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After harvesting the beans in the field, Lao Yao got busy in the "Wildlife Conservation Station" in his yard, preparing to welcome the distinguished guest from Siberia-the beautiful white swan.

The conservation station is not big, with only one room. It was built by Lao Yao two years ago. The facilities in the room are also very simple, but the six white swan posters hanging on the wall are bright and eye-catching. , these wall charts introducing the migration routes, habits, and protected species of white swans were carefully framed in glass frames by Lao Yao. The two wall charts Lao Yao is making are about the Wildlife Protection Law. In addition, he also bought a new bucket of white paint and prepared to paint dozens more slogans.

"Swans are fairy birds that bring good luck to people, but to make more people understand and protect swans, we need publicity," Lao Yao said, "On October 25 last year, the swans It’s here, more than 20 days earlier than the year before. It may arrive in mid-October this year. The time for swans to spend the winter here is getting longer every year. In previous years, it was only two or three months, and last year it was more than five. "This year will definitely be longer."

Yao Jiangang, 48, is an ordinary villager in Qiaotou Village, Zhangwan Township, Shaanxian County, Henan Province. More than ten years ago, he moved to the bank of the Yellow River and worked with him. The swans formed an indissoluble bond.

"The toad wants to eat swan meat," Lao Yao said. The first time he saw an injured white swan was in 1985. At that time, his idea was to cook it and eat it, but the swan The beauty made him unbearable. He carried the swan and walked dozens of miles to the city zoo. He wanted more people to see the beautiful white swan.

In recent years, more and more swans have spent the winter on the river in front of Lao Yao's house. Every day, Lao Yao fell asleep and woke up to the crisp chirping of swans, which made him feel that life was wonderful, so he consciously took on the responsibility of protecting swans, getting up at five or six o'clock every morning to patrol. Lao Yao's actions won praise from the local forestry department. The year before last, he officially became a wildlife protection ranger, responsible for patrolling, guarding, and investigating and recording the living habits of white swans.

Lao Yao said that when he first moved here, many people hunted swans, and they often saw swan feathers all over the ground by the river. The situation was miserable. So the swans at that time were particularly afraid of people, and would fly away as soon as they saw a human figure 1,000 meters away. Now swans are no longer afraid of people, and they basically ignore people who move about fifty or sixty meters away.

Swans come to the Yellow River to spend the winter thanks to the construction of the Sanmenxia Dam. In 1957, the builders of New China built the first dam on the Yellow River in Sanmenxia. After the reservoir is filled with water every winter, the crops and weeds along the coast that are too late to be harvested are submerged by the water, forming an endless shallow water area, which is very suitable for the survival of wild birds. Since the 1970s, white swans living in Siberia have occasionally stopped here when flying south to spend the winter, and have gradually become obsessed with the rich food and wide water here.

The arrival of the white swan attracted the attention of the local government. In order to create a home for white swans, the "Sanmenxia Yellow River Reservoir Area Wetland Nature Reserve in Henan Province" was established in 1995 to protect white swans and more than 60 other wild birds. Effective protective measures are implemented. In addition, Sanmenxia City has stepped up efforts to control water pollution, and the water quality of the Yellow River in the Sanmenxia section has improved significantly, providing a suitable environment for the habitat and survival of white swans. More than one white swan chooses to spend the winter here every year. The Sanmenxia Reservoir Area, known as the "No. 1 Dam on the Yellow River", has become a veritable "Swan Lake" on the Yellow River.

"The water here is clear and the grass is beautiful, and the swans are increasingly reluctant to leave. Last year, they didn't leave until mid-April when the weather became unbearable," said Lao Yao. "When they fly here every year, the swans are light in weight." , the feathers are dry and often fly around lightly. After one winter, the swan has gained almost 10 pounds. The feathers are shiny, as if they were brushed with oil, and the heavy body has to move across a long distance of water before it can fly. "

Lao Yao pays close attention to the swans and the surrounding environment every day. Once he discovers any abnormality, he immediately reports it to the forestry department and stops many attempts to trap swans. Swans like places with a lot of water and grass. They will not go wherever crops are planted. Last year, he discovered that some villagers were weeding and planting land by the river, which affected the living environment of swans. This situation he reported received the attention of the forestry department.

"Swans like to live in groups. If there are any strays, they are either sick or injured," said Lao Yao. Last year, two swans did not fly away by the end of May. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that their wings were injured. He quickly hired a boat and more than 20 boatmen to rescue the swan ashore and sent it to the Sanmenxia Wildlife Rescue Center.

Under the careful care of Lao Yao, these white elves from Siberia are either playing in the waves leisurely, looking for food with their heads down attentively, or taking a nap quietly with their necks bent, leaving the bleak winter scenery of the Yellow River. The decoration is lively and interesting, attracting a large number of tourists. At this time, Lao Yao was even busier. He kept preaching to tourists about protecting swans and educating children not to set off firecrackers or throw stones into the river.

"Swans are emotional animals. If one dies, the other will never find a mate for life and will soon die of sadness, so we must protect every swan as much as possible." Yao said, "It is my greatest wish to have the swans come happily and go away peacefully every year." (2). The vast Wuliangsuhai Sea is located in the Yellow River Basin in the central part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This is the largest wetland at the same latitude on the earth, covering an area of ??293 square kilometers. It is a paradise for birds.

Migration

Wuliangsuhai’s unique geographical location and natural conditions have made it a famous bird migration and breeding ground in the world. In recent years, due to the continuous introduction of Yellow River water into Wuliangsuhai, the lake surface has gradually expanded, the lake water has become clear, and various fish and water microorganisms have increased significantly, providing abundant food for birds.

Every year in mid-March, migratory birds in the waters of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan and other places as well as Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake and other lake areas in the Yangtze River Basin begin to migrate north in groups, arriving at the beautiful and rich areas. The Uliangsuhai spends the summer in the Uliangsuhai; there are also a small number of birds flying along the Yellow River to the Uliangsuhai in Balkhash Lake in Kazakhstan in western Asia, Bosten Lake in Xinjiang, and Qinghai Lake in Qinghai Province. There are as many as 215 species of birds and more than 6 million birds. Among them, there are 6 species of national first-level protected birds such as black storks, jade-belted sea eagles, white-tailed sea eagles, great bustards, relict gulls, and houbara bustards, and 29 species of national second-level protected birds such as whooper swans and mute swans. Under the blue sky and white clouds, various seabirds flutter high, soar low over the sea, and call while flying...

In late October, migratory birds begin to migrate south in large numbers, arranging in a line, herringbone, or a herringbone shape regardless of day or night. Irregular formations sang beautiful songs and flew all the way south. Birds from Lake Baikal in Russia in northern Asia also stop by Wuliangsuhai for a short time to replenish energy and continue their migration south.

Breeding

April to May is the golden period for the breeding of various birds, with herons half a month earlier. The boat rowed towards the reed swamp, and was startled by water birds. When they opened the reeds, they saw that they were full of grass nests, with eggs of various colors, including young chicks that had just hatched and were all fluffy, and some that were just one month old. Young birds see people hiding in the water, and some adult birds are frightened and fly away when they are hatching eggs...

In mid-June, various birds bring their young to practice adaptive flight on the water surface. When you sail into the depths of the reed swamps by boat, you can see flocks of various large and small waterbirds on the water, some taking off with their wings open, some chasing and playing in the water, some diving into the water to fish, and some hiding. Those who show off their singing voices among the reeds emit a crisp "chirp" sound like silver bells. Every morning and evening are the best times for birds to sing. The various bowls are turned to listen to the chirping of birds.

Protection

The protection of such a typical inland wetland ecological environment is a key project implemented by the country and autonomous regions in recent years. The state has invested 12 million yuan to build the Wuliangsuhai Wetland Ecological Reserve, built 3 bird observation stations, 6 feeding points, established a bird rescue and breeding center, and a bird protection publicity center, posted and painted Propaganda slogans were issued; a Haid police station was established, more patrols were dispatched to patrol day and night, and the crackdown on illegal activities such as picking up bird eggs and hunting birds was intensified, so that the birds were effectively protected. Under the protection of these powerful measures, rare birds such as gray cranes, yellow-billed egrets, white ducks, and Weaver herring gulls began to inhabit and breed in Wuliangsuhai. The number of whooper swans and mute swans under national key protection increased sharply. The number has increased from more than 200 to more than 800 now, reviving the former vitality of Wuliangsuhai. (3). Bird Paradise is located in the river in Tianma Village, 10 kilometers south of Xinhui City, Guangdong.

This is the largest natural bird watching paradise in the country.

This is a tourist destination that people are fascinated by. Bird Paradise is a famous international eco-tourism attraction in Xinhui, the hometown of overseas Chinese in Guangdong. It is located in Tianma Village, 10 kilometers away from the city. With a long history of hundreds of years, it covers an area of ??18 acres and looks like a floating oasis from a distance. It can be called a wonder of the South. And every day, tens of thousands of wild herons of various kinds inhabit this beautiful tree. They come out in the evening and return in the morning, singing and dancing, which is even more spectacular. This natural scene appears in densely populated areas and has continued for 384 years (the old school started from "Quedun" in 1618, the Xuwu Year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty), forming a harmonious coexistence and common development between man and nature. A model that is rare indeed. Over the years, it has attracted a large number of Chinese and foreign tourists.

"A banyan tree is heaven", a poem sums up the characteristics of a bird's paradise. More than 380 years ago, this place was originally a mud mound in the water. After a long period of multiplication, a banyan tree became a "lone tree forest" covering an area of ??one hectare, and the mud mound also became a green island. The banyan trees on the island are home to tens of thousands of more than ten kinds of birds, especially egrets and gray herons. Egrets go out in the morning and return in the evening, while gray herons go out in the evening and return in the morning, alternating with each other in the morning and at night, circling and flying, singing and singing, which is a spectacle, forming "a single tree becomes a forest of ancient banyan trees, and hundreds of birds leave their nests and hundreds of birds return to their nests." Three natural wonders. For more than 380 years, Tianma people have been educating generations of descendants with the ancestral motto of "love trees and birds, love yourself, and love your children and grandchildren", and use various methods to protect this living environment and make this natural wonder It has been preserved intact to this day. In 1933, the famous writer Ba Jin wrote the essay "Bird's Paradise" after traveling there, and "Bird's Paradise" got its name from then on.

After re-planning and expansion in 2002, Bird Paradise covers an area of ??400,000 square meters, forming a unique natural style of Lingnan Water Town, gathering the history and culture of "ancient banyan trees, egrets, and Tianma people" It is a natural and cultural attraction with folk traditional ecological and environmental protection characteristics. It is a model theme scenic spot that fully embodies the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is currently the first of the eight new scenic spots in the hometown of overseas Chinese.