Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve

The Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve is the best area for wetland birds in Hong Kong. It is managed by the World Wide Fund For Nature Hong Kong. It is an important feeding ground for migrants and winter visitors. The reserve also holds lots of roosting waders at high tide in spring, along with good numbers of ducks and herons. It is an area of mangroves, shallow shrimp ponds (gei wai), freshwater marshes and scrapes. There are a number of bird watching hides inside the reserve and the famous ˇ§boardwalkˇ¨ hides overlook the Deep Bay mudflats. As the tide rises, large numbers of waders congregate closer to the hides, until the last patch of mud is covered (at about 2.2 meters - for tides at Tsim Bei Tsui, the nearest spot to Mai Po, check Hong Kong Observatory website on www.hko.gov.hk/tide/estation_select.htm).

Special species:	Chinese Egret*, Black-faced Spoonbill*, Dalmatian Pelican*, Saundersˇ¦s Gull*, Spoon-billed Sandpiper*, Asiatic Dowitcher*, Nordmannˇ¦s Greenshank*, Imperial Eagle*, Greater Spotted Eagle*
Suggested time:	5 hours at the site
Transportation:	Take the 76K Bus from Sheung Shui to Yuen Long, or Minibus No.17 from Sheung Shui (San Fat Street) to Yuen Long (Shui Che Kun Street) and get off at Mai Po Village. Follow Tam Kon Chau Road at the left hand side of the Mui Sze Store and take a 20-minute-walk. The walk takes 20 -minutes, if you are not distracted by birds along the way!
Note: The reserve is a restricted area for wildlife conservation, it also lies close to the Frontier Closed Area. It is a legal requirement for all visitors to have a ˇ§Mai Po Entry Permitˇ¨ issued by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), visitors must sign in at the AFCD Wardens Hut at the entrance of the Restricted Area on arrival.