Hi there, it’s Katie. Here is Cigu.
This place is not only famous for its seafood,
it’s also famous known for its black-faced spoonbills.
Cigu is rich in nature.
(People here,) they took a lot of efforts in it,
to preserve this beautiful place.
Today, you got a chance with me
to have a tour of this place to find out
what kind of treasure you can find in this beautiful place.
Hi, Mr.Chen.
Hello,
welcome to this international wetland.
Mr.Chen, could you give me a brief introduction
about this beautiful place?
The place we’re standing on right now was once a part of the sea.
During 1823, Zengwun River flooded
and change its courses several times,
and the mass sediment
contributed to many new lands.
In 1989, the estuary of Zengwun River
was designated as industrial land.
Thanks for the efforts of many bird conservation advocates,
in 2002, around 300 hectares of the north shore
of the estuary where black-faced spoonbills inhabited
was designated as the “Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve.”
As the water stage of this wetland is adjusted by a water gate,
the tidal range is relatively small.
This makes the wetland a great habitat for migratory birds.
In addition, the mangrove forest
at the estuary
is home to plants growing on the seabed as well
as fishes, shrimps, and scallops.
They attract a wide variety of birds
and form a complete food chain.
Black-faced spoonbills come here
not only for the diversified ecosystem,
but also for the fish farming industry in Cigu.
There are lots of milkfish farms in this place,
and after the fishes are harvested in fall,
the water inside will be drained,
leaving in them some tilapias
as well as other fishes, shrimps, and scallops.
This is a very suitable environment for black-faced spoonbills
to hunt for food.
So, beside the black-faced spoonbills,
are there any other spices in here?
There are three kinds of precious birds in the Old Taijiang Inner Sea:
First, the black-faced spoonbill.
Second, the pied avocet.
And third, the black-winged stilt.
Black-faced spoonbills migrate to Taiwan as their wintering ground
during October to next March.
During the time when black-faced spoonbills are not here,
that is, between May and August,
the area is open for local residents with capture licenses.
They can enter the conservation area to capture hard clams,
red tipped clams, and razor clams,
as these clams are not the food of migratory birds.
Capturing them with manpower not only helps loosen the soil
but also provides a source of financial support for residents.
It’s a win-win case.
During their wintering stay in Taiwan,
there will be docents at the bird observatory platform to
introduce black-faced spoonbills.
Besides, you can also go to the Museum of Black-faced Spoonbills
to know more about them.
Hello there, let me give you Mr.Tsai here.
He is the staff of this exhibition hall.
Could you give me a brief introduction about this place?
In the museum, there are introductions to the information
about black-faced spoonbills.
For example, the time they migrate to Taiwan,
or the best time to observe them.
There are lots of photos, models,
as well as other information about black-faced spoonbills.
You can get to know more about black-faced spoonbills
within a short period of time.
As you enter here, you’ll see
a model of a black-faced spoonbill.
The exhibition room is designed
to present their habitats in the Korean Peninsula.
During May to September, black-faced spoonbills
will migrate to the Korean Peninsula or Liaodong Peninsula
to breed and feed their young.
For safety reasons,
black-faced spoonbills usually breed on cliffs.
Black-faced spoonbills migrate southward in two routes:
the land route and the sea route.
The land route including a stay at China, then Taiwan,
and finally Vietnam.
The sea route starts from Korea,
and some birds will stay in Japan.
Then, they continue their migration to Taiwan.
This is an introduction to different species of spoonbills.
The spoonbill genus consists of six species:
roseate spoonbill, African spoonbill,
yellow-billed spoonbill, royal spoonbill,
Eurasian spoonbill, and black-faced spoonbill.
Every year, there will be about ten Eurasian spoonbills that
migrate to Taiwan along with black-faced spoonbills.
Here you can see the traits of black-faced spoonbills
at different ages,
their food,
places where you can see them,
and the number of black-faced spoonbills
that have come to Taiwan this winter.
There is detailed and complete information here!
Did you find the treasure here?
Isn’t that beautiful?
Tell me you’re not going to miss this place.
The grand finale activity in Sigang’s incense event