Middle school teacher Zhang Baolong and his student Wang Wei hold their breath as their drone buzzes its way toward a group of egrets standing in the wetland near Zhuyu Lake in Pingtan, Fujian province.

"Zoom in a little more and take it slow," Zhang murmurs quietly as Wang attempts to bring the UAV into position to film the long-legged birds.

For the pair from Pingtan No.1 Middle School, the pressure is on. There are only a few days left till Wang will present his thesis on Pingtan's egrets at the 32th Fujian Youth Science and Technology Innovation Contest on March 17, and the up-close footage is intended to be the final flourish.

The young nature lover has devoted the last eight months to studying the graceful local birds, using up almost all of his spare time after school.

Since his project began in July 2016, Wang has traveled nearly 150 miles to observe the egrets. To fully get to know the egrets'living habits, he has interviewed local residents, sought out related data and materials in the Pingtan bureau of forestry, and carried out field observations in the egrets'different habitats, such as fields, fish ponds and wetland.

Thanks to his perseverance and the tireless help of his teacher, Wang has already passed the first round of the youth innovation contest, and he has high hopes of scooping first prize.

But like all good scientists, his first concern is for the animals he is studying. "Urbanization has brought about a detrimental effect on the egrets'living conditions in Pingtan," says Wang, citing rising urban noise, water pollution and deforestation as factors changing the egrets'living habits.

Nevertheless, Wang has not lost hope for the future. "I shall never stop my study on egrets, and I really hope more people will get to know egrets and protect them together," he says.

Wang Wei (far right) and his teacher, Zhang Baolong (second right), manipulate a drone to take a close look at the egrets inhabited near the Zhuyu Lake in Pingtan. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]