Owl family spotted in golf course area mulled for public housing

At least five owls were filmed at a tree on Fanling Golf Course, where authorities have approved building 12,000 public flats.

A video of the owls was shot by staff near old course hole No 4 yesterday, with three of them perched in a hole in an overhead branch of a three-meter tree.

The camera then panned to the root of the trunk, where two owlets were found.

The owls have a dark brown back with white dots, a white abdomen with brown dots and two white "brows" surrounding their hooked beak.

Director of environmental impact assessment organization Paul Leader said the owls belong to the Asian Barred Owlet species, which reside on the course.

He believes the two owlets on the ground which are estimated to have hatched three weeks ago were learning to fly.

"When the young owls learn how to fly back to the nest, their parents will be around and watch over them," Leader said, adding: "Humans should not interrupt them."

Asian Barred Owlets are protected under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance in Hong Kong.

He said owls are nocturnal and the course is "a paradise for animals at night due to the absence of light."

Leader added: "One can hear the owls as it is very quiet out in the golf course. It is estimated that over 10 owl families reside in the golf course."

As Hong Kong is densely populated with skyscrapers, owls can only be sighted in certain suburban areas.

"Fanling Golf Course is an important breeding ground for owls because there are over hundreds of old trees with tree holes large enough for breeding purposes [especially for] "Asian Barred Owlets and Collared Scops Owls," Leader said. He said the club is home to a diverse range of species, including bats and moths, but the environmental impact assessment report commissioned by the government has failed to recognize the rich biodiversity.

"If tall buildings are to be erected at the site, a substantial area of the woodland will be removed, thus damaging the structure of the habitat of these species and consequently their food chain," he said.

"The light and noise pollution from the tall buildings will also disturb the species. [The report] "failed to reflect this."

Hong Kong Bird Watching Society honorary president Lam Chiu-ying said the species is "recorded through out the year, mainly in north and central New Territories and Kowloon."

Hunting, possession, sales or export of protected wild animals are criminal offenses with a maximum of one year in jail and a HK$100,000 fine.

Last week, the Environmental Protection Department signed off on the public housing development plan on the golf course under the condition that the Civil Engineering and the Development Department will revise its layout plan to preserve about 0.4 hectares of woodland.

The area is part of a 32-hectare plot on the course slated to be resumed by the government in September.

jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com