THE ancient murrelet, a species of seabird in Qingdao, was found on Dagong Island by Wang Ximing, an ornithologist in Qingdao, recently after disappearing for 19 years. It was last seen in Qingdao in 1992.

    The ancient murrelet is a very rare species. They’re similiar in appearance to small penguins. Finding them in Qingdao is very significant as this bird can only be seen in Qingdao and spends most of its time at sea.

    “These birds have a special place in my heart, and I’ve been looking for them for 19 years,” Wang said. Wang said the bird was the first summer resident in Qingdao and first appeared on Dagong Island. Wang last saw the bird in 1992 when he accompanied a fellow expert from Shanghai to look for them on Dagong Island. “We’d spent about one month looking for them and only found a few at the end. Since then, they’ve been gone and locals haven’t seen them again,” he said.

    Not long ago, some fishermen told Wang they had seen the bird by the sea. After hearing the news, Wang came to the island immediately. “The reason why they are so difficult to find is because they are shy towards humans and other animals. They often build their nests on the cliffs, which are a hiding place from the world and prevent their babies from being hurt by other animals,” he said.

    Eventually, Wang found an ancient murrelet in a nest. He was very excited and got bitten when trying to touch it. It was an adult bird with two eggs (the bird can only produce two eggs a year.) Wang and his colleagues left after taking some pictures.

    “It is a very important thing to find them in Qingdao again. It is the welcome return of a rare seabird,” he said.

    (Wang Yuanyuan, Tian Lu)