wgeoff

According to a notice posted on the Po Toi School Buildings yesterday, Lands Dept propose to demolish the School Buildings on Po Toi. Interested parties have 14 days to comment.

I have no problem with this since the buildings are in a dangerous condition and are not suitable for re-use. However, this may be an opportunity to do something else with the space. If anyone has any thoughts, please post here. I will discuss with HKBWS Management how to respond to the notice

tsheunglai

Planting indigenous trees in its place, of course, Geoff.

Trees, and plants are inseparable from other forms of life on land, at least. It pains me to see
plants and trees in particular are roughly trimmed and cut down on the complaints of over-caring parents
and damned-it passers-by on the walkways. Give the birds trees, and they the birds will sow kind seeds
for us to harvest, probably better and happier life.

S L Tai

cgeoff

How about a place suitable for pitching a tent?

I guess it's too much to ask for a hostel-type facility to stay in.

GeoffC

subbuteo

Definitely a camp site, great idea.  Po Toi is a long way from home so I would like to be able to stay the night.

wgeoff

I'm not sure it's the best location for a campsite - it has no easy access to water and there are lots of mosquitos.

I've seen people camping on the helipad behind the restaurant, this is a flat open area close to the toilet block and washing facilities and with less mosquitos, it may be better.

I was thinking perhaps it might be a good location for a bird ringing station? I'm not familiar with the requirements. Or, as Mr Tai says, replant with birds in mind. One thing to beware, it's a regular area for visitors and things left there could be vandalised or stolen. I've had items stolen by casual visitors, even when I have hidden them.

Maybe the best idea is just to let them remove the buildings (with care not to destry the surrounding trees and bushes), and then think what might be done.

If anyone really wants to stay under a roof on Po Toi, I can probably make arrangements - send me a PM.

tsheunglai

Dear all and att'n Geoff

I don't know if the catpioned title is a good one, but your latest idea of converting part of the
site into a bird ringing station unknowingly coincided with what I've been thinking over the night
part of my early morning.

First, background hsitory. Your presence has attracted much publicity, among the society's members
as well as other wild-bird photo-hunters who may or may not be members or may not be conservation-
caring. I estimated that 10% of the plants have been damaged or ruined as a result of human intrusion.
I say intrusion for deep reasons which I'm not going to divert on. That 10% disturbance I reckon is
recoverable, for during the rainy season they can breed and grow back to normal. But not so the migrants
who take upon the greenish patch (you can count the  number of bunyan trees there easily) as their
last resort of appeal to their right of life. They have been unnecessarily disturbed by us birders
and photographers, good stock as well as bad stock. Surrounding a Chinese goshawk for the nearest
position as possible and uttering machine-gun like guttering noise until it escaped to maintain some
kind of privacy and freedom of activity. Another scene of inhuman insensitivity was when a Ferruginous
flycatcher who had just landed from the south, lurching here and there for a short-of-breath type of
respite. Equally hungry photographers were also nearby. They triggered and pressed their buttons
whenever the bird made its appearance (for that day is poor of migrants).

Balancing wild-life and human activities needs thoughtful, well-informed, high degree of sensitivity,
etc, etc. In sum, it means wisdom which is too much of a request for us mortals.

Asking the authorities to let the society to establish a bird observation station there is a
very good idea, and our society has lately been still doing a lot of good conservation work, though
also producing some highly undesirble effects by unscreening of members, some of whom see that $250
a year for membership with access to Mai Po birdhides is just too cheap when compared with their photo
facilities. Yet our society is hungry for funds.

On the balance, I still opt for the idea of setting up a birding station there. It has its very
strong points. Act quickly, Geoff and do things immediately. Our respectable executive members
are very busy professionals and only them have the power to sign a letter. And their time is
very precious, for I suffered a minor stroke of humilation lately by receiving no acknowledgement of
receipt of my letter which cost me several hours of preparation. The chairman's seconds are
hundred or more times more valuable than mine.

