Lookout丨Xiong'an bird guard
◇"As long as I can do it, I'll keep patrolling." Zhou Longshan said that bird patrol and bird protection has become a part of his life, and it is a heavy responsibility
◇"Over the years, I have witnessed the great ecological changes in Baiyangdian Lake and realized the importance of bird protection for the entire ecosystem. Through bird patrol and bird protection, I have also grown together with the construction and development of Xiong'an New Area. ”
◇In 2023, the Anxin County Bird Watching and Bird Lovers Association was established, and more and more people joined the ranks of bird protection volunteers, and there are currently nearly 200 members, and the bird protection team of "Zhou Longshan" is growing day by day
Zhou Longshan photographed birds at the Tang River wetland in Xiong'an (photo taken on July 26, 2023) Courtesy of the interviewee
The temperature rises, the Baiyangdian Lake is sparkling under the sun, and a few swans swim leisurely on the water.
"Look, it's a kestrel with brown-red wings. Zhou Longshan raised his camera and pressed the shutter frequently while introducing various birds flying on the water to reporters.
Zhou Longshan, 60 years old this year, lives in Xixiangyang Village, Anzhou Town, Anxin County, Xiong'an New District, and has lived by Baiyangdian Lake since he was a child. After graduating from normal school, he returned to the village to work as a primary school teacher. In 2014, he became a bird patrol volunteer in Anxin County.
In the past ten years, he has ridden nearly 200,000 kilometers, broken 2 bicycles, and replaced 3 cameras...... "As long as I can do it, I will continue to patrol." Zhou Longshan said that bird patrol and bird protection has become a part of his life, and it is a heavy responsibility.
"Let the good things last a little longer"
Since he was young, Zhou Longshan has been fond of photography. "At first, I couldn't afford to buy a camera, so I had to borrow someone else's to shoot, buy my own black and white film, and study how to develop my photos. It wasn't until 2014 that I bought my first DSLR camera. It was this year that Zhou Longshan started his own road of bird patrol and bird protection.
"One day I was shooting in Yodori, and a waterfowl with a snow-white body and a long, wide and flat beak broke into the camera, which was very beautiful. Zhou Longshan recalled. After returning home, he checked the relevant information on the Internet and found that this is the white spoonbill, a national second-class key protected bird, known as the "beauty in the bird".
Zhou Longshan immediately went to the county natural resources bureau with the photos, and the staff were very excited about his discovery, saying that they would regularly monitor and take corresponding protection measures. This experience made Zhou Longshan feel the significance of bird protection, and he took the initiative to apply to participate in the monitoring and protection work, and since then he has been volunteering to patrol and protect birds.
The focus of bird patrols is to photograph and record and discover the congregation sites and habits of different birds. From five to seven o'clock in the morning every day, it is the daily bird patrol time of Zhou Longshan. "There are few people in the morning, and bird activities are less disturbed, which is the best for observation and photography. Zhou Longshan said.
From 200mm lenses to 400mm lenses, from half-frame cameras to full-frame cameras, from two or three times a week to five or five times a week, Zhou Longshan records a variety of birds with his lens. "I want to keep the good things a little longer in this way. He said.
When patrolling birds, when he sees a bird trapped by a branch or trap, Zhou Longshan will rescue it in time. Once, while patrolling the birds, he saw an "eagle" trapped in a tree branch.
"It was strong, and it struggled and shook its branches. Zhou Longshan immediately contacted the county natural resources bureau for rescue, and after several hours of hard work, he was successfully rescued. Later, it was verified that this "eagle" was actually a buzzard, which belonged to the national second-class key protected birds.
After getting out of trouble, it spread its wings and circled in the air a few times, as if to express its gratitude. I quickly snapped a few photos," Zhou Longshan said, "The bird is a spiritual animal. You love it, it can feel it. ”
Flocks of white spoonbills forage in waters near Beijitou Village, Anzhou Town, Anxin County, Hebei Province, February 26, 2022, photo by Zhou Longshan
Grow up with Xiong'an
"When I was a child, we would go to Yodo to fish and swim as soon as school was over. At that time, the water of the river was so clear that you could drink it directly. Zhou Longshan recalled that in summer, the lotus flowers in the lake are in full bloom, the reeds sway with the wind, and various water birds can often be seen on the water surface.
