The Henghe [=Xinhe] / Sandflats Area

- potentially the focus of birdwatching and bird conservation activities in northeast Hebei; especially as an important centre for conservation education, and nature tourism

Current Situation

This is a locally important, relatively large area with a mix of wetland habitats – including tidal sandflats, brackish marsh, reedbeds, a small reservoir, fish ponds, pools, creeks and marshes. There are also farm buildings, buildings associated with fishponds, and planted trees, including a new plantation on land that was formerly wetland (marsh with reeds).

The Beidaihe government has taken measures to protect this area, including by restricting major construction work, and employing people to guard against fires, and bird hunting. An extensive, maturing forest plantation extends along the coast north from here (in the 1940s, this was open, with sand dunes and small grassy marshes – attracting good numbers of birds including cranes).

Just north of the reservoir, the plantation now holds a substantial egretry, with hundreds or thousands of nesting Little Egrets Egretta garzetta and Great Egrets E. alba and Black-crowned Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax. Perhaps this egretry is of regional importance – perhaps one of the largest egretries in Hebei, or indeed along the coast of China (egrets were until recently scarce in much of China; numbers have increased – a welcome recovery towards the numbers in north China in the late 19h century).

General Recommendations

The habitats here should be protected as far as possible, with particular emphasis on wetlands.

The Sandflats is a good area for coastal birds; globally threatened species occur here, including Chinese Egret E. eulophotes, Saunders’ Gull Larus saundersi and Relict Gull L. relictus.

Protection should include the relatively new brackish marsh and reedbeds of the western Sandflats: these hold a good variety of marsh birds. The nearby small plantation (just east of the highway) should also be retained; more trees/shrubs could be planted here to provide additional cover for migrant songbirds, which can occur here in fair numbers.

Likewise, protect the pools, creeks, and marshes beside – and especially north of – the reservoir. To ensure the freshwater character is retained, some trees may need felling; new tree planting should be discouraged. (There is a small plantation on land that a few years ago was rice paddy – and was a good area for wetland birds, which can no longer use the land.)

Reserve and Visitor Centre

In the late 1980s, a plan was drawn up for a small wetland reserve with visitor centre, just south of the reservoir, and close to the Beidaihe–Qinhuangdao highway (Ounsted, unpubl.: copy just sent to Beidaihe govt [was also given to the govt in late 80s]). Indeed also in the late 1980s, the Beidaihe government established a bird reserve here; however, with no funding, the reserve was ineffective, and the area deteriorated, partly as farm buildings were constructed on this and adjoining land.

Reserve area in late 1980s.

Former reserve area in May 2005.

There does, however, still seem to be potential for creating the reserve and visitor centre, much as envisaged by Ounsted. The “reserve” land has recently been changed: it’s now drier, with a stream that once partly flooded the area constrained by artificial banks; there is a small, new plantation. The farm buildings remain. However, it should be possible to restore and greatly enhance the wetland character of this area – such as by excavating a shallow lagoon, partly fed by the stream. This will involve removing more farm buildings; the Beidaihe government has recently demolished 11 buildings in this area, with compensation to farmers (the buildings were all only “temporary” – as I was informed in the late 1980s).

A wetland reserve with visitor centre should hold good numbers of birds, with an impressive species variety. And, it could become a significant attraction for people: residents of the Beidaihe/Qinhuangdao area; schoolchildren on educational visits; tourists visiting Beidaihe primarily for beaches etc; and birdwatchers from China and overseas. It would also enhance Beidaihe – for instance, complementing the partly wooded, nearby Olympic Park.

The reserve might be like Minsmere – a coastal wetland reserve in the UK that holds good numbers of birds, and is very popular with visitors. But the Beidaihe reserve would have a greater variety of species, with more endangered species perhaps visiting; and could attract far more visitors. If successful, it should be a model for creating more, similar reserves and visitor centres in China – where the time is surely right for developing reserves that help bring wildlife and people closer.

Even if initially small, the reserve and visitor centre should be designed and build with the potential for expansion in mind. If the reserve is indeed a success with visitors, it should generate income, which can in turn be used to expand the area of managed wetland habitat, and to expand and improve the visitor centre and facilities (including by adding more trails, and hides [blinds] for watching birds).

It may also be useful to feed birds, such as by putting out grain (not quite good enough for human consumption) for ducks, perhaps geese and other birds.

Staffing considerations are included in Ounsted (unpubl.). Maybe staff could include some of the local farmers, especially fish farmers – who should have some experience in controlling water levels. Perhaps, too, some fish can be raised within the reserve – though not if this has a negative impact on wildlife.

Some Target Species

Birds that might use a small wetland reserve – a pool with shallow margins, with some reeds, and some muddy margins – should include various bitterns, herons and egrets, ducks, shorebirds, terns, kingfishers, reed-warblers and buntings. Small parties of geese and cranes may also occasionally visit during migration (especially north of Beidaihe, there is little good habitat for these and many other waterbirds). Based on observations in this area, there could be species of conservation concern, some of which are internationally endangered, such as: Screnck’s Bittern Ixobrychus eurhythmus, Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata, Baikal Teal Anas formosa, Baer’s Pochard Aythya baeri, Japanese Marsh Warbler Megalurus pryeri, and Streaked Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus sorghophilus.

A larger wetland reserve, extending across much of the low-lying land south of the reservoir (and, ideally, also including the reservoir and the marshy land just to the north) would attract higher numbers of birds, and should prove more attractive to several larger as well. There is strong evidence of this from observations during the 1940s at the “Grassy Sands” (now a plantation) that once extended north towards Qinhuangdao: notable records here included single flocks of 1000-1500 Oriental White Storks Ciconia boyciana, 500-1000 Bean Geese Anser fabailis, and 400-500 Great Bustards Otis tarda (while not a wetland bird, the bustard frequents grasslands, including those fringing wetlands) (Hemmingsen, 1951, Hemmingsen & Guildal, 1968).