Gei wai Winter Drain-down : 2008-09
Each winter WWF will drain-down many of the
gei wai inside Mai Po Nature Reserve to provide food to wintering waterbirds. Over 1,000 can be attracted to a single draining
gei wai, typically 3-4 days after draining commences. In particular Egrets, Herons and Black-faced Spoonbill benefit because their principle food items (mainly small fish, shrimp and larvae) are exposed and become concentrated into smaller and smaller areas of water. In previous winters, over 90% of the Deep Bay Black-faced Spoonbill wintering population has been recorded together as a feeding flock inside a draining
gei wai.
The proposed
gei wai drain-down dates for the winter 2008/09 period are:
14 Oct - 21 Oct
Gei wai #11
28 Oct - 04 Nov
Gei wai #6
10 Nov - 24 Nov
Gei wai #10
25 Nov - 03 Dec
Gei wai #12
10 Dec - 18 Dec
Gei wai #13
25 Dec - 02 Jan
Gei wai #8
05 Jan - 19 Jan
Gei wai #14
02 Jan - 09 Feb
Gei wai #19
16 Feb –02 Mar
Gei wai #7
03 Mar –10 Mar
Gei wai #18
This information is provided so that bird-watchers can plan their visit to Mai Po Nature Reserve to see (or photograph) the wildlife spectacles offered by this management.
Katherine Leung
Reserve Officer
Mai Po Nature Reserve
WWF HK
15 Decmber 2005 Gei wai #19 Katherine Leung
