For over two decades, I've been captivated by the world of birds. Birdwatching is more than just a hobby; it's a passion that infuses both my free time and my career as a journalist.

A business trip to a new place often presents an opportunity to spot and document unfamiliar avian species.

Over the years, I've connected with hundreds of fellow birdwatchers, forging lasting friendships with many. One such friend is Shen You, the founder of the Chengdu Bird Watching Society.

He knew that I had been to Wawu Mountain in Hongya, Sichuan province, to watch birds quite a few times and was kind of familiar with the avian life of the popular bird-watching destinations.

So, he asked me to serve as event supervisor of the third annual Wawu Mountain Bird Race.

"It's a role perfectly suited for you," he said, explaining that I would be responsible for interacting with judges, contestants and interviewing volunteers to ensure fair play throughout the competition.

His point was well-taken, and his persuasion worked. So, I found myself in Wawu Mountain covering the bird race. Unlike most bird-watching events in the country, this competition offered substantial cash prizes.

Consequently, the organizers placed a high priority on maintaining fairness, implementing detailed measures to guarantee a level playing field. As one of the measures, I needed to interview all of the volunteers who served as the competing teams' record keepers and "your assistants for supervision" as Shen's words.

On the evening of May 20, I met with each volunteer individually in a designated meeting room.

My questions were straightforward: Had they witnessed any blatant violations of fair play, such as using recorded bird sounds as lures or thermal scopes to locate birds?

Surprisingly, none of the volunteers reported any such behavior. Only one volunteer mentioned a contestant who had repeatedly used whistles to imitate the song of a golden bush robin, effectively luring the bird out.

"It might be a little offensive to other bird-watchers, but we don't currently have any regulations against whistling," Shen said.

I had the opportunity to observe the five judges deliberating over the awards for the event. The evening of May 20 was primarily dedicated to verifying the final records of each team.

Teams were ranked according to their total number of bird species identified, with the top two teams earning the first prizes. The next five teams were selected as recipients of the second-place prizes.

However, a challenge arose: the 7th and 8th ranked teams both reported identifying 102 bird species, resulting in a tie. As one of the judges, Shen, remarked, "Now we have to scrutinize the details, finding a bone in an egg."

The judges meticulously re-examined the records of the two tied teams, searching for any discrepancies or factors that might serve as a "weak link" to differentiate between them.

Wu Fei, an ornithologist from Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that one team recorded a bird species not by sight, but by sound. However, distinguishing this particular bird from another similar species, also found in the area, proved to be extremely challenging based solely on auditory cues.

"The record is probably not that solid," Wu said. As a result, the team had one species removed from their final tally, which resulted in them being placed among the recipients of the third prize.

Now you might understand why I love bird-watching — it can be seen as a game, but every participant treats it seriously.