Swan Lake
2 min readThere is a water area dotted with numerous lakes and marshes with a total area of over 1,370km on the Bayinbuluke Grassland, which is the largest swan breeding and inhabiting place in China-Bayinbuluke Swan Lake.
The Swan Lake is formed by streams(rivers, lakes, and marshes, which is a genuine “paradise of birds” with hundreds of thousands birds of 128 kinds living in the lake area, such as Whooper Swan, Cygnus columbianus Mute Swan, Vulture, and Graylag Goose, among which, the kind with the largest number is Whooper Swan, and there are nearly 10 ,000 whooper swans. During each March to April, more than ten thousand rare birds constituted mainly by whooper swans, Cygnus columbianus, and sute swans will fly over the mountains in droves to breed on the Swan Lake. They will stay for more than six months, and will finally fly away in October and November.
Why so many swans and rare birds are attracted to inhabit here? There are two main reasons: First, the unique geographical environment of the Swan Lake; second, the protection from the local residents who treat birds as their children.
There are numerous springs and crisscrossed rivers in this region, aquatic weeds are lush, climate is cool, and food is abundant, making a paradise for numerous birds, such a swans, grey cranes, egrets, bar-headed geese, golden eagles, geese gulls, Buteo rufinus, and wild ducks.
There are few inhabitants round the Bayinbuluke Grassland, and the local Mongolian herders regard swans as the angels and happiness birds, so they have been taking care of and feeding the swans since ancient times. After the meticulous care and feeding, some swans go out early and come back at dusk like domestic birds. When in the late autumn, they will migrate south along with the swarm, and come back to the hosts’ home next spring.
In 1980, Bayinbuluke Swan Reserve was established, and it has become one of the Chinese Bird Ringing Points(namely the centers for scientific research by attaching annular scientific instruments to the legs of birds), which has an important scientific value and a certain influence internationally In 1986, this reserve was approved as a national nature reserve.
