KUCHING: This year, in collaboration with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch (MNSKB) has recently organised its birdwatching workshop in Sama Jaya Nature Reserve here.
With participants from both government bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGO), MNSKB and SFC have shared the basics of birdwatching.
This included the basics of using binoculars, spotting scopes and camera, the usage of bird field guides, ethics as well as the benefits of birdwatching.
The organisers hoped that the number of birdwatchers will eventually increase exponentially in the years to come.
On Dec 29, along with workshop instructors, participants will visit Sejingkat Ashpond, where an estimated 8,300 migratory waterbirds have been recorded.
Sejingkat Ashpond is located within the Bako-Buntal Bay, which is globally recognised as a Flyway Network Site under the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP).
Many of the migratory birds fly from the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, such as Russia and China. They come all the way to Sarawak to escape the winter and will fly back to these temperate countries to breed, covering more than 9,000km annually.
The participants will be shown how to use spotting scopes, how to differentiate them by species, and they will also be shown how they can contribute to citizen science by counting these migratory birds.
For the past few years, MNSKB has organised birdwatching workshops annually to share with the general public the fun of birdwatching and the importance of birds to the identity, economy and wellbeing of Sarawak.
