Birds of a feather flock together across Strait

For Lin Liting, the Minjiang River estuary that connects the Taiwan Strait to the east and faces the Matsu Islands across the sea, is more than a vast expanse of silt and reeds; it is a living bridge. As a third-generation Taiwan compatriot born and raised in Fuzhou, Fujian province, with ancestral roots in Chiayi, Taiwan, Lin has turned her heritage into a mission.

As a member of the Minjiang River estuary national nature reserve administration, she uses the flight paths of endangered birds to stitch together the hearts of people across the Taiwan Strait. "I carry a deep mission: how to use this land beneath my feet to build an ecological bridge," she said.

Lin's journey has been defined by the Chinese crested tern. The tern is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, as its global population is estimated to be around 200 individuals. It was once believed to be extinct from 1937 to 2000. Due to its elusive nature, it has been nicknamed the "mythical bird".

The Minjiang estuary wetlands and coastal wetlands in Taiwan are geographically adjacent and ecologically connected, serving as vital stopovers for birds traveling along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway migration route. Every year from March to September, the bird can be spotted in the region.

The species' survival became a shared cause in 2008 when a bird was spotted with its beak trapped in a plastic tube. The bird was documented first in Fuzhou and later in the Matsu Islands administered by Taiwan, scientifically proving that the two regions share the same population. People nicknamed the bird "Xiaoguan", literally meaning the tube, wishing to save it someday.

"That heartbreaking moment was like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the path we must walk together to protect the birds as a shared destiny," Lin said.

The terns forage in Fuzhou by day and fly just 12 minutes to sleep and breed in Matsu by night. This "commuter" lifestyle mirrors the historical movement of people between the two shores, many sharing the same origins and customs.