One of them is Chen Guangyun. The pensioner from Beijing has been driving around the country on sightseeing tours ever since he retired. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he had to spend a lot of time in Beijing. It was during this period that Chen discovered his interest in bird photography. In due course, venturing out to bird hides across the country and capturing the beauty of birds through his lens became his hobby.

Like Lam, Chen reached Fengtian on March 21 and was planning to stay there for three days. "Staying three days and visiting eight to 10 bird hides is a standard package for us while visiting the village," he said.

Another photographer Lam met at Xiong's bird hide is "Parrot". The 67-year-old retiree from Northeast China prefers to be addressed by his online moniker. He arrived at the village on March 20 and was surprised to meet three friends, who had just finished their photographic tour and were preparing to leave.

"It's a small world and the village is a must-see destination for us," he said. "One of my friends clicked 1.5 terabytes of photographs here."

After their photo sessions, the bird photographers shared a meal at the homestay run by Xiong Shengchun's brother, Xiong Shengshui. Xiong Shengchun said many of his customers enjoy the meals served by his brother and sister-in-law.

"We charge each customer 10 yuan ($1.37) for breakfast and 60 yuan for lunch and supper," Xiong Shengchun said. "For a photo session at a bird hide, the price is 100 yuan per person."

Seated at the dining table, Lam found himself immersed in conversations with the other bird photographers, a community he had never come across before.

He used the opportunity to find out more about his passion from his new friends from the mainland, jotting down the names of other bird hide locations. He also took from them the WeChat accounts of the operators of other bird hides he might visit in the future. "I will try to visit more sites before I am too old for this," he said.