In the wake of its first birdwatching festival in late March, the remote county of Napo in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has become a magnet for birders anxious to experience the area's rich avian biodiversity.

Napo's bird hides and specialized homestays were fully booked during this year's Qingming Festival holiday, and bird-watching has become recognized as a sustainable means for rural vitalization of the county bordering Vietnam and Yunnan province.

The area's birding boom can be traced to the curiosity and 10-year efforts of Lin Xiuwen. The 72-yearold, a former driver at a forest farm that became the Defu Nature Reserve in 1982, built a successful wholesale business in retirement. In 2016, seeking a change of pace after entrusting the management of his business to his son, Lin began making monthly visits to his daughter and her family in Nanning, the regional capital.

"I found myself with a lot of free time, primarily looking after my grandchildren," Lin told China Daily at his home in the county town of Napo.

It was his daughter's father-in-law who suggested Lin connect with a group of bird photographers that frequented a local park. "He hoped I'd find something to kill my time," Lin said.

Lin did more than just occupy his time. What began as a hobby became a passion that opened up a whole new world.

First bird hide

Lin's initial attempts at bird photography were met with frustration, as his old lens and camera simply couldn't capture the detail and clarity he desired. Recognizing the limitations of his gear, he soon invested in upgrades.

A turning point came when a friend led him to a well-known spot on the outskirts of Nanning. There, local photographers placed papaya, a tempting treat, to attract a variety of birds to a cleared area. "Right away, I was able to get close-up shots of the beautiful red-billed blue magpies," Lin said. "Their feathers gleamed in the sunlight, and it was truly breathtaking."

Returning to Napo, Lin expanded his search to areas surrounding the county town. Then, memories of the myriad bird songs he'd heard at Defu Nature Reserve resurfaced, and he decided to explore the forest, roughly an hour's drive from his home, hoping to document its hidden avian treasures.

In April 2017, Lin discovered a small, shaded pool near the road in Defu that attracted numerous birds. He fashioned a makeshift hide from a tent, about 10 meters from the pool, and photographed them as they bathed. He soon began placing mealworms near the pool, further enticing the birds.

Lin's dedication led to capturing images of rare and elusive species, including gray-bellied tesia. His efforts quickly gained the attention of other bird-watchers in Guangxi, and he was invited to join a WeChat group of experienced local birders that included Professor Jiang Aiwu, an ornithologist from Guangxi University in Nanning.

Encouraged by his peers, Lin devoted himself to the Defu site, building a temporary bird hide — a camouflaged shelter used to observe birds from a close range without disturbing them — and feeding the birds daily. "My wife and son managed the business," Lin said. "My only focus was the birds. I even visited the site on Chinese New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The birds became like family; I couldn't abandon them."

He readily welcomed visiting birders from across Guangxi, eagerly sharing his knowledge and the site's wonders.

In the winter of 2020, the spectacled barwing, a species primarily found in neighboring Yunnan and rarely sighted elsewhere, began frequenting Lin's site. This attracted significant attention, and he started receiving inquiries from birders and photographers nationwide.

When the number of visitors became overwhelming, a friend suggested that Lin formalize the site as a bird hide and charge a reasonable fee. "Before 2020, I never charged anyone. But with the influx of people, I needed help maintaining the site," he said. "I started at 20 yuan per person per day, then 50, briefly went to 100, and now it's standardized at 80 yuan ($11.73).

"I don't keep any of the income; it all goes to my helpers — first my nephew, and now my retired younger brother," he added.

Monitoring spots

As birding gained popularity among Napo residents, some, including Ma Chaozhong, developed a deep passion for the hobby. Ma, director of the Laohutiao Regional Nature Reserve in Napo, also manages the Defu reserve.

After learning from Lin about his bird hide and the diverse species he documented at the Defu reserve, Ma realized that establishing more hides in or near reserves offered a promising method for monitoring the area's avian population. Lin's younger brother now manages two hides within the Defu reserve.

"We actually prefer to call them 'bird monitoring spots' rather than hides," Ma said.

According to Ma, before "Uncle Lin" — Lin's nickname among the birding community — began photographing, the official bird species list for the Napo reserves contained only 184 entries. That number has now surpassed 300.

In addition to the Defu sites managed by his brother, Lin and Ma have collaborated to create five bird monitoring spots within the Laohutiao nature reserve.

Spanning about 23,560 hectares, the reserve shares a 72-kilometer border with Vietnam. The landscape is dominated by steep karst formations, leaving villagers living within and near the reserve with limited options for agriculture, often only being able to cultivate corn on scattered, barren patches of hillside. As a result, migration to cities in search of work is the only viable path for many young locals.

"We believe introducing birdwatching to the area could provide an alternative and sustainable livelihood for the local population," Ma said.

With funding from the local government, the reserve built five bird monitoring spots for a few local families in 2023. Lin personally visited the families, providing training on how to manage and operate the hides. Soon, rare and sought-after species such as the blue-rumped pitta, chestnut-headed tesia, pale-throated wren-babbler, and green cochoa began making regular appearances.

Lin leveraged his network, introducing birding enthusiasts and clients to the new locations. The ecotourism venture quickly gained momentum.

"Bird-watchers and photographers are willing to pay 100 yuan per person per day to see a 'star bird' like the chestnut-headed tesia or blue-rumped pitta," Lin said. "The influx of visitors can generate several hundred yuan per day for the bird hide owners."

Further demonstrating the positive impact, a visiting bird photographer from Beijing donated 10,000 yuan to Lin, specifically to improve the access roads leading to the hides."I'm carefully overseeing the construction to ensure every penny is invested in improving the roads," Lin said.

Because observation spots often feature different "star" birds, visitors increasingly prefer to stay one or two nights in Bainan township, which is close to the reserve, rather than return to the county town, according to Ma. This demand has led to some local homestays shifting their focus to cater specifically to visiting bird enthusiasts.

"Uncle Lin has almost singlehandedly transformed Napo into a popular birding destination," Ma said.