The flight to recovery

Both Ma and Qiu agree that the number of bird-watchers in Shanghai is growing, owing to economic development, improving living standards and the rising environmental consciousness among the public.

"Technological advancement has also lowered the threshold for involvement. Instead of reading books to learn about birds, newcomers now can rely on a mobile app or WeChat mini-program to identify and record them. This has made it much easier for people to start bird-watching and feel the sense of achievement that comes from it," Qiu adds.

In addition, there are other things people can do to help conserve birds and their habitats.

"First of all, we would like to call on the public to reduce the use of disposable products, especially plastic ones," Wu says.

Ma also advises the public to reduce activities that disturb birds and let them live in as near a natural state as possible. The provision of green areas in cities also needs consideration to provide birds with more food and suitable habitats, which will enhance biodiversity and environmental harmony.