A slaty-bellied tesia photographed in Napo county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. LIN XIUWEN/WEI MING/FOR CHINA DAILY

Further demonstrating the positive impact, a visiting bird photographer from Beijing donated 10,000 yuan to Lin, specifically to improve the access roads leading to the hides."I'm carefully overseeing the construction to ensure every penny is invested in improving the roads," Lin said.

Because observation spots often feature different "star" birds, visitors increasingly prefer to stay one or two nights in Bainan township, which is close to the reserve, rather than return to the county town, according to Ma. This demand has led to some local homestays shifting their focus to cater specifically to visiting bird enthusiasts.

"Uncle Lin has almost singlehandedly transformed Napo into a popular birding destination," Ma said.