Village head evolves into birding pioneer

Hide operator

He started building a bird hide and feeding birds in 2016 and quickly became captivated by the avian world and its possibilities.

He built his bird hide at the foot of his family's bamboo grove and regularly fed birds at an open ground in front of his hide. In 2017, Elliot's pheasants, an endangered species only found in southeastern parts of China, started visiting his hide and became regular visitors. "It has become a hit for my bird hide and has been a popular target for bird-watchers and photographers," he said.

Then he found that there are Mandarin ducks living in Mingxi Creek, which winds through the village that borders Junzifeng National Nature Reserve. He started guiding his customers to watch and take photos of the beautiful ducks.

In the summer of 2017, he also found Oriental dollarbird, a distinctive pale blue bird, breeding at the village and set up a temporary hide for his customers. Immersing himself in bird-watching as a genuine hobby, Xie read guidebooks and listened to bird calls and songs.

In October 2017, while watching birds along Mingxi Creek, a unique bird call caught his attention.

"It sounded like Blyth's kingfisher," Xie recalled. He started searching for the endangered bird, which is extremely rare because it can thrive only along pristine forest streams.

In April 2020, he finally discovered a pair of the birds nesting on the bank of the creek.

Rather than rushing to publicize the exclusive find for personal gain, Xie built a temporary hide on the creek bank and invited 10 familiar photographers to join him to embark on a 60-day observation journey.

"At that time, the birds' well-being was uncertain. Premature disclosure could disrupt their habitat and lead to the loss of these treasured birds in Mingxi," Xie said. To encourage the photographers' record of the birds' whole nesting process, he offered them free meals and lodging.

It was a pity for them to witness that two of the four young chicks died for unknown reasons. "One of their parents pulled out their bodies from the hole where they lived and dumped them in the water," Xie said.

In 2021, they continued their observation and found two chicks eaten by a snake, and in 2022 Xie saw a snake eating the eggs. "Just as our observations show, the reproductive success rate of the Blyth's kingfisher is truly low," he said. "That's why it's so difficult to find the birds in the wild."

After understanding the habits of the Blyth's kingfisher, he unveiled his discovery to bird enthusiasts in the summer of 2022, sparking a buzz among the birdwatching community.

In 2018, after his term as the village head, he decided to quit. "I found that the bird-watching business was interesting but needed my full engagement," he said. "I was just too exhausted to continue my multi-task mode."

Following the 2022 breeding season, he began guiding people to find the kingfishers along Mingxi Creek, charging 400 yuan ($55) per person per day. His pricing varied for different bird species: white-eared herons at 300 yuan per person per day; Elliot's pheasants at 100 yuan, Mandarin ducks at 50 yuan from November to June, and dollarbirds at 50 yuan from mid-April to late July.

Xie's day usually starts at 6 am, guiding customers to his bird hide in the morning and leading other groups to watch birds, particularly kingfishers, in the wild after breakfast.