One winter afternoon in late 2024, Yang Tianyi and his father headed to Chenhu Wetland Nature Reserve in Wuhan, Hubei province, in search of greater flamingos.
After setting up his camera, Yang focused on a group of waterbirds resting in a sunlit stretch of wetland, with lush grass in the background. Suddenly, another bird flew into the frame. Yang pressed the shutter, zoomed in — and froze. It appeared to be a species he had never seen in Wuhan before.
After consulting reference materials and bird experts, Yang learned that it was a Saunders's gull. The sighting added Saunders's gull to Wuhan's bird list as its 472nd recorded species, with Yang and his father credited with the discovery.
"We were so excited," recalled Yang, now 16. "We hugged on the riverbank, and I even cried."
