Nursed back to health, a sparrow hawk and a peregrine, both under second-class state protection, were released into the wild at the Yeyahu (Wild Duck Lake) National Wetland Nature Reserve in the Chinese capital's Yanqing District by the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center on March 20. This lake marks a stopover along the East Asian-Australasian flyway for migratory birds, the most-concentrated layover for such birds in north China.

That same day, inside the Summer Palace, a myriad of wild bird species was seen flying over the lake at the UNESCO-listed imperial park. Along the west walkway, lined with peach trees, a flock of mandarin ducks captured the gaze of many a visitor.

According to the list of terrestrial wildlife in Beijing released by the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau in 2021, the capital features 503 kinds of birds, an increase of 79 compared with 424 in 2010 and strong evidence of Beijing's unrelenting efforts to protect biodiversity.

The rise in bird types soaring in the urban sky to large extent relates to the public's stronger awareness of bird protection. Every year on April 1, International Bird Day and the first day of Beijing's Bird-Loving Week, the city hosts various activities to teach residents about wild bird species, so that they can better protect them. More and more Beijing residents today are observing and recording the lives of these birdies without interrupting them. 

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

Comments to dingying@cicgamericas.com