Written by Liu Donghua
In the huge old city of Haizi, there are indispensable traces of birds.
bird is of course waterbird . Unlike other birds, these waterbirds live on both land and water, and have greater flexibility and survival capabilities. It is very difficult to observe these birds up close.
Maybe as I get older, I start to like quietness. This piece of sea has become a place where I occasionally visit and walk slowly. Haizi in summer is divided into unequal grids. Reeds, bulrushes, and lotus ponds fill these grids irregularly. When people walk in, it is like a maze.
Haizi is often quiet and a bit strange at noon. In addition to these silent plants, what is even more strange is that when walking, one or two large or small plants will suddenly fly out from among these dense aquatic plants. The small water bird suddenly disappeared into the green grass in the distance, and its shadow disappeared again. You were left standing there in shock, with a look of shock and confusion on your face. The restored silence of Haizi makes people feel even more mysterious.
For no reason, people no longer dare to go to the depths of Haizi. It seems that there are thousands of troops lurking in it, and countless creatures are spying on you from hiding places, with a bit of hostility and vigilance.
Later, I met Lao Li, a photographer. Lao Li is from the urban area. As a resident officer, he was assigned to a casual position in a certain bureau in the county. He lived alone, which actually fulfilled his love of photography. He occasionally asked me to go to Haizi to "shoot birds". Bird hunting is a "jargon" in the photography circle. It is not about shooting birds with a gun, but about lurking in the water and grass with those "long guns and short cannons" specially designed for photography, specifically to capture those water birds.
This kind of photography activity not only tests the photographer’s skills, but also the patience.
A person hid deep in the grass, pointing the camera at the area where there may be waterfowl activities. He remained motionless, very much like a well-trained sniper. He captured the whereabouts of waterfowls instantly, and some dynamic and vivid waterfowls were frozen. It’s in the work.
Among the reeds, the most common bird is called the reed warbler . What we commonly call "Wei Chazi". This is a small water bird with a clear call. Because of its small size and concealed movements, its true appearance is difficult to see. But this does not trouble the "bird hunter" at all. Lao Li likes to place himself in the place where the reed warbler hangs out, and then squat there. I have seen the reed warbler captured by Lao Li, and I have also seen the bird's nest discovered by Lao Li. The reed warbler's nest is about the size of a fist, not large in scale, but it is a very detailed project. When it comes to architecture, the reed warbler is a natural master. It seems that human understanding can never surpass the bird's concept of home.
The reed warbler likes to place its nest deep in the reeds. In these places, because the water is deep and the reeds are abundant, people can rarely wade into such places. The small nest is hidden here. The reed warbler uses two reed poles as the foundation and uses soft straw as the building material. It is woven layer by layer. The straw is extremely tough. On such reed poles, it has a strong ability to withstand wind and rain. Even in bad weather, it can be stormed by you. , will not harm the bird's nest in the slightest.
I tried to dismantle the bird's nest from the reed pole, but it was obviously in vain. Unless you use the method of forced demolition of illegal buildings, it will be difficult to do so.
In addition to the reed warbler, we can occasionally encounter a few herons, their slender bodies roaming Haizi. Common ones include and .
The black water chicken looks like a domestic chicken that has just grown its feathers. It is thin, but moves flexibly and calmly. It looks like a chicken, but the difference is that its feet are webbed. The area where the black water chicken moves is the lotus ponds. The black water chicken steps on the lotus leaves floating on the water, like strolling in the garden, like a troubadour poet.
Compared with the Reed Warbler, the Black Water Chicken seems to be more in line with Haizi's temperament, which is a bit downcast in appearance, but also calm and leisurely, neither humble nor arrogant. However, Lao Li seems not interested in the black water chicken, probably because it is difficult to shoot lively and dynamic pictures from the black water chicken's expression. In addition, the black water chicken's feathers are not gorgeous and lack the necessary color impact.
Later, after completing his term, Lao Li returned to the city, and the old city of Haizi also began a new round of renovation and upgrading. Those artificially divided grids were removed to restore the original appearance of the old city of Haizi, a large area of water with rippling blue waves. Not only does it make people worry about the fate of those water birds, but also whether the singing reed warblers, roaming herons, and those idle black water chickens can still place their souls and nests in Haizi?
But reality tells me that all worries are unnecessary.
The renovation of Haizi not only did not drive away these water birds, but also improved the water quality, adjusted the water circulation, and rationally arranged the cultural landscape, making the environment more beautiful and the ecology more balanced, attracting tourists and water birds.
Now, going to the old city of Haizi to watch birds will definitely be a shock.
is close to the water, and occasionally the large-bodied mallard will be frightened. This was once the largest wild duck in Weishan Lake . Due to the improvement of Haizi's environment, these mallards also chose to settle in Haizi. The moment they soared into the sky, they could clearly feel the beautiful love. The flying figure is pleasing to the eye.
Those flocks of egrets are as elegant as gentlemen.
There is also a kind of heron with a white body and a brown head. I asked Lao Li, an expert who once "hunted birds" in Haizi. Lao Li was very surprised on the phone and asked me: "There is also this kind of heron in Haizi." "It said that this kind of egret should be called cattle egret . But this kind of heron usually lives in the south and is rarely seen in the north. This heron got its name from its habit of accompanying buffalo. The cattle egret tells us a magical ecological phenomenon. Although the cattle egret lives in a water town, it does not like fish and shrimps, but prefers to eat insects. As a large livestock, in summer, there is a kind of gadfly that specially bites buffalo. The cattle egret becomes the best guard of the buffalo. It often lands on the back of the cow to feed on the gadfly, or take a short rest.
This is a beautiful freehand picture, with the melodious flute, the slowly grazing buffalo, and the elegant heron, which together outline the waterside style. Just because the number of buffaloes is getting smaller and smaller, the food chain of cattle egrets should also have changed, going to the water's edge to find more edible insects.
How many species of waterbirds live in Haizi today? Maybe no one can give us an accurate answer. We only rely on our unprofessional identification to identify the wild ducks, white cranes , swans, herons...
From the perspective of life habits, water birds are the most difficult to approach. Yes, their lives belong to the vast sky, mountains, lakes and seas. They may not have a hometown or home that we understand. They instinctively pursue places with lush water, grass, and beautiful ecology to inhabit and reproduce. It is a common characteristic of waterbirds to have strict requirements on natural living conditions, otherwise they will not hesitate to find their next destination.
" Shangshu " says, " Xiao Shao is 90%, Phoenix Emperor comes to Yi ", which means that beautiful music can make the phoenix dance.
The waterbirds of Haizi may be a group of uninvited guests outside the humanistic plan of environmental governance, but the arrival of these distinguished guests has verified the phased results of Haizi governance.
