Tourist: What was the purpose of building the Lake Cih causeway?
遊客：慈湖築堤的用意是什麼？

Tour Guide: The construction of the causeway adds about 70 hectares of reclaimed land(1) from the sea and 120 hectares of breeding pools. Another function of the causeway was to protect the island from invading enemies during wartime. Besides that, the causeway has contributed a great deal to people's livelihood and construction in Kinmen.
導遊：慈湖的興建增加了海埔新生地約七十公頃及養殖池約一百二十公頃。築堤後，可阻擋共軍直接登上金門島，並且對金門本島的民生和建設有很大的貢獻。

Tourist: Understood! By the way, I have noticed that the trees over there are especially white.
遊客：原來如此。不過，我覺得那樹林裡的樹都是白色的，好特別。

Tour Guide: That is the excrement(2) of the migratory birds that has painted the trees white. You don't have to wonder about the huge numbers of birds. And most of the migratory birds come to Kinmen in winter before Christmas Eve; therefore, they are also called "Santa Claus's Greeting" by the local people.
導遊：那是棲息候鳥的排泄物，讓樹都彷彿穿上白色的衣裳，可見候鳥數量之多。而且，冬天候鳥來金門過境時，大約是聖誕節前夕，因此，候鳥也稱為到金門報佳節的聖誕老公公。

Tourist: What attracts the birds and causes them to stay here?
遊客：這裡有什麼資源可以吸引候鳥停留呢？

Tour Guide: In the intertidal(3) land along the coast of Lake Cih's, there are plenty of living creatures that can attract the birds looking for food. And around the Lake, there are fish farms and wetlands that provide a good habitat for migratory birds.
導遊：在慈堤沿海的潮間帶，有豐富的生物資源，可以吸引候鳥來此覓食。而且，湖的四周有多處的魚塭、濕地，是候鳥的棲息地。

Tourist: When is the best time for us to watch the birds?
遊客：賞鳥最佳的時機是什麼時候呢？

Tour Guide: The best time of watching the birds is at dawn or dusk, and the best seasons are spring, autumn, and winter. Especially in autumn of each year, hundreds of thousands of birds come to rest and find food here, making this surrounding a bird paradise.
導遊：每天的清晨或黃昏是最適合賞鳥的時間。在春天、秋天和冬天則是賞鳥最佳的季節。尤其秋天時成千上萬數不清的鳥兒到此棲息覓食，這裡儼然變成了鳥兒的天堂。

Tourist: If we want to watch the birds, what do we have to bring with us?
遊客：如果想加入賞鳥的行列，要準備什麼工具呢？

Tour Guide: You have to be equipped with binoculars, cameras, and bird-watching brochures. Another thing you need to pay attention to is that you don't wear colorful clothes, lest you scare the birds away.
導遊：望遠鏡、相機和賞鳥圖鑑是必備的工具。另一個要注意的就是不要穿過於鮮艷的衣服，以免嚇到候鳥。

Tourist: I see. Besides the birds, are there any other animals here?
遊客：我知道了。除了鳥類，這裡還有其他的生物嗎？

Tour Guide: There are otters(4) that are facing extinction.(5) So they are legally protected now.
導遊：有快要絕跡的水獺，它是保育類動物。

Tourist: I think here is the best ecology(6) class about the nature in Kinmen.
遊客：我想這裡應該是金門本島上最自然的生態教室吧！

Tour Guide: You bet.
導遊：沒錯。 （十九）

■1. reclaimed land-指海埔新生地。reclaim(vt.)是開墾、開拓，或回收利用之意。重新回收的土地，或開墾開拓的土地，即海埔新生地。
■2. excrement-(n)排泄物、糞便。
■3. intertidal-(adj.)潮間帶的。
■4. otter-(n)水獺。
■5. extinction-(n)滅絕、消滅。
■6. ecology-(n)生態學，或指生態、環境。形容詞為ecological。

資料來源：金門縣政府
原書作者：陳建民、漢貴恩