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Bird lover's journal: Celebrating Children's Day by watching birds
CGTN

If you want to spend some quality time with your kids, why not take them to watch birds? It does not have to be some remote primitive forest in a far-away location. Stay within your city and you could be surprised by how many birds and other creatures you could spot together.

Every weekend, kids in south China's Shenzhen City travel across the city looking for birds in urban parks or the suburbs. They learn about the birds' appearances, their diet, their behavior, anything you could ask about the creature, under the guidance of experienced bird watchers. They note down the bird species they spot and take group photos together to remember the day.

Bird watchers' group photo with participants holding signs warning people to keep a distance from birds and not to feed birds human food. /Li Sheng

Bird watchers' group photo with participants holding signs warning people to keep a distance from birds and not to feed birds human food. /Li Sheng

Oriental tit. /Fang Qiaoran

Oriental tit. /Fang Qiaoran

Asian koel. /Fang Qiaoran

Asian koel. /Fang Qiaoran

Asian barred owlet. /Fang Qiaoran

Asian barred owlet. /Fang Qiaoran

Asian barred owlet. /Fang Qiaoran

Asian barred owlet. /Fang Qiaoran

For 18 years, the bird-watching association of Shenzhen has been grouping parents and kids looking for something to do together on these observing trips. The association's volunteers do not only bring knowledge of birds, they also provide equipment like binoculars - not to mention the quiz game they play with the participants to help them learn faster.

It's not just in Shenzhen. A survey in 2018 found that China has at least 170 bird-watching associations and institutions across the country. Many of them started to include kids from the first days of their establishment.

Elementary school students take part in bird-watching contest in Hangzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province in 2019. /VCG

Elementary school students take part in bird-watching contest in Hangzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province in 2019. /VCG

Students in Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province watching birds in 2019. /VCG

Students in Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province watching birds in 2019. /VCG

Li Sheng and his 16-year-old son have been watching birds together for about four years. The boy now already has a personal record of over 100 bird species. 

“Sometimes when he finds a new bird, he will show that off to his classmates,” Li said, adding that the activity is a good exercise for both the body and mind as bird watchers usually walk most of the time and wait the rest of the time.

"We learn together and practice together. There is a lot of fun," the father said. "I find my son more caring and loving now. He would think a lot about how to protect nature and the environment. He even donates the money he gets every year from the Spring Festival red packets to the association to protect birds."

Fang Qiaoran, a regular contributor to CGTN and one of the volunteers of the association, loves to go on these trips with kids whenever she has the time.

"The parents are bird lovers for starters, and they often come here with the aim to trigger their kids' interest in nature and the wildlife that lives in it," Fang said.

That's why these trips are not for birds exclusively. 

Oriental garden lizard. /Fang Qiaoran

Oriental garden lizard. /Fang Qiaoran

Lemon pansy butterfly. /Fang Qiaoran

Lemon pansy butterfly. /Fang Qiaoran

So if you are looking for things that can help you bond with your kids, consider bird-watching. It does way more than bring you a bit of fresh air. Don't be intimidated if you don't know anything about birds. There are technologies and gadgets that can help. Plenty of phone apps can identify birds and insects for you. Look around and start your adventure today!

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(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)

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