A collared scops owl rests in the woods in Jixi county, East China's Anhui Province on July 1, 2017. A high speed rail connecting Hefei of Anhui Province and Fuzhou of East China's Fujian Province not only benefited regional transportation, but also helped bird watching communities to enjoy the ecological diversity of birds along the line. Photo: Xinhua

Video clips of a photographer poking a scops owl in order to take better pictures of the bird, which were posted on Sunday, have irritated Chinese netizens. 

The video on Sina Weibo shows a man standing in front of a tripod in Beijing's Yuanmingyuan Park on Sunday. He adjusts his professional-looking camera while poking a scops owl in a willow tree with a long bamboo pole. 

The following day, tourists reported to the park management department that some photographers had been broadcasting bird chirps in an attempt to incite the owls to open their eyes.  Scops owls are nocturnal. 

Netizens called the photographers hypocritical nature lovers. 

"I don't want to see 'beautiful pictures' at the cost of the bird's peaceful life," one Weibo user posted. 

Some suggested such photographers should be blacklisted by parks and natural reserves. 

Bird expert Liu Dongping told the Beijing News that frequently disturbing the birds could force the owl to abandon its nest. "Since it's breeding season and many scops owls are caring for their hatchlings, disturbing them might cause reproduction failures," Liu said. 

The park management department vows to strengthen security patrols to protect the birds, the Beijing News reported.

Scops owls are a Class II protected species in China. 

The Beijing News