Uncategorized

As dawn cracks and you wake up to prepare for work, school or other routines, your day may go undisturbed without a sharp two-toned “koo-ah,” courtesy of the Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus), a common sight in Hong Kong. Steady into Spring, the cacophonous calls of the Asian Koel echo throughout Hong Kong, signalling the mating season for the city’s feathered friends. With a vocalisation akin to their onomatopoeic name, the Asian Koel is a large, long-tailed cuckoo species common in Hong Kong and widely distributed throughout East, South and Southeast Asia. Although they are resident birds, they are only heard vocalising during the breeding season, typically between March and August. “I’ve seen some people imitate their sounds whenever I visit the park,” said birder John Chow Kwok-pun. “Some people don’t even recognise what bird is making those noises.” The “ko-ah” call is produced by the male koels, which sport glossy black plumage, to attract females, identifiable by their white and black streaks. Like certain bird species, such as herons and hawks, they have crimson irises. Asian Koels can be found in urban parks and the countryside, perched high in the trees where they vocalise. Being mainly fruit-eaters, they can also be observed perched near fruit trees. “They are frugivorous birds, which means they can be good seed dispersers,” said Bond Shum, founder of Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong. “Frugivorous birds mainly take fruits in their diet and they can fly with a larger foraging range which helps to disperse the seeds further away from the mother tree,” said Shum. “With the protection of an indigestible seed coat, the seeds are excreted and dispersed when the birds fly away from the fruiting tree.” Asian Koels also possess the behavioural pattern of brood parasites. Brood parasitism is observed among cuckoo species where …

It has been six months since the government launched various labour importation schemes aimed at addressing a labour shortage in the construction and transportation sectors. Last year, Hong Kong saw a manpower shortage of 17,500-24,000 in the construction industry, and 3,600 public light bus and coach drivers, according to Legco figures. But labour unions say the government should instead focus on fixing the flaws in labour protection laws in order to promote local employment and sustain the workforce. Construction: Labour importation threatens local job opportunities According to a press release from the Hong Kong Construction Association in January, the first workforce demand survey result after the start of the importation scheme shows a shortage of 8,208 workers. The government has approved 4,680 out of the 12,000 applications in the first round for 20 construction contracts. HKCA supports the scheme as a supplementary measure to resolve the urgent labour shortage but expects the government to enhance labour sustainability by introducing multiple measures, including hiring new blood in the industries, utilising technologies, and providing more training to the existing workforce as the scheme is not permanent. Ng Wai-leung, Equity Director of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said that the highly mobile work nature of construction work makes it hard to safeguard job vacancies for local workers. “We would only import labour when the workload exceeds the demand. We should only aim to fill up the short-term manpower gaps,” said Ng. “When the demand shrinks, it is really unacceptable that companies fire local workers before imported ones. Instead, imported workers should go home once they are not engaged in any projects.” According to Ng, many imported labour are working on the Third Airport Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport. He hoped that the agencies and government can provide language …