I visited Qinyuan and Huoshan in the Taiyue Mountains of Shanxi Province. It had been a long time since I last felt the anticipation and joy of birdwatching outdoors.
This birdwatching experience was both unexpected and interesting. The reason I chose Shanxi was to observe the brown eared pheasant, a rare bird species endemic to China and listed as a national first-class protected animal. It belongs to the same family as the blue eared pheasant I once observed in Qinghai and northwest Sichuan. The brown eared pheasant was to be the highlight of this trip. For the first two days, despite our early starts and explorations deep into remote forests, we didn't spot any brown eared pheasants. However, on the last day, during our final search, they appeared. At 5:30 in the morning, just as the sky was brightening, I got up and crouched on the grass, waiting for the brown eared pheasants to descend from the mountains to forage. Luck was on my side—five of them emerged from the forest. Their feeding session lasted less than two hours, and by around 7:30, they had run back up the mountain.
Additionally, I witnessed an intriguing skirmish between a red-footed falcon and a crow. Although the falcon is much smaller than the crow, it initiated the conflict. Initially, I assumed they were fighting over food, but that didn’t seem to be the case. They were peacefully perched on separate utility poles when the falcon suddenly attacked the crow. The crow, despite its size advantage, failed to resist and retreated after a beating. This might be due to the aggressive and combative nature of falcons, attacking whenever they see fit.
This naturally leads to the topic of biodiversity. In my opinion, the problem of biological monotony arises mainly from the lack of diversity in local vegetation. Along the way, I mostly saw relatively uniform tree species. The Taiyue Mountains, in particular, are dominated by larch trees. At first glance, this doesn’t seem problematic. Larch trees are resilient, thriving in areas with limited water. They help protect the soil, and the landscape, interspersed with poplars and birches, appears lush and green. However, the underlying reality of water scarcity cannot be ignored, nor can the lack of tree diversity, which fails to support the survival of a wide variety of birds.
This phenomenon piqued my interest. In the future, I plan to pay more attention to the impact of the environment on biodiversity, especially on birds—creatures highly sensitive to their habitats. They serve as excellent indicators of whether an environment is overly monotonous.
(Well-camouflaged Ibisbill)
(Flying and stationary Black Stork)
(Eurasian Eagle-Owl chick)
(Woodpecker)
