Exploring the small villages in the border towns of Guangxi: In the past, the villagers hunted birds and now "people come and birds are not surprised"

　　Chinanews.com Chongzuo, February 20th, title: Exploring the small villages in the border towns of Guangxi: In the past, the villagers hunted birds and now "people come and birds are not surprised"

　　Author Jiang Xuelin Chen Qiuxia

　　"There used to be a bird's nest on the tree at the gate of the chief's house," Lu Haiheng, a villager in Longhengtun, Nonggang Village, Zhubu Township, Longzhou County, Guangxi, told reporters recently.

　　Walking into Longhengtun, pictures of birds are hung on the walls of every household, introducing the characteristics of various birds.

The singing of birds can be heard everywhere in the village.

A white-rumped magpie robin photographed in Longhengtun, Nonggang Village, Zhubu Township, Longzhou County, Guangxi.

Photo by Jiang Xuelin

　　"Hush down, they are coming!" Looking in the direction of Lu Haiheng's finger, I saw a few small, brown-feathered birds flying out of the dense forest and landing on the rocks.

Suddenly, behind a camouflage shed, there was a rush of camera shutters.

Although close at hand, the birds were not startled by human voices and shutter sounds.

　　The camouflage shed is a bird watching spot built by Lu Haiheng at the foot of the mountain not far from Longhengtun, and it is specially for bird lovers to take pictures.

Lu Haiheng built a small pit here to store water. He can imitate the calls of birds to attract birds. The daily fee for each seat in the camouflage booth ranges from 50 to 100 yuan (RMB, the same below).

　　Lu Haiheng used to work in Guangdong. After the "bird watching craze" started in Longhengtun, he returned to his hometown to work as a "tour guide", specializing in guiding "bird lovers" and attracting birds.

　　Longhengtun is located on the Sino-Vietnamese border, adjacent to Guangxi Nonggang National Nature Reserve, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with lush forests and bamboos.

The discovery of a bird changed the life of this small mountain village.

A white-rumped magpie robin photographed in Longhengtun, Nonggang Village, Zhubu Township, Longzhou County, Guangxi.

Photo by Jiang Xuelin

　　More than ten years ago, Chinese ornithologists came to Nonggang National Nature Reserve for investigation. With the help of Lu Haiheng’s father Lu Rong, they observed an unrecorded thrush bird species and named the new bird species It has aroused widespread concern in the society.

　　Nonggang became famous for a while, and Lu Rong, who sensed business opportunities, began to arrange bird watching spots, became a "bird guide", and became the first batch of villagers to start a "bird business" in the village.

Later, Lu Haiheng took over his father's mantle as a guide for bird watchers.

He has been with birds since he was a child, and he knows the habitats of birds very well, and he can even name the birds by listening to the sound.

　　Lu Haiheng is now a "celebrity" in the village, and many bird-watching enthusiasts ask him to be a "tour guide".

Lu Haiheng also opened the "Nonggang Babbler Inn", and his mother and wife also joined the bird watching industry.

　　Lu Haiheng has now expanded his business to Southeast Asia.

"I'm currently in contact with foreign 'bird guides' to help bird lovers go to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos to watch birds and take pictures of birds." Having been in the bird watching industry for many years, Lu Haiheng already has France, the United Kingdom and other countries on WeChat. There are more than 4,000 foreign bird lovers. With the help of translation software, he can easily communicate with foreign bird lovers.

　　The "bird watching craze" not only changed the appearance of the village, but also changed the protection awareness of local villagers.

"In the past, the villagers also hunted and ate birds," said Lu Haiheng. Now, after benefiting from the bird-watching craze, the villagers voluntarily join in the action of protecting birds.

Spot-necked Babblers photographed in Longhengtun, Nonggang Village, Zhubu Township, Longzhou County, Guangxi.

Photo by Jiang Xuelin

　　In order to achieve the goal of "double balance and double development" in protection and utilization, the Guangxi Nonggang National Nature Reserve Management Center has formulated a bird-loving and bird-protecting village regulation. By helping local villagers develop bird-watching eco-tourism, it has effectively prevented Destruction of forest resources.

At present, the bird watching base has radiated 15 villages in Nonggang Village. There are about 20 professional "bird guides", more than 10 bird watching spots, and 16 homestays, which have helped many poor households in the village get rid of poverty and become rich.

　　The strengthening of protection has made this small village a paradise for people and birds to live in harmony.

Some "star bird species" in the reserve often fly to the front and back of the villagers' houses.

"I saw the crested sparrow in the village yesterday, and just as I was about to go back to my room to get my camera, it flew away." Yu Saisai, a bird-watching enthusiast from Jiangsu Province, said that she had photographed more than 300 species in various parts of China Birds, only four days after she came to Longhengtun, she has "added" more than a dozen kinds of birds to her shooting records.

　　At present, there are more than 260 species of birds recorded in Nonggang Nature Reserve.

As one of the well-known bird-watching bases in China, China·Longzhou "Secret Land Nonggang" International Bird-Watching Festival has been held for many years, attracting many domestic and foreign bird-watching enthusiasts, ornithologists and experts to "check in".

Longzhou County has also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in biodiversity conservation with several counties in neighboring Vietnam to strengthen cooperation in ecological protection between China and Vietnam.

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