Flocking together

Yang Meilin, a villager from Ziyun, has come up with ways of protecting birds, especially the silver pheasants, over the years.

Yang, in his late 70s, has grown a fondness for birds after he accidentally found some feeding on grains in his farmhouse a few years ago.

"They are very cute, with the white feathers and long tails," he says.

Yang gets up early in the morning and goes into the woods to scatter grain on a daily basis. He then imitates the bird voice, which draws out silver pheasants to feed, especially during winter, when finding food can be tough in the natural setting. Yang has rescued injured birds and gotten them professional help when treating serious cases before releasing them back into the wilderness.

Under the local authority's guidance, Yang has turned his rural house and those of some others he rented in his village into homestays and a bird observatory that offers distinctive local food and other services to photographers and travelers. Yang's grandchildren have joined the business integrating bird-watching with tourism. In 2016, they set up infrared cameras to detect the habits of birds, built a concealed birdwatching shed, and made arrangements for visitors to better engage in photo and video shoots.

When observing birds, Yang reminds tourists not to smoke, lower their voices and mute their phones to avoid disturbing the birds or damaging the environment. Before the pandemic, Yang's homestays received about 8,000 guests from more than 30 countries every year.

"They love the birds, especially those endemic species with distinctive characteristics," Yang says.

Yang is one of the many residents in Mingxi that have benefited from this local tourism drive. The county authority has developed five birdwatching facilities and several travel routes, based on the distribution of bird species for tourists. An overall bird map has been developed to allow visitors to find birds they like.

Such efforts have seen an increase in the number of visitors to the county, and given rise to opportunities in catering, homestay business, guide and driving services.