BIRDWATCHERS and photographers in Shanghai will soon be able to visit the city’s first official hide at Gongqing Forest Park, the Oriental Morning Post reported yesterday.

“The park is one of the best places in Shanghai for birdwatching, so it was an obvious choice,” said Yuan Xiao, deputy director of the Shanghai Wildlife Protection Office.

Since 2005, 108 different types of bird, including many rare species, have been spotted in the park, according to a survey by the protection office.