Yue Changhong, a bird photographer, has been traveling over 180,000 km and taking more than 500,000 photos for more than ten years.
“I love to photograph birds in different positions. They are a testament to the beauty and liveliness of nature,” Yue, who hails from Pingluo county in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonome region.
Yue’s photos mostly take place along the banks the Yellow River, China’s second-longest flowing river. The waterway runs for approximately 400 km, creating lakes and wetlands along its length.
Yue is a frequent visitor to these lakes, wetlands, and takes photos of birds throughout the year. Yue has discovered rare birds in Pingluo’s Tianhewan Yellowriver national wetland parc.
Statistics show that Ningxia had, as of March 2013, restored more than 33,000 hectares lakes and wetlands and placed more 206,000 hectares on the protection list.
Yue states that birds have more options when it comes to choosing their habitat because of the improved environment.
There are more than 180 bird species in the Tianhewan Yellow river national wetland parc.
Yue and his wife frequently arrive at the wetland at dawn or dusk to capture great silhouette shots. Their biggest enemies are heat and mosquitoes, while in the summer temperatures can plummet to -20 C.
The couple have been attacked by wild dogs, and even fell into an ice cave. Yue finds it enriching and satisfying to share bird photos on social networks and receives likes and comments from his followers, despite all these experiences.
“I want the environment to change in my home.” Yue agrees that it is a meaningful thing.
Yue has seen the care of the birds over the years. Local residents often report injured birds to the authorities, while forest farm workers prepare food for birds traveling on migration routes.
Yue states that humans should give back to the natural world, which has given so much to us all.
