Memories linger

All of the teams and the judges moved to Wuzhishan, a small community where the Nanling reserve headquarters is located, on the evening of April 27.

Over the next three days, the weather improved, remaining bright and sunny. Since the Nanling National Forest Park has been closed to the public since 2018, the lack of human interference has made many wildlife species there bolder.

A family of three Cabot's tragopans, a pheasant under State first-class protection, frequented a site at the park, giving all the teams opportunities to admire them.

"One of the tragopans moved quietly from a distance to just several meters away from where I stood, feeding on fallen wildflowers with ease," said Liao Chanyun, a member of a team from another national nature reserve in Guangdong.

"It was a truly unforgettable moment for me."

By the end of April 28, Zhao and his teammates recorded 126 species and the total number of bird species recorded by the 32 teams reached 300.

One team discovered mist nets illegally placed in a patch of farmland near the boundaries of the nature reserve, intended to trap migratory birds. They promptly reported their findings to Liu. The reserve mobilized a group of rangers to dismantle and remove the nets, ensuring the safety of migratory birds in the area.

The race concluded at 6 pm on April 29, with Zhao and his team achieving a count of 150 bird species. Following the event, all participating teams collectively logged 313 bird species into the event's smartphone-based record app.

The judging panel commenced a review process that evening. Each team was scrutinized as they presented evidence and detailed their sightings of certain "suspicious" species — birds uncommon to the region or specific habitats.

The exhaustive review continued until 2:30 am on April 30, resulting in the refinement of the species list from 313 to 242.

"Our primary goal was to provide comprehensive and accurate bird records for the two reserves," said Le regarding the judging process.

Despite the rigorous vetting, Liu noted a significant improvement from the previous year, with this year's record boasting 32 additional species.

An exceptional find near the Nanling reserve, the Oriental pratincole, observed by three teams, emerged as a novel record for the reserve and was crowned the top bird of the race. The victorious team clinched the title by documenting a remarkable total of 175 bird species.

Following the conclusion of the event, teams wasted no time in sharing their trip reports and experiences from the race across social media platforms.

"As part of our guidelines, each team is expected to post an article or a video narrative online," Liu said. "We hope the memories of the event can endure a little longer."

Zhao harvested two lifers during the carnival, celebrating the conclusion of the race by sharing some good oolong tea he brought with his teammates.

"I brought a bottle of liquor from my hometown for the celebration," Huang said. "We shared it with other bird-watchers during our dinner after the race. Anyway, a bird race is truly a gathering of birders."

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