The Birds of Dalian
Photo: Greenpeace
In the very recent memory of Tom Beeke, a passionate Canadian birder, Dalian’s Jinshitan resort was still his land of discovery. Tom got a job as English teacher at Dalian Maple Leaf International School several years ago. Besides living close to the sandy beach, it was also a great treat being able to venture around Jishintan coast, bushes and wetlands to watch birds. This summer, Tom’s new book, Birds of Dalian, hit the local book market.
Dalian, located on the East Asia-Pacific Flyway of migratory birds, is an important stopover site for birds migrating between Siberia and Australia. For those birds, who are now in Siberia, their journeys south will soon start. For this year’s new chicks, their first ever encounter with the coasts, islands and the sea around Dalian will begin one month later.
Photo by Tom Beeke
Shortly after the oil leakage, subsequent high tide spread the crude oil beyond the containment boom. The Yellow Sea coasts, including 35km-away Jinshitan where Tom resides, were soon blanketed or littered by crude oil.
It turned out to be a nightmare for local seabirds. Many seagulls, covered by oil, either drowned or died from hunger.
While fishing was hit hard by oil contamination, the areas around Dalian Bay will be a dangerous zone for waterfowls to migrate through. This fall will be an especially hard season. If Dalian starts to see fewer and fewer birds, its citizens might well want to buy a copy of Tom’s book, as a reminder of not so distant memory.
Tags: birds, China, Energy, environment, Fisheries, Marine, oil spill, Water
