Discovering the World of Birding: My Journey from Curiosity to Passion

November 2nd, 2023--The Magnificent Speck of Blue of the Common Kingfisher

It was the day I received my new camera and I was brimming with excitement to try it out. I headed to Gongqing Forest Park with the intention of capturing some scenic photographs. Equipped with a variety of camera lenses, I also aimed to take beautiful pictures of my family. While wandering through the park, I captured images of butterflies, flowers, rivers, and more.

I sat beside a pond and rested, wandering around, and thinking about what should be the next thing in my photo. Suddenly, a chirping sound of a bird caught my attention. I turned my head towards the sound. On a stick in the middle of the pond, I saw a speck of blue resting on it. Instinctively, I raised my camera. Through the lens, I observed the bird so closely for the first time.

The bird had a blue back. The blue, however, wasn't uniform. In the middle of its back, there was a

thread of light blue feathers. On the two sides of its back, there were dark blue feathers with white dots. The bird was so small that its beak had a similar size to its body. Its eyes were little and round but brilliant and bright. The bird sat on the branch and began bobbing its head up and down like a human nodding its head up and down. This was the first time I knew there were such splendid, cute, and impressive creatures that existed.

From that moment on, I decided that I had to find more and more of these creatures. And thus my birding journey began!