Volunteers teach a local villager about Oriental stork protection. [Photo/Jiangsu International Online]

The Gaoyou branch of State Grid recently collaborated with local wildlife conservation organizations to organize a bird-watching event in Gaoyou, Yangzhou, the second Oriental stork conservation site in China.

The Oriental stork, a nationally protected species, has over 70 nests within Gaoyou, all built atop high transmission towers.

Oriental storks build their nests atop a transmission tower. [Photo/Jiangsu International Online]

A student from Bangladesh whose Chinese name is Peng Xiao is the first foreigner to join the Gaoyou "Guarding Lines & Loving Birds" volunteer service team. He invited two classmates from Myanmar and Bangladesh to join in the bird-watching event. They used binoculars to observe the Oriental storks and engaged nearby villagers in face-to-face discussions about protecting these birds.

Sun Tao, an employee of the Gaoyou electricity company and a bird-loving volunteer, said that it is currently breeding season for Oriental storks and over 40 pairs have been identified as breeding pairs on the transmission towers in Gaoyou. Considering that adult storks increase their food intake while caring for their young, efforts have been made to educate nearby aquaculture farmers not to disturb the storks while they feed on fish and shrimp.