Job done, the villagers can relax, at least until tomorrow. But for the nesting swallows, the work of raising a family has only just begun. In the newly planted fields, little egrets hunt for food. The rice paddies harbour tadpoles, fish and insects and the egrets have chicks to feed. This colony in Chongqing Province was established in 1996, when a few dozen birds built nests in the bamboo grove behind Yang Guang village. Believing they were a sign of luck, local people initially protected the egrets and the colony grew. But their attitude changed when the head of the village fell ill. They blamed the birds and were all set to destroy their nests, when the local government stepped in to protect them. 当工作完成,至少在明天来临之前,农户们得以休息。然而对这些筑巢的飞鸟而言修筑家园的宏大工程才刚刚开始。在新耕种的田地里,白鹭在寻找食物。稻田成了虫、鱼、蝌蚪的乐园。而白鹭正好以此哺育幼鸟。重庆自然保护区建立于1996年,当成群的鸟儿安家在阳光村后方的小竹林,当地人将其视为幸运的使者,他们最初小心保护这些白鹭,白鹭数量逐渐增多。但当村长病重后他们的态度发生了转变。当政府开始介入保护鸟群时,他们开始敌视鸟群并着手摧毁巢穴。