Around 500 returned to Taiwan this winter, more than half of the world's population of the bird. A group of junior high school students listens to a lecture on the importance of wetlands conservation for the continued survival of black-faced spoonbills.
Students scan the horiaon for the first returning birds.
However, local scientists and environmentalists in Taiwan did not begin comprehensive research on the bird until 1988, when environmentalists in Hong Kong first alerted people to the dangers of disappearing wetlands and the impact it could have on the spoonbill. Huang says it is becoming common for local environmental groups to greet and explain the plight of the bird to students who come to the wetlands on field trips. The calls by environmentalists in Taiwan have piqued the interest of people who come to Chiku to catch a look at the migratory bird. There are quite a lot of visitors. The promise of new jobs and a better standard of living made many living in the area support the project.