Waterfowl Count 15 October 2000
Summary Report

The October 2000 waterbird count took place on the 15th. Coverage of the Ramsar Site was complete apart from Mai Po San Tsuen. For the Deep Bay area as a whole no other sites were not surveyed. However, it should be noted that Tin Shui Wai, Nam Sang Wai and Chau Tau are no longer on the list of sites to be surveyed due to habitat degradation and a lack of manpower. The situation will be reviewed at intervals in the future to see if circumstances warrant or allow covering these sites again.

A total of 13,097 waterbirds were recorded in the Deep Bay area (including Fu Tian, which is now being regularly surveyed), of which 8183 were present in the Ramsar Site. This monthly total is comparable with those since 1998 when a survey was first carried out in October. The largest groups comprised ardeids (5301 in the Deep Bay area), waders (4170) and ducks and grebes (3317). This reflects the presence of migrant ducks and the first arrivals of the wintering population, and a still healthy number of migrant waders.