↑On April 4, 2021, photographers captured a precious picture of "golden eagle preying on wild boar" in Tangjiahe According to ICphoto
Red Star News reporter | Wang Yucheng Lu Yanfei photojournalist Tao Ke
Edited | Guanli
"Boy- hey" was accompanied by a series of crisp and pleasant cries, and a green-backed wearing a foot ring flew up from the Skyscraper Conservation Station in the Giant Panda National Park and rushed into the vast blue sky.
Que Pinjia, an associate researcher at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, raised his head, smiled at the corners of his mouth, and stared for a long time at this green-backed that he had just released, swimming in the vast blue sky, such a picture he had seen many times.
Like the released green-backed, there are 1,091 species of animals and 2,649 species of plants in the Tangjiahe area of the Giant Panda National Park, which have a safer and better living environment under the "umbrella protection" of the giant panda.
There are not only 39 giant pandas, but also 24 kinds of national first-class protected animals such as Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, Sichuan antelope, forest musk, green-tailed rainbow pheasant, etc., 86 kinds of national second-level protected animals such as heavy-mouthed schizophrenic fish and mountain stream salamander, and 3 kinds of national first-class protected plants such as tung, ginkgo biloba and yew.
In 2021, spanning Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, the Giant Panda National Park with a total area of about 22,000 square kilometers was established by the Minshan Area, the Qionglai Mountain-Daxiangling Area, the Qinling Area and the Baishuijiang Area. Located in the northeastern foothills of minshan mountain, the Tangjiahe area is one of the core habitats of wild giant pandas and is also classified as a giant panda national park.
"The giant panda is the flagship species and also the umbrella species. Our fundamental goal is to protect the entire ecosystem by protecting giant pandas and protecting the entire habitat. Que Pinjia said.
01
Give birds "ID cards"
Every half an hour, you have to go up the mountain to check the bird nets
Que Pinjia, who specializes in the conservation and research of bird biodiversity, said that the population status of birds is an "indicator" of environmental quality and biodiversity status. The bird ring work carried out by Que Pinjia and his colleagues is only the epitome of the efforts of generations of people. Under the accumulation of many years, different kinds of creatures have flourished here, which is a strong proof of the role of giant pandas in "umbrella protection".
The Tangjiahe area of the Giant Panda National Park is located within the scope of 36 biodiversity hotspots around the world, in the northern section of Minshan-Hengduanshan, one of the 17 priority biodiversity conservation areas in the mainland. The altitude difference here is more than 2,000 meters, and the terrain is rich, providing a habitat for different kinds of creatures.
↑Giant panda captured by infrared camera Infographic
In the 1970s, researchers discovered that giant pandas were haunting the Tangjia River, and immediately established a nature reserve here. In the 1980s, the Tangjiahe River was promoted to a national nature reserve. In 2021, after the establishment of the Giant Panda National Park, the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve was included in the scope of the Giant Panda National Park. Giant pandas and their "neighbors" have safer, better habitats. The Tangjia River, which is rich in plant species and has a large vertical drop, has become an important "transit station" for migratory bird migration.
The Skyscraper Conservation Station in the Giant Panda National Park is about 1600 meters above sea level. At the bayonet of the protection station, an uneven dirt road winds towards the mountains. Once upon a time, lumberyard workers pulled timber from this dirt road into the mountain and down the mountain. Today, the buildings of the lumberyard have been demolished and the area is no longer disturbed by the outside world.
Walking up the mountain road, at an altitude of about 1,800 meters, there are several wide clearings where Que And his colleagues work on bird rings.
Bird ring work is to catch the bird in a safe way, and put on a foot ring engraved with the mailing address and ring number of the Bird Ring Center, just like sending a "ID card" to the bird. After the researchers recorded the length and beak length of the bird, they immediately released it. Birds fly to other places, and after reading the ring number on the ankle ring, the ring staff can track the migration pattern of migratory birds and infer the lifespan, population number and dynamics of birds. This is a long-established research method that is widely used internationally.
