Retired man helps document bird species in Yancheng

Zhou Chenxi, a freelance photographer in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, has photographed thousands of birds, including some endangered species, that live in the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase I) — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

He began watching and photographing birds after he retired in 2018. His interest in studying birds was connected to what he learned about how to survive in the wild. In 2021, he and some other bird lovers founded a bird watching society, which now has more than 300 members.

In April, a report co-published by the society and the Yancheng Wetland and World Natural Heritage Protection and Management Center showed that the city was home to 436 species of birds, accounting for 30.17 percent of China's total.

Yancheng also recorded 117 rare and endangered bird species, including 37 that had been listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, according to the report.