Birdwatching Bliss: Exploring Shanghai Botanical Park After My Final Exam

January 10th, 2024--First Time Birding In the New Year!

I was fortunate to spot a Little Egret perched on a rock by the river as I entered the botanical garden. Through my camera lens, I closely observed its eye structure and noted its similarity to the Night Heron. Both species have very round eyes with a small circular pupil positioned in the center. The distinguishing feature between them is that while the Night Heron has a red iris, the Little Egret's iris is yellow. Similar to the Eurasian Moorhen, it possesses greenish-yellow feet. The Little Egret strikes me as particularly elegant, with long feathers adorning its chest like a flowing gown and gracefully elongated black legs. It is truly a sight to behold.

As I lowered my camera and observed the egret with my naked eye, I witnessed the majestic bird take flight and skillfully catch a fish! Its wide wings opened as it soared through the sky for a moment before gracefully diving down towards the river. The egret's long, sharp beak seemed to effortlessly pierce the water as it searched for its prey. In a matter of seconds, the egret emerged from the water onto a nearby rock with a fish in its mouth. With one swift motion, it devoured its catch in one large gulp. This experience marked my first birding excursion of 2024. Furthermore, this was only the third time throughout my entire birding career that I have been privileged to witness such an awe-inspiring spectacle!

A quick but soft chirping sound guided me deeper into the botanical garden and then into the woods. I used my binoculars to scan the trees and uncovered about ten tiny little birds jumping from branch to branch. These small birds were truly stunning. Their bodies were dark greyish green and they had vibrant golden crest feathers on their wings and tails. Although its face was relatively plain, on top of its little head was a stripe of gold shimmering as if a piece of precious metal was embedded in its feathers. As I approached the birds (while keeping a safe distance so as to avoid alarming them), the winged beauties not only didn’t fly away but also chirped loudly, as if having an intense conversation with each other. At this moment, I felt an intimate connection with nature, as if I too were a member of this feathered community!

January 12th, 2024--Went Birding With My Basketball Friends!

Before our basketball game, I invited my friends on our basketball team to go birding with me at the Shanghai Botanical Garden, which is right beside our school. By expanding our birding community, I wanted more people to discover the splendor of nature and to build a collaborative sense of responsibility for improving our deteriorating environmental conditions. I taught them how to use my binoculars and guided them through the route I usually go through. During the process, I introduced different bird species to my friends. They were all fascinated by how the tiny creatures that they walked by every day were so amazing.

The Chinese Blackbird (shown in the image above) is, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked bird species. The Chinese Blackbird can be found 24/7 in Shanghai and is also one of the most common types of urban birds in China. I love their medium-sized black figures that fly across my campus as well as their short yellow beaks. However, the Blackbird isn’t simply a blackbird. It has agile round eyes and croons a particularly beautiful song. Its unpredictable smattering of short chirps and longer toots produces the most touching melodies among the skyscrapers. Whenever I hear the songs of the Blackbird, I feel nourished.