The Hong Kong Wetland Park

The Hong Kong Wetland Park is a large conservation park featuring mangroves in Tin Shui Wai, northwestern Hong Kong. On this day I went to the Wetland Park for red foliage photography. The day of visit is January 17, 2025.

The admission fee for the Hong Kong Wetland Park is $30, cash and octopus only. Please allow at least two hours just to walk around the key features of the park.

On this day the exhibition hall was closed due to renovation. That was alright, as the point of the Wetland Park really is to see the nature there. I proceeded to the outdoors right away, and soon arrived at the section for autumn foliage viewing.

A Few Words About the Hong Kong Wetland Park

Tin Shui Wai is perhaps one of the most recent largescale community developments (new town) in Hong Kong. It has been a few decades since its development. A large area of natural wetland had to be reclaimed in order to make way for both residential and business use. The Wetland Park was originally intended to be an ecological mitigation area to compensate for the loss of the natural environ there. The Hong Kong Wetland Park opened its door to the public in 2006.

Consisting of 61 acres of land and water area, the Wetland Park was envisioned to create a space where the public could learn about an invaluable natural resource, while conserving and preserving the habitat for many kinds of migratory and waterbirds. As such, there are two primary attractions for visitors at the Hong Kong Wetland Park: the birdwatching stations and the mangroves.

Red Foliage Season at the Hong Kong Wetland Park

This was my second time visiting the Hong Kong Wetland Park. I came to the Wetland Park in search of beautiful autumn foliage, in line with the autumn theme in my recent entries. I will say just a few words about the photography.

You will enter into the Wetland Park and there is really only one path to go throughout the park area. I began by walking on the Stream Walk. You will come across the site of red foliage very soon, as you head on over the Succession Walk. It lies in a waterfront area, and the environment is wide open with beautiful structures on the side.

In terms of the presence of bald cypress trees, which have turned red at this season, there are really only two sections of them. For a place like Hong Kong, where the bald cypress is in fact not native, that will suffice for taking nice scenery photos.

The Mangroves of Wetland Park

I think a true appreciation of the mangroves in Hong Kong Wetland Park must come with some knowledge. A wetland is where the land is flooded with water, either all time of the year or seasonally. Very often, wetlands are formed where a fresh water system meets the ocean, or a brackish water system. The wetlands in Tin Shui Wai are where fresh water meets the ocean. In this kind of environment, a habitat emerges that is suitable for the flourishing of both aquatic plant and animal species. Waterborne microorganisms support the biosphere in a marshy area. They are the very bottom of a food chain that sustains life. The mangroves can provide food, shelter and nursery ground to different animals such as mudskippers and fiddler crabs. In the Hong Kong Wetland Park, there are freshwater marshes, intertidal mudflats and reed marshes.

At the Mangrove Boardwalk, there is a floating bridge that leads you through a small section of the mangroves and you can see that natural phenomenon up close. To be sure, the scenery is not “pretty.” But if you understand the ecological significance of a wetland, you would find the walk interesting.

Bird Watching at the Hong Kong Wetland Park

There are 5 spots for birdwatching at the Hong Kong Wetland Park, and to take photographs of the birds, you do need super sophisticated equipment, as the bird hides are located rather far away to minimize the disturbance to the creatures. Amongst the three bird hides of Riverside Hide, Mudflat Hide and Fishpond Hide, I found the Fishpond Hide to be the most interesting. In all of the bird hides, there are binoculars for bird watchers to use.

Finally, you will also be able to see the birds afar from the Viewing Pavilion. Before you head out to the exit of the Wetland Park, you will arrive at one more viewing spot, lined with a reed-made screen. I was surprised, as that was actually the one that is closest to the birds, if they are there.

Hundreds of species of birds are commonly seen at the Hong Kong Wetland Park. To name just a few, Grey Heron, Yellow-bellied Prinia, White Wagtail, Great Egret, Little Egret, Great Cormorant, Dusky Warbler, the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill, and many more.

Sources

The website of the Hong Kong Wetland Park.