S L Tai

cgeoff

What exactly is a 'birding station' or a 'bird observation station'? Why is such a thing needed? I really am not sure.

As for a ringing station (I assume this is not what Mr Tai meant), that would be great, but of course it requires willing bird ringers with the time to man it. Given that effective ringing activities would require overnight stays, this might be rather a tall order.

GeoffC

ajohn

I am sure that some of the Hong Kong ringers would be interested to try ringing on Po Toi (certainly I would!) It would be interesting to get an idea of turn-over of individual birds on the island, as well as hopefully trapping some interesting species which are not caught often in HK and may be overlooked.

The major problem, as Geoff suggested, is the lack of accommodation and the fact that bird ringing in Hong Kong is conducted voluntarily. A ringer would need to be free from work commitments (either take leave or be unemployed), and would still need somewhere to stay on the island.

tsheunglai

Dear Geoff

By observation station, I mean it is a place where people who volunteer or paid to observe and record
bird activities there chiefly of course migratory birds have a safe place to store their equipment
like misty nets, food and recorder, photographic equipment and stay overnight.

Such a house, not tents, needs money to build. But if we could win over our tax-paid government
that Po Toi is an environmentally important place to study bird migration, with data (such as yours)
and international support like BirdLife International, and speedy action, I think we have a good
chance to succeed to get the necessary space, some thing between three-hundred to four-hundred thousand. Just a store room of 50 square feet, two sleeping rooms to accomodate four people at most, of 70 square feet each and a standing/resting room of about 100 square feet, making it to be occupying a little over 300 square feet.

I'll volunteer to work on the proposal, but sadly our society, at least to me, is selective, in
accepting volunteers, far from the slogan shown on the facade of the society which says 'All volunteers
are welcome'.

We could get money by renting out to our members during holidays. I believe members will be only too happy to pay two hundred or more for a night per person.

Act quickly before the 14-day deadline. Knot on the right door. Do you have direct access to the ears
at least of our directors, like Mr C Y Lam and Dr Ng Cho Nam (spelling probably wrong, my apologies)
especially the former who is now retired and one of the most resourceful people of our society. I
can't help in this matter, largely people don't think I am much good, as regards brains, learning
and abilities (I never attended university though I was MCIL once). People only respect degrees,
especially PhDs. But of course the normal direction is talk to at least Mr Mike Kilburn or try your
luck with Dr Cheung. My words here might upset someone with net result favourable to you.

By the way, I think I'm now over-exposed. Ask someone like Peter and Michelle for my telephone no. and
e-mail address to establish direct and private link.

sincerely yours

S L Tai

wgeoff

There are places to stay on the island, already with connections to water and electricity and sometimes cooking facilities. If anyone really wants to stay, I can find somewhere at a cost of about $200 per night. I think this is a better solution than building something new for which you probably need some sort of planning permission.

As I said, I think the best thing to do is to let them complete the demolition (with care) and then review what to do. There are several possible locations for ringing, it would require an expert to look at them. But, as you say, someone needs to have the time to do it.

tsheunglai

Geoff and all

While I don't mind returning to the starting point after some lengthy (might be subjective judgement here)
discussion, it is Geoff you who suggested campsite but said it was unsafe for valuable equipment. So I
told all why not a concrete block, with a small storeroom and resting space for several birdwatchers/bird
ringers. My suggestions are just made following your line of thoughts.

In the same afternoon, I thought of fesasbilty. I am afraid some of our fellow members probably
are managers experienced in projects, small or big, some might reaching national level. Feasibility studies, they do these before implementing even the planning stage. You mustn't mistake me for
being showy. I haven't even read a management book properly, though I had been assisting a top HK public
servants association in their dealings with the government for two years.

Go back to my first suggestion: indiginous trees. Pray do it on my behalf and the bird migrants,
and I'll give you a deep bow, a courtesy even fit to a monarch, I promise you. Sorry, I'm
such a right-brained being. My words are flying out so rampantly, which might be
found behaviour unbecoming to some readers. So I must stop here!

S L Tai