蹤

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  Many black-faced spoonbills fly to the coastal areas of Tainan for winter every year, attracting many bird-watchers.

  On Tuesday morning last week, Chen Kuo-chung, the chairman of the Chenghsi Community Development Association of Tainan’s Annan District, spotted a black-faced spoonbill at his fish farm. Intrigued by the band around the bird’s leg, Chen consulted a friend, who is a member of the Taiwan Black-faced Spoonbill Conservation Association, and learned that the bird was numbered “T18,” which was tagged in 1999 in Tainan. The bird is therefore estimated to be as old as 24 years of age.

  Chiu Jen-wu, chairman of Tainan Ecological Conservation Society, said that a sighting of T18 was reported in Tainan in January this year. In November, the bird was again seen wintering in the Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve in Tainan’s Cigu Distric. Last Tuesday was the third time this year that T18 has been spotted and recorded.

  

  This photo taken by a bird-watcher on Tuesday last week, shows a black-faced spoonbill with a band around its leg as it forages at a fish farm in Tainan’s Annan District. Numbered T18, the band was attached in 1999 in Tainan, indicating the bird’s estimated 24 years of age, making it by far the oldest black-faced spoonbill recorded in Taiwan. 台南有鳥友上週二在安南區一處魚塭，拍到一九九九年在台南繫放的黑面琵鷺T18，推估年齡約二十四歲，是目前在台灣記錄到的最高齡黑面琵鷺。

  Photo courtesy of Huang Shu-ting, chairwoman of Bird Photography Club 照片：拍鳥俱樂部會長黃蜀婷提供

  Chiu said that black-faced spoonbills migrate between their breeding place and winter habitats each year, and have to cope with many difficult challenges and harsh environments. It is very rare that a bird lives to 24 years old and T18 is currently the oldest black-faced spoonbill recorded in Taiwan, said Chiu.

  Chiu added that a series of activities for the 2021 Black-faced Spoonbill Conservation Season are currently ongoing and encouraged bird lovers to grasp the opportunity to visit Tainan and learn more about the ecology of the black-faced spoonbill.

  (Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)

  

  Black-faced spoonbills wintering at Tingshan Wetland in Tainan’s Cigu District are pictured from a bird watching pavilion in the area. According to statistics from the Tainan City Government Agriculture Bureau, the number of black-faced spoonbills in Tainan for the winter has exceeded 1,200. 由台南七股頂山賞鳥亭所拍攝，棲息在頂山地區濕地的黑面琵鷺。據台南市政府農業局統計，到台南度冬的黑面琵鷺數量已超過一千兩百隻。

  Photo courtesy of Tainan Ecological Conservation Society 照片： 台南市生態保育學會提供

  每年冬季有不少黑面琵鷺飛抵台南沿海地區度冬，吸引不少賞鳥人潮。

  安南區城西社區發展協會理事長陳國忠今天上週二上午在自家魚塭發現一隻黑面琵鷺，因為繫有腳環，覺得相當特別，經詢問黑面琵鷺保育學會的友人後，得知是一九九九年在台南繫放的黑琵T18，推估這隻一九九九年繫放的黑琵已高齡二十四歲。

  台南市生態保育學會理事長邱仁武表示，T18曾於今年一月在台南被通報發現，十一月在七股黑面琵鷺保護區又被通報發現來台度冬，上週二是今年第三次通報發現。

  邱仁武說，黑面琵鷺每年往返於繁殖地及度冬棲地，面臨許多環境挑戰，要活到二十四歲相當不容易，T18則是台灣目前記錄到年齡最大的黑面琵鷺。

  他說，二○二一黑面琵鷺保育季系列活動持續中，喜愛賞鳥的民眾可把握機會到台南一遊，進一步了解黑面琵鷺生態。

  （中央社）
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