Exclusive》Rarely rare guest reports! Eight "Black Pips" were spotted in Kenting's Longluan Lake, and bird fans crowded the North Shore to snap pictures.

Eight "Black Pips" were spotted at Longluan Lake in Kenting, and bird fans crowded the north shore to snap pictures. (Photo by reporter Cai Zongxian)

The Hengchun Peninsula is a winter haven for migratory birds. In the past, the rare protected species "Black-faced Spoonbill", which mostly spent the winter in the Jianan area, has only sporadic records in Kenting National Park. However, in the past two days, bird watchers were on the north bank of Longluan Lake and were surprised to find as many as eight black-faced spoonbills showing up to spend the winter. This was the first local record of this autumn and winter migration season. When the news came out, bird fans immediately rushed to see and snap photos of these charming visitors from afar.

The black-faced spoonbill, commonly known as the "black spoonbill", is named because its long, flat, spoon-shaped bill is very similar to the musical instrument pipa. It is a globally endangered species and is also listed as an endangered species in Taiwan. Black-faced spoonbills mostly winter in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Taiwan accounts for half of the world's wintering population, mainly concentrated in the Chianan area.

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The eight black-faced spoonbills spotted this time were found roosting on the north bank of Longluan Lake, which retains a rich wetland ecology, over the past two days. Since it is very rare to find black-faced spoonbills in areas outside Tainan, every time they appear, birders are excited and rush to take photos. In the past few days, the area around the north shore of Longluan Lake has been crowded with people who want to catch a glimpse of the bird. Looking back at past data, it was found that wintering Black-faced Spoonbills were first recorded in Hengchun Peninsula in 1985. There have also been sporadic records in recent years, and even a record of 50 birds was recorded.

Hengchun Peninsula goose and duck expert Liu Chuan pointed out that in recent years, black-faced spoonbills have spent the winter stably in Taiwan. In addition to Tainan, the main wintering place, other wetlands in Taiwan have also seen stable wintering numbers. Liu Chuan said that although the number of black-faced spoonbills wintering in Longluantan Wetland is not large, the relevant records have been as long as 30 years, and in recent years there have been sporadic wintering individuals almost every year. This shows that the area around Longluan Lake is not only a wintering place for wild geese and ducks, but also an important wintering habitat for black-faced spoonbills. The maintenance of the wetland environment provides a habitat of ecological diversity and is worthy of protection by all people.

Eight "Black Pips" were spotted at Longluan Lake in Kenting, and bird fans crowded the north shore to snap photos. (Photo by reporter Cai Zongxian)