
What I learned about China by searching for the world’s rarest bird - Petiver
https://medium.com/the-economist/what-i-learned-about-china-by-searching-for-the-worlds-rarest-bird-a1aae68da37#.goda6jikl
======
pep_guardiola
I would actually recommend people to give amateur ornithology a try. When I
was 12, my grandfather gave me a pair of binoculars and an ornithology guide
and since then, every summer I go on hikes to watch birds. It's a wonderfully
relaxing and fulfilling activity, my brain is weirdly active while watching
birds and I end up doing a lot of reflection on those hikes. It's also
incredibly satisfying to spot a rare bird.

I know you might think you will never be into it, but give it a try. It's also
a great activity to keep doing well into old age.

------
sn41
Birding is very popular in India. I think it was brought in by the British,
which is perhaps why Hong Kong was the only Birding place in China.

A somewhat obscure trivia: the Indian National Congress party was established
by the British Civil Servant A. O. Hume [1], who was an avid birder, ran a
magazine called "Stray Feathers", and published "The Nests and Eggs of Indian
Birds". [2] A. O. Hume was expelled from the British Civil Service for his
sympathy and support for the cause of the Indians.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Octavian_Hume](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Octavian_Hume)

[2]
[https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Hume%2C+Al...](https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Hume%2C+Allan+Octavian%2C+1829-1912%22)

