Banders brave elements for migration studies

Tagging of more than 300,000 birds over 17 years has made a significant contribution to scientific research

On a fresh spring morning on Mao'er Mountain, about 100 kilometers from Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, 50-year-old Wu Wei begins the day with one of his regular inspections of 106 nets, carefully removing any trapped birds.

Wu identifies the species of each bird, recording information such as their length, weight and color, as well as the time and place they were caught.