Small Mountain Village in Inner Mongolia: These Migratory Birds Are Not Heading South
Red mandarin ducks take flight. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yunping
Xinhua News Agency, Hohhot, February 6th (Xinhua reporter Li Yunping) On the New Year holiday, over 10,000 red mandarin ducks were found to be overwintering in a village in Urat Front Banner, Inner Mongolia, presenting a scene of ‘flying birds and flocks, myriad calls and songs.’ Local residents have sheltered these adorable creatures that were originally migrating south, giving them a special fondness for this northern small mountain village.
Red mandarin ducks were listed as endangered species on the Red List of the World Conservation Union in 2012, and they like to live in lakes in the plains.
Local staff are feeding the red mandarin ducks. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yunping
There are 3 important migratory routes for birds passing through Inner Mongolia. In Shenkalan, Shinaquan Village, Bigtai Town, Urat Front Banner, there is Ershun Hot Spring. Due to the constant water temperature of around 25℃, the surrounding environment is suitable for the nesting of migratory birds, and since 2016 it has attracted red mandarin ducks to spend the winter, and the number has increased year by year.
The reporter saw that a large number of red mandarin ducks were staying and playing in a mist, Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yunping, they were wearing ‘colorful clothes’ in red and yellow-brown, either staying on the water surface to forage or taking flight to soar in the sky, filling the silent village with (vibrant vitality).
Red mandarin ducks take flight. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yunping
‘In the past few years, when winter comes, there are several thousand red mandarin ducks staying here, I didn’t expect this year to increase to over 10,000.’ Party Secretary of Shenkalan Village, Yang Laiwen, was surprised.
According to Xinhua News Agency reporter Fan Shuruan, with the increase of red mandarin ducks and other nesting birds, the local government has set up a bird protection station and a public wall, and has established more than 3000 acres of protection zone around the hot spring, and has contacted caring people and enterprises to donate feed to help red mandarin ducks survive the winter.
Since the beginning of the winter, affected by snowfall and freezing weather, the red mandarin ducks have difficulty finding food. The township government helps the red geese to spend the winter by artificial feeding and feeding. Now, at noon every day, Yang Laiwen and Forestry Officer Yang Jinshan will bring several bags of corn grains and evenly scatter them around the hot spring to provide the red mandarin ducks with ‘free lunch’.
A large number of red mandarin ducks are staying and playing in a mist. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yunping
Yang Laiwen said, ‘Now it's freezing and snowy, even though the red mandarin ducks have a hot spring to ward off the cold, they can't find food, and they need at least 250 kilograms of feed per day. If they stay here for 100 days, their total feed demand is 25 tons. We villagers often feed them spontaneously, but the amount is limited, and we still need help from all sectors of society.’
As of now, the township government has received a total of 350,000 yuan in cash donations and 100,000 tons of corn, and the shortage of red mandarin duck feed has been significantly alleviated. Representative of Caring Enterprise Wang Shu said, ‘After learning on WeChat Moments that the red mandarin duck feed is short, we promptly raised 50,000 tons of corn feed and contributed a little love to help them spend the winter.’
