Natural and Human Seasonal Migration Part I
Our apartment in Singapore is located next to Jurong Lake Gardens, a 90-hectare (equivalent to 144 football fields) community green space, comprising Lakeside, Chinese, and Japanese gardens, each with its distinctive landscape. During the natural seasonal migration peak from October to December, you will encounter, while strolling along the gardens in the early morning, many similarly dressed men and women, in Crocodile Dundee outback hats and safari photo vests, lugging a heavy tripod stand mounted with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, usually a Canon, fitted with a super telephoto lens. All their heads are pointed upwards at the sky!
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a more important site than Jurong Lake Gardens. It is Singapore's first ASEAN Heritage Park. It is formally a member of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) Site Network. Comprising 130 hectares of mangroves, mudflats, and ponds, Sungei Buloh is a critical stopover and wintering ground for this natural seasonal migration. It hosts an estimated 2,000 migratory shorebirds each season, including migratory waders, kingfishers, and bee-eaters. Jurong Lake Gardens, its grasslands, freshwater lake, manicured gardens, and bamboo groves, host 170 bird species, including migratory flycatchers and cuckoos. The amateur birdwatchers, however, spend their time at Jurong Lake Gardens as the terrain here is far more inviting!
Hainan, which is 50 times the size of Singapore, is an even more vital hub for migratory birds to replenish their energy on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, serving as both a crucial stopover and a winter sanctuary. Situated at the northern edge of the tropics, Hainan is the first tropical landmass the migratory birds encounter upon arriving from the north, and the last major landmass before they embark on their long sea crossing to Oceania. Its rich wetland ecosystems are a lifeline for tens of thousands of migratory birds taking the long journey from their northern breeding grounds.
Hainan, with 400,000 hectares of wetlands, including coastal mudflats, mangroves, rivers, and reservoirs, hosts over 30,000 migratory birds annually, including egrets, sand plovers, seagulls, and mynas. It also provides abundant food and shelter for over 40,000 wintering waterbirds, spread across 77 species, including the Black-faced Spoonbill, which is an endangered species and ‘indicator of ecological condition’, that arrives earlier each year and winters in increasing numbers.
This abundance is the direct result of focused conservation and environmental protection work. For example, the number of bird species in Dongzhaigang (Dongzhai Port), a protected area, has increased from 180 to 229 due to mangrove restoration and improved water quality. Hainan's role as a critical refuge on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway has become even more important in recent years thanks to the dedicated efforts of the provincial government and its people.
This natural seasonal migration on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway is actually two distinct seasons each year, collectively spanning about half the year. For Hainan, the Southward Migration (Autumn) of migratory birds typically arrives in September, with activity peaking in December. The return journey, the Northward Migration (Spring), takes place from late February to late May.
Meanwhile, scientific studies have identified 88 ecological corridors, used by these shorebird groups across Hainan. The ten key corridors are as follows:
1. Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve (Haikou): It is a critical wetland serving as the wintering ground for the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill. The bird species count here has grown from 219 to 229, showing the area's health.
2. Yanfeng Xiatang Wetland (Haikou): It is located near Dongzhaigang. This is a major wintering site for waterbirds, supporting 2,000–3,000 birds, particularly ducks, of about 25 species each year.
3. Beigang Island (Haikou): It is an important stopover spot near Dongzhaigang. Surveys have recorded 71 species of wild birds that have benefited from the mangrove and forest habitats here for resting and feeding.
4. Wuyuan River (Haikou): This national wetland park is a key breeding ground for the Blue-throated Bee-eaters and the Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, which migrate from Southeast Asia each spring.
5. Xinying Bay (Danzhou): It is one of the largest wintering sites for waterbirds on Hainan, hosting over 47 species with populations sometimes exceeding 5,500 birds. It is also a stable winter home for the Black-faced Spoonbill and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
6. Guangcun Silver Beach (Danzhou): It is a crucial stopover and wintering site for waterbirds, with records of critically endangered species, like the Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
7. Haiwei National Wetland Park (Changjiang): It is a rare coastal freshwater marsh, known as the ‘Bird Paradise of Western Hainan’. It's home to 213 recorded bird species, and a winter home for flocks of Pacific Golden Plovers and other migratory birds.
8. Xincun Port (Lingshui): Its diverse habitats, like mangroves, mudflats, and bays, make it a key wintering and stopover destination for migratory seagulls and terns.
9. Huiwen Wetland (Wenchang): It is the most important area for wintering waterbirds on Hainan's east coast, with over 38 species recorded yearly, including the rare and endangered Spotted Greenshank.
10. Xinying Wetland (Lingao): Another vital overwintering location for the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill.
When you visit any of these hotspots, remember to don your outback hat and photo vest, mount your Canon DSLR camera, fitted with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM telephoto lens, onto a K&F Concept Carbon Fiber Tripod Pro, and look up into the sky!
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