For a time, industrial and municipal wastewater discharges polluted the river near the village. The number and variety of fish and birds in the lake have decreased significantly.
After the establishment of Xiong'an New Area in 2017, the restoration and protection of the ecological environment of Baiyangdian Lake have been unprecedentedly strengthened. After several years of hard work, the water quality of Baiyangdian Lake has been improved from the worst class V to class III, and the clear water and clear waves have reappeared. "In recent years, when patrolling birds, I often find some birds that I have never seen before, such as Baer's Pochard and Ruddy Duck. Zhou Longshan said.
One morning in 2021, he went to patrol the birds as usual and found that several ducks had very dense chest feathers, which were different from ordinary ducks. He immediately reported to the county natural resources bureau, and later these "different" ducks were confirmed to be red-winged ducks, which belong to the national "three haves" protected animals (referring to terrestrial wild animals with important ecological, scientific and social value protected by the state), and this is the first time they have been found in Xiong'an.
At present, there are 279 species of wild birds in Baiyangdian, an increase of 73 species compared with before the establishment of Xiong'an New Area. Among them, there are 12 species of national first-class key protected birds, 50 species of national second-class key protected birds, and 217 species of national "three haves" protected and other level birds.
With the increase in the number of birds in Xiong'an New Area, more and more bird species have been photographed in Zhoulongshan, and there are more than 110 species so far.
"I can take more than 300 photos in one day, and I have about 100,000 of them in my three hard drives. Zhou Longshan also bought a "Chinese Bird Observation Manual", and when the information could not be found, he would consult experts from the county natural resources bureau. He also established contact with Professor Hou Jianhua of Hebei University, who has long been committed to the monitoring of Baiyangdian Baer's Pochard, and constantly enriched his bird knowledge base.
"Over the years, I have witnessed the great ecological changes in Baiyangdian and realized the importance of protecting birds for the entire ecosystem. Through bird patrol and bird protection, I have also grown together with the construction and development of Xiong'an New Area. Zhou Longshan said.
Be a good bird protection propagandist
"Every time I go out on patrol, I educate the villagers about birds in small talk. In 2021, Zhou Longshan was hired by the Anxin County Natural Resources Bureau as a bird observer, and in addition to daily bird patrols, he also cooperated with the competent authorities to carry out voluntary publicity. As a result of his efforts, special bird rangers have also been set up in some villages.
"Many of the photos taken by Zhou Longshan are valuable materials that have helped us to study and protect birds, and his voluntary publicity has also allowed more people to know about bird love and bird protection. A staff member of the Wetland Management Center of the Anxin County Natural Resources Bureau said.
In July 2022, Hebei Province listed the entire Baiyangdian wetland as a hunting ban area, and the hunting ban period is all year round. Whenever he encountered villagers catching birds, Zhou Longshan always tried every means to dissuade them, and even bought the birds out of his own pocket and released them.
As a teacher, Zhou Longshan also brings bird knowledge into the classroom. Since 2022, he has been teaching in several primary schools, introducing the habits of different birds with photos and telling children how to protect them. "After listening to the class, the children will tell their parents about the dangers of bird hunting, and indirectly promote bird protection to adults. Zhou Longshan said.
In order to let more people understand the importance of bird protection, Zhou Longshan opened a WeChat public account "Baiyangdian Yijiao". In a recent tweet, he wrote: "It is the responsibility of each of us to protect birds, to protect the ecological balance, to protect wetlands......"
In 2023, the Anxin County Bird Watching and Bird Lovers Association was established, and more and more people joined the ranks of bird protection volunteers, and there are currently nearly 200 members, and the bird protection team of "Zhou Longshan" is growing day by day.