Traversing the Myriad Mountains of Shennongjia, He Guards Forest Bird with Millions of Images

Traversing the Myriad Mountains of Shennongjia, He Guards Forest Bird with Millions of Images

Amid the drive to establish Hubei as an important strategic pivot for the rise of the central region, countless young figures are contributing their passion and dedication across diverse fields. Through perseverance and commitment, they are weaving their personal aspirations into the province’s development while writing their own stories of growth in the new era.

Every act of dedication deserves recognition, and every effort deserves to be remembered. To capture these vibrant moments of youth, to understand the responsibility and commitment of the young generation across different roles, the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League has launched the “Pioneer Hunt for Youth in Pivot Construction” column, showcasing young people who take the lead and shoulder responsibilities in the pivot construction. Today, let us step into the story of Ma Guofei, recipient of the 2026 “Hubei Youth May Fourth Medal”.

Deep in the forests of Shennongjia, there is a young sci-tech worker whose footsteps trace countless bird-monitoring transects and whose camera captures the graceful movements of migratory birds. Through more than one million camera trap images, he has uncovered invaluable clues about wildlife. For seven consecutive years, Ma Guofei, an engineer with the Administration of Shennongjia National Park, has devoted himself to bird conservation and earned the affectionate nickname “the Bird Guardian of Shennongjia”. 

Measuring Bird Habitats With His Footsteps

“Every bird is a barometer of the ecosystem, and every set of data is a compass for conservation.” When Ma Guofei first arrived in Shennongjia in early 2019, his knowledge of birds was still limited to basic species identification. It was not until the second “Shennongjia National Park Cup” bird-watching event in 2020 that he truly embarked on the path of bird conservation, planting the seed for long-term ornithological research.

From then on, he joined birdwatching expeditions, honed his bird photography skills, sought guidance from experts, and immersed himself in professional literature, gradually uncovering the hidden avian diversity of Shennongjia. Since August 2020, he has documented several bird species newly recorded in Hubei Province, including Cettia castaneocoronata and Dendrocopos leucotos (White-backed Woodpecker). 

Spodiopsar sericeus (Red-billed Starling), photo by Ma Guofei

Today, binoculars and a camera are constant companions, making him a living field guide of the region’s birds. In late autumn 2024, he spent several days at Dajiuhu with a 600mm prime lens and successfully documented Remiz consobrinus (Chinese Penduline Tit), a bird species newly recorded in Shennongjia, adding another important entry to the regional bird baseline data. 

While pursuing scientific research, Ma has consistently focused on translating academic findings into practical conservation. Based on the ecological characteristics of different bird groups, he developed a differentiated monitoring system. For forest birds, he established 60 standardized fixed monitoring transects, combining slow-paced surveys with point-count observations. For waterbirds, he set up eight concealed observation sites in the core wetland areas to accurately monitor migratory movements. Since 2020, he has participated annually in the National Winter Waterbird Census and its provincial counterpart, covering nearly 10,000 kilometers during field surveys. His investigations have recorded 305 bird species in Dajiuhu, including 63 nationally protected wild bird species.

Decoding the Secrets of Life Through a Million Images

As a core member of the camera trap monitoring system in Shennongjia National Park, Ma Guofei led the scientific deployment of more than 300 camera traps, with the equipment covering 70% of the park’s core protected areas, creating an around-the-clock wildlife monitoring network.

Installing the equipment was only the first step. The greater challenge lay in processing the enormous volume of image data. Faced with the repetitive and meticulous task of image identification, Ma developed a standardized five-step workflow covering image screening, species identification, parameter recording, quality verification, and database entry. To date, he has analyzed more than one million raw images, accurately identifying 120 bird species and 31 mammal species. His work has provided invaluable first-hand data for baseline biodiversity surveys and population evolution studies in Shennongjia.

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“Once I found the direction I wanted to strive toward, I was no longer lost, and I became even more motivated in my work.” From a newcomer immersed in routine tasks to a local expert in bird monitoring and camera trap image analysis, Ma Guofei has demonstrated through seven years of dedication that deep in the mountains, scientific research can still flourish and bear remarkable fruit.

Becoming a “Guardian of Life” for Birds

Ma Guofei also has a compassionate commitment to protecting birds. He took the initiative to establish an emergency rescue mechanism for wild birds in the nature reserve and helped build a comprehensive rescue system, ensuring that every injured bird receives continuous care and targeted treatment.

Over the years, he has successfully rescued more than 50 nationally protected wild birds, including Buteo lagopus (Rough-legged Buzzard), Accipiter trivirgatus (Crested Goshawk), and Accipiter virgatus (Besra Sparrow Hawk), maintaining a rescue success rate of over 90 percent. In the autumn of 2025, he rescued a weakened Ixobrychus flavicollis (Black Bittern) with an injured wing. After days of professional care and rehabilitation training, the bird regained its strength and was successfully released back into the nature reserve.

Ma Guofei conducting monitoring work in the field

“Every rescue is a tribute to life.” In Ma Guofei’s view, scientific monitoring protects populations, while individual rescue shows respect for life; both are indispensable parts of ecological conservation.

Making Bird Protection a Shared Public Commitment

Ecological conservation cannot rely on only a few people. Ma Guofei has taken the initiative to shoulder the responsibility of science popularization, serving as a bridge of communication between researchers and the public.

He has organized and participated in more than 10 bird science popularization activities in schools, communities, and villages, helped compile and proofread three science education manuals, and distributed more than 1,000 promotional materials, reaching an audience of over 2,000 people. In 2020, for his outstanding achievements in science outreach work, he won the 9th Liang Xi Science Popularization Award (Activity Category) —China’s highest honor in the field of forestry science popularization. The outreach programs he helped promote have since become part of Shennongjia National Park's regular public education initiatives, encouraging more people to appreciate and protect wild birds.

Ma Guofei participating in a popular science lecture as a speaker

“I hope more young people will devote themselves to ecological conservation. The vast forests of Shennongjia are home to countless living creatures that still need our protection, and we must continue moving forward.” This is Ma Guofei’s expectation for the younger generation and the belief he has always put into practice.

Silent though the forest is, every bird bears witness. Amid the vast mountains of the “Roof of Central China”, Ma Guofei is writing a remarkable chapter of youth serving the country through science and technology, taking root at the grassroots, and contributing to Hubei's strategic stronghold development.

Editor | Liu Xinyi

Reviewer | Zhang Xinyu

Duty Editor | Yao Xue

Translator | Mu Yujia

Source | Compiled by Youth Hubei from Youth Shennongjia, Shennongjia National Park, Shennongjia Bird Society, and the official website of Shennongjia National Park (Candidate Site)