If you're on our picturesque campus and see people holding binoculars looking around this way and that towards the sky at a distance or a nearby bush, don’t be surprised. Don’t be amazed. They are birders on the International Campus!
Birdwatching, also known as birding, is a scientific outdoor activity conducted in a natural environment that doesn’t disturb the regular lives of wild birds. What exactly is birding? How does it gain popularity on the International Campus? On the occasion of World Earth Day, let’s hear some comments on birding from the ECO club’s president LIN Zhanyi (Dan) who is a third-year student at Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) and also a sophisticated birder. Together let’s explore how birders discover the splendid world of wildlife and how they encourage sustainable developmental practices!
Enlightenment from the Ethics and Rule of Law Course
Since childhood Dan has been passionate about nature and captivated by a wide range of wildlife. From a young age, he often went hiking and took nature walks with his parents exploring the great outdoors. However, his focus was never on sightseeing but rather on wild plants. It wasn't until high school that he delved into the world of birds. He developed a love for birds during college under an extremely heavy study burden. Enchanting bird songs became a source of solace and offered a respite from the long, monotonous school days. This is how his fascination with birds took flight and caught his heart and imagination.
Dan finally got hooked in his first year as an undergraduate. “Ethics and Rule of Law Course” was a compulsory class in his first year. The course focused on cultivating the competitive abilities of students. Dan met professor LIANG Qinghua in the class. She shared her experiences as a birder. “I got hooked,” said Dan. Later Liang introduced Dan to the Zhejiang Wild Bird Association. Professor LIANG became his first teacher in birdwatching. Liang imparted knowledge of how to identify bird species and how to improve his birdwatching skills. Dan also met other birders in the country and then stepped onto the way to become more professional.
Development: The Birdwatching Community on the International Campus
After falling in love with birdwatching, Dan started searching for fellow birders on the campus. But this was not always easy. How do you cultivate other students’ interest and let them engage while contributing to plant and bird conservation? Determined to find people in the same camp, Dan initiated a bio-investigation program on the campus supported by the ECO Club. Dan tried to attract more students during the Club Carnival activity. His efforts finally attracted several students who started to get hooked on birds.
▲ Eco Club
The ECO Club has played a significant role in establishing a vibrant birding community on the campus. The club has organized frequent birding activities. People new to birding don’t need to worry because they’ll receive binoculars for birdwatching and guidance on how to identify birds. In April of last year, the first Bird-watching Competition of the International Campus took place. During the six-hour event, participants could explore the campus or nearby fields in search of birds. They were then required to submit a bird checklist for the competition. Additionally, the ECO Club diligently recorded bird species along with information about their habitats and seasonal information. As of April 15, 2024, they have documented over eighty species on campus including some rare sightings in Jiaxing. During a birding trip to JianShan Haining last May, Dan, SUN Yuhao and other birders made an exciting discovery: the Chinese Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis glaucicomans), which was recognized as a new record for Zhejiang.
▲ Eco Trip
▲Chinese Blue Flycatcher（Photo by SUN Yuhao）
Harvest: Birder’s Hope and Future Perspectives
Bird-watching teaches people how to observe nature and preserve nature. Over the past few years, members of the ECO Club have actively engaged in various environmental-friendly activities including composting, ECO trips, investigating plants and birds on campus, participating in the Earth Hour lights-off initiative and promoting garbage classification. These endeavors work together to build a low-carbon, eco-friendly campus.
▲ Plants Investigation
▲ Eco Club
Ryan Flanagan, the tutor of the ECO Club and a writing professor at ZJUI, introduced the club's origins. He explains, "To foster students' abilities to discover, analyze, and solve problems, I encouraged them to identify overlooked issues in daily life. For instance, some students noticed that direct disposal of food scraps contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, we initiated composting on campus, where we combined food scraps with dirt and leaves to create nutrient-rich soil. This compost also serves as a natural fertilizer.” Since then, the composting team of the International Campus developed and gradually transformed into the ECO Club.
Last November some ECO Club members saw birds were colliding with windows on the campus. The ECO club members then immediately contacted the campus service center. The campus officials responded quickly. The ECO club members cooperated with the campus service in order to find solutions. After conducting rigorous surveys, they decided to apply anti-bird collision film on the windows. The installation finished last December. The film has now been in place for over five months and has proven highly effective with no further bird collisions observed.
Dan believes birding is a healthy activity suitable for everyone no matter whether they’re an extrovert or an introvert. Bird-watching can let you be in touch with nature and many types of animals and plants. You can also breathe fresh air which helps alleviate fatigue after studying and work. Bird-watching gets you out of your dorm, makes you embrace nature and increases your exercise. Moreover, birders go birding together which forms a community. “It’s like being in a big family. You can discuss numerous topics with other birders which helps you become more extroverted,” Dan said. Except from looking at themselves, birders are also concerned about the environment, care for the well-being of wildlife, as well as the relationship between humans and nature. Sadly, some people don’t really know much about birding. Some people even confuse it with photography which is a misconception. As a bird-watcher, Dan hopes that more and more people will go into the world of birds and experience nature, He encourages people to participate in protecting nature and letting the beauty of wildlife integrate into their souls. Here in Zhejiang, there are birders who do their best to protect the earth. There are also numerous activities in support of a sustainable development.
In response to China's "2030 Carbon Peak" and "2060 Carbon Neutrality" climate action goals and in line with Zhejiang University's "Z4G Sustainable Development Action Plan," the International Campus adheres to the concept of sustainable campus development and committed to building an internationally leading example of a sustainable campus. The campus has achieved a two-star green building design certification, LEED V4.1 O+M Platinum certification, EcoCampus Platinum certification, and ISO14001:2015 certification.
On the World Earth Day, I appeal to everyone to practice respect, compliance and protect our Mother Nature. Little strokes fell great oaks. Let’s live green and ECO!
Article: LIN Zhanyi
Editing: LI Yinan, LIU Shuaiyin
Editing in charge: ZHANG Yi
Reviewer: WU Fengbin
Translation: LIN Zhanyi
English Editing: Mary Hays