Dance of Wings
--- Let's Take a Journey to the Bird Kingdom

Zhong Jia

The fun of Exploring

Looking for a new way of spending your leisure time and spare money? Why not try bird-watching?

To start an amazing journey intoto nature, all that you need is a pair of binoculars, a field guide (an illustrated handbook of all birds in China), a notebook and a pen. Now you are ready to go.

Water fowls are easy to identify. So find an open water area with only a few boats on it. In Beijing, your choice could be the west lake in Yuyuantan Park or the west bank in the Summer Palace. The most common water fowl is the widgeon. You can always spot mallards in such places. With the binoculars in hand, you can easily tell the difference between males and females.

Another commonly seen water fowl is the little grebe. Reading the field guide, you'll find that they wear different colors in winter and summer.

In autumn and spring, with the help of an illustration you could easily identify other kinds of widgeons like Pochard, Goldeneye, Common Merganser.

Every time you go birding, write down notes about the time, place, weather, number of birds, ratio of female and male, and describe their behavior. In this way your knowledge of birds will increase as time goes by.

For better birding, some remoter areas like reservoirs, rivers and lakes are ideal places. You can find wading birds with long legs, beaks and necks. Huarou Reservoir, Guanting Reservoir and Miyun Reservoir in Beijing's suburbs and the east beach in Beidaihe, a seaside city not far from Beijing, are among the best choices for birdwatchers.

The pleasure you get from birding is immeasurable. After several excursions, you might get a grip on the difficulty in identifying birds of various kinds. But it is just the diversity that intrigues you the most. Identifying unfamiliar species, species that others don't know, or unique behaviors of certain birds all fulfill your quest for pleasure and curiosity.

As a beginner, it is better to go with some experienced bird watchers. You are most welcome to join the bird-watching groups of Friends of Nature or Green Home. Such organizations regularly arrange excursions for bird watching, with the guidance of bird specialists. But that is just the first step. To become a real bird watcher, you will need to do a lot of homework. You have to learn by yourself.

The Importance of Being Patient

The period during which a particular bird may be in residence differs from species to species. Many migratory birds stop in parks in Beijing in early spring. May and June, the breeding season of birds, are two busy yet exciting months for bird watchers. Courting, nesting, hatching and feeding --- the birds never fail to surprise you with their wonderful "performances". You will not regret going birding during late summer and autumn, especially in October because many birds migrate to south at that time. It is easier to see the birds in a forest in the winter, for the leafless trees provide a broader view.

Bird watching is an all-year round enjoyment. Rain or shine, bad weather never stops a die hard birder. You will be amazed by the different behaviors of birds, if you go out on a rainy day.

It is important to plan your route before setting off. Light is the first thing to consider. In order to go in the same direction of the sunlight, that is, with the sun behind you, you may enter the east or south gate of a park in the morning, and then turn east in the afternoon.

To see more places and more birds, it is good not to take the same way twice. But if you go back again, you won't be sorry either for you may see other birds that you missed on your way here. It is smart to sit down and wait for birds to come into your sight. The place where you sit must have a broad view, while you can hide to watch. It should be a place with few disturbing factors, but enough light. Choose the right spot, and patience will never fail you.

Avoid wearing brightly colored clothes, especially red, yellow, black and white. Military clothes would suit you fine.

To pick up the right gear will guarantee you a fruitful trip. Choose binoculars of 8¡Á40mm, 7¡Á35mm or 10¡Á50mm. (8 = magnification, 40mm = objective lenses) Too small an objective lenses or too high a magnification are both not suitable for bird watching.

Keep several birding books at hand, since they differ in specialty. Every time you identify a species, learn the descriptions in all the books. A Field Guide to the Birds of China is newly published with over 1,300 species, costing only 76RMB.The Field Guide to Birds in Beijing and The Field Guide to Birds in Dongbei (Dongbei is Northeast China.) are all recommended birding books.

(Translated by Li Lu and Du Keke)

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