Hong Kong has the most beautiful city skyline by night and a wonderful harbour view. It is well-known as a glamourous city and a top choice for luxury shopping. As a cosmopolitan city, it blends Western and Asian cultures and is a world-class centre of business and trade. But let’s not forget that along with its skyscrapers, 40% of its territory is country parts and nature reserves, and it offers a world of natural wonders.
Many may be surprised to learn that Hong Kong is one of the most biodiversity-rich urban cities in the world. It will be an exquisite experience for those living in the city districts to learn more about the plants, animals, birds, and fungi in Hong Kong, and to treasure the city’s biodiversity. Recent social distancing measures due to the pandemic outbreak may make it difficult for us to spend time in nature physically. But there are always other ways to help us to reconnect with nature.
The Campus Sustainability Office recently staged an informative webinar and led the participants through a journey to Hong Kong’s nature. As suggested by the speaker Mr. Peter Chan, Hong Kong is home to numerous different birds. He told the participants Black Kites are Hong Kong’s most familiar bird of prey and they can regularly be seen soaring over the Victoria Harbour and the urban area. Almost 2,000 of them winter in Hong Kong every year. Sai Kung is a great place to see them.
As the convener of the Kite Research Group of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, Peter shared his unparalleled experience in observing and recording Black Kites in Hong Kong and introduced some funny and interesting facts about their diet, habitat, copulation behaviour, and how the males and females take part in nest building, incubation, care of chicks, and guarding their nest against intruders.
Nevertheless, Peter reminded everyone that human activities can be the biggest threat to the Black Kites in Hong Kong nowadays. It was sad to see plastic trash hung from their nests, particularly disposable masks, which can tangle around their legs.
It’s more important than ever that we need to respect nature and all living things. All forms of wildlife deserve to stay at their natural best, undisturbed by humans. There’s always more we can do to help limit the damage we could have on the animals.
