Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and join the Bird Watching Festival, writes Holden Mann

On a crisp Thursday morning in autumn fish are swimming lazily in a reedy pond while a bird with black feathers around its eyes flaps across a pond and perches on a nearby branch. “People like to describe this kind of bird like one of the characters in McDonald’s,” my guide says, pointing at the black circles that surround the bird’s eyes like a mask. “Do you know that one?” she asks. “The Hamburglar?” I reply. “Yes!” she laughs. That particular bird, which a pamphlet tells me is called a long-tailed shrike, watches us calmly from his branch as a breeze sends ripples across the water around him. If it weren’t for the high rise apartment blocks towering beyond the fence, one would be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Wetland Park is a relative newcomer to the scene, but since its establishment in the New Territories in 2006 the park has served as a sanctuary for local wildlife and as an open-air classroom for city folk who are keen to learn about their marsh-dwelling neighbours. Visitors can wander the grounds alone, or take a tour with a Wetlands interpreter – like my guide Michelle Lee. “I think that’s the interesting part about Hong Kong,” Lee says as we make our way along the path. “It’s like, we can see the buildings there, and here we are in the countryside.”

This slice of countryside in the Wetland Park boasts some impressive sights: a boardwalk in one section runs through a field of mangroves which Lee points at to highlight the importance of these particular plants in fighting coastal erosion. Senior supervisor Ho Kwai-wo then draws my attention to the ground beneath the trees. Looking closer I see a crowd of mudskippers – tiny fish about the length of a finger that crawl through the clay along the exposed creek bed. “The skippers attract many visitors,” Ho says. “They like to see them and their funny behaviour.” He says the best time to see the mudskippers is at low tide, when the mud at the bottom of the creek is uncovered. Although the mudskippers stick around for the entire year, other draws at the park come and go. This is wildlife after all, and it doesn’t always follow civilized rules. Right now, for instance, Lee says most visitors are coming for the annual Bird Watching Festival, which continues from now through till the end of February.

We stop in at the Mudflat Hide, one of the disguised huts from which visitors can observe the birds that make the park their home the whole year round, along with the thousands that visit during the winter migrations. It’s a weekday morning, but five or six visitors have already taken up residence on the wooden benches. They aim their cameras at the birds that stalk the mud outside; their concentration is so intense I’m afraid to talk out loud. Occasionally one clicks a shutter or adjusts a shot, but otherwise there’s no movement. Lee tells me (whispering) that on the weekend these hides are packed with visitors trying to squeeze in for a photo, and even on weekdays the park attracts enthusiasts willing to wait hours for the perfect shot.

Amateur photographers aren’t the only visitors the park hopes to attract. The Bird Watching Festival includes plenty of activities for adults and families, such as a photo contest and educational programs. Visitors can sign up for most of these events at the Visitor Centre, or online. As we step away from the hide and return to our normal voices, Lee tells me she believes the Wetland Park can go some way towards helping Hong Kong’s mostly urban population understand the environment that’s just outside the concrete jungle. “If you go outside, an hour later you have the city life. If you like to have a more relaxed life, you can come here,” she says.

Bird Watching Tips
• Observe and photograph the birds without disturbing them
• Wear dull colours to keep hidden from the birds
• Move slowly and quietly, and avoid chasing birds you see on the path
• Stay on existing roads so you don't damage the birds' habitat

Hong Kong Wetland Park, Wetland Park Rd, Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, 3152 2666, www.wetlandpark.com.