【Commentary】 In June, the bird island of Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve, birds such as cormorants, barred geese, fish gulls, and brown-headed gulls ushered in the incubation period. Early in the morning, Yang Tao, deputy director of the Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration, began inspection work with his equipment.

  [Commentary] 57-year-old Yang Tao is a senior engineer at the Computer Network Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He came to Qinghai Lake Bird Island in 2008 to carry out project research work. In 2014, he was appointed deputy director of the protected area for 6 years. He is based in Bird Island, and his main job is to record the number of birds, observe whether there are new species, conduct regular inspections around the lake, and build a network to receive climate, soil and other information transmitted throughout Bird Island.

  [Same period] Yang Tao, Deputy Director of Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration

  We call it the Joint Scientific Research Base. How do we engage in scientific research? We provide a platform that is the probe you see. Those sensors in our environment are all transferred to the database. In fact, we have solved a problem. In the past, we used animals, for example. The scientists at the institute studied the bird and laid down in the grass to get a telescope and a book to remember. Now he sits in the office and can observe it through the network. I can say I do n’t do research, but I provide them with a platform.

  [Explanation] Yang Tao said that every year when the incubation period is reached, watching the birds break out of their shells, they will unconsciously feel particularly excited.

  [Same period] Yang Tao, Deputy Director of Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration

  I felt that there was this moment every year, that the birds laid eggs, and that day I went up and took a telescope to look on the egg island. When I saw a little spotted goose showing his head, it was really exciting.

  [Explanation] On the way to the escort, Yang Tao found an injured bar-headed goose. He carefully picked up the little bar-headed goose who was limping and could not keep up with the team, and brought it back to the ambulance station to let his colleagues take care of it. Yang Tao said: "I protect birds now, but when I was young, I was a kid catching birds."

  [Same period] Yang Tao, Deputy Director of Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration

  I can say this: I was a kid catching birds since I was a child. I was born in Hami, Xinjiang. That's what we said. My family is a power plant. The bird-hit child of the power plant was admitted to college. I transferred to Beijing from Xinjiang to Beijing as a network expert, and later engaged in this, I think it is particularly suitable for me, and I took a picture, our old classmates said, ah, you are doing your own business again, it turned out that playing birds, Now protect the bird.

  [Explanation] Yang Tao now knows all the mountains, waters, and grasses of Bird Island. He knows where there are fox dens on the island. And through the photos he took, he discovered two species that first appeared in Qinghai Lake. In more than 10 years, he was exposed to photography because of work, and he loved his work more because of photography.

  [Same period] Yang Tao, Deputy Director of Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration

  I started taking pictures in 2009, until the changes in the decade of 2019, and it is obvious that what it looks like in 2009, it is almost gone. This is slowly accumulating, you must take these photos carefully every year.

  [Explanation] Yang Tao said that after the closure of the Bird Island Scenic Area, it has really been realized. The scene of people retreating and animals coming in, the ecological environment is getting better and better. The beautiful Qinghai is worthy of the name.

  [Same period] Yang Tao, Deputy Director of Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve Administration

  I will stop working in the future and I will definitely work here often, and I still hope and encourage scientists such as our unit or animal institute or aquatic institute to continue to work here. This is indeed good for us to do scientific research.

  (Reporter Zhang Kun reports from Qinghai Lake)

Editor in charge: [Song Fangcan]