It is a "Beijing Drifter" and has gray hair at a young age.

For most struggling "Beijing Drifters", it is not easy to live happily and comfortably in Beijing. In fact, in addition to humans, there are many wild animals that can be called "Beijing Drifters" , such as the bird we are going to introduce today - the white-headed bulbul.

That's it｜Pixabay

Be a successful "Beijing Drifter"

The white-headed bulbul is named for the white feathers on the back of its head. It is also commonly known as the white-headed oriole . In many public events, I have introduced the white-headed bulbul to bird-watching enthusiasts. Many people do not recognize this Chinese character "鹎" which almost only appears in bird names. But when I explain that it is the white-headed oriole that people often talk about, everyone will exclaim: "So that's it!"

If you observe carefully, you will find that whether it is the fields outside Beijing, the parks in the city, or even the green belts in the community downstairs , there are white-crowned sparrows. If you are familiar with its calls, you don't even need to see it with your eyes, you can tell whether there are white-crowned sparrows around by your ears.

Over the past eight years, I have conducted long-term bird surveys in various municipal parks in Beijing, and the encounter rate of white-crowned bulbuls is very high. However, if you look through the bird atlas "China Bird Field Manual" published in 2000, you will find that Beijing is not within the traditional distribution range of white-crowned bulbuls.

This is exactly why the white-crowned bulbul is called the "Northern Drifting Bird" - in China, the white-crowned bulbul has long broken through the so-called "traditional distribution range". Research data shows that around 2000, white-crowned bulbuls were recorded in Shandong, Henan, Hebei and Beijing, and a breeding population was confirmed in Dalian, Liaoning Province. In recent years, data from the China Bird Watching Record Center shows that white-crowned bulbuls have been recorded in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, and they have spread to the Northeast.

Data from the China Bird Watching Record Center shows that there are also many record sites for white-crowned bulbuls in Inner Mongolia, China | China Bird Watching Record Center

It can be said that the white-crowned sparrow's "drift north" has not only taken root in Beijing, but has spread to northern China. According to my observation, the white-crowned sparrow has long established a breeding population in Beijing and can be seen all year round, so it can be considered a resident bird. Some people believe that climate change may have caused this bird, which was originally distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the areas south of it, to move northward and spread to North China and even Northeast China; but the reason for the white-crowned sparrow's "drift north" phenomenon has not yet been determined.

Get to know your bird neighbors

The white-crowned bulbul has successfully settled in Beijing and has become our most common bird neighbor in the city.

There are many types of wild animals that share urban space with us, such as insects of various shapes, fish and amphibians that rely on water systems for survival, and mysterious reptiles and mammals. But the easiest group of wild animals to see, observe, and even appreciate is birds . Whether you are in a bustling urban center or a vibrant suburb, as long as you look out the window (during the day) or look up at the sky, you can always see at least one or two birds.

White-crowned Bulbul photographed in Hong Kong. Keep an eye out, you might also encounter them in the city. | Charles Lam / Wikimedia Commons

If we want to observe insects, fish and other wild animals carefully, we often need to take samples (catch them in our hands) before observing them; most reptiles and mammals are hard to come by, or they only move at night. In addition, insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles are greatly affected by the seasons in the north. Only birds keep a distance from us, and we can get to know these bird neighbors around us through telescopes .

Their agile postures, colorful feathers, interesting behaviors, spectacular flocks... tell one natural story after another, which fascinates countless people. Bird watching has become a key to open the door to nature , but this process can also open our hearts and let us better understand nature and life.

Bird watching originated in Britain and Northern Europe in the 18th century, and was introduced to Hong Kong in the 1950s and Taiwan in the 1970s. Bird watching in mainland China began in Beijing in 1996, with the rise of non-governmental environmental protection charitable organizations. According to statistics from relevant non-governmental organizations, as of 2018, there were 140,000 bird watching groups in China . According to trend observation, this year's bird watching enthusiasts are expected to exceed 1 million.

Bird watching can be a way for us to connect with nature | TuChong Creative

If you want to join the ranks of bird watching, please do not be deterred by the professional equipment and knowledge threshold. As long as you maintain your curiosity about nature, everyone can start observing birds around them . After all, these bird neighbors share the same community, the same alley, the same building, and even the same room with us.

