rosefinch

Dear all,

今日赫然發現，大埔墟歷史悠久的鷺鳥林被鏟平
I was so sad this afternoon when found out the Egret site near Tai Po Market MTR (Wan Tau Kok Lane) was destroyed by the government department. I've changed the transport routing so haven't been there for 6 months, so shocked to find out I can't do anything as the site used to be a resting/nesting place for serveral species of Egrets, now was totally destroyed.

Meiling
p.s. sorry if problem in posting, for I'm very green at that.
here are the photos:

[ Last edited by rosefinch at 11/03/2014 19:36 ]

subbuteo

I was past on Friday evening and saw a large number of egrets gathered in a tree on the opposite side of the road- I saw the cladding but assumed it was just minor slope work.  I have not been past there for several months either.  Have they removed the trees?  The roost there was a real spectacle each evening.  I do hope this is just a temporary measure - but it will very likely interfere with nesting.

Dylan

louislee

Are they spraying concrete on the slope ?
If so, that would be detrimental to the trees' health, eventually hampering the egretry

rosefinch

Dylan,
they have destroyed more then 90% of the trees where the egrets nesting.
Most of the egrets used to nest at the lower part of the slope facing the main road.

Louis,
agree with you, it seems that probably concrete will be used, especially the 2/3 part of the slope already "stripped" off by them, and I noticed the top of those trees/plants left died out in brown colour--don't know they naturally died by the effect of the works, or at the beginnning they use poison to make some of the plants died quickly to pave the way for clearence?

looks like that might effect a lot on the future nesting?

Meiling

[ Last edited by rosefinch at 12/03/2014 01:27 ]

subbuteo

I did not realise how extensive the work was as I passed at night.  If they have removed the trees they must have infringed some regulations?   This roost has been well established for at least eight years- I am sure much longer than that.

I can only find these looking briefly:

http://www.legislation.gov.hk/bl ... ba4b6?OpenDocument- all wild birds are protected.

http://www.legislation.gov.hk/bl ... 0BA4A2?OpenDocument -

No person shall, except in accordance with a special permit, take, remove, injure, destroy or wilfully disturb a nest or egg of any protected wild animal.

Dylan

wcaptain

Egret research group has contacted AFCD about this issue. Awaiting their feedback.

So far, no trees have been felled. The wilting leaves are just climbers.

But because of the construction work, nesting birds may not return to the site this year.

irsychan

You may also contact the CEDD engineer looking after this contract, for more direct information about the contract details, rather than routing via AFCD.
The contact information can be found here, from Google search:  
http://www.google.com.hk/url?sa= ... Bg524-I7ZBcSAnXKEpQ

HKBWS Chuan

The Society and the Egrets Research Group have been working together on this issue.  We will be in close contact with CEDD and AFCD, especially dealing with the measures needed to prevent disturbances.  We have been, and will continue, to conduct site visits to the egretry regularly for any suspicious activities.

rosefinch

From my brief observations yesterday, some of the trees, bushes and plants at the mid/lower level, i.e. the slope near the jockey club direction were cut, last years I saw the highest density of nests on those trees.
From my photos there are some trees partly or wholely cut down.

Sure, hopefully the effects of those works on egrets nesting will only be temporary.

[ Last edited by rosefinch at 12/03/2014 20:39 ]

louislee

Quote:

Original posted by rosefinch at 12/03/2014 20:09
From my brief observations yesterday, some of the trees, bushes and plants at the mid/lower level, i.e. the slope near the jockey club direction were cut, last years I saw the highest density of nests ...

As the trees are adjacent to the roads, would the Highway Department be responsible for part of the tree felling if there are any? Do you know what is the most affected species ?

P.S. The highly fragmented structure of the government bodies makes this matter complicated !

irsychan

Has this been resolved now?

HKBWS Chuan

Thanks for your concern, we are still keeping a close watch on this case.  When it is appropriate, the Society will provide further information.

irsychan

With due respect to hkbws, your reply reminded me of those bureaucratic government replies to public enquiries in the 60's - 80's, before Chris Patten introduced the open and transparent government structure in HK.  If I raise a similar query to the CEDD engineer or AFCD official about this case, I am sure that I will get much better response than yours.  I am disappointed that you simply kept close watching of the case but didn't take proactive actions.

