MORE than 100 black-faced spoonbills, also dubbed Platalea minor, have been seen foraging and playing on the bank of the Shenzhen River since the city enters winter this year, the Shenzhen Evening News reported.

    It is the first time over the past 30 years that such a large number of the rare migratory birds have been spotted at the intersection of Luohu and Futian districts, which symbolizes the remarkably successful treatment of the Shenzhen River in recent years.

    Such an exciting scene has aroused surprise and delight in a lot of people. A resident surnamed Tang who has lived beside the Shenzhen River for more than three decades took pictures of the birds when he saw them loitering on the bank.

    “I counted over 100 black-faced spoonbills at the bank of the Shenzhen River in one day in mid-November,” said Tang. Like his neighbors, Tang thinks the birds’ migration to Shenzhen can be attributed to the treatment of the Shenzhen River.

    Previously, black-faced spoonbills were spotted only in Shenzhen Bay.

    Upon seeing the pictures taken by Tang, staff members from Shenzhen River Management Office, Shenzhen Bird Watching Society and SENGO (Shenzhen Spring Environmental Protection Volunteers Association) expressed delight over the birds’ arrival on the river.

    Two staff members at the bird watching society depicted the scene as “unbelievable” and said they were overwhelmed with happiness after seeing pictures of the birds.

    The secretary general of SENGO, Zhu Zhu, also thought that the emergence of the rare spoonbills could raise citizens’ concern over the management of the Shenzhen River.

    Since 1995, the governments of Shenzhen and Hong Kong have invested massive resources into treating the river. In order to improve various aspects of the water quality, the whole project was divided into four stages, including flood prevention, dike management, sewage interception and bank afforestation.

    Overall, the water quality of the Shenzhen River as well as its surrounding environment has been greatly improved. Some officers at the Shenzhen River Management Office said that the appearance of black-faced spoonbills was their best achievement.

    (Zhang Qian, Liu Shiyang)