Luo Ruilin (first from right) and her teammates pose for a group photo at the 10th "Reed Parrotbill Cup" Nanjing Birdwatching Competition. [Photo/Jianghai Evening News]

Luo Ruilin, a freshman at a junior high school in Nantong, Jiangsu province, has achieved remarkable success using her nearly traditional method of hand-drawn observations in the 10th "Reed Parrotbill Cup" Nanjing Birdwatching Competition.

She was one of the few participants who didn't bring a camera. Without a professional single-lens reflex camera or an expensive telephoto lens, her birdwatching gear was quite simple: a Bosma telescope costing just over 200 yuan ($29.40), a pen, and a notebook with frayed edges, filled with writings and drawings.

Luo and her teammates, forming the "Jianghuai Little Demons" team, clinched both the Reed Parrotbill Award and the Unique Contribution Award.

The "Reed Parrotbill Cup" is a highly influential birdwatching event in China, designed to provide a platform for birdwatching enthusiasts to exchange ideas and promote participation in protecting migratory birds.

Like many of her peers, Luo's daily life is packed with school commitments, yet her birdwatching notebook reveals a vast world teeming with birds, insects, and fish, as well as astronomy and geography.

Luo Ruilin's notes about sparrows. [Photo/Jianghai Evening News]

Her birdwatching journey began in second grade. "I was curious about the birds flying past my window and wanted to know their names," she said. This curiosity sparked her initial interest in nature. By fourth grade, her passion became more defined and intense, leading her to become a junior docent at the Nantong Museum. There, she learned about birds and observation techniques under professional guidance, laying a strong foundation for her future pursuits.

Luo not only observes birds in her hometown but also travels with groups to locations such as Yancheng in Jiangsu province, Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang province, and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province. She has borrowed a large number of bird-related books from the library, subscribed to China Bird Watch magazine, and studied the illustrations and identification methods in the Guide to the Birds of China.

Reflecting on the Nanjing competition two weeks ago, she was most impressed by the increasing number of young birdwatchers. "I thought I had seen a lot, but then I realized there were so many amazing peers," she said. Rather than feeling discouraged, she felt even more invigorated, saying, "Watching birds with a group is different from doing it alone."

"When you truly understand them, you'll genuinely want to protect them," Luo said, adding that when she grows up, "I might try to pursue that path."

Nantong is located on a crucial eastern migratory route for birds traveling between the north and south, with vast wetlands and lush vegetation providing ideal habitats.

As Nantong's ecological environment continues to improve, an increasing number of migratory birds are choosing to stop and winter here. To date, the city has monitored over 420 bird species, spanning 22 orders and 72 families, including 20 species under national first-class protection, 71 under second-class protection, as well as five species listed as critically endangered and seven as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.