Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

My time in Beijing seems to be drawing to a close, and wherever I end up next, it seems likely that bird watching might be about to play a much bigger role in my life. To that end, I recently had a kind colleague Taobao me a new pair of binoculars, and I resolved to prowl Chaoyang Park and get my skills back up to speed.

For a birdwatcher, one of the most exciting things about a new pair of binoculars is guessing, finding and enjoying "the first bird." Everyday dross - two kinds of magpie, pigeons and sparrows - don't count.

Birdwatching in the height of summer is almost a waste of time because there are too many leaves. You hear a lot more than you see. It's really bird listening. In the northeast corner of Chaoyang Park there is a tiny area of reed beds that could almost be mistaken for a real countryside, and it was there that I bagged my No.1 bird - a kingfisher!

I had never even suspected that such a creature could live in the heart of a city of 20 million people, let alone a city almost famous for its lack of nature. However, Beijing is changing, and the evidence that the city is greening itself was right there right before my eyes in bright orange and blue.

Further evidence emerges at night in the form of the Siberian weasel.

During my first stint in Beijing, I saw this beast so infrequently that it took on a semi-mythical status. In three years, I saw the hutong ferret maybe three times. This summer, I have already lost count. They are now easily seen in Sanlitun most nights.

One of the difficulties in greening a city is that an ecosystem is exactly that, a system. Everything eats something. If you want a kingfisher, you've got to have fish. If you want flocks of colorful little birds, then you need swarms of drab little insects. If you want a yellow weasel, you are going to have to put up with rodents. People often like seeing things like weasels, but tend to be somewhat averse to rats and mice. Likewise, the festering cats that roam the streets compete directly with the weasels, which could be good reason for a much needed cat cull.

There is no doubt that Beijing is moving in the right direction. I fully expect to return in 10 years and find takin grazing in the CBD area.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.