| Where did all the birds go? | |
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| Mar 6, 2008 18:49 |   |
 | I just returned a couple of days ago from my second visit to China. I had a very nice time there once again. I made many new observations. One of them is the subject of this thread. I stayed in Guangzhou for most of my four week trip. Many mornings I was greeted by the sound of the odd two or three birds chirping in the distance. However I was not able to see even a single bird in the four weeks of my stay in Guangzhou. I found this to be astounding. In Canada, whether you live in the city or country, birds are everywhere. They can be seen as well as heard, in abundance. I have come up with a few theories as to why I couldn't see any birds, but I'd like to hear from others here before I mention them. Where have all the birds gone? |
| Mar 6, 2008 21:59 | #1 |
| You mean you can hear them but you can’t see them? Maybe they are up in the trees or in the roof, on their nests. :-P Oh, a lot of birds in Ohio too, even those white ones, seagulls, I think. They like flocking on parking lots. During spring and summer, it seems that they like pooping on my car. Grrrr… Welcome back! You should have met Paul in Guangzhou! ^_^ |
| Mar 6, 2008 23:11 | #2 |
| I can hear the birds chirping in my garden right now -lots of them. It really does depend a lot on where you are living. During my first year in China I would have been inclined to ask that question too. That first year I was living on my inner city school campus, a small one at that with some trees and a few birds. I could both see and hear them from time to time. Now I am living on the fourth floor overlooking really nice gardens in a rather nice residential compound that was once on the outskirts of town. It is now one of my great joys to not only see and hear the birds in the garden but to actually have them drop into my little balcony garden from time to time and actually find something to eat. The year I spent living on the 22 nd floor I could watch the neighbours pigeons homing circling when they were released from low set walk ups and sometimes saw other birds in flight but rarely heard them from that height. Many Chinese love to keep birds as pets and it is common to see them airing the birds in local parks and gardens while they play cards or chess with other birdlovers. |
| Mar 7, 2008 04:03 | #3 |
| Canadaguy, One of my first thoughts on my first visit to China was where are all the birds. The Chairman back in the sixties put a bounty on sparrows and the peasants brought them in by the sack full. So do not expect wild ducks to walk across the road stopping traffic as the locals will think that is lunch time. Dodger. |
| Mar 7, 2008 14:30 | #4 |
| >>You mean you can hear them but you can’t see them? Maybe they are up in the trees or in the roof, on their nests. :-P << That's right. But the only time I could hear them was early in the morning around 6 a.m. when I was in bed. They were too distant though to have been seen and too few. >>Welcome back! You should have met Paul in Guangzhou! ^_^ << Thanks for the welcome! :) Yes I really should have tried to meet Paul. Perhaps the next time. |
| Mar 7, 2008 14:33 | #5 |
| Interesting observations Jabarootoo. Yes I would imagine that your location in the city would make a difference. But I travelled a fair bit in the city and could never spot one. |
| Mar 7, 2008 14:54 | #6 |
| >>... The Chairman back in the sixties put a bounty on sparrows and the peasants brought them in by the sack full. So do not expect wild ducks to walk across the road stopping traffic as the locals will think that is lunch time. Dodger. << Ah... very interesting. My theory for their disappearance was two-fold. Guangzhou is a very polluted city and I figured that the birds just couldn't cope with all of it. Also there is very little green space in the city. It seems like most of the city is paved. Not a very habitable environment for birds. |
| Mar 8, 2008 09:21 | #7 |
| The bird populations of course was decimated during the Cultural Revolution and the years that followed and thankfully numbers have been increasing ever since. But you are right about the green space. In larger cities like Guangzhou there is much less than green space for nesting etc and most likely not much for the birds to eat either. But they are out there. |
| Mar 8, 2008 12:57 | #8 |
| The four times when I thought I'd have the best chance to spot a bird were when we went to the mountain top in Guangzhou (climbed all the way up), went to visit the marvelous botanical gardens at the foot of the mountain, visited Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Memorial Hall and took an hour bike ride along the Pearl River. Not a single bird did I see. :( I did see a lot of smog along the Pearl River though. |
| Mar 9, 2008 03:55 | #9 |
| That´s what I wondered too, no sound of birds in GZ, nor in Nanning. Well, Canadaguy, it is spring, maybe all birds have flewn North. Here birds are singing although there still is snow on groung. Have seen swans already, too. I think there in Canada is like here too. Carlos |
| Mar 9, 2008 04:15 | #10 |
| I did see one or two during my stay but yes there does seem to be a lack of birds, maybe Carlos is right and they have migrated. Alan |
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