On August 14, a CGTN Nature film crew was interviewing British birdwatcher Terry Townshend near Beijing's Guanting Reservoir when the latter spotted a female relict gull with a solar panel on its back.

Townshend contacted Prof. He Fenqi, China's top bird scientist, as well as Beijing Normal University to find out who put the tracking device on the gull. But he had no luck both times.

According to Townshend, the tag looks different to those made in the U.S. or Europe, so he believes the device was very likely fitted by someone in China.

As the entire population of gulls breeds in east China's Bohai Bay near Tianjin Municipality, Townshend is now looking to universities in Beijing and Tianjin to see if anyone is tracking these birds.

If you have any clues, please send us an email at nature@cgtn.com

(Cover image provided by Terry Townshend)