Birds to the fore for Shanghai's nature conservation festival

During the ongoing 10th Shanghai International Nature Conservation Festival, Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park in Yangpu District launched a documentary "In the Forest: The Bird Chapter."

It is the second themed documentary released after "In the Forest: The Insect Chapter," which reflected Shanghai's facet as a shared home for people and a multitude of wild flora and fauna.

The city has become an increasingly ideal habitat for wildlife to thrive and reproduce. By the end of 2023, a total of 527 species of birds had been recorded in Shanghai.

With the continuous improvement of the ecological environment and the advancement of bird surveys in recent years, the number of bird species recorded in the city in the past decade has increased by 66.

Over the past decade, more than 100 species of birds have been recorded in the park. These birds are both familiar and unfamiliar to the majority of people.

"They are familiar in the sense that one can always encounter a few during visits; they are unfamiliar in that despite these encounters, few have taken the time to observe them closely, and most cannot name them," the park operator said.

In the documentary, the lives of 30 common bird species in the park are documented, following the timeline of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

The moorhen and long-tailed shrike are featured as representatives of water and forest birds, highlighting their breeding lives.

A separate chapter on rainy days showcases the birds' often unseen resilience and enjoyment amidst adversity, while the autumn chapter features some of the park's wintering migrants.

The park said the documentary was released with the hope that the public would gain a deeper understanding of the important role birds play in the ecosystem, and how changes in their diversity can reflect the health and stability of the ecosystem and, at the same time, to increase understanding and awareness of these charming residents of Shanghai.

The documentary is screened inside the park and on the park's WeChat account.

During the festival, about 60 science popularization activities are on at the city's botanical gardens, zoo, forest parks, and nature reserves through October 27.

These include lectures, exhibitions, and outdoor guided tours, according to the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau.

Visitors will follow experts to make a biodiversity survey of birds and pollinating insects at the Jinhai Wetland Wildlife Habitat on Friday, contributing to the park's biodiversity data monitoring.

Wildlife enthusiasts can enter Gongqing Forest Park, Century Park, Houtan Wetland Park and Minhang Sports Park to observe the wintering birds, and learn about bird migration this weekend.