Birds and bees: A wetlands victory

Colorful creatures inspire new approach to wildlife habitat protection in tropical Hainan province

Lu Gang recalls his first sighting of a colorful bee-eating bird eight years ago as his train pulled into Haikou station in tropical Hainan province.

When he got off the train and went to look for the bird, he found dozens of them nesting in a sandbank near the station, mostly the chestnut-throated variety but also a few bluethroats.