AN ancient murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus), a rare migratory bird, was spotted visiting Shenzhen Bay last Thursday, according to Shenzhen Evening News.

This is the second time since late January that an ancient murrelet has been recorded in the city, the report said.

On Sunday morning, many birdwatchers waited to see the ancient murrelet at the estuary of the Houhai Central River in Nanshan District. Some of the birdwatchers came to Shenzhen from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Zhongshan, Dongguan, and even from outside Guangdong Province.

Around 8 a.m. Sunday, there was a sudden commotion among the birdwatchers in the front row. A bird moved at great speed across the water towards the river estuary, plunged into the sea, and remained submerged for some time.

People on the tidal flats immediately shifted their positions. The mischievous ancient murrelet stayed for less than two minutes and swam into the distance when it caught a large fish.

After half an hour, the bird slowly approached. After a long cruise on the shore, which is covered with oyster shells, it suddenly burrowed into the water.

By the time it resurfaced, it had moved to the central estuary where the birdwatchers were most concentrated. Later, the bird reentered the water, swiftly swimming and hunting underwater, causing water to splash everywhere. Small fish the size of thumbs were so frightened that they jumped out of the water. This process lasted about 10 minutes.

Ancient murrelets breed in western Canada in spring and summer, wintering in the oceans of Japan, China, and South Korea.

Each year, they fly about 8,000 kilometers across the entire North Pacific Ocean and are the only known bird to cross the whole North Pacific during migration.

Ancient murrelets are mostly found in Shandong and Jiangsu. They have rarely been seen in Guangdong before. The discovery shows that Shenzhen’s ecology is getting better and better, said the report. (Wang Jingli)