Today is the first day of bird watching inNorth Sichuan. On the first National Day after the complete end of the epidemic, it was a fulfilling day.
In the morning, we were in Songpan and wentto the residence of the Tibetan people, where we tried spinning prayer wheels and tasted the local specialty： milk tea. Not only did we gain insights into thelocal culture, but we also discovered interesting wildlife. Although we didn't see the Blood Pheasant, being a pity, but we encountered Blue Eared Pheasants andGreat Titbirds. On the mountains where the local Tibetans live, Blue Eared Pheasants gather in flocks without fear of humans. It was normal to have five or six of them appear in front of me at the same time, and at most, there were even more than ten of them stopping within reach for me to admire. Compared to my previous filming experience in Qinghai, it was like night and day. That time, I waited for about two hours before a flock of Blue Eared Pheasants walked past on a distant slope. (Qinghai bird watching article)
On the same hillside, the Great Titbirdsalso showed no fear of humans. They were hopping and jumping along the road, but when they saw people, instead of flying away immediately, they flew to the bushes next to me as if no one was around, showing no timidity or shyness. They even jumped out of the bushes, completely exposing themselves to my sight.
In the afternoon, we changed ourobservation location from the mountains to the grasslands, and our mode of observation changed from hiking to taking a car. Those were all Tibetan residential or grazing areas where we couldn't enter. But even though we werefar away from those species, the harvest was still plentiful. First, we saw Tibetan foxes, and later on the way back, we also saw Tibetan gazelles.
The Tibetan fox is the highest-altitude foxin the world, mainly distributed in the alpine meadows and high-altitude areas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They have smaller size, shorter ears and limbs compared to other foxes, and their fur color changes with the seasons, turning grayish-brown in summer and pure white in winter. This time, I was lucky to see their traces on the grassland, and it was a family of three. Unlike the Blue Eared Pheasants, they still maintained the cautious nature of wild animals and stayed far away from me.
The Tibetan gazelles were even farther away from me. They were located next to a ridge, which made the lighting conditions not ideal. However, even so, this time the shots of Tibetan gazelles were much clearer than the shots of Przewalski's gazelles I took in Qinghai last time.
Today's harvest is not only the variety of species, but also the comparison between Blue Eared Pheasants and Tibetan foxes, which has deepened my understanding of the relationship between humans and nature. Both Blue Eared Pheasants and Tibetan foxes are regarded as sacred species by Tibetans, but their living environments and behaviors are completely different. Although Blue Eared Pheasants are wild, they are closely related to human life. When they see strangers, they show natural goodwill. On the other hand, Tibetan foxes are very cautious. This difference comes from their living environments. Blue Eared Pheasants have been receiving food from Tibetans, so they have an intimate relationship with humans, while Tibetan foxes, living in the grasslands, appear and disappear mysteriously and are not familiar with humans, naturally leading to a less-friendly relationship. By the way, they have always been regarded as mysterious and spiritual beings in folklore.
At this point, many people will inevitably raise the question: Isn't it forbidden to feed wild animals? Why do these Tibetans do it? Isn't this harmful to the birds? Think about why we disapprove of feeding birds. Ultimately, we are concerned that it may disrupt theirfeeding structure and living habits, or that these people may have ulterior motives towards them. However, the food the Tibetans feed them is leftover coarse rice or bread from their meals. If you have raised chickens, you would know that this is excellent food for them and will not cause harm to their bodies. Moreover, Blue Eared Pheasants have been living with Tibetans for generations, and Tibetans consider them sacred, so nothing harmful to them would happen. In this way, both concerns are dispelled. Overall, although Blue Eared Pheasants are wild animals, they are already inseparable from Tibetans, and in my opinion, they have even formed a relationship similar to pets and owners. Therefore, this extremely special situation can continue, revealing the diverse relationships between nature and humanity
