WWF Mai Po

NEW WWF BOARDWALK AND FLOATING BIRDWATCHING HIDE - 2007

With the problem of increasing sedimentation in Deep Bay, WWF decided in 2004 that a new boardwalk and floating birdwatching hide was necessary further out on the Deep Bay mudflats to allow students and other visitors to view the spectacle of migratory waterbirds using this internationally important wetland over a greater range of tidal heights.

Earlier this year WWF obtained a number of Government licenses and permissions for the works including an Environmental Permit from the Environmental Protection Department. Works commenced in July 2007 and will be completed by 31 October.

The project involves the building of a 600 meter fixed boardwalk as an extension to the existing floating boardwalk that lies outside the Closed Area Fence at Mai Po, and will run through the inter-tidal mangroves to a new floating hide that will have a capacity for some 30 people (See Figure 1 below).

An anonymous donor provided the bulk of the money for the project whilst contributions also came from Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd., and WWF's annual Big Bird Race fundraising event.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause over the coming months. For more information, please contact either Lew Young or Bena Smith (Tel 2471-6306).

(Previous postings on the BBS Click Here)

世界自然基金會全新的木橋和觀鳥屋

由於后海灣的沉積問題愈發嚴重，本會於2004年決定需在后海灣泥灘較出位置建造一條全新的木橋和觀鳥屋，讓學生和其他參觀人士能於這塊國際重要濕地內，觀察遷徙水鳥在更多不同潮水高度時的生態。
今年年初，本會現已取得政府發出的各項許可證，包括由環境保護署發出的環境許可證。工程已於2007年7月動工，將於10月31日或以前完成。
工程包括興建一條長600米的固定木橋，接駁現時位於米埔邊境禁區內的浮橋，並穿過潮間帶的紅樹林，通往可容納30人的全新觀鳥屋。(見圖1)
本工程的大部分支出由一名不願透露姓名的贊助人支付，而其餘的資金則來自長江實業（集團）有限公司的捐款和本會每年舉辦的香港觀鳥大賽所籌得的款項。
以上工程進行期間，若為閣下構成任何不便，本會謹此致歉。如欲查詢進一步資料，請聯絡楊路年或施百納，電話：2471-6306。

(連結至舊貼 Click Here)

Figure 1. Location of boardwalks and birdwatching hides.

WWF Mai Po

As of 23rd August, boardwalk construction has reached post no.9 along the proposed boardwalk route (see Figure below). At this rate (avg. 88m/week) they should reach the final 550m mark by early September and Shenzhen by mid October!

kmike

Very exciting to see this new boardwalk going in. Looks like a tough job for the workers in the heat and mud.

I look forward to its opening in October.

Cheers
Mike K

WWF Mai Po

Today the new boardwalk finally reached the end of the mangrove trees (Photo 1) i.e. Marker 11 (see last posting). All that remains is a short boardwalk section out to where the new hide will be and a screen down eitherside to prevent disturbance to any birds before entering the hide.

Staff visited the shipyard this morning to see progress on the new floating hide. So far it is only the floating base which has been constructed (Photo 2), but fingers crossed it will be ready for launching down the slipway on 7th October.

Photo 1. Field staff reaching the end of the mangrove (Marker 11)



Photo 2. Base of the new floating hide

BWA

Photos taken today from Tsim Bei Tsui
今天在尖鼻嘴拍的



Existing Hides 現有觀鳥屋


Site of the New Hide 新觀鳥屋位置

WWF Mai Po

The hide is now finished and ready to be moved to Deep Bay from Shau Kei Wan (near Quarry Bay). The hide will be launched from the shipyard at 01:00 (1 a.m.) on the morning of Monday 8th October and take around 12 hours to tow.

If you are near the south-west or west coast of Hong Kong on Monday you may well see the hide en route to Deep Bay - across Victoria Harbour, under the Tsing Yi bridge, along the coast near Tuen Mun and around into Tsim Bei Tsui.

Photo : The hide nearly complete - 03 October 2007

handrew

Can the hide now be used by members? Is it kept locked as the old hides used to be?

Thx

Andrew

WWF Mai Po

Dear Andrew,

WWF experienced a few problems in October with the project, so the opening date is now changed.

As you know the boardwalk is fully constructed and all that remains is the bird hide to be put in place. In the morning of Friday 2nd November, the Government Flying Services will move the concrete anchors into position on the mudflat. Then, during the evening of 10th November the Marine Police will move the hide from Tsim Bei Tsui pier across to the mangrove edge location. After that there are a few minor interior changes to be done by WWF.

Realistically we are looking at the end of November, but a further notice will be posted on this BBS once the date has been confirmed.

Sorry for the delay; it’s been a long arduous process, but we will get there!

Bena Smith
WWF Reserve Officer

handrew

Thanks Bena. It was still a glorious morning yesterday and the Wryneck was a bonus. Not something I see very often in HK.

I look forward to the opening in due course.

Regards

Andrew

John Holmes

I believe the new hide is in place now.

