NANCHANG, May 1 (Xinhua) -- In 2007, when Chinese mergansers were first spotted in Mount Longhushan scenic areas in east China's Jiangxi Province, Xiao Dongyang just took on the role of forest ranger with little knowledge of migratory birds.
After sixteen years, Xiao still shoulders the same responsibility, and with his growing experience, he has created over 10 detailed logs of the rare bird.
The Chinese merganser, or scaly-sided merganser, has lived on Earth for over 10 million years and is called a "living fossil." It is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, and is under class one national protection in China.
Its global population is estimated at less than 10,000, said Zeng Qing, a researcher from Beijing Forestry University.
Every year in early November, Chinese mergansers fly southward from their reproduction bases, mainly in Russia's Far East and northeast China, to spend the winter. South China's rivers, lakes and reservoirs have served as habitats for 90 percent of the world's wintering Chinese mergansers, with Jiangxi and neighboring Hunan Province being the major sites.
"About 60 Chinese mergansers overwintered here this year," said Xiao, who is popular as the "duck commander" among the locals for his dedication to the protection of these endangered ducks.
Over the past 16 years, Xiao has accumulated more than 200,000 photos, and reams of video clips alongside his logs, which are valuable first-hand materials for wildlife research.
As Xiao bids farewell to the seasonal guests, retired animal researcher Piao Longguo living thousands of miles away in the Changbai Mountains of northeast China's Jilin Province, eagerly welcomes the return of his old feathery friends.
Considered a flagship species in the Changbai Mountains area, Chinese mergansers arrive in the region every year around March and April for mating and reproduction. Since 2012, Piao and his colleagues have created more than 500 artificial nests on riverside trees to protect the fledglings.
The earliest flock this year arrived on March 4, noted Piao. "As rivers thaw, more and more Chinese mergansers are returning."
Thanks to the efforts of guardians like Xiao and Piao, as well as increasing wildlife conservation measures, Chinese mergansers are more frequently sighted across China. This is an encouraging sign of an improving natural environment, as these migratory birds are picky residents and highly sensitive to habitat loss and climate change.
In Mount Longhushan, a nature reserve spanning 1,800 hectares was marked out in 2018. In 2021, Jilin published a 10-year plan to comprehensively intensify the preservation of Chinese mergansers.
"The Chinese merganser, which used to surprise bird observers, has now become a common sight in many parts of China," Piao said. ■
