Waterfowl Count 14 January 2001
Summary Report

The January 2001 waterbird count took place on the 14th, and coverage of the Ramsar Site and the Deep Bay area was complete (excluding Tin Shui Wai, Nam Sang Wai and Chau Tau which are no longer counted).

A total of 54,268 waterbirds were recorded in the Deep Bay area (including Fu Tian, which is now being regularly surveyed), of which 35,974 were present in the Ramsar Site. Ducks and grebes formed the largest proportion, constituting nearly 38% of birds present in the bay. The total of ducks involved, 23,040, is a return to the high counts noted during the years of peak counts up to and including 1996.

Gulls and terns comprised 25% of the total, and the number of Black-headed Gulls recorded was 13,500, a slight increase on recent years. The number of Great Cormorants present was 7100, approximately 1000 short of the highest number on record in Hong Kong.