Beijing’s Raptors and Captors.docVIP

Beijing’s Raptors and Captors 　　as the sun dances on the sparkling waters of the Wenyu River， a gentle trickling lulls a patient photographer into a sense of deep relaxation. High above the paddy fields that frame the banks of the shore， a lone eastern buzzard gracefully soars through the air as a black-eared kite glides on a thermal breeze in the expanse of sky. A shy long-eared owl rests on the ledge of a branch nearby， inspiring the photographer to capture its beauty before it flutters away. Refocusing the lens from the sky to the land however reveals an incongruous backdrop； electricity pylons litter the landscape as concrete pillars supporting colossal highways intercept the peaceful pastures around the river. This is Beijing in 2013， the megalopolis is growing， steam-rolling on and enveloping all that borders it. Yet， despite the dystopian picture propagated by many， along with the seemingly birdless skies within Beijing’s 3rd Ring， China’s capital is fairing surprisingly well for birds of prey. 　　Among the manicured lawns and neat rows of cypress tress at Beijing’s iconic Temple of Heaven Park （天坛公园 Ti`nt1n G4ngyu1n）， birders lurk， eagerly searching for the elusive long-eared owl which makes the park its winter home. A lack of tagging makes auditing the number of birds difficult， but most agree that the numbers seen here are dwindling. Despite historical attempts to control avian populations in Beijing （some will remember the late 1950s drive to bang pots and pans for three days non-stop to spook every sparrow in sight） the latest count is an impressive 430 species resident or migrating through the city and its environs， a number which has risen over the past decade. 　　British birder Terry Townshend is optimistic about the plight of birds in China， as documented in his exhaustive blog， ， detailing all things ornithological in Beijing. In an interview， he shared his experiences as a prolific birder in a city many believe to be bereft of any “nature” at