Next month, the local government and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) will host a birding festival in the Tianjin Binhai New Area. As well as being a vital site for more than 30 species of shorebird, this part of the Bohai Bay is the most important non-breeding site for the ‘Vulnerable’ RELICT GULL and, in March, they begin to congregate and pair up ahead of the breeding season. Their gatherings can be spectacular (see video below). In addition to seeing good numbers of Relict Gulls, participants are likely to see ORIENTAL STORK and a host of other wetland species – more than 90 species were recorded at the festival last year.
The organisers welcome teams from all over the world. Please read on if you are interested in participating!
This message from CBCGDF:
Welcome to the 2nd Tianjin International Birding Competition!
With the warmth of spring returning, the wetland parks in Tianjin are ready to welcome a large number of migratory birds heading north from their wintering grounds. Tianjin Binhai New Area is a vital place for birds to stop and rest on these hazardous journeys.
On March 16th-18th, the 2nd Tianjin International Birding Competition, co-hosted by Binhai New Area Government of Tianjin and China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) will be held in Tianjin Binhai New Area. We expect to host at least 15 teams of three from all over the world to participate in the competition.
Special birds can be observed including Relict Gull (vulnerable), Oriental White Stork (endangered) and around 90 other bird species that were found during last year’s competition. Bohai Bay Area is the most important non-breeding site for Relict Gull in the world, so it is critical for us to protect the environment.
Through this competition, we wish to share with you the beauty of all the migratory birds, the importance of the intertidal mudflats, and the excitement of bird watching!
The deadline for registration is March 9th, 2018. Please sign up for the competition via the email address v2@cbcgdf.org.
We who live across ponds need more than two weeks notice. Just saying! We might actually show up one day given enough notice.
Thanks for all you do, Terry. it is great! Best,
EDNA
EDNA R.S. ALVAREZ 310-477-1813
Thank you, Edna! Yes, the importance of advance notice is a point I have made to the organisers of festivals but they are often hamstrung by the timescales of the local government who must give permission before they can arrange birding events such as this.. and unfortunately local governments tend to look at these things quite last minute. It’s really helpful to hear this from people who are interested but who need more notice – very useful evidence – so thank you for the comment! And I very much hope to see you at one of these events at some stage!