↑ Que Pin Jia carefully removed the green-backed in the bird catcher's net
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Que Pinjia opened a bird-catching web in the open space near the Sky Ridge in the Tangjiahe area of the Giant Panda National Park, which is as flexible and fine as a spider's web and is not easy to find. Birds are intercepted when they hit a bird-catching net in flight. The flexible mesh rope both prevents the birds from escaping and prevents them from getting hurt.
The bird-catching net was set up, and just half an hour later, Que Pinjia beckoned everyone to leave and check the bird-catching net. Birds, insects, etc. that are caught in bird nets need to be removed as soon as possible, otherwise they may be in dangerous situations such as collapse due to fierce struggle. Therefore, after the bird net is set up, at least every half hour, you have to go up the mountain to check it.
↑Liu Tao, ranger of the Skyscraper Conservation Station in Giant Panda National Park, carefully removed the chestnut-headed warbler in the bird-catching net
This time, the bird-catching net stopped a chestnut-headed warbler and a green-backed. Que Pinjia and Liu Tao, ranger of the Sky ridge protection station in the Giant Panda National Park, carefully untied the net rope that bound the birds and placed them in an off-white cloth bag. Que Pinjia told reporters that compared with the hard cage, the cloth bag is soft to prevent birds from being injured in the collision.
02
"Tailor-made" anklets
Conduct research in the most gentle way
The chestnut-headed warbler is a vertically migratory bird. In winter, the mountain is snowy and the temperature is low, and it will overwinter at a low altitude. In the summer, it returns to the middle and high altitudes to breed.
Back at the station, Que Pin Jia took the bird out of the cloth bag. He took some mountain spring water with the cap, dipped it in droplets with his fingertips, and fed it to the bird to drink, helping it to rehydrate.
To appease the frightened chestnut-headed warbler, Que PinJia opened the toolbox, which contained large and small metal rings. Some are as small as grains of rice, and some are as large as wrenches. The toolbox also contains tools such as ring pliers, steel rulers, vernier calipers, and blood collection needles. In order not to affect the movement of the birds, the size of the ankle rings is "tailored" to the thickness of the birds' legs. The special ring pliers have holes of different sizes to avoid excessive force and harm to birds when the upper ring is lifted.
Que Pinjia told reporters that in order to protect the safety of birds, the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base has set up a special animal welfare committee to ensure that the research methods of scientific researchers meet the requirements of animal welfare. Bird circadian staff need to have relevant qualifications and are subject to the approval of the Forestry and Grassland Bureau to carry out cyclic work.
The legs of the chestnut-headed warbler are as thin as toothpicks, and the Que Pin Jia takes out a small A-type ankle ring, and with a gentle pinch, the chestnut-headed warbler wears a foot ring.
Immediately afterward, Que Pinjia took out a vernier caliper to measure the bird's beak length, body length, tail length, wing length, weight, and so on. Liu Tao recorded the measured data one by one. Subsequently, a photograph of the chestnut-headed warbler was taken to record its plumage.
↑ Que Pin Jia is undergoing bird rings
Compared with the chestnut-headed warbler, the green-backed is a bit fierce, and when que pinjia puts a foot ring on it and measures data, the green-backed will peck at the fingers of que pinjia as soon as it has the opportunity.
"Birds, birds, birds, birds, the mouth is very strong, and it hurts to be bitten. Some birds, just pecking can make you bleed," Que Pinjia told reporters, "if it is a bird of prey, we will wear gloves and other protective gear to avoid injury." ”
After measuring the body length of the green-backed, Que Pin Beetle expanded the bird's wings and collected blood from the humeral vein under the wing. "Sampling with minor damage does not have a negative impact on birds." Que Pin Jia said.
The blood samples collected can be made into blood smears to observe whether there are blood parasites in birds. Blood samples also help to accurately identify species. For example, identification of the Emei oriole is difficult. In the Huanzhi work, through the analysis of blood samples collected, it was confirmed last year that there were Emei oriole warblers active in the Tangjiahe area.
After recording all the data, Que Pin Jia took the birds outdoors to release.
03
Create hundreds of small tree houses
Build a warm home for the birds
In the Tangjiahe area of the Giant Panda National Park, from time to time you can see "tree houses" of different sizes hanging from trees on the side of the road. The "Tree House" is numbered, which is a nest box made for birds by bird ring workers.
