Qinghai Lake, one of the country's highest inland lakes, may be
transformed into a "swan lake," thanks to local environmental
protection efforts.
"If the current biological environment can be maintained, the lake
is sure to become a paradise for whooper swans," said Li Laixing,
an ornithologist at the Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology
under the Chinese
Academy of Sciences.
"Birds tend to change their migrating routes or destinations if
they find attractive spots midway," said Li.
Amid deep ice and snow for thousands of years, warm springs
scattered beneath rivers, lakes and wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau have kept many places temperate, which are suitable for
birds such as the whooper swan to live and propagate.
To
date, more than 1,000 whooper swans have settled beside Qinghai
Lake, which is the country's largest saltwater lake.
Years of research indicates that Spring Bay at the core area of the
lake is a major paradise for whooper swans, where plenty of
floating grass and schools of fish offer a rich food source for
them, said Li.
Qinghai Lake is about midpoint of the whoopers' normal migrating
route. While some will go no further, the stronger swans will
travel the remaining two-fifths of the total route west to another
winter shelter in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"The whooper swans are very clever," said Li. "The weaker ones will
sometimes choose a suitable place halfway rather than travel all
the 4,000 kilometers to Xinjiang if they feel weak.
"The young often tend to follow the weak's example so they no
longer have to suffer the long flight." He said that they could
save their strength for migrating back.
Singing, dancing and claw prints of the whoopers are no longer
strange to local residents, and have become something of an
amusement.
During the lake's boom time, flocks of birds of other varieties and
bird eggs can be found everywhere on the islands and lakesides, and
warbles of birds can be heard miles away.
To
protect the paradise for birds and echo the universal call for
ecological environment protection, the country set up the
state-level Qinghai Lake Natural Protection Zone at the end of
1997.
Ornithologists have also caught sight of white-headed geese and
wild ducks.
In
addition, large quantities of red sheldrakes and other duck species
were also seen by the experts.
(Eastday.com February 26, 2003)