Subject: 靚相護燕鷗 齊齊「不登島」Protect terns, do not set foot on Tern Islands [Print This Page] Author: BWA Time: 24/05/2007 00:06 Subject: 靚相護燕鷗 齊齊「不登島」Protect terns, do not set foot on Tern Islands
Every summer, three species of terns come to breed at a few small outlying islands in Hong Kong. Graceful, agile, and easily seen over open waters, terns are among the most popular subjects for bird photography. Pictures of terns can be found in many photo forums both local and overseas.
However, tern breeding colonies are very vulnerable to disturbance. Adult birds would flee once photographers set foot on these colonies, leaving their chicks and eggs on the island to be fried by the hot sun. Chicks running around in panic may suffer falls, got drown or even stepped on by people.
Landing on tern islands will bring serious disturbance to the birds and can be prosecuted under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance. Worse still, the act may draw other people to the site, bringing disaster to the colony.
To raise public awareness of the “Don’t disturb, don’t land” code, HKBWS members James and others have produced a “No landing” (in Chinese) icon in the attached photo. By putting the icon on a photo, we can
1. declare that the work was taken without setting foot on the island
2. reminder people against landing on tern colonies
3. demonstrates that high quality pictures can be taken off the island
The photoshop file for the icon can be downloaded from here: Logo_layer.
You are welcome to show it on your pictures. This will help to spread the code and keep the terns coming every year.
Thank you!
Alan Chan
Convenor, Tern Research Group
HKBWS Author: isaac_chan Time: 24/05/2007 01:33
Support!
Sea near Sai Kung 西貢附近海域
2/9/2006
D2x + Sigma 120-300mm + 1.4x (Handheld on boat)
186 Bridled Tern 褐翅燕鷗
As a token of our thanks, those who have already posted here (including ckuifai) would be invited to the tern survey to be held on 22 July. Details will be notified individually.
Alan Author: oLDcaR Time: 26/05/2007 09:25
Support!! Photo taken from boat,
23/07/2006 HKBWS Tern Survey Activity
D2X + 300mm
(10% crop only)
Author: lterence Time: 5/06/2007 06:15
Support..
13/5/2007
Sai Kung 西貢
D2X + 600/4 1/1250s F/6.3 ISO200
One worrying development happened late in July when all the remaining colony of birds deserted the rock apart from two pairs of birds which were nesting on the left side of the rock. This desertion was unprecedented in the nine years of the project and there was a strong suspicion that the birds might have been disturbed by human presence.
The recent increase in the frequency of visits to islets by people from Noumea (ca.100,000 inhabitants), resulting from the increase in the number of leisure boats, may be the principal factor responsible for the current trends and threats. Human disturbance seems to be a major threat that may lead to desertion of seabirds on islets, or reduced breeding success.
3. Bird life of Pulau Layang Layang - Black-naped Tern
http://www.tracc.org.my/Borneocoast/LAYANG_LAYANG/pll_birds.html
Unsuccessful breeding seemed to be due primarily to disturbance in the form of inquisitive visitors (tourists from the resort and Navy personnel), predation by cats and the twice daily flights which flew directly over the breeding colonies.
4. Tampa Bay Soundings, USA – Bridled, Caspian, Royal, Sandwich, Roseate, Least, Sooty, Brown Noddy
http://www.baysoundings.com/sum02/birds.html
But by far the most important cause of outright nesting failure is disturbance by people. Forcing adults to fly exposes eggs containing delicate embryos to the hot sun and almost certain death. Year after year, repeated human intrusion at nesting colonies has caused steep declines in some populations.
5. Birds in Backyards - Little Tern
http://birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=254
The Little Tern is extremely sensitive to human disturbance when breeding and is rapidly declining in numbers and range. Nesting sites are usually located where humans swim, walk, exercise dogs, picnic and drive off-road vehicles.The mere presence of people on the beach may cause these terns to desert their eggs and eventually leave the colony altogether.
6. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, UK – Common Tern
http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/UKSPA/UKSPA-A6-90.pdf
Declines in specific colonies in Britain and Ireland, with some complete losses, can mostly be put down to habitat changes, e.g. coastal developments and increased disturbance, especially recreational, although as with all terns birds can desert breeding colonies for behavioural
reasons, resettling again after a period of time.
7. John F. Kennedy Space Center Environmental Program Branch - Least Tern
http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/projects/documents/tern_skimmers.pdf
Other factors that are correlated with abandonment are human disturbance, presence of mammalian predators, and flooding. Of these, human disturbance is probably the factor most responsible for recent declines. Human-caused disturbances can exacerbate many of these problems, which increases the rate of turnover and decreases the reproductive success of colonies. The same areas that these birds value for nesting habitat are unfortunately the same areas humans value for recreational activities. Human intrusion along beaches, lakes, and streams reduces the available nesting area for these birds.
8. National Audubon Society, USA - Gull-billed Tern
http://web1.audubon.org/waterbirds/species.php?speciesCode=gulter
Human disturbance from boating, recreation, and development is a primary conservation concern, as it causes the young to disperse from the nest too early, sometimes resulting in heavy losses due to exposure to weather and predators. Where human activities are concentrated on some Atlantic Coast barrier islands, this species has shifted to nesting on marshes and dredge spoil islands. Author: BWA Time: 1/07/2007 21:48