Once upon a time, it was a state-owned forest farm. In the 1970s, giant pandas appeared here, the Tangjiahe River Conservation Area was established, and state-owned forest farms withdrew. From winter to spring, the Tangjia River gradually returned to its original nature. However, the vegetation here is generally young, and there is a lack of thick trees, and tree holes become a scarce resource. Artificial nest boxes are installed to allow birds to breed here and help them rejuvenate their populations. Bird ring workers carried ladders and installed two or three hundred nest boxes in the Tangjia River.
In order to reduce the interference of birds, researchers use endoscopes to confirm whether any birds are staying in the nest box.
↑ Green-backed (infographic) According to Xinhua Net
A few days ago, in Nest Box 182 at the Skyscraper Conservation Station, several green-backed burst out of their shells. Que Pinjia lifted a long pole, opened the top cover of the nest box, and probed the endoscope mounted on the top of the pole into the nest box. Through the real-time transmission to the mobile phone, Que Pinjia can see the chicks that have not yet grown fluff.
After the observation work was over, Que Pinjia urged everyone to leave as soon as possible, "Let's stay away, reduce the interference with it, and let the bird return to the nest with confidence." Que Pinjia said.
04
Protect the home of the giant panda
It's about protecting the entire ecosystem
In the ecosystem, every living thing plays an indispensable role. The richer the variety of organisms, the more complete the ecosystem, which means that the ecological balance is more stable. To protect the giant panda, it is necessary to protect the home of the giant panda and protect the "neighbors" who are associated with the giant panda.
↑ Tibetan chief monkeys frolicking in the mountain forest According to ICphoto
Different species of birds occupy a unique place in the ecosystem.
In 2021, Que Pinjia and colleagues rescued an injured vulture. After the vulture healed from its injuries, the staff released it. Que Pinjia found that the vultures had first been active near the protection station for a while and did not go far. In the spring, the vulture suddenly left the Tangjia River. Soon, Que Pinjia received a message from the Huanzhi Center and learned that the vulture had flown to the Gansu area.
Vultures play the role of "decomposers" in ecosystems and are nature's "scavengers". If a baby chamois dies of an illness, the "scavengers" can eat the body in a day. Without these "scavengers", the corpses become "Petri dishes", which may be transmitted to the surrounding healthy chamois, causing the population to decline.
Raptors are "premium consumers" in the ecosystem. The Golden Eagle, a nationally protected animal in the Tangjiahe River, can "consume" mammals such as chamois and wild boar to a certain extent and maintain ecological balance.
Nectar-eating birds such as sunbirds and embroidered-eyed birds can pollinate plants during the process of harvesting honey. Birds that feed on fruits spread the seeds of plants throughout the forest by eating the fruits.
↑ Hairy-crowned deer Giant Panda National Park Tangjiahe area courtesy of the picture
Birds are also "indicators" of environmental quality. If environmental protection measures are in place and the environmental quality is good, there will be more and more birds. On the contrary, if the composition of bird species changes and the number of birds of a certain species fluctuates, the reasons for the change in the ecological environment can be speculated on, problems can be found in time, and countermeasures can be made as soon as possible.
So far, Que Pinjia and his colleagues have recorded more than 330 species of wild birds in the Tangjia River. In 2021, Que Pin Jia also circled a chestnut here.
This is the first time that the figure of the chestnut has been recorded in the Tangjiahe Conservation Area. Previously, chestnuts were not recorded many times in Sichuan.
The grey-crowned jay is a rare species. Its specimens were collected by scientists in the Gansu region more than 100 years ago, and have not reappeared for a long time since. In 2007, a photograph of a gray-crowned crow was taken near the Sky Ridge of the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve. This is the first time in the world that a photo of a gray-crowned bird has been taken in the wild. Later, researchers found that this precious bird has always had a stable distribution in the Tang family Hanoi.
"The giant panda is the flagship species and also the umbrella species. Giant Panda National Park doesn't just focus on giant pandas. Our fundamental goal is to protect the entire ecosystem by protecting giant pandas and protecting the entire habitat. Que Pinjia said.
-END-
(Download Red Star News, there are prizes for the newspaper!) ）