Poignant stories behind some of the photographs
Print Edition
AS an avid birdwatcher, Shi Minliang often has stories related to some of his photographs taken at Paotaiwan. Here he recounts the sad tales of a fearless kingfisher named Xiaocui who trusted humans too much, and a pair of migrating mandarin ducks who were cruelly separated.
Death of a kingfisher
The common kingfisher is a beautiful bird, with its vivid wings of green and blue, round, alert eyes, a long beak and bright red feet.
Xiaocui — Chinese for little kingfisher — lived in Paotaiwan and was not afraid of humans, unlike most other birds.
A real star in Paotaiwan Wetland Park, numerous photographers and birdwatchers came and spent hours waiting to see the bold little creature.
Baoshan District birdwatchers were proud of “kingfisher pond” in the park, and some bird lovers started caring for the kingfishers, feeding them fresh little fish in winter when food was scarce. Over time it became a paradise for kingfishers.
These birds have short life span and only live for two years. One generation after another, kingfishers eventually settled there and could be seen every day.
Xiaocui was the sixth generation of kingfishers in the pond and grew up listening to the shutter sound of cameras — like a superstar in the spotlight.
This was also the reason why he never feared people, and why a photographer could take a good picture just steps away.
He gained fame, not only in Shanghai, but people from other provinces and even abroad came to the park just to see this star kingfisher.
The last time I photographed Xiaocui was November 13, 2012. As usual, I went to search for other birds after I took some photos of the kingfisher. I visited the park twice a week but didn’t stop by the pond every time.
On December 9 when I came to the pond, I was told Xiaocui was dead; someone had killed him with a slingshot.
I’ve seen photographs of Xiaocui’s dead body and I don’t want to show them here. I’d much rather show a picture of Xiaocui at his stunning best, and only want people to keep the memory of his beauty.
It’s hard to imagine what kind of people would do such thing to a beautiful creature like this. After he died, there was only a female kingfisher left in the pond and she became more cautious of humans.
It still hurts to see this single kingfisher coming and going without Xiaocui.
I’ve asked myself if our love for Xiaocui blinded the bird into thinking that all people meant no harm; that he became too trusting and that this cost Xiaocui his life.
Lonesome mandarin duck
Last autumn on November 11 — so called “Singles’ Day” in China — I spotted a pair of mandarin ducks and two pairs of mallards on a brief stop as they migrated south.
I sat on a rock watching the mandarin ducks jostling among other ducks. Brightly colored with beautiful feathers, the male mandarin duck was especially beautiful.
Mandarin duck pairs are always very affectionate, making people envy their happiness.
The next day I went to Paotaiwan wetland in the early morning and waited for the ducks. I stayed for a whole day and when the tide came in ducks returned, but only the female mandarin duck. The male was gone, and so were two male mallards.
I knew they were migrating birds who were just passing through, with no intention of staying for winter. But what had happened to separate them?
I saw the lone female mandarin duck looking forlorn in the water. The mallards had company, but she was alone. I heard that a fishing boat had been there earlier and that someone from it was seen going into the reed marshes.
The male mandarin duck and mallards are far more beautiful than the females and draw more attention from humans.
I don’t know if fishermen caught the ducks — though in the past I’ve seen them throw away the bloodied wings of herring gulls. The female mandarin duck didn’t eat for a whole day and waited on a rock by the shore, looking and waiting in vain for her mate.
For her, the bitter cold of winter had already arrived.
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