[ Last edited by irsychan at 15/03/2014 11:15 ]

HKBWS Chuan

As an organization that is committed to the conservation of birds, we are taking actions on this issue.  Given that this is still an open case, there are sensitivity issues in releasing information at this moment.  I assure you that once we have a formal response, our members will be informed.

irsychan

You should at least tell us what you have done.  Any letters sent, any meeting or site visit held, and whether there is habitat lost from your own observations.  You can always tell this even the case is still being resolved.  Or perhaps I better ask the CEDD engineeer directly in my role of a concerned public for more details.

wcaptain

This is the not the first time that HKBWS is doing this kind of conservation action.

Pls give them time to deal with this.

irsychan

Sorry, not used to this snail speed of working...  Not in my profession any way.
I shall wait, as suggested.

HKBWS Chuan

Last week, an informal discussion with AFCD and issuance of a formal letter written to CEDD was done to voice out our concerns.  The Society and the Egrets Research Group have conducted site visits to the egretry to get a better understanding of what is happening.

Today, we received a formal response to our letter to CEDD and they agree to suspend all works during the breeding months between April and July.  They confirmed there are no tree felling and no excavation for this project.   Their contractors are now cleaning up the site for the suspension and are anticipated to leave the construction site within this week.  Since the slope is located next to a busy street, the hoarding will remain for public safety reasons and the condition of the slope will be inspected periodically.   

Don't be surprised if you see the scaffold and platform still present during these few months, we advised CEDD not to disassemble the site at this time because during this time of the year the egrets begin pairing up.  We want to avoid any potential disturbances as much as possible from now until the end of July so the egrets can nest peacefully.

CEDD has also taken the initiative to keep communicating with the Society and we will be informed when construction begins after the end of the breeding months.  The Society appreciates CEDD's proactive response and willingness to implement our suggestions.  We thank our members for their concerns and information provided to help tackle this issue.

subbuteo

It sounds like HKBWS have done a commendable job and that the concerns raised regarding the bird's welfare have been taken seriously by both AFCD and CEDD.  Excellent!

Dylan

kmike

Dear irsychan

I appreciate and share your concern for the potential harm done to the Tai Po Market egretry.

I would like to clarify that this unfortunate situation has been handled professionally and thoroughly by HKBWS staff.

As a result it has been resolved amicably with the department concerned (CEDD), their contractors, AFCD, HKBWS (staff and concerned individual members), and other NGOs and despite the fact that the issue required ecological, legal, contractual and PR issues to be resolved. All this takes time.

The reason that information was not disclosed earlier was because I asked that it be held up until we had received a formal response from CEDD so that members would receive the most relevant information. This judgment was based on my environmental advocacy work over  20 years on such cases for HKBWS both and other conservation NGOs.

I would also like to clarify that HKBWS staff:

a) are not required to provide a blow by blow account of the progress of their work on this website;
b) work under the direction of the Society's Executive Committee and senior management. It is simply not practical for them to take direction from HKBWS members or anyone else choosing to post on this forum.

Should you have further thoughts  about how HKBWS's conservation work might be done better please either write to the Executive Committee directly, or if you prefer, send me a PM and I will be happy to discuss with you further.

Thank you

Mike Kilburn

Vice Chairman
Chair, Conservation Subcommittee

wgeoff

Congratulations Jocelyn and other staff. A job well done.

rosefinch

Congratulations again, Joycelyn!

Surprised when learnt about the news because usually I think gov't offices may need more time to decide, so this time the prompt decision by the gov't department is impressive!

But also implies the society staffs and the NGO conservative teams have done a lot. Excellent!

Though the site has been already disturbed but the suspension give us more confidence and initiative that some government offices can be reasonably dealed with, so let's keep eyes on the welfares of birds!

Cheers
Meiling

[ Last edited by rosefinch at 18/03/2014 17:11 ]

irsychan

Please note that Government departments in HK are most open and transparent, compared with other governments in the world.  Hence there is no reason to hold back anything, as the normal response time to public queries from Government particularly CEDD or HyD would be very quick, and they are environemntally conscious as any public.
Kmike et al:  Please be advised of the above.

[ Last edited by irsychan at 18/03/2014 19:14 ]

irsychan

Quote:

Original posted by HKBWS Jocelyn at 17/03/2014 17:48
Last week, an informal discussion with AFCD and issuance of a formal letter written to CEDD was done to voice out our concerns.  The Society and the Egrets Research Group have conducted site visits to ...

Thank you Jocelyn for the detailed report.  Keep up with the good work!

HKBWS Chuan

Aside from our communication with government, we visited the egretry with reporters yesterday to explain to them the situation.  We hope the public can gain a better understanding of how birds share the environment with us.

大埔斜坡工程 恐礙鷺鳥繁殖
Hong Kong Economic Times 經濟日報
http://www.hket.com/eti/article/ ... 9b16cccefb75-954081

圍木板移除大片攀藤　 政府工程趕絕鷺鳥
Apple Daily 蘋果日報
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20140319/18661236

斜坡工程擾鷺林 繁殖期停工半年
Ming Pao 明報
http://news.mingpao.com/20140319/gmc1.htm

The egg comes first, engineers find as building work is halted to protect egret colony
South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko ... irst-engineers-find

louislee

Great work !
Hope that the egretry will regain its vitality.

May I ask a question? Will the substrate of the slopebe retained as vegetation?

If CEDD spraycretes the slope, that will harm the trees which are homes to dozens of egrets !

HKBWS Chuan

Yes that is a good point, in fact, the conditions of the trees will need to be maintained so the tree crowns remain suitable for nesting in the long term.

The slope was originally covered by concrete with vines on top.  Right now they have cleared the vines and you can see the concrete cover of the slope.  The trees have adapted to this condition and have been able to grow healthily.  

Now the concern will be how the upcoming slope works will affect the trees, particularly the roots.  Fortunately, now that CEDD has suspended their works in these months we hope to have the opportunity to liaise with them, not only to get a better understanding of the works but also to suggest tree protection measures and greening potentials for the slope.

HKBWS Chuan

Our Egrets Research Group paid a visit to the egretry recently and reported signs of courting and nest-building for Little Egrets, Great Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons.  We are glad to see they are still using the site and now that the construction works have stopped they should be able to nest peacefully.

Our Egretry Count surveys will begin in April, each month until the month of July the egretry will be surveyed by counting the number of nests present.  

For more information on our past reports, you can visit http://www.hkbws.org.hk/web/eng/egret_report_eng.htm
There is also a training session held in May if you are interested in participating in the egretry counts.  http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/view ... &extra=page%3D1

HKBWS Chuan

我們很高興能夠向大家宣佈，大埔墟的鷺鳥林仍然是活躍的。本年度繁殖期暫時錄得的鳥巢數目與過去數年相約。我們於上星期的視察中，能看見雛鳥在巢上及斜坡上的樹蔭之下。
We are pleased to announce that the colony at Tai Po Market is active and that the number of nests recorded during this year’s breeding season so far is comparable to that of previous years.  During a visit to the colony last week, fledglings were seen in nests and at the understory of the trees on the slope.

我們再一次感謝土木工程及拓展署能就這事件與我們合作及在整個鷺鳥繁殖期間暫停所有工程。我們會在未來數個月繼續與土木工程及拓展署緊密聯繫，以確保所有雛鳥都在復工前離開它們的鳥巢。
We once again would like to thank CEDD for working with us on this issue and suspending constructions for the entire breeding season.  We will be in contact with them in the upcoming months to make sure that fledglings have left their nests before the construction works start again.

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27/06/2014 16:01

subbuteo

That is an excellent result- well done all involved.

Dylan

John Holmes

Good result ! Well Done by the Egret Research Group, Mike, Jocelyn and others...

irsychan

Well done Mike, Jocelyn and all involved.

HKBWS Chuan

Last week, the Egret Research Group has confirmed there are no active nests at the colony.  

This week, CEDD will begin their construction works at the site again.  As good practice, CEDD has suggested to start in areas furthest away from the core of the colony so the roosting birds can slowly become desensitized to the construction activities.  

The Society once again expresses our gratitude for CEDD's willingness to collaborate with us during these past months.

rosefinch

Thank you Jocelyn and those related to work for preserving the Egret site!
Please help continuously to keep eyes on this for it's too much for the very developed HK to bear to lose one more breeding site like this!

Cheers
Meiling

[ Last edited by rosefinch at 12/09/2014 19:02 ]