When you go outside, you can look at the birds around you, magpies building nests, spotted doves taking a walk, sparrows chirping... If you want to observe more clearly, you can also prepare a pair of binoculars and start your journey of exploring the world of birds.

Bird watching in Beijing

In addition to the white-crowned bulbul, you can also observe many different bird species when bird watching in Beijing. According to incomplete statistics, more than 500 bird species can be recorded in Beijing throughout the year . Among them are many national key protected birds, such as the great bustard, black stork, white-tailed sea eagle, blue-headed duck, mute swan, peregrine falcon, etc. However, it is easier to encounter those common birds.

The Beijing Bird Watching Guide published by SEE Ranniaofei summarizes and recommends the " Top Ten Common Birds in Beijing ": Mandarin Duck, Spotted Dove, Hoopoe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, White-headed Bulbul, Blackbird, Swan Goose, Common Swift, Marsh Tit and Black-headed Manakin. Of course, there are far more common birds in Beijing than these 10, but the bird species on this recommended list cover multiple ecological groups, which are both common and representative and have certain characteristics.

For example, the black-headed shī is a bird species unique to China (another saying is that it is also distributed in northern Korea). The logo of the China Bird Watching Society is a black-headed shī.

But the black-headed magpie is not widely distributed in Beijing. They like some specific habitats - coniferous forests. **The pine forest around Liang Qichao's tomb in the National Botanical Garden is a good place to observe the black-headed magpie. **In recent years, black-headed magpie can also be observed in the Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace and Peking University. In addition, although the black-headed magpie is a resident bird, it has the phenomenon of vertical migration, that is, it spends the winter in places with lower altitudes and "goes up the mountain" to relatively higher places in summer. If you visit the National Botanical Garden, you might as well look for them.

Sitta villosa｜Kim, Hyun-tae / Wikimedia Commons

If you decide to start bird watching, you can start from your own neighborhood and nearby parks. Many parks in Beijing are good places for bird watching, such as the Temple of Heaven Park, Olympic Forest Park, Old Summer Palace, Nanhaizi (Elk Park), etc. Most forest-dwelling resident and migratory birds can be observed in these city parks. In addition, the wetlands in the park are also a good place to observe water birds, where you can see waterfowl such as geese and ducks, as well as wading birds such as egrets and herons.

We can also look to the suburbs further away, where there are more wilderness-like environments and more birds that are not easy to see in the city . Good bird-watching spots in Beijing's suburbs include Wild Duck Lake Wetland Park, Guanting Reservoir, Miyun Reservoir, Fangshan Shidu, Mentougou Dongling Mountain, etc. In the suburbs, we can encounter more, larger or more mysterious birds. You may see waders that rely on the tidal flat environment in the suburbs of Beijing, large wading birds such as black storks and gray cranes, large birds of prey such as golden eagles, and even rare owls (owls).

Three large wading birds, black storks (a first-class national protected animal), are resting on the riverbank of Dashi River in Fangshan, Beijing.

Although most people live in cities made of steel and concrete, we are children of nature, just like other creatures. I believe that curiosity and concern for nature are engraved in everyone's genes, and bird watching will build an interesting and solid bridge between us and nature.

When you see a bird flying across the sky outside the window, you will be able to feel more intuitively that we and they are all living real lives.

If you want to join the bird watching movement, now is the best time.

Today, the " Birding Season For All " jointly initiated by SEE Foundation and Tencent Foundation was officially launched. This is the second year of the "Birding Season For All". Through various forms of professional and interesting bird science and bird watching activities during the migratory season of migratory birds in autumn and winter every year, more people can learn about birds, participate in bird observation activities, and submit bird record data, so as to enhance the awareness of bird protection in the whole society, help the construction of China Bird Data Center, and promote the development of China's bird protection cause.

The theme of the 2023 National Bird Watching Festival is " See the Bird Neighbors Around You ", which takes "Common Birds in Cities" as the starting point to encourage more people to move from bird identification and bird listening to bird watching. The event will be held from late September to the end of December. During the event, the "Bird Watching Guide" for 10 cities including Beijing will be released. The guide includes the top ten urban birds and three recommended bird watching sites. At the same time, various bird science and bird watching activities such as exhibitions, lectures, and bird watching will be held in nearly 50 cities including Beijing.

Author: Gao Daxiang

Editor: Mai Mai

Title image source: Pixabay