After the Zoothera Birding trip to Yunnan, I flew to Shenzhen on February 2 to visit with my son Dave and his girlfriend Rachel. The timing was perfect as it allowed me to join Rachel’s family for the celebration of Chinese New Year, the quintessential food and family holiday. Many stores and businesses close for the week-long holiday, commonly called Spring Festival in China, so that people can return to their home towns to celebrate with their families. The holiday starts with a huge meal on New Year’s Eve. Our table was overflowing with plain boiled chicken served with ginger-green onion dip, braised prawns, roasted goose, sautéed Chinese cabbage with vermicelli, steamed Turbot fish, stir-fry vegetables, fried oysters, and chicken soup. Everything was delicious, but we could not eat it all. I later learned that it’s part of the tradition to have leftovers so that there is plenty to eat without any cooking or other work on the first day of the new year.
Dazzling decorations in Shenzhen celebrate Spring Festival
When I was not spending time with Dave or Rachel, I was free to go birding in Shenzhen’s parks. This was my fifth trip to China and I have become very comfortable going out by myself. I don’t see a lot of species, but it’s very satisfying to find them myself. And, I love those birds! It’s like visiting old friends. (more…)
Birding for Life 