I'm sure the WWF staff and all the others involved (GFS, the people who towed it it to Tsim Bei Tsui, and the Marine Police) were too busy ( and tired !) to tag a note to this topic formally announcing the opening.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet myself, but I'm looking forward to seeing many good photos and bird records from the new hide.

Many thanks to Lew Young and the WWF Mai Po people for their dedication to completing this project !

John

tbob

A special big thanks to the anonymous donor and all the participants of the Big Bird Races for raising the funds to have the hide built

Thanks

WWF Mai Po

As many of you know the birdwatching hide was successfully transferred across Deep Bay on the evening of Saturday 10th November by the HK Marine Police. It is now securely anchored in place at the end of the new boardwalk (See photo below). Over the last 2 weeks we had to do some basic internal work to make it safe and ready for use by the public.

After notifying the EIA dept. we can now announce that the hide will be opened for use from Monday 26th November. There remains a few very minor works to sort, so a more formal opening will take place in mid-December. From personal observations over the last couple of weeks it would seem a 1.7m tide height brings waterbirds to within a suitable viewing distance of the new hide (“Just like the old days!” I am told).

Thank you to all those people/organisations that kindly supported the project. This includes; the HKBWS, Green Power, KFBG and Conservancy Association for their letters of support; free assistance given by the HK Towage and Salvage Company Ltd, HK Government Flying Services and HK Marine Police to transfer the hide and concrete anchors; and of course the anonymous donor and BBR fundraisers.

Please remember that if you use the WWF hides you should carry your WWF Hong Kong membership card. Checks will be carried out periodically by our staff.

tbob

Firstly I would like to congratulate Lew and his team at Mai Po for the construction of the new walkway to the hide.

This morning Neil and I decided to head out early to the new hide and do some digiscoping, arriving at the hide at 0730 we were in for the shock of our lives when we lifted the shutters - there were no birds to be seen, it soon became very obvious as to why. There were 7 illegal mudskipper collectors spread right across the bay (HK's protected Ramsar site).

I immediately called AFCD hotline 1823 as it was obviously too early for anyone to be in their office. This is where the first problem came up - Mobile phones do not work (or not all the time) in the hides, so a message was attempted to be left at the hotline.

I then tried Lok Ma Chau (LMC) report room who said it was Tin Shui Wai (TSW) I should be calling and then when TSW discovered that they couldn't walk out and arrest the mudskipper collectors, I was transfered back to LMC. At some time during all these calls I got a call from Marine Police but still no action was happening so Neil & I merrily took photos of the mudskipper men and women as nothing else was happening.

After what seemed like hours a team from LMC police station arrived at the hide, an inspector, sergeant and 3 PC's. Finally at 1000 hours a AFCD hoverboat was deployed to pickup a marine police officer from Tsim Bei Tsui and at 1030 it proceeded towards the mudskipper fishermen.

All this time the police officers in the hide were watching, through our scopes, the fishermen slowly heading back into the mangroves. This is where the second problem arose, the LMC police were unable to communicate with the marine police officer because they are on different radio channels and they tried to go through a communications centre but that was very slow in passing directions of the fishermens directions. It was then decided to try a direct link by using telephones, this involved the hoverboat stopping, the police office removing his helmet and the police officer in the hide standing on the narrow platform outside the hide - because of bad telephone reception.

To us inside the hide watching this through our scopes it was like watching a Laurel & Hardy movie. To cut a long story short, the mudskipper fishermen slowly walked into the mangroves and 1100 police abandoned the operation.

Any way a big thanks to Lew and his team for a great construction, both Neil and I had an enjoyable opening day.

PS: I would not advise anybody to go alone out to the hide as a mobile phone or camera may be worth more than a week's mudskipper collection

tbob

Montage

hkwongkit

Thanks for posting your first day out experience and it sounds scary, Bob!
It's personal safety that I'm concern!
The new hide is even more remote compared to the existing ones. I'd think twice going alone ...   

tbob

KK,

I didn't mean it to be scary but IMO it would be better to make sure that several people go out together.

For 2 metre tides it will be fantastic

Bob

lkimming

[quote:9ffd3dccc5="tbob"]For 2 metre tides it will be fantastic[/quote]
Even though this is sustantially better than the other hides, is it still not useful for most of the winter season?  :roll:   

tbob

Angus,

Yesterday's real tide level was about 1.7 metres and this was about 100 metres out from the new hide, so I assume anywhere from 1.8 up should bring the water close to the hide. Of course the wind has a lot of influence but the ability to look 180+ degrees out the windows is fantastic

Bob

WWF Mai Po

WWF has placed about 30 small bamboo markers in front of the new floating hide and old hide. These are needed to carry out waterbird surveys on the mudflat to meet a special condition of the Environmental Permit for the hide project. The markers are colour coded and set to about 20cm from the mud floor. They will be in place until the end of April.

Please do not mistake them for illegal marker posts. Thank you.

Bena Smith
WWF Reserve Officer
3193 7511

ajohn

Now that the spring migration is under way, it is really possible to see the benfits of this new floating hide. The views of stints foraging around the algae-covered mud recently have been incredible, even when the falling tide means that the other birds are no more than distant spots.

Congratulations and thank you to WWF and all others involved in getting